Do you sometimes feel that it's time for you to leave this business, but you feel trapped because of the income you make? (Photo: Shutterstock)The average age of brokers/producers/advisors in the employee benefits field is well over 55. The problem with this is that many employee benefits practice leaders are stuck in the status-quo thinking of business as usual.
Are you feeling like the benefits business has become boring or doesn't offer a future? Do you sometimes feel that it's time for you to leave this business, but you feel trapped because of the income you make?
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We felt the exact same way. The business had become uninteresting and we weren't truly helping our clients anymore.
Join Jim Blachek, Eric Silverman, Randy Hansen and Allison Cohen De Paoli for their BenefitsPRO Broker Expo on-demand session, "Health care risk financing in the post-COVID-19 era" starting Tuesday, August 4.
I firmly believe that to save our industry, we must change how we (the aforementioned benefits professionals over the age of 55) deliver benefits to employers and their employees. We must embrace the next generation of ideas in employee benefits.
We need to deliver better access and higher quality health care to employees while saving them money.
I wasn't always in this mindset. For over 25 years, I was happy delivering less-bad health care increases to employers, thinking I was helping them. Yet, all we do during this process is teach employers to accept our failure to have a truly positive impact on health care.
After the tragic death of my son in 2013 and the fog in my life that followed, I came to realize that without my employees, our business would not have survived. Instead, because of them, we thrived. My employees saved our business; without employees, we have no businesses. I also came to understand that without the employees of our clients, we have no book of business.
We must change the focus of our efforts in order to help employers and their employees. We must bring them better access to higher quality health care while driving down their costs. Our purpose isn't just to sell employers, it is to sell employers with a focus on the employees.
For years, BenefitsPRO has successfully highlighted many of the rising stars in our industry and the ways in which they are changing how we deliver health care. But to spread this momentum further and truly make the impact we need in the industry, the older advisors like me and you need to change, as well.
Our upcoming BenefitsPRO Broker Expo panel will help you understand the journey to truly being able to deliver positive results to employers and their employees. We will talk about the successes, failures and lessons we've learned as we pivoted our business models. Join us in the journey to innovation with less pain and aggravation. We will share real life examples of what to do and not to do in order to facilitate the process. Let our failures and successes guide you.
We will give you a roadmap so you, too, can change how you deliver results and not be stuck delivering those less crappy health care increases that are truly unsustainable.
This new path will invigorate you as it did us, with increased interest, enthusiasm and energy. We now view this business in a positive light with a bright future.
The panel will be moderated by Eric Silverman of Voluntary Disruption. Eric brings a unique perspective that isn't based on the medical side of our business.
Allison De Paoli of Altiqe has more than 25 years of experience in our industry. She has successfully pivoted to a consulting focus, working with employers to reduce the size and frequency of claims.
Randy Hansen of PSG realized four years ago that there has to be a better way to work in the benefits business. After 30+ years, he says he has never worked harder and had more fun than he has since he has made the switch.
And I'm Jim Blachek of Dynamic Benefit Solutions in Scranton, Pennsylvania, an old man firmly committed to these new principles after 30+ years in the industry.
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