January 2015

Ep #42: Critical Illness Insurance Adds Value to Your Client Conversations – With Ken Smith

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When your client is diagnosed with a critical illness, will they have ready access to a lump sum of money needed to cover the ever-increasing personal responsibility of their benefit plan? How would you advise them to pay for costs that aren’t covered by their medical coverage? Critical Illness (CI) insurance offers a solution. In this episode, subject matter expert Ken Smith helps us to understand the product.

Ken is a Director at Assurity Life and is the co-author of HIAA’s book, Supplemental Health Insurance. In this fast-paced conversation, you will learn about the various types of CI, how to incorporate the coverage into the medical plans you are already providing and how to approach clients about the subject.

Click the SPECIAL OFFER button on the right for a free white paper that will help you learn more about positioning this solution in your practice. Click the Assurity logo to email Ken.

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Ken’s background.
  • The history of Critical Illness and how it works.
  • How the product is underwritten.
  • The strategic use of an Accident Plan in combination with Critical Illness coverage.
  • How advisors can position this with their clients.
  • Whether the plans pay out for recurring conditions.

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Ep #41: Research Helps You To Become A “New Generation Advisor” – With Eric Rentsch

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On previous episodes we’ve talked about the different tools and pieces of technology that advisors can use in their practices. But, according to a study conducted by this week’s guest, before we deploy the tools we need to assure that our strategies and tactics are aligned with the four basic types of employers.

Today, we welcome Eric Rentsch, Founder and CEO of CodeSixFour, an online resource center that uses latest research tools to help you become a “new generation benefit advisor”.

They recently undertook a fascinating study of some of the new market realities that  advisors are facing today. We invited Eric to share more about that study and what he and his company have learned from it regarding customer relations and new opportunities for custom solutions. Join us to hear Eric explain the study’s methodology, findings and conclusions.

As a bonus to ShiftShapers listeners, Eric has allowed us to give you access to the full study. Just click on the “Special Offer” button in the right-hand column. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Eric’s background,
  • What “Next Generation Advisor Study” is all about.
  • Our discussion about the new era of benefit design.
  • The four types of employers.
  • The six areas of capability that a next generation benefits advisor needs.
  • Strategies and tactics for the next generation advisors.

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Ep #40: Shorten Your Sales Cycles For Maximum Productivity – With Ryan Pinney

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In today’s on-demand market, clients are looking for progressively faster solutions to their problems. So how do we, as benefit advisors, keep up with the times? Our guest on this episode has just the solution.

Ryan Pinney is VP of Sales & Marketing at Pinney Insurance Center. He is an innovator and expert at using technology to drive insurance business and shorten sale cycles.

We invited Ryan to talk about how the sales funnel has evolved in light of technological advances as well as the importance of speeding up the sales and delivery cycles. We also discuss the tools benefit advisors should equip themselves with in order to compete electronically in today’s market. Tune in to this value-packed episode to find out what you can do to get started!

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • How Ryan’s life insurance practice experience and technology is applicable in all areas of the business.
  • How far behind insurance sales professionals are in technology.
  • The tools that advisors need to have in their arsenal to compete electronically.
  • What the sales funnel looks like today.
  • Why devices don’t matter.
  • What life insurance sales in China can teach us here in the USA.

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Ep #39: Profit From the Convergence of Technology and Benefits – With Michael Lujan

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Advisors doing more and earning less need new tools to deal with today’s benefits environment. Unfortunately, according to our guest, our industry is behind the curve in the convergence of market change and technology.

Michael Lujan President and Co-founder of LimeLight Health and is also serving as President-elect of the California Association of Health Underwriters. Michael, a long time technologist, is dedicated to providing health insurance agents with a platform and tools that simplify complex proposal, renewal and benefits decisions.

Michael joins us today to discuss the current void in technology for benefits advisors and the importance of today’s insurance market catching up to other industries. We discuss how technology can help advisors become more effective and efficient while also differentiating them in their markets.  Join us to find out about the new tools available and how they can help you step up your game!

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • Michael’s background.
  • His involvement in Cover California.
  • Why advisors need 21st century tools.
  • What functionality is needed in the field.
  • How to get traditional advisors “tech-ed up.”
  • The future of the intersection of technology and benefits.

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