Re-enrollment isn't discussed enough in the voluntary market. It seems only a fewbrokers have true re-enrollment strategies. Too often, a new caseis enrolled and then left untouched unless there's a rate change orother event that mandates a change. That's what we call “love 'emand leave 'em” marketing.

Do you think re-enrollment is primarily for new hires? Whatabout those who didn't buy the first time? Do you ever approachthem again? Employees who don't buy at the initial enrollment arenot making the decision to never buy—it just may not be the righttime. Remember that circumstances change. A 26-year old who choosesnot to purchase a product the first time may now have a mortgageand/or an infant child and better understand the need forcoverage.

It's important to continually re-market and allow employeesadditional opportunities to buy coverage. This is especiallyimportant in light of the lower participation rates seen in initialenrollments today. As the chart shows, the average participationrates of almost every product line have declined in recent years.If we look at participation by account size, we see a similardecline.

Some brokers claim they don't sell to previous non-buyersbecause carriers don't allow another open enrollment withguaranteed issue (GI). However, this isn't always the case. Manycarriers understand there are ways to provide another GI offer atre-enrollment without adverse selection. The offer may not beidentical to the initial one, but GI is still possible.

Also consider those who might have bought less than the amountfor which they qualified. They may have purchased based on budget,rather than on need. Re-enrollment gives them an opportunity toincrease coverage. Also keep in mind that enlightened carriersfrequently offer incremental increases on a GI basis, which is agreat plus for your customers.

When you sell a case, it's important you get the highest returnfrom the investment you have made in terms of time and money.Insist on carrier partners that understand this and can help youmaximize participation in the account—and your investment—overtime.