Being named Benefits Selling's 2012 Broker of the Year will always stand out as one of the highlights of my career. With this award came a ton of recognition, a great amount of new business and a lot of pressure. Here are five things I've learned since receiving this honor.
The importance of employee education
During my first few years in the business, I felt like I was always trying to convince employers to have employees meet with a benefit counselor one-on-one. There always seemed to be some type of pushback or reason why they couldn't. But since 2012 and PPACA, I've seen a complete change in mindsets. Through various methods, but mostly face-to-face, virtually all of my clients have us meet with every single employee. This is a great time to educate employees on exactly what is going on with their benefits package and also allows employees to ask questions specific to their individual situations. I see this becoming more and more popular as the landscape continues to change.
The value of voluntary
Voluntary benefits have certainly been front and center in our industry. With the trend of rising deductibles and rates, employers are looking for ways to help employees in any way possible. I've seen participation in accident, critical illness and voluntary STD increase every year since 2012. These products are starting to become a vital part of employers' benefit offerings.
How quickly things can change with PPACA
It's very important you keep your clients up to date on what is going on with PPACA. I've found myself saying “this can always change any day” far too often for liking. One example that comes to mind is the change in MEC/skinny plans in 2014. Several of my clients would have benefited greatly from these plans. This has become the reality of being in the employee benefits world, and you have to be able to adjust accordingly.
Embrace technology
I make it a point to take some time every week to read as much as I can on benefit admin systems and the newest technology in our market. Technology is going to continue to evolve, and it's certainly not going away. The consultants in our industry who embrace technology and try to become as educated as possible will stand out.
How important and rewarding our career is
The year I was named Broker of the Year, I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared about my future in the industry. You didn't go a day without hearing about how PPACA was going to eliminate agencies or how individuals were going to start looking for other careers. But I've found it to be the exact opposite. In the past few years my job has been as fun and challenging as it's ever been. I feel that clients look at their consultants as true business partners and are grateful of the knowledge and the solutions we can bring to the table. There's more value in our jobs than ever, and that is a great thing.
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