61. Mentor someone who shows promise in your organization, and teach them your skills.
62. Remember that most consumers and clients find health insurance extremely complex and confusing. Help them through it. Explain basic terminology.
63. Give credit where it's due. If you get assistance from co-workers, associates, or anyone else who helps you close the sale, mention them by name and honor them.
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64. Use LinkedIn. Here, brokers can connect with other brokers and agents, clients, carriers or broker groups. "LinkedIn is one of the best for brokers, as far as social media goes. It's just one of the best educational opportunities out there right now because there are so many brokers all across the nation putting out really good content. [Other] brokers can repost it and forward it to their clients — it's pretty exciting what they can do. It can make them look good to their employers." —Rick Krout, sales executive at Warner Pacific, Denver
65. Help your employees understand the value of an HSA by comparing it to a 401(k), but for health care.
66. Inform and guide employers on the increasing movement from HMO and PPO plans to consumer-driven options.
67. "Be client driven, not commission driven. Don't worry about percentage points, and maximizing profits. Take care of the client, keep commissions minimal and you will get more clients, and ultimately profitmore."—Ovation Health & Life Services, Inc
68. Ask for referrals. What can it hurt?
69. Send an email newsletter to your clients. "I feel like we're getting information out there, people appreciate it, and I know it keeps us top of mind. It reminds them who we are and that we're interested in them." —Mary Heidbrier, founder, MLJ Insurance Specialists, Boulder, Colo.
70. Get online. "Brokers have to be on the Web, period. With the new PPACA rules coming down, with the exchanges and things like that, it's all going to be Internet. So these brokers that have maybe shied away from getting their emails and websites, now they're going to have to get on the Web." — Rick Krout, sales executive at Warner Pacific, Denver
71. Consider webinars to conduct monthly meetings with clients and to help them enroll online.
72. Make videos of webinars you conduct. It's a great way to put a face to a name.
73. Practice what you preach regarding wellness. It's easy to tell the wellness story to the customer if you live it every day.
74. Learn about the Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers are increasingly relying on brokers to understand the law.
75. Stay in front of your customer. Don't lose sight of how you got to where you are. From an executive level, stay in tune with the needs of the client by remaining engaged. —Kristen Allison, president of Burnham Benefits, Orange County, Calif.
76. Give a client some breathing room. Give him or her time to digest the products or ideas and make a decision.
77. Set proper expectations with your customer — then over-deliver. —Kyle Moss, partner, McQueary Henry Bowles Troy
78. If you get a LinkedIn endorsement, use that opportunity to build your relationship with the endorser. Take a moment to send him or her a personal message. This adds value to an otherwise offhanded click of the mouse and creates an opportunity for dialogue.
79. Be a giver. "By that, at my firm we set out to provide valuable information and expertise to our prospective customers in the form of free educational webinars and seminars, and ongoing topical newsletters and blog posts to display our strategies, capabilities and how we think about business advisory and insurance consulting issues affecting our customers."—Kevin Davis, advisor, Lacher & Associates, Philadelphia
80. Invite clients to do something fun. Invite them to dinner, or to play golf. Don't let it be a sales pitch, get to know them personally.
Editor's note: Check back Friday to read the final part in the series.
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