How One Question Turns a Hard Conversation Into a Heartfelt One

If you’re like a lot of agents, you’ve probably hesitated before bringing up Long-Term Care planning. It feels personal. Emotional. Maybe even uncomfortable. But what if there was a way to make the conversation feel natural — not about policies or numbers, but about stories?

"Let me tell you a story..." is the opening to so many things. And often times, is greeted with groans or cringes.

But in sales, we communicate best with our clients through stories. They connect us. They help us relate to others in similar circumstances. How often do we ask our clients their story? When it comes to Long Term Care planning, that is the first (and sometimes only) thing we need to ask.

Long Term Care is not a numbers sale. Statistics just don’t work, showing your clients the cold hard facts of the actual cost of care in their area doesn’t work. Because Long-Term Care isn’t about money — it’s about emotion.

People plan for Long Term Care expenses, not to protect themselves, the plan to protect their families from the impact of needing care. But in order to help clients, we need them to tell us their story.

Start your planning conversation with 2 simple questions:

• Have you or a family member ever been a caregiver for more than 3 months?

• If so, what was that experience like?

Then stop talking and - listen.

Let the story come out. Their emotions, frustrations, pride, or exhaustion will do more to motivate planning than any statistic ever could. Then, gently ask:

“What do you want that experience to be like for your own family if you ever need care?”

That’s when real planning begins.Then ask what do they want for their family if they ever need care.

Let me tell you my story to get the conversation going. Maybe you’ve heard if before in one of my CE classes, or on a webinar, but I keep telling it because I feel I’m lucky, and I want more people to be in the same position. I haven’t had to provide hands on care for anyone for an extended period of time, and I probably won’t. Here's Why.

After my brother moved in and cared for our grandmother for several years before her passing, my mom got a Long Term Care policy so she wouldn’t end up in that same situation, relying on her children for care. That policy has already done several things before it ever might pay a cent in claims. That decision changed everything.

First, while if she ever needs care, I’ll be involved, but I won’t be the primary hands on caregiver (neither will my brother, our spouses or his children).

We can arrange for care from trained professionals and have the policy pay for it. I won’t have to choose between being a caregiver and my family, my job or my own health.

Would it still be stressful? Yes. Nothing will take that away entirely, but it can take away issues between my brother & I. There won’t be resentment about “who’s doing more,” or anxiety over how long we can pay for care before the money runs out. This is a typical situation when the family is providing or paying for the care out of pocket.

It will also remove guilt from our mother - she doesn't have to feel guilty about us taking care of her. We can oversee her care, supervise it, (and be honest, occasionally might have to step in, but as an exception, not the norm).

Most of all, it means when that time comes, we'll spend time with our mom — not caring for her.

Second, and more immediate, it has freed up her retirement income and savings to be spent on her actual retirement, travel, home upgrades, grandchildren, today. She doesn't have to keep money tucked away “just in case.” And by the way, my mom, is still very healthy, active, actually doing more now that she did 10 years ago.

The point of my story, is not about how lucky I am. It's about the power of asking your clients about their stories, and how do you and your clients want that story to end? What is your experience like when it comes to Long Term Care? When we ask, “Have you ever been a caregiver?” and “What do you want for your family if you ever need care?” — we stop selling insurance. We start helping people write better endings to their own stories.

If you'd like to explore how to bring storytelling into your Long-Term Care conversations, or want to change the ending to your clients (or your own family’s) call me so we can explore some options today. Because every client’s story deserves a thoughtful ending.

800-524-1774