Becoming a trusted advisor while transforming your business model

To do this, you will need to become much more consultative in your approach. And you will need a formalized process that’s replicable, as well as training and tools to make this transition successful. But your client’s need you to do just that, and they demand their advisor(s) provide this kind of counsel and expertise, or they will find someone who will. All of this will be independent of how they gain access to life and health insurance products in the future. Your primary value proposition cannot be as the access point to products. Your clients need your expertise and you need to reinvent yourself to remain relevant.

You may be asking yourself: “I get it, but where do I start?” It seems clear you need to start with first analyzing your clients and prospects. You need to focus in a very real and meaningful way on what they need now and over the next three to five years. What do they want to accomplish with their benefits program? Do they even want to offer benefits? Will their competition offer benefits? These are all real-world strategic questions that any thinking employer should be considering. Whether you acknowledge it or not, they will be thinking about these questions. So you need to embrace the process and lead the discussion.