Beyond The Sale: How Insurance Leaders Can Win With Value-Based Care

Forbes

07-05-2025

Drew Gurley, Founder of Redbird Advisors and EVP of Growth for Senior Market Advisors, a Medicare FMO.
getty
If you're leading an insurance agency, you already know healthcare is shifting, and that shift is changing how you sell. Consumers aren't just looking for coverage anymore. They want a healthcare experience that works for them. They want doctors who take the time to listen, plans that offer real value and coverage that protects them from financial risk. That's where value-based care comes in.
This model isn't just another industry trend. It's changed how doctors get paid and how patients receive care. Instead of rewarding providers for the number of visits, tests and procedures, value-based care incentivizes them to deliver better outcomes. That means longer appointments, more preventive care and stronger patient relationships. The result? Better health outcomes, lower costs and a system that actually puts patients first.
For insurance agencies, this shift is an opportunity if you and your team know how to approach value-based care the right way. The challenge is making sure everyone can explain the benefits in a way that resonates with clients. That's where solid leadership comes in.
4 Sales Strategies That Work In A Value-Based Market
To succeed in providing value-based care, your agents need more than just product knowledge. They need to understand how value-based care impacts their clients' decisions and how to position the right plans to meet those needs.
1. Train agents to lead with value, not just products.
People don't buy insurance because they love policies. They buy it because they're trying to protect themselves from financial risk. The best agents don't just push products; they help clients solve problems.
Life insurance isn't tangible, and most people don't wake up excited to buy it. But when our agents present it as a solution to real financial risks, it becomes something people care about.
Instead of focusing on policy details, frame the conversation around the four key areas of financial risk older Americans face:
• Healthcare Costs: Will they be able to afford doctor visits, prescriptions and treatments as they age?
• Hospitalization Costs: If they land in the hospital, will their savings take a hit?
• Outliving Their Money: Will their retirement income last?
• Final Expenses: Will their family be left with unexpected bills?
The key is explaining how these are real-life concerns. For example, a beneficiary with a Medicare supplement plan might feel frustrated that their premiums keep rising. A good agent won't just sell them a new plan; they'll help the beneficiary understand all their options and make a confident decision for their particular situation.
2. Shift the conversation to customer experience.
Selling a value-based product means delivering a value-based experience. Clients expect more from their insurance providers, and that means your agents have to show up differently.
The best agencies don't just sell policies and move on. They check in, they build relationships, and they provide ongoing support. A client should feel like their agent is a trusted guide, not just a salesperson.
Internally, the same principle applies. If your agents feel valued, they'll create better experiences for consumers.
Recruiting can be difficult. In my experience, the most productive hires come from referrals, and happy agents bring in other high-quality agents. If you've got a toxic team member dragging down morale, you'll lose your best people. But strong leaders make tough calls.
Sometimes, that means letting go of the wrong people so the right ones can thrive. Other times, it's about the small things, such as sending handwritten birthday cards or recognizing agents who go above and beyond. Those details make a difference.
3. Use technology to support, not replace, agents.
Technology can be a game changer for agents if they actually use it. A CRM system, for example, isn't just a place to store leads. It's a tool that helps agents follow up effectively, manage relationships and close more business.
But here's the challenge: If your agents don't see the value, they won't use it. Leadership has to set the tone. Show them how digital tools free up their time so they can focus on what they do best: helping people.
The same goes for automation. It should make agents' jobs easier, not turn the sales process into a robotic exchange. The goal is to remove administrative headaches so agents can spend more time in meaningful conversations with clients.
4. Reinforce the right mindset every day.
Your agents won't naturally adopt a value-based approach just because you talk about it once. You have to reinforce it.
At Senior Market Advisors, we make customer-first behaviors part of our culture. When an agent gets a glowing review, leadership doesn't just say, "Great job." They say, "This is exactly what it means to deliver customer-first service at scale." That constant reinforcement helps agents internalize the mindset and apply it to every client interaction.
It's the same with training. We hammer these concepts into our salespeople because we want them to hammer them into agents. That's how we make sure they're ready for business—the kind of business that allows us all to have jobs.
If your agents aren't consistently hearing about the importance of value-based service, they won't prioritize it. Make it part of your team's daily conversations.
The Bigger Picture
Value-based care is more than a shift in healthcare. It's a shift in how people think about their insurance, as well. Your agents must understand that they're not just selling policies. They're helping clients protect their health, finances and future.
Strong leadership means making sure they have the right tools, the right training and the right mindset to succeed. When agents learn how to frame their conversations around real client concerns, they build trust and create long-term relationships. And when that happens, everybody wins.
Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?