3 Steps Toward a Better Relationship with Small Business Owner Clients

Seventy-four percent of small business employees are satisfied working for a small business, according to Aflac’s 2016 Small Business Happiness Report. But 65% of respondents said they’d be even happier if their employers improved benefits offerings.

When developing and maintaining a relationship with your small business clients, keep these considerations in mind so you can offer benefits packages that not only attract employees, but also keep them loyal.

1) Be sensitive to their time. A recent survey by Credibly found that behind hiring the right people, time constraints posed the second-biggest challenge for small business owners.

“For small business owners and entrepreneurs, time is money,” says James Reid, executive vice president and head of regional small business solutions at MetLife. “Their main focus is moving their business forward by growing revenue, clients, customers, brand—which leaves little time for other aspects, such as developing employee benefits packages.”

MetLife’s whitepaper, “Three Things Small Business Owners Don’t Always Tell Their Benefits Brokers,” advises brokers to emphasize the value of their meetings with small business owners and avoid wasting their time with unofficial meetings like casual lunches.

2) Communicate often to gain trust. “The best way to keep a customer is to communicate with them,” Reid advises. More important, a proactive approach—checking in frequently to assess the business’s growth and goals—is crucial, especially in the years of the Affordable Care Act and other regulations “every small business owner will deal with now and in the future,” Reid says.

Developing a relationship with your clients enables them to trust you enough to provide personal employee information, such as ages and salaries, which they worry will affect premiums and often fail to disclose. “One of the most valuable tools in the relationship with a small business owner,” Reid says, “is listening to and observing their needs.”

3) Relate to them. “The great opportunity for the agents and brokers that work in the space is that many of them are small business owners and entrepreneurs themselves,” Reid points out.

And while more than 25 million small business owners operate in the U.S. today, less than half utilize benefits packages, Reid says. He explains, “brokers who are able to communicate the importance of comprehensive benefits packages and understand their goals—those are the brokers who thrive.”

Jordan Reabold is IA assistant editor.