16 May 2016

Ep #110: The Bloodline of Wisdom and Wise Decision Making – With Tony Boquet

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Are you a “solutionary”?  What is the role of wisdom in ethics, and where does wisdom begin? An old friend of the podcast has a new novel that helps explain it all.

This week, we welcome Tony Boquet back to the podcast. In his “day” job, Tony is Vice President and Adjunct Professor at the American College. Last time we chatted, he told us about changes at the college, but this conversation centers around his new book, The Bloodline of Wisdom: The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary. 

The Bloodline of Wisdom is a compelling and engaging novel that instructs about a serious subject – wisdom and wise decision making. Tony helps us to understand that the avalanche of information available to us does not necessarily provide wisdom. We explore why wisdom is the foundation of our ethical constructs and how it informs the way we act in both our professional and personal lives.

Those who understand these concepts become “solutionaries”, a word Tony created and which he explains in more detail in the podcast. He also gives some examples of how solutionaries and non-solutionaries make decisions and conduct themselves. We wrap up the conversation with the direct lessons that benefits advisors can walk away with after reading Tony’s new book.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • How Tony’s novel came about and his thought process behind it.
  • Whether the ethics and wisdom are synonymous.
  • Why Tony used a historical context in the book
  • What a solutionary is and who falls into that category.
  • The direct lessons that benefits advisors can walk away with after reading Tony’s book.

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09 May 2016

Ep #109: Why Using Statistics in Your Long Term Care Marketing Process May Be Hurting Your Business – With Steve Cain

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This week, we’re featuring an interview with Steve Cain, Principal and National Sales Leader at LTCI Partners, on the topic of the practice area that has completely redefined itself over the past few years – Long Term Care (LTC).

On this episode of the ShiftShapers Podcast, we discuss why using statistics to market LTC is no longer the best method to use and what advisors should change in their approach to achieve better results. We delve into the reason why Steve believes that Long Term Care is an event-triggered sale.

We also discuss the major differences between the first and second generations of LTC plans and why combo products have recently been getting quite a bit of traction. Join us to hear Steve’s advice on how to have the LTC conversation with employers, and discover the new types of plan designs that are being offered today.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • Whether advisors are using the right techniques to market LTC insurance.
  • Why Steve believes that LTC is an event-triggered sale.
  • The difference between first and second generation LTC plans.
  • How behavioral finance factors into decision making.
  • The new types of plan designs that are being sold today.

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02 May 2016

Ep #108: What You Don’t Know About Retirement Will Hurt You – With Michael Gerali

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Should HSAs be thought of as more of a retirement than healthcare tool? We ask practitioner and author Michael Gerali that question and more on this week’s ShiftShapers Podcast.

Michael Gerali is the managing principal at HR Solutions and has co-authored a fascinating book, What You Don’t Know About Retirement Will Hurt You! that explodes some of the myths and misconceptions around retirement and retirement planning. We asked him to join us to discuss the topic of retirement and where it overlaps with the benefits industry.

In this interesting discussion, we dive into the things that baby boomers and their advisors don’t know about the relationship between their health care costs and retirement and why so many think they will not be affected by it. Michael shares the three main rules of retirement and we explore what advisors need to know when talking to their prospects and clients about these critical issues. Learn how you can expand your practice by seamlessly integrating your client’s retirement planning with the benefit advisement you already offer.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • What baby boomers and their advisors don’t know.
  • Why people think they won’t be affected.
  • The three rules of the new retirement.
  • How advisors can transition to talking about retirement planning.
  • Whether HSAs are more of a retirement than a health vehicle.
  • The three “holy grails” of planning.

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25 Apr 2016

Ep #107: Are Benefit Advisors Fiduciaries? – With Adam Russo

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ShiftShapersCoverArtBeing a fiduciary is a big responsibility that many clients don’t fully understand and oftentimes find challenging to carry out – especially in the small and middle market.

We invited Adam Russo, CEO of the Phia Group, back for a return engagement on ShiftShapers.  With all of the news around the new DOL ruling and with the increased interest in self-funding, Adam explains what it means to be a fiduciary, how problems and challenges crop up and a few ways to handle them. We also discuss the liability that attaches to this role and some new tools that help plans deal with the complexity and the liability.

We also ask Adam to explain why all of this applies to the traditional benefit advisor – both for themselves and in their role as trusted client advisors. We explore what advisors who aren’t dealing in traditional ERISA plans need to know to protect themselves and their clients in today’s environment.

We wrap up our conversation with Adam by discussing how benefits advisors can educate themselves on the key elements of self-funding and the opportunities this unique financing arrangement provides in a post-ACA environment.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • The DOL Fiduciary Rule.
  • What a fiduciary is.
  • Whether the benefit advisors are fiduciaries.
  • What fiduciaries are on ERISA plans.
  • Some examples / case studies.
  • What benefit advisors can do to educate themselves on the topic.

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18 Apr 2016

Ep #106: The Most Important Sales Tool You Have Forgotten – With John Stoner

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The most important sales tool you have forgotten might be the most important tool to remember – if you want to maximize the work you do for each client.

This episode of ShiftShapers is a bit unorthodox. As you’re listening to it, you might want to download the Discovery Document by clicking this link, print it out, and follow along.

John Stoner is the Founder and President of The Stoner Organization and he is graciously offering ShiftShapers listeners the factfinder he has developed and uses with his clients. This episode is all about uncovering client needs, staging them over time and maximizing the work you are able to do for each client.

John also shares some unique sales strategies that he and his team use at The Stoner Organization. We talk about John’s Medicare strategy, how he implements it with his clients, and why it matters to employers. We also explore an innovative group life strategy and we learn why John believes employers should consider corporately self-funding STD, Dental, and Vision Plans. Don’t miss this value-packed interview that is sure to give you ideas you can implement in your practice.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • Why a discovery document is so important.
  • Why sales are made with that document.
  • How to use the factfinder to provide an innovative Medicare strategy for employers.
  • A fresh group life concept sale.
  • Why you should consider self-funding STD, Dental and Vision Plans.

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11 Apr 2016

Ep #105: Raise Your Communication Game – With Meghan Dotter

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On this episode of ShiftShapers, we’re pleased to welcome Meghan Dotter, Principal at Portico PR, back to the program to talk about some of the common mistakes people make when working on printed communications, websites, and presentations.

Meghan shares her advice on how we can make all of our communication more relevant, interesting, and actionable. We also discuss the role emotion and authenticity play in presentations and other forms of communication in our business.

You will learn how top presenters make their presentation deck an accessory that reinforces their core message and helps to tell an engaging story that sticks in the minds of their audiences.

We wrap up our conversation with Meghan’s tips for relieving nervousness during presentations and having a better focus on your content and engaging your audience.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • Some of the most common mistakes people make when presenting.
  • How emotion factors into a presentation.
  • The best length for a presentation.
  • What is your “presentation persona.”
  • Why Meghan suggests to think of your story as a backpack.
  • Why it is important to be “authentic.”

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04 Apr 2016

Ep #104: Increasing Engagement with Telemedicine – With Lena Cheng

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In previous ShiftShapers episodes, we’ve talked quite a bit about telemedicine and the role it plays in today’s benefits arena.  On this episode, we’re pleased to talk with Dr. Lena Cheng, the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Doctor on Demand, about how to increase employee engagement in telemedicine.

How can benefit advisors help employers to understand the telemedicine value proposition and what can they do to assure successful implementation and utilization?  Don’t miss this important discussion on what it takes to build a consumer-grade front door to medicine and to create a different consumer experience.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • What consumers want from a telemedicine platform.
  • How to deliver on-demand care within 3 minutes.
  • Whether there is a demonstrable, repeatable ROI yet.
  • The role doctor training plays in the success of a telemedicine platform.
  • What “design-centric” thinking is all about.
  • How we can learn from other industries.

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28 Mar 2016

Ep #103: The Million-Dollar Prospect Marketing Lesson – With Scott Cantrell

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On this episode of ShiftShapers, we’re happy to welcome Scott Cantrell, Chief Marketing Strategist at Insurance Bottom Line. Drawing upon years of marketing experience, Scott has a keen sense of how to position ideas with different audiences.  He joins us to discuss something that everybody does, but not everyone does well – prospecting.

Scott explains how our tactics often turn away potential clients and what we can do differently to make prospects chase after us and our expertise.

We also discuss Scott’s step-by-step formula for making our prospecting more effective while connecting with our target market. Finally, Scott shares the Million-Dollar Prospecting Marketing Lesson that every broker should consider using to attract new clients.

What You’ll Learn From this Episode:

  • The main issues with how most people prospect.
  • Scott’s formula for more effective prospecting.
  • His Million Dollar Prospect Marketing Lesson and what it’s all about.
  • Whether one technique that will yield 20 new clients in 60 days exists.
  • The four keys to build into your prospecting efforts.

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