Everyone's looking for ways to get the attention of brokers and employers by promoting their sizzle. In the group employee benefits arena, one way to get attention is to offer flashy, innovative technology that promises to make doing business easier.

After all, there are plenty of employee benefits carriers and third-party administrators offering plenty of solutions — but whose technology has more sizzle? Or, maybe a better question — does the sizzle really matter the most? It's no secret that technology is a huge selling point. But there are times when it can be cool but not very useful, or vice versa. Be careful not to get caught up in the look and feel. It's important to find the balance.

In fact, to make technology a real differentiator, it's not the sizzle; it's the steak — the substance behind the technology — that separates full-service providers from the rest of the crowd.