Panelists Dennis Hartin, JimBlachek, Marcy Heath and Ben Connor offered theirperspectives on how brokers can “filter out the noise.” (Photo:Thomas Phillips/ALM)

Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots,arguably the most successful franchise in the National FootballLeague, applies a number of mantras into his coaching philosophy.One mantra, “Ignore the Noise,” is sure to resonate with brokersand advisors. In a market filled with countless options and constant sales pitches,what can brokers and advisors do to pick the right carrier, payrollprocessor, vendor or whatever it is they're looking for? During apanel moderated by Eric Silverman at the recent BenefitsPRO BrokerExpo, Ben Connor, Marcy Heath, Jim Blachek and DennisHartin offered their perspectives. Here are three keytakeaways on how brokers can “filter out the noise.”

Unplug

While social media is considered a must in today's marketplace,it can also become a distraction. Heath, founder and owner ofInoventive Solutions, said keeping up with all of thevarious platforms can have an adverse effect when current andpotential clients can reach out through each and every medium.

Hartin, founder and president of HartinDynamics, warned that “social media has been a hugeresource” but “it can suck a lot of your time.” An unread emailcould hold a gem for a broker or advisor, but there's only so muchtime in the day, so social media should be filtered for noise. Butjust as important is embracing social media because it's not goingaway, said Silverman, founder and owner of Voluntary Disruption, adivision of Silverman Benefits Group.

Don't waste time

Brokers and advisors need to allocate their time carefully.Offers from vendors are unlikely to be in short supply, making theneed to filter them out by value a necessity. Blachek, principaland owner of The Benefits Group, says if a product offering looksand sounds like everything else, then he's not going to take thetime to talk to them. If there is a unique proposition to aproduct, he delegates it to a team member to vet it value. Withtime being in short supply, Hartin looks for transparency andauthenticity when working with others to know his time isn't beingwasted.

Focus on efficient

Filtering out the noise is all about efficiency. There are anumber of tools and technologies that bolster efficiency as abroker or for clients. While reliance on technology has onlyaccelerated in recent years, Blachek finds the human touch to bejust as effective. He sends a personal, handwritten note toeveryone he meets with. “Don't become so enamored with technologythat we forget that we're all people,” Blachek advised.

Silverman employs a similar practice, saying it's all aboutstanding out. Aside from LinkedIn, Connor, CEO of Connor Insurance, saysbeing in lockstep communication with vendors and delegatingresponsibilities has taken efficiency to the next level.

“Everybody has a struggle with getting bombarded with vendors intech and carriers and everybody saying they're great,” Silvermansaid, so brokers and advisors need to assess how to determine whatis a distraction, what is worth their time and what can enable themto be more efficient. With a clear identity that is moving in thedesired direction, brokers and advisors will be one step closer tosuccess—but first they've got to filter out the noise.

Read more of our Expo coverage:

• Broker Expo keynote: How to create yourS-T-A-M-P
• Meeting with the C-Suite: Don't mention healthinsurance
• Knowing your worth, and other strategies forbrokers to build their businesses