It's a matter of time: Preparing for tough talks with carriers

This article is the fifth in a series that we started in July with “A little less conversation a little more action.” The collection will take you step-by-step through the process of becoming an advisor of tomorrow, examining the challenges involved in so many of the non-intuitive issues you will face, so you will be ready to tackle them head on. 

To better meet their clients’ needs today, advisors of tomorrow are building independent, high-performing health plans for their clients. When you do that, it can ultimately put you in the position of competing directly with the major carriers, and that means some difficult conversations are probably in order.

At one time, these carriers probably represented the majority of your firm’s revenue and will likely call to ask why you moved a certain group, or even threaten to pull your appointment. We are hearing this from all over the country from advisors we know. Before you have these conversations with the carriers, you need to be ready.