Being able to point and click and show brokers things that they may otherwise overlook is helping us to communicate the real value of the program.
Besting the local competition and increasing broker adoption
VSP typically works with employer groups with up to 1,000 employees. The company’s internal sales team has two teams of reps, each focused on either the eastern or western region of the United States.
Sales collateral and the telephone have long-been the go-to tools for VSP’s sales reps to communicate with brokers. But the team often found it hard to compete with regional vision plans with locally based “bring the donuts” brokers who can schedule in-person sales meetings with prospects on short notice. In many markets, VSP is also one of the most expensive vision plans, so it is imperative for sales teams to quickly and clearly communicate the value proposition of choosing VSP.
“We’d leave voicemails, and send PDFs to brokers, but we had no idea if we were moving the dial,” said Patrick McClelland, Vice President of Commercial Accounts at VSP Vision Care. “We needed to find a way to make our collateral pop and understand if and how brokers were interacting with our sales materials. So, we decided to work with Bigtincan.”
Present to brokers on the fly – with messages that resonate
With Bigtincan, VSP’s sales reps can give compelling sales presentations to brokers at a moment’s notice, instead of scheduling a WebEx meeting. “WebEx meetings were so cumbersome,” said Kal Sanghera, Senior Account Executive at VSP Vision Care. “Now, I can simply say, ‘Give me two minutes,’ tell the broker how to login, and launch the presentation. The whole process is so much faster, and helps to shorten our sales cycle.”
The visibility that Bigtincan provides into how prospects are engaging with emails and live pitches has been “huge” for VSP, according to Sanghera. Sales reps now know when, how and if brokers are interacting with collateral, and what messages are resonating. This insight helps them tailor their sales approach for follow-up calls. The ability to reach out to brokers in specific markets with targeted email campaigns on short notice is another advantage.
Even more important, however, is the sales team’s enhanced ability to educate brokers about the value of VSP. “Being able to point and click and show brokers things that they may otherwise overlook is helping us to communicate the real value of the program,” Sanghera said. “We can educate them so they can educate their members and hopefully, increase sales.”
The majority of VSP’s business is voluntary. So, after we secure a new account, I now make a point to get the HR contact and the broker on a Bigtincan presentation with me to walk through the benefit. Helping the HR person understand the value of our program helps them to communicate that value effectively to their employees. It can make all the difference in whether we see 50 percent enrollment or 20 percent enrollment at a company. We’ve really taken off with this strategy this year, and Bigtincan is right in the middle of it.
Increased sales, member enrollment and broker adoption
Since 2014, VSP’s sales are increasing, and so, too, is the rate of broker adoption. McClelland said he attributes both trends to the sales team’s use of the platform. He also sees Bigtincan having a positive impact on member enrollment.
