Employers to call on first
- Employers hiring now. When good people are hard to find, benefits help a small business compete.
- A real staff: long hours, seven-day weeks and busy locations mean more employees to cover.
- Growing employers with several locations.
- New owners, who are setting up or reviewing HR and benefits.
- Medical offices, senior care, the trades and manufacturers, where skilled workers often expect a benefits package.
Get licensed and appointed first
To sell health insurance you need the right state license, usually accident and health, in every state where you sell, plus appointments with the carriers you quote. Small group rules, including how employees are counted and what plans must cover, come from federal law and your state, so learn the definitions where you work. If you also sell life, disability or retirement products, each has its own licensing.
Build your list
- Referrals from accountants, payroll reps and business attorneys, who see employers grow first.
- Job boards and “now hiring” signs in your territory.
- Your chamber of commerce and trade associations.
- A prospecting map like Canvas Scout, which puts employers who are hiring, running several shifts or growing into several locations at the top.
What to say
Ask for the owner or whoever handles HR. Lead with hiring, not plans and premiums:
“Hi, I’m Renee with Harbor Benefits. I work with a lot of employers around here who are trying to hire. Do you offer health coverage now? … When does it renew? I’d like to bring you a second option about a couple of months before, so you have something to compare.”
Write down the renewal date, the current carrier and the headcount. Like an X-date in other lines, that renewal date is your pipeline.
What a group quote needs
Group quotes take time. Carriers usually need an employee census, the current plan and renewal, and the employer’s contribution plans, and many have participation and contribution requirements. Start the work well before the renewal so there is time to underwrite, compare and enroll. Explain the options plainly, including what employees will pay, and never promise a premium before the carrier quotes it.
Follow up to the renewal
Check in a couple of times a year, then start the quote well ahead of the renewal date. After you win a group, service is what keeps it: help with enrollment, answer employees’ questions and review the plan every year. Keep notes on every employer so you never ask the same question twice.
Where Canvas Scout fits
Canvas Scout maps every local business in your territory and puts employers who are hiring, running several shifts or growing into several locations first. See Canvas Scout for employee benefits agents, or look up how many businesses are in your territory.
