We hope you'll enjoy the insights and advice gathered below from voluntary benefits industry experts and brokers in the trenches.

1. The customer comes first.

"This is the age of the customer. The world of benefits is often viewed negatively by the public, and our poor reputation is partly based on confusing contracts, difficult processes for customers, opaque reports and unfair denials. A claim is often the genesis point of this customer discontent. Think how much better we will be viewed if the claimant/customer tells everyone what a great experience they had."

—Marty Traynor, vice president of voluntary benefits at Mutual of Omaha

2. Reach out to Gen X.

Don't forget about Generation X. According to Liazon, Gen Xers purchase more insurance products than any other generation, an average of 5.3 non-medical product per person.

3. Voluntary pays.

A typical critical illness policy carries a $2,200 premium, with a 70 percent first-year commission and 4 percent renewal commissions paid to the writing agent.

4. Keep it simple.

"Simplicity is everything. Some of the practical advice for improving sales is pretty simple but not practiced enough. Agents and enrollers are begging for training—not product training specifically, but ideas for how to demonstrate the need to the consumers. [Critical illness] is sold, not bought, so agents really need to find the right message for each client."

—Mark Randall, researcher and trainer for GoldenCare

5. Offer choices.

Having a broad portfolio of competitively-priced, high-quality insurance solutions is important. This will enable a broker to provide the choices needed so that each employee can develop customized insurance coverage that best meets their individual and/or family needs."

—John Thornton, EVP, Amalgamated Life Insurance

6. Be willing to walk away.

"Some brokers consistently average 30 percent or more participation, while others struggle to reach 5 percent. And if they are in the same size market, the second broker needs to sell six times as many cases to reach the same number of new enrollees. Guess which one earns more, does a better job for her clients, and is truly partnering with her carriers? Sometimes, not taking every opportunity is the right answer. No wonder it's a virtue."

— Benefits Selling columnists Bonnie Brazzell and Gil Lowerre

7. Make it easy.

"[Millennials] don't want the insurance lingo we are used to speaking. They want an easy engagement process, face-to-face enrollment, flexible products, and easy-to-use tools."

— Steve Hesler, assistant vice president of product and market development at Colonial Life

8. Know the top 5.

The top five voluntary products by sales last year were life insurance, disability, dental, accident, and hospital indemnity/supplemental medical.

9. Not extra but ultimate.

"Perhaps we've been missing the boat in the way we present disability income products. Perhaps we should be emphasizing that they are, in fact, the ultimate lifestyle benefits. What other product helps employees maintain lifestyle as effectively as disability protection? What other product actually creates the money necessary to maintain a lifestyle?"

—Marty Traynor, vice president of voluntary benefits at Mutual of Omaha

10. Consider the Fido Factor.

Pet insurance is a good place to be these days.

By 2020, revenue is forecast to increase at an annualized rate of 6.8 percent, driving annual sales to $1 billion, according to IBISWorld.