RFPs Are a Stupid Way to Choose a Benefits Broker

Summary

Traditional RFPs waste time, hide real opportunities, and reduce brokers to checkbox vendors. Instead of playing along, hijack the process by shifting the conversation to alignment, strategy, and behavior. Ask better questions, get better partners.

Unless you are committed to the most transactional aspects of being a broker, responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) is likely the biggest waste of time in your day. At least Instagram and TikTok are good for a laugh or two and don’t provide the illusion of productivity. 

If you see yourself as an advisor and strategic partner to your clients, responding to 99.9% of RFPs is ridiculous.  

Most employers who initiate their “broker selection process” by sending out RFPs are doing nothing more than covering their ass. Worse, most of the RFPs are written by the incumbent broker, who is doing the same thing. 

What will the employer actually learn in the written responses they receive from the typical RFP? Most RFPs do little more than establish that the responding broker can meet minimum expectations and deliver the expected products.  

I’m not saying these aren’t important questions, but they’re not the most important questions. 

At this early stage of the selection process, both employer and advisor should be evaluating one another for strategic and philosophic alignment. This is a serious freakin’ decision to be made!  

To add to the ridiculousness, anyone who responds will all look the same. RFP responses are like dating profiles; everyone looks flawless on paper, but only an actual conversation reveals who is worthy of your time. 

Don’t even get me started about agencies that waste countless hours responding to an RFP and then days and weeks waiting for an invitation to present that never comes. Meanwhile, they fool themselves and their sales manager into believing that there are “legitimate opportunities in the pipeline.”

Hijack the broker selection conversation 

If you’re an advisor and you receive an RFP, the only attention you should give it is to hijack and disrupt their buying process. Respond by saying,  

“There are only four questions you should be asking before meeting with a potential new advisor. Instead of asking questions in the RFP focused on commodity vetting and merely confirming that the responding firm is capable of remaining in business, wouldn’t it make sense to ask questions that evaluate mindset, approach, and proof of behavior?” 

Four questions employers should ask a benefits broker 

Imagine how different the broker selection conversations would be if the employer instead asked the following questions of the advisors they were evaluating. 

1. What assumptions do you think employers like us most often make about benefits strategy that limit our results, and how do you help clients overcome them?

Traditional RFPs want to know: “Which carriers do you represent and how much volume do you do with them?” As if that’s the secret sauce. The only thing it tells you is who might slip you tickets for the big game. 

This question, instead, forces them to expose the lazy assumptions employers (and often advisors themselves) fall into. If they can’t articulate the myths and assumptions that hold employers back, they’re not strategic; they’re just predictable. 

But if their answer makes an employer think, “Hmm, I’ve never looked at it that way,” they’ve found someone who can shift the conversation from shopping spreadsheets to shaping outcomes. 

Additional motivation – Employers are often skeptical of new solutions that could be a difference-maker for them. This question starts to break down that resistance. 

2. Tell us about a time you helped a client achieve a result they didn’t think was possible when they first engaged you. What did you do differently?

Most RFP responses highlight “We saved them 5%” or “We got them better rates.” That’s table stakes. You don’t get a medal for remembering to breathe.  

This question forces the advisor out of the safety of clichés and into storytelling that either proves they’re capable of transformative results or exposes that all they’ve ever done is shuffle carriers around. 

Employers should be looking for “I want that for myself” stories that show grit, creativity, and an ability to deliver the unexpected. If all the broker can offer is “We renegotiated the PPO discount,” that’s like bragging about serving hamburgers when you work in a steakhouse. Sure, people get fed, but the potential was completely missed. 

Additional motivation – Not all brokers offer creative solutions or look beyond the basic insurance offerings. Employers need an advisor who can impact them strategically, financially, operationally, and emotionally (employee engagement). 

3. If we were to work together, what would you expect of us as a client to get the best results?

Most brokers promote themselves as a martyr-like superhero, “Don’t worry, we’ll handle everything!” 

This question flips the script. It reveals whether the broker views their clients as passive revenue streams or engaged partners. Real advisors know success requires shared accountability, while vendor-brokers promise to “do it all” while quietly keeping expectations nonexistent. 

A strong answer proves the responding agency values collaboration, candor, and action. A weak one proves the employer will be spoon-fed the same vendor song-and-dance until the employees disengage and their costs spiral. 

Additional motivation—Sometimes, the employer stands in the way of progress. Both sides need to know their roles in driving improved results. 

4. Walk us through how you develop, pressure test, and adapt a strategy over a 12-month period. How do you know when it’s time to pivot?

Traditional RFPs will ask, “How do you handle renewals?” As if the 364 days in between don’t matter. Handling the renewal is not a complete strategy; it’s annual housekeeping. It’s like cleaning the gutters once a year and calling yourself a contractor. 

This question separates brokers who treat benefits like a once-a-year event from those who execute an ongoing strategy and process. It forces them to reveal whether they plan, measure, and adapt, or are merely puppets on the end of the carrier’s strings. 

If the advisor talks about continuous measurement, scenario testing, and pivot points, we’re looking at a strategist. If they default to “We’ll review at renewal,” we’ve got a glorified order-taker. 

Additional motivation – To take control of overall costs, there must be a year-round strategy that addresses the drivers of those costs.  

Bonus question for you to ask the employer 

Never negotiate anything meaningful with a prospect or client in writing. Interviewing to be someone’s next adviser is no exception.  

Before spending any time responding in writing to the RFP, ask,

“When can we meet with you and the rest of your leadership team to discuss our suggested questions and get a clear understanding of what you’re looking for in detail?"  

If they won’t take the meeting with you, thank them, let them know you won’t be responding to their RFP, and move on to your next opportunity. Life is too short to play games where the rules are stacked against you. 

RFPs must be better 

These questions cut through the smoke and mirrors of traditional RFPs. They don’t let advisors hide behind PowerPoints, carrier lists, or recycled promises. They surface those who can think, lead, and deliver. Instead of asking what an advisor has to offer, these questions ask how they think and behave.  

The answers will reveal whether an advisor is wired for strategic partnership or just vendor fulfillment. Isn’t that what both sides should be looking for? 

So, the next time an RFP lands in your inbox, don’t waste time filling out the current broker’s template. Hijack it and demand a real conversation. If the first test of a ‘strategic partnership’ is how well you can check boxes and repeat clichés, you’ve already lost.