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Situation: For three years, you have pursued a large
printing company for the opportunity to quote on an employee
benefits package. Each year, the CFO agreed to “take a look” at
your quote with the caveat that he would most likely keep the
business with the existing broker…which he did.
Now, the CFO
contacts you and seems eager to obtain a quote. He explains
that he is reviewing current insurance programs and looking for
a best-value employee benefits package. He adds that he admires
you for your persistence over the past three years and would
like to see what your company can provide.
What should you
do?
-
Ask the CFO to connect you with
his assistant so you can obtain the employment data and begin
working on the proposal?
-
Request a face-to-face meeting
with the CFO before you begin working on the proposal?
-
Decline the opportunity to quote
since the CFO has already demonstrated his reluctance to
change brokers?
Action:
Don’t let the CFO’s eagerness and admiration for
your persistence lull you into a false sense of security. There
are some questions that need to be answered before you invest
your time and energy developing a proposal.
-
First, why is
the CFO so eager to obtain your quote when in the past the
most he would agree to was merely “taking a look” at it? What
has happened to precipitate his action?
-
Second, what
is his definition of a “best-value” package? Lower premiums?
Greater coverage? Easier administration?
Until you
know what “best-value” means, you don’t know if you can provide
it.
- Third, and
most importantly, if you can provide a best-value package,
what happens?
The
appropriate course of action, therefore, is to request the
face-to-face meeting. Once you have the answers to the above
questions, you can decide if submitting a proposal is
appropriate.
© Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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