Some might believe being a good salesperson is all abouttalking, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s actuallyall about listening to the customer. I’ve found that a greatchallenge of working in voluntary benefits is that one-size-fitsall solutions don’t exist. Each customer comes with their own setof needs, wants and challenges, and you need to adjust yourapproach based on the client. And this requires listening.

As part of our ongoing efforts to listen to customers, wepartnered with an independent research firm and surveyed more than200 employers to understand what drives purchasing behavior for voluntary benefits. Ibelieve what we heard was insightful and would strongly consider itas you evaluate whether to sell voluntary benefits. Here’s alook:

1. 83 percent of employees with healthcare coverageand no voluntary benefits say they’re open to enrolling involuntary benefits through their employer – and they don’texpect their employer to pay for them.