Think about how technology is transforming the health care industry. With telemedicine, people can now get a medical diagnosis by just logging onto their laptop and having a video consultation with a doctor. And trials also are underway for a cancer-spotting breathalyzer that uses an app on your mobile device.

As the industry rapidly embraces advances in technology, it's becoming increasingly important that brokers get up to speed on using Big Data and predictive analytics. Brokers need to be able to analyze all types of data to help clients spot trends emerging under the radar and gain insights to make better informed business decisions. Imagine if you could accurately estimate how many of your clients' healthy employees will suffer a chronic illness in the coming year.  That's using Big Data to make smart decisions!

While dipping your toes into the pool of Big Data may seem intimidating at first, the value it can add in helping clients and prospects understand possible future business outcomes is enormous.