DISABILITY
If you haven ’ t done a Zoom meeting in sweatpants or shorts , yet , we highly recommend it .
John Nichols , Partner , DRG . Past NAIFA National President , a current MDRT member and an officer of MDRTF .
Bryan Orr , Partner , Disability Resource Group . Prior senior level sales positions with industry carriers . borr @ drgdi . com
Embracing the Amazon way
RIGHT NOW ! Have the income protection conversation with your clients . Public awareness of how an illness can affect one ’ s income is center stage due to Covid-19 . Disability insurance solutions have never been more accessible and the availability to your client by leveraging technology is the new normal .
Awareness of a solution
The awareness of the problem has been thrust upon your clients for the last eight months . The news from any outlet has been focused on COVID-19 and how this illness has been affecting one ’ s health and therefore their ability to earn an income . While Covid-19 may not directly translate to a long-term disability , it provides enough awareness of the problem that an illness , or injury may affect one ’ s ability to earn an income . Now is the time to educate your client on the solutions available .
It is important during this time of “ free press ” that we do not assume that our clients know individual disability products are available to them . Industry polls * have shown that protecting one ’ s income in the case of an injury or illness is a top priority . Armed with this information , combined with the confidence that your client is probably open to a discussion , now is the perfect time to simply ask to review their disability coverage . By reviewing their current coverage , you may identify gaps in their coverage which leads to the solution conversation .
Amazon experience
You will find that access to the perfect coverage is easier than ever . Because of COVID-19 , disability insurance carriers have liberalized their underwriting rules as it pertains to the amount of benefit one can qualify for with only an application and phone interview . Since the pandemic is still going on , some of the carriers have extended these rules for applicants under the age of 50 . Now is the time to use the advantages that the carriers have provided which makes the process of obtaining disability coverage less invasive and more like an Amazon experience .
Availability to your client
Technology is allowing us to do our job , effectively , without having to leave our home . If you haven ’ t done a Zoom meeting in sweatpants or shorts , yet , we highly recommend it . Early on in the pandemic , in person meetings were avoided and moved to online . The good news is , many in our industry expanded their practices to embrace online capabilities . Zoom , Microsoft Teams , and other excellent web-based meeting formats are efficient and effective ways to have meetings with your clients . Documents can be shared via your screen so that you both can be viewing the same documents during a meeting . Many carriers are accepting e-Signature on applications and providing e-Policy for delivery review and requirements .
Leveraging the moment Now is the best time to initiate the conversation with your clients for a disability coverage review . It ’ s never been easier to provide income protection solutions leveraging technology for a safe , efficient and user friendly experience .
32 Perspectives Q4 2020