Let’s go back to the why of Trusted Source Marketing™.  Life is complicated.  Work, family, recreation, retirement, housing, health, buying and selling, education, insurance etc. etc. etc. are all vying for time, attention, money.

An employer can help.  Many have decided that providing access to health insurance, retirement plans, and a host of other insurance type products is in the best interest of their employees and the company.  The use of employee benefit programs is widespread and well established as a means to aid recruitment and improve retention.  It appears that everyone wins with a good benefit program.

If this is true, and it certainly appears to be, then it seems reasonable that improved communications and more focus on the efficacy of these programs will multiply the advantages to all stakeholders.

It is time to reevaluate how information about benefits is provided.  It is time to reconsider how and what we are offering to our employees.  Do benefit fairs do the job?  Can even one on one counseling about retirement plan options, health insurance options, life insurance options, legal insurance, disability income options, long term care insurance, Aflac, dental, and the multitude of other voluntary benefits provide the time and consideration needed to help make good decisions about every offering.

Refer to Al Pittampalli’s book on the modern meeting.  Information meetings are often a waste of everyone’s time.  There are better ways to get information to people than a lecture with handouts.  Gathering everyone together is disruptive to workflow and therefore expensive.  Having private meetings is not much better for the purpose of full benefit package understanding.  Each benefit has different appeal to different employees.

As I said yesterday, dialogue is essential.  Properly done, Trusted Source Marketing™, like Permission Marketing will encourage individuals to communicate. The ensuing “conversation” will allow specific focus on that person’s needs, questions and circumstance.  When a TSM message is broadcast to all employees some will want more information now.  They can ask.  Some will add the info to what they already know for a decision later.  That is ok too.  Some will continue to think that benefit doesn’t fit their needs and do nothing.  Ok.

This process takes time.  The Trusted Source has taken the responsibility to improve communication to their constituency about their benefits.  Those being offered the advantage of these regular nuggets of benefit gold can ignore the effort.  That is their choice.  Others who have been confused can use the process to end their confusion.