CEO COLUMN
Make 2021 the year of increasing placement & reducing cycle time
Without Case Managers and their very particular set of skills , our industry does not move forward .
Fresh off a holiday season where numerous movie lines from National Lampoon ’ s Christmas Vacation and Elf are quoted one too many times by family , friends and colleagues , the dial has turned to 2021 . However , that doesn ’ t mean those same holiday quotes were not misquoted , ruining the expected laughter or killing the moment . Attention to detail was missed and the envisioned end result was not achieved . Don ’ t you hate it when that happens ?
Perhaps one of the most misquoted movies is the 2009 action spectacular “ Taken .” The movie gave us a speech with one of the best 40-second action-movie monologues of the 2000s . I am specifically referring to a clip of Bryan Mills ’ ( Liam Neeson ) phone call with a man who has kidnapped his daughter , Kim ( Maggie Grace ) and you ’ ve almost certainly heard its most famous line misquoted every other week by various middle-managers in your office or sales advisors in the field .
Particular set of skills The entire speech , with the oft-misquoted line bolded and underlined , goes :
“ I don ’ t know who you are . I don ’ t know what you want . If you are looking for ransom , I can tell you I don ’ t have money . But what I do have are a very particular set of skills , skills I have acquired over a very long career , skills that make me a nightmare for people like you . If you let my daughter go now , that ’ ll be the end of it . I will not look for you . I will not pursue you . But if you don ’ t , I will look for you , I will find you , and I will kill you .”
Please note , he does NOT say “ a special set of skills .”
Dan LaBert , CEO NAILBA DLaBert @ nailba . org
How does the above quote relate to the Life Insurance industry and independent distribution ? Carrier and Agency Case Managers require a very particular set of skills . Without Case Managers and their very particular set of skills , our industry does not move forward . The quote is never converted into a policy .
Leveraging skills
I know , the first counter point is “ automation .” There is some benefit to leveraging technology . However , any particular day , you may find a case manager speaking directly with underwriters , internal wholesalers , agents , advisors , doctor ’ s offices , vendors , principals , regardless of the net worth of the client or the value of the application , many times automation will require a human touch . Per iPipeline research , the more frequently your case managers follow-up on a case , the more likely it is to go in-force faster . If your case managers can cycle through their case follow-ups more than once a week , you will see a marked improvement in your placement ratios and cycle times .
CEO Column continued on page 6
4 Perspectives Q1 2021