In 1989, I was 20 years old and clueless about selling voluntary benefits. I was still in college, and was always trying to apply something I was learning in school to our business.

One day, my field trainer, Charlie, said, “Brine (that's how you pronounce my name in South Georgia) you gon' outsmart yourself again. This ain't that complicated. Belly to belly, son. Belly to belly.”

The older I get, the wiser that statement seems. Selling benefits isn't high tech; it's high touch. You sell it belly-to-belly, not screen-to-screen. Yes, the tools are helpful, but they will never replace a real benefit advisor.

Have you met with an hourly employee who somehow got stuck with an HDHP whose deductible includes Rx? Do you have any idea how badly that employee got screwed when they find out the expenses for their insulin-dependent child are now subject to the $6,000 deductible the computer recommended they buy?

If you're selling voluntary, the need for belly-to-belly interaction increases tenfold. People simply don't understand how voluntary benefits cover the gaps left by their increasing deductibles and co-pays. A computer can do a lot of things well, but it cannot effectively communicate the nuances of the coverage you're offering.

It takes a real person with real answers to successfully sell benefits—voluntary or otherwise.