Episode 15

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Published on:

5th Oct 2023

Transforming Clients into Lifelong Partners in the Insurance Game with Butch Zemar

Episode 15 with Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)

In this episode of the Business Superfan Podcast, insurance agent Butch Zimmer discusses his strategies for creating superfans through exceptional client relationships and service. He emphasizes the importance of going the extra mile, understanding clients' needs, and communicating effectively. Butch shares his experiences in building loyalty, such as personalizing client interactions and writing a book to help them navigate insurance complexities. He also talks about the significance of appreciating frontline employees, collaborating with complementary businesses for referrals, and maintaining transparency in the insurance industry. Butch offers listeners access to free resources and an ebook, highlighting the value of second opinions in health insurance decisions.

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Transcript
Freddy D:

Clients have described Butch Zamar as a leading employee benefits

Freddy D:

consultant, strategic, innovative, and committed when it comes to aiding

Freddy D:

businesses in strengthening their employee benefits offerings while

Freddy D:

decreasing health insurance costs.

Freddy D:

An accomplished writer and engaging speaker, often called upon for his

Freddy D:

vast knowledge in the health insurance marketplace, Zamar recently launched

Freddy D:

his first podcast, the Zamar podcast, which focuses on business related

Freddy D:

topics for small and midsize business owners, as well as insurance options.

Freddy D:

The podcast is available on both Amazon and Apple.

Freddy D:

As an authority on healthcare reform, Zamar provides a stringent focus on

Freddy D:

determining the benefits insurance needs of employees, small and large employee

Freddy D:

benefits programs and healthcare reform.

Freddy D:

A true resource and advisor to CFOs, controllers, and human resources,

Freddy D:

Zamar has also developed a lead.

Freddy D:

benefits formula, a process that all businesses should go through to

Freddy D:

get ahead of the healthcare curve.

Freddy D:

Welcome to the Business Superfans Podcast.

Freddy D:

Our guest today is Butch Zamar with Elite Benefits.

Freddy D:

Welcome Butch.

Butch Zemar:

Hey, thanks Freddy D.

Freddy D:

So how'd you get the started into insurance?

Butch Zemar:

Always say it was always by accident.

Butch Zemar:

I was young in my early twenties and I worked in the scuba industry full

Butch Zemar:

time and working for a small business owner and it wasn't getting anywhere.

Butch Zemar:

And so I was looking for an outside sales position and.

Butch Zemar:

End up finding a place that was an outside sales for and they call captive.

Butch Zemar:

We can only sell one product line for health insurance, for solo

Butch Zemar:

panniers and small business owners.

Butch Zemar:

And I'm like, sure.

Butch Zemar:

They throw a big picture on the board saying how much money you can make.

Butch Zemar:

And, of course my first year out, I made, a fraction of that, like not even close.

Butch Zemar:

And I probably should have quit in the first year, but I'm into my 19th year.

Butch Zemar:

I'll be 20 years next year.

Butch Zemar:

And I think we're heading the right path.

Butch Zemar:

Wow, almost 20 years doing the stuff.

Butch Zemar:

That's amazing.

Butch Zemar:

What do you think that Differentiates you and in lasting 20 years because not

Butch Zemar:

a lot of insurance people last that long So you're doing something different than

Butch Zemar:

the other people and what can you share?

Butch Zemar:

That's Sustained you for all this time

Butch Zemar:

Perseverance probably and meeting guys like you and coffee shops

Butch Zemar:

along the way because good people hang out in the right spots.

Butch Zemar:

But, I would say it's always the good guy never finishes early.

Butch Zemar:

It's always last.

Butch Zemar:

And so I think there's a lot of integrity that I bring to the game.

Butch Zemar:

A lot of my peers do too, but I think the biggest turn turning point

Butch Zemar:

is really is just that trying to do the best job for the clients, just

Butch Zemar:

any other professional would, right?

Butch Zemar:

And and that's created dividends.

Butch Zemar:

So like for one prime example, right before our recording here.

Butch Zemar:

So I have a guy text messaging from his accountant's office because there

Butch Zemar:

was a health related tax situation.

Butch Zemar:

And I had 10 minutes before I got on the phone with you

Butch Zemar:

or got on the zoom call here.

Butch Zemar:

And so I called him and said, Hey, I got, I'm a guest this time.

Butch Zemar:

I gotta hurry this up, but I want to make sure you get your answer.

Butch Zemar:

And so he said I'm just going to hand the phone over.

Butch Zemar:

So I ended up talking to the tax guy, literally three minutes and

Butch Zemar:

we, and he got all the information you needed and they were done.

Butch Zemar:

How many people really would, and I was just a coincidence I was available, but.

Butch Zemar:

Little things like that.

Butch Zemar:

And that guy will never, he's been with me probably almost 20 years,

Butch Zemar:

and he'll never go anywhere else.

Butch Zemar:

And I think he's a superfan of yours.

Butch Zemar:

He's a superfan.

Butch Zemar:

I was just gonna put that plug in there, right?

Butch Zemar:

Like we create superfans along the way.

Butch Zemar:

And those are the ones that stick around forever.

Butch Zemar:

And there, there's, years ago, I remember I, I showed up for a meeting.

Butch Zemar:

We never even got the meeting off the ground, but he's I'm in a pinch.

Butch Zemar:

He's can you take one of my guys over to my other shop?

Butch Zemar:

And so I'm like, Yeah, sure.

Butch Zemar:

I'm already here.

Butch Zemar:

So I drive him to the other shop and the guy's still with me, even to this day.

Butch Zemar:

And it's, that one's probably 20 years too.

Butch Zemar:

And and he still brings up that story that he was in a jam and I happened to

Butch Zemar:

show up and it was in Southern Illinois too, on top of it, farmland and just good

Butch Zemar:

people down there, but So anyhow, yeah, like you do the little things to keep,

Butch Zemar:

I would say the right things, right?

Butch Zemar:

And we just keep plugging along with, having the right thing of, customers

Butch Zemar:

first to, get them whether we can.

Butch Zemar:

And healthcare is definitely a hard thing, especially an

Butch Zemar:

employee benefit space, right?

Butch Zemar:

There's always this ever changing model.

Butch Zemar:

And then you go out to see a business owner and you're like, Hey, the renewals

Butch Zemar:

20%, like you can imagine the look in their eye and, they're like, holy

Butch Zemar:

smokes, I got to meet payroll next week.

Butch Zemar:

And you just told me I got a 20 percent increase on health insurance

Butch Zemar:

for the entire employee base.

Butch Zemar:

So providing solutions to save money, money talks, and so in other situations

Butch Zemar:

that create loyalty and longevity, one example is a construction outfit small

Butch Zemar:

five employees on the plan and we end up saving them 30, 000 over two years.

Butch Zemar:

I got a, I got Hawks tickets out of that one, but and he was a guy he, it was

Butch Zemar:

the two of us and we went with a couple other people and it was a fun time.

Butch Zemar:

But and obviously he still kept most of the savings.

Butch Zemar:

The Hawks tickets weren't that much, especially with the losing season.

Freddy D:

Yeah.

Freddy D:

But again, he became a super fan because of the fact that you took the time to

Freddy D:

come up with some clever ways to save him money and put money back in his pocket

Freddy D:

versus just here it is and sorry, it is what it is and there's nothing I can do.

Freddy D:

So that, that, that's what builds that customer loyalty and retention.

Butch Zemar:

Yeah, for sure.

Butch Zemar:

And that's just, just a few snapshots of why it's worked so far.

Butch Zemar:

We've had our ups and downs, but, just, I always joke with people, especially

Butch Zemar:

because health insurance is perceived as a commodity and it's really not.

Butch Zemar:

So then, therefore you just go with the more charming personality guy.

Butch Zemar:

And so that's true.

Butch Zemar:

I always say that's me, right?

Butch Zemar:

And at least I hope it's me.

Freddy D:

So how important is it to develop relationships with the customers?

Freddy D:

And what are some of the things that you do different than other agents?

Butch Zemar:

That's a great question because it's a relationship business

Butch Zemar:

and a lot of insurance, other insurance agents will try to get on the good

Butch Zemar:

side of things and that works, right?

Butch Zemar:

Like you, you find out, when their kid's birthdays are and you find out

Butch Zemar:

what their passion is, whether it's scuba or if it's golf, and then you

Butch Zemar:

can build relationships and that's.

Butch Zemar:

Great.

Butch Zemar:

And that's worked over the years, right?

Butch Zemar:

For many of us, right?

Butch Zemar:

And and I still use, ideas to try to figure out, how to, why

Butch Zemar:

people tick, but also just to find out what's important to them.

Butch Zemar:

And so it could be a little as, finding out what they did in college.

Butch Zemar:

And then all of a sudden you're reading a wall street journal and that article

Butch Zemar:

was related to something they said related to what they did in college.

Butch Zemar:

So you, yeah.

Butch Zemar:

Send it to him, right?

Butch Zemar:

And especially more so by mail because nobody's sending anything.

Butch Zemar:

And so it's probably those little touches that make a little bit of a difference

Butch Zemar:

to build that relationship, right?

Butch Zemar:

Because now, I always say insurance isn't sexy, right?

Butch Zemar:

You could put lipstick on a pig and put high heels on it.

Butch Zemar:

It doesn't change anything, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so most people are not jumping on my podcast or my book or my website

Butch Zemar:

and saying, I want to learn as much as I can about health insurance.

Butch Zemar:

They're not doing it, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so you have to find, just another clever niche to get in the door.

Butch Zemar:

And sometimes it could just be Just the little things, right?

Butch Zemar:

And and you just have to, work with the people and get to know them and

Butch Zemar:

sometimes that takes a long time and because they're closed door, they think

Butch Zemar:

we're a commodity and, the next guy, somebody wants their business, right?

Butch Zemar:

There's enough there, right?

Butch Zemar:

There's some accounts that could, you can be making 100 grand a year off of and

Butch Zemar:

the next guy wants it just as bad as you.

Butch Zemar:

And so what's that extra edge going to be?

Butch Zemar:

And and I think most business owners, especially listen to your podcast.

Butch Zemar:

We try to do that.

Butch Zemar:

Some say it's over and beyond, but sometimes it's just being

Butch Zemar:

genuine and human, right?

Butch Zemar:

Like small town personnel, friendships, just because

Freddy D:

it's all about relationships.

Freddy D:

People die from people that they like and trust.

Freddy D:

And that's, like you said, that's very important is going above and beyond.

Freddy D:

And that's one of the chapters in the book is really is doing the unexpected extras,

Freddy D:

what I call it, which is, something that you do that the person wasn't expecting.

Freddy D:

And, it just sets you apart from everybody else.

Butch Zemar:

100%.

Freddy D:

Butch, what kind of things that you do to get your customers to

Freddy D:

be, basically referral sources for your, what I would call, business

Freddy D:

superfans that are out there promoting and giving you referrals?

Butch Zemar:

A lot of it could be just from an industry perspective to take

Butch Zemar:

the time to actually explain things.

Butch Zemar:

I'm sure other people are like this too, where I have a knack in

Butch Zemar:

some ways to dumb it down, right?

Butch Zemar:

Insurance can be really complex, right?

Butch Zemar:

And I think that in and of itself makes it referable because I can

Butch Zemar:

relate and speak at the level that they understand by not being in the industry.

Butch Zemar:

And I think that's cool.

Butch Zemar:

And then.

Butch Zemar:

The other things, right?

Butch Zemar:

You do, the little things, like you said, those extras, right?

Butch Zemar:

That helps.

Butch Zemar:

And then Yeah.

Butch Zemar:

And then I do certain things like I got hockey pucks.

Butch Zemar:

I think I sent you one, and so now some hockey pucks are handing them

Butch Zemar:

out because how many other insurance agents are giving out hockey pucks.

Butch Zemar:

And I would say zero, and then how many.

Butch Zemar:

Insurance agents have podcasts.

Butch Zemar:

It's very few and far between but they are definitely out there and

Butch Zemar:

they're leaders in the industry.

Butch Zemar:

So I encourage people to listen to them as well.

Butch Zemar:

And I think a lot of that helps come together and create superfans.

Butch Zemar:

And.

Butch Zemar:

And they become, you become referable at that point, right?

Butch Zemar:

And in some cases, just by doing the right thing and then

Butch Zemar:

sharing that knowledge, right?

Butch Zemar:

And and one, one example is years ago when the Affordable Care Act

Butch Zemar:

was passed, I wrote a book on it, but a reader digest version.

Butch Zemar:

And so it's very simple.

Butch Zemar:

And there, even to this day, I still get referrals and they'll.

Butch Zemar:

They'll call me and say, Hey, so and so said to call you because you wrote

Butch Zemar:

the book on the Affordable Care Act.

Butch Zemar:

And instant, superfan.

Freddy D:

Yeah, you're an expert.

Freddy D:

You're a knowledgeable person and you're sharing your knowledge to

Freddy D:

help educate other people so they can make educated decisions with regards

Freddy D:

to their insurance requirements.

Freddy D:

That's a differentiator right in itself.

Butch Zemar:

For sure.

Freddy D:

What strategies do you use to ensure customers

Freddy D:

stay with you a long time?

Freddy D:

You mentioned a couple of them that have been, with you for 20 some years

Freddy D:

what are the things that, that makes

Freddy D:

that difference?

Butch Zemar:

That's a great question because there's so many different

Butch Zemar:

tactics that people are recommend and I certainly not one to figure it

Butch Zemar:

out, but there's things that we've.

Butch Zemar:

I have personally have tried to do as even as we grew because we grew and

Butch Zemar:

there were certain things I used to do.

Butch Zemar:

And then I ran out of time and capacity and I can't do the same things.

Butch Zemar:

So you have to do enough to keep moving.

Butch Zemar:

And definitely stay in touch right there and we before we started recording this,

Butch Zemar:

we were talking about ways and strategies to stay in touch and podcast and articles

Butch Zemar:

and publications are just one form of that let alone like just, quick note

Butch Zemar:

just to say, Hey, I'm thinking about you.

Butch Zemar:

I hope you're doing fine, and if there's anything you need just call.

Butch Zemar:

And even at that, there's people that I say, it doesn't have

Butch Zemar:

to be about health insurance.

Butch Zemar:

You need a plumber, you need a doctor.

Butch Zemar:

Yeah, you need a lawyer, right?

Butch Zemar:

Call me, right?

Butch Zemar:

I'm connected in so many ways that, maybe I don't have a resource,

Butch Zemar:

but I got somebody that does.

Butch Zemar:

And so that's definitely paid dividends to the keep longevity.

Butch Zemar:

And then obviously it's the constant touch, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so we have a team that, that works on a, we have internal processes

Butch Zemar:

to help stay in front of them.

Butch Zemar:

get in front of them, especially when renewals are coming in.

Butch Zemar:

And we were working on January 1st stuff in the last 60 days and people

Butch Zemar:

were still on vacation, right?

Butch Zemar:

And we're ahead of the spectrum and I think people appreciate that

Butch Zemar:

instead of waiting to the last second.

Butch Zemar:

And and everybody's a little bit different on touch points, right?

Butch Zemar:

So there are certain people that want to wait a little later and there

Butch Zemar:

are certain ones that want the phone call, they don't want the email.

Butch Zemar:

So it just depends on, and you learn those Personalities as time goes on.

Butch Zemar:

And sometimes, and you were from Chicago at some point, I know you're originally

Butch Zemar:

from Michigan, but sometimes, you just have to get into that conversation

Butch Zemar:

with a client to figure it out.

Butch Zemar:

And a lot of South side of Chicago, they're just going to

Butch Zemar:

tell you the way it is, right.

Butch Zemar:

And sometimes that'll point you in the right direction to

Butch Zemar:

know how to work with them.

Butch Zemar:

And so there's some clients that like some of my staff won't call them.

Butch Zemar:

I have to call them because of the personality and that's.

Butch Zemar:

That's fine because I understand their personality.

Butch Zemar:

And once we get on the same page with that personality and how they want to

Butch Zemar:

do business, everything flows easier.

Butch Zemar:

And I think a lot of times in business transactions, sometimes we're so

Butch Zemar:

worried about the transaction.

Butch Zemar:

We never get beyond that.

Butch Zemar:

It goes back to the relationship.

Butch Zemar:

And then eventually once you get on that side of the fence and get

Butch Zemar:

on that side of the desk, then you become, you start making superfans.

Freddy D:

Yeah, it's, relationships is everything, and you bring up an

Freddy D:

interesting point that I don't think a lot of people really take into consideration

Freddy D:

is the different personality types and being able to adjust, and that's the

Freddy D:

key word, adjust your personality to the other person's personality type.

Freddy D:

If you've got someone that's what I would call a driver personality and you're the

Freddy D:

opposite, you're an amiable personality and you're not going to get along.

Freddy D:

It's just not going to happen.

Freddy D:

So you've got an, and you're the, the amiable person as an example,

Freddy D:

you might be an analytical person or you might be an expressive person.

Freddy D:

You've got to make, you got to make tweaks for that to work because

Freddy D:

otherwise You're talking, but neither one of you are listening.

Butch Zemar:

Sure, absolutely.

Butch Zemar:

And I and you make good points.

Butch Zemar:

One, one thing I try to do is let them lead, right?

Butch Zemar:

And then they're leading the horse and then I just follow, right?

Butch Zemar:

And I just adapt as we go along.

Butch Zemar:

Because the reality is, it's not about me and it's not about.

Butch Zemar:

the product.

Butch Zemar:

It's not about the commissions.

Butch Zemar:

It's not about the people I serve.

Butch Zemar:

It's about the person that needs the product itself, right?

Butch Zemar:

And and we have to meet them where they're at.

Butch Zemar:

And we're somebody that we, and you work with business owners too.

Butch Zemar:

They're business owners at a certain point that you're, you could see things

Butch Zemar:

because you've been there, you've been around it, but you can't tell them

Butch Zemar:

yet because they're not there yet.

Butch Zemar:

So you have to meet them where they're at.

Butch Zemar:

And then there's other businesses that are at a different level or person people

Butch Zemar:

that are at different levels and you have to meet them where they're at and so it's

Butch Zemar:

just a matter of adjusting and getting to know and seeing that right and making

Butch Zemar:

the and it comes with experience you've been in business a long time right and

Butch Zemar:

so you've seen a lot of personalities all walks of life and and I think that

Butch Zemar:

helps build a little You know, culture that comes into the workplace that these

Butch Zemar:

businesses are working with, and not only me, but like I'm buying from them.

Butch Zemar:

All right.

Butch Zemar:

And as long as the everybody's coming together and meet where

Butch Zemar:

they're at, I think it's a win.

Freddy D:

So what do you do with with your team?

Freddy D:

How do you get them motivated?

Freddy D:

And how do you get them to become superfans of elite benefits and

Freddy D:

promoting the organization to the circle of people that they know?

Butch Zemar:

I'm indebted to the staff for sure.

Butch Zemar:

And I, I hired in some ways, we had some learning curves and a couple

Butch Zemar:

people are gone, but, they're, I've been lucky for the staff that's there.

Butch Zemar:

And I think it's that pay for forward mentality.

Butch Zemar:

And, we don't.

Butch Zemar:

Try to create conflict, resolve it.

Butch Zemar:

Like I always say we're in a square peg round hole industry.

Butch Zemar:

And they I think just by keeping everything positive and outcomes,

Butch Zemar:

and then, obviously the team meetings and keeping communication going and

Butch Zemar:

then praise and give them credit where credits do like I'm doing

Butch Zemar:

right now, but I, there's so much that they do independently that I.

Butch Zemar:

Couldn't do on my own either.

Butch Zemar:

And so I think that gives them the wisdom and the power to keep pushing

Butch Zemar:

along and having pride in what they do.

Butch Zemar:

And that comes obviously from, the company itself.

Butch Zemar:

And I think that obviously resonates with the people that they communicate with.

Butch Zemar:

And I get the feedback from the clients too, where I get on the

Butch Zemar:

phone and they're like, Oh, I talked to so and they were wonderful.

Butch Zemar:

Like, how'd you find her?

Butch Zemar:

And then it's she actually found me out.

Butch Zemar:

I couldn't tell you like I'm not going to take any credit for that.

Butch Zemar:

But so I think that's probably what it comes down to is just,

Butch Zemar:

having that environment, right?

Butch Zemar:

And I think paying it forwards all the time and defending your staff when

Butch Zemar:

certain situations come up, even when the mistakes are there and that way you.

Butch Zemar:

Make them feel like you're, they're being supported and then obviously let them

Butch Zemar:

lead a little bit so they can take a little ownership and things and I think

Butch Zemar:

that's helped throughout the years too.

Freddy D:

Oh, absolutely.

Freddy D:

One of my quotes in a book is that people will crawl through broken glass

Freddy D:

for appreciation and recognition.

Freddy D:

That's what you're doing is you're appreciating them

Freddy D:

and you're recognizing them.

Freddy D:

And that makes a big, huge difference in, in their mindset, because

Freddy D:

at the end of the day, just like you said, they're the front line.

Freddy D:

So that particular customer that talks to them, they're representing the business.

Freddy D:

So if they're, they don't feel appreciated and they're not been recognized, their

Freddy D:

whole tonality is going to be different.

Freddy D:

Their whole demeanor is going to be different.

Freddy D:

And that outcome is going to be different.

Butch Zemar:

Yeah, absolutely.

Butch Zemar:

A hundred percent.

Butch Zemar:

You nailed it right there.

Butch Zemar:

So yeah, I think we're on the same page and I think you, you build a team

Butch Zemar:

that resonates with your core values.

Butch Zemar:

I think it pays dividends as time goes on.

Freddy D:

So what about complimentary businesses?

Freddy D:

How do you work with complimentary businesses and get them to become

Freddy D:

referral sources and your referral sources to them and get them to

Freddy D:

be superfans of your business?

Butch Zemar:

And that's a great question because when I'm trying to think of

Butch Zemar:

all the center of influences that we they, we work with for referrals,

Butch Zemar:

like a lot of them are different.

Butch Zemar:

And I think, the biggest thing is the knowledge behind it.

Butch Zemar:

First off in my industry, I always say that health insurance

Butch Zemar:

is the niche product, right?

Butch Zemar:

So the average insurance agent is not selling health insurance, right?

Butch Zemar:

It just.

Butch Zemar:

It's just the way it goes.

Butch Zemar:

So you have a niche product to begin with.

Butch Zemar:

And then on top of that, breaking it down so that people don't feel dumb when

Butch Zemar:

you talk to them and making it easy.

Butch Zemar:

And I think that's what and trying to make sense of the non

Butch Zemar:

affordable of the affordable.

Butch Zemar:

Side of things, right?

Butch Zemar:

And because premiums are expensive and I think it's just helping them

Butch Zemar:

and then being a resource, right?

Butch Zemar:

I gave the example that it was a client that called and

Butch Zemar:

they were at the tax office.

Butch Zemar:

There's a lot of times it's reversed.

Butch Zemar:

And the tax person calls me and the person on the other side of the

Butch Zemar:

desk is not a client of mine, but they're running it past me and I'm

Butch Zemar:

not billing for that time, right?

Butch Zemar:

They're spending 10 minutes on the phone with me trying to figure

Butch Zemar:

out a situation for their client and that adds value for them.

Butch Zemar:

It could be a financial advisor that's dealing with a business and they have

Butch Zemar:

a situation that occurs and they ask me to come out on a visit to the company

Butch Zemar:

to go through things and I walk away and I always joke that said, if you

Butch Zemar:

feel guilty, let's go grab lunch, right?

Butch Zemar:

Like it's not a big deal.

Butch Zemar:

And I think that builds the credibility.

Butch Zemar:

As long as I always say, look, just don't waste my time and I'll be there for you.

Butch Zemar:

All right.

Butch Zemar:

If there's genuine questions, genuine interest and you need to

Butch Zemar:

solve a problem for a client, I'll make you look like a rock star.

Butch Zemar:

And that's cool with me.

Butch Zemar:

I just want the business to come, that we can get out of it at some point.

Butch Zemar:

And it usually comes, right?

Butch Zemar:

It's like the farmer, right?

Butch Zemar:

You just keep farming and farming.

Butch Zemar:

You're going to have dead crops, right?

Butch Zemar:

You really do.

Butch Zemar:

You're going to have bad seasons, but eventually it just starts

Butch Zemar:

coming along over a period of time.

Butch Zemar:

And the same thing with these referral sources where.

Butch Zemar:

It takes a long time.

Butch Zemar:

Everybody knows an insurance agent, right?

Butch Zemar:

And there's perceptions that come involved where, some are better than others.

Butch Zemar:

But but eventually when you start building that reputation with that person

Butch Zemar:

and you become available when to meet them where they're at, then I think

Butch Zemar:

that becomes very credible over time.

Butch Zemar:

And then you become a referral source for them.

Freddy D:

Yeah, can you share a quick story of a situation where

Freddy D:

you help somebody with a challenge with regarding insurance and how

Freddy D:

you were able to get that addressed and turn it around to a positive?

Butch Zemar:

And that's it's a mixed answer, because there's so

Butch Zemar:

many different scenarios, money's the biggest portion of it, right?

Butch Zemar:

So you talk to any business owner, any CFO, any employer in America,

Butch Zemar:

and it's the top three line items of an expense sheet, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so a guy like me that comes in with an innovative idea that doesn't

Butch Zemar:

jeopardize coverage, doesn't jeopardize provider access, but we're able to drop

Butch Zemar:

the price now they're interested, right?

Butch Zemar:

And then you become the hero.

Butch Zemar:

But one example is somebody had called and they were connected with another

Butch Zemar:

client of mine by family relations, and they were trying, they just said,

Butch Zemar:

can you just give us what they got?

Butch Zemar:

Because their premiums are lower than ours.

Butch Zemar:

And while we can't do that, they're two separate companies, there's no ownership.

Butch Zemar:

And I'm like how about if I just come out and just talk you through some ideas?

Butch Zemar:

And so that's what I did.

Butch Zemar:

And we talked through some ideas and we stayed with the exact same carrier.

Butch Zemar:

We added a couple of plans.

Butch Zemar:

We moved things around.

Butch Zemar:

I call them plan designs.

Butch Zemar:

We changed some of the plan designs that actually worked in the favor

Butch Zemar:

of the employees in the local environment where they're at.

Butch Zemar:

And it happened coincidentally saved 25 percent off the premiums, right?

Butch Zemar:

And all I did was spend two hours in the car.

Butch Zemar:

And maybe an hour with them and talked about some of these strategies and

Butch Zemar:

in the first year, this guy saved I think it was like 28, 000 just in

Butch Zemar:

the first year we were with them.

Butch Zemar:

And so fast forward two years, now there's trust, there's credibility

Butch Zemar:

because now we have a good relationship because I saved them money.

Butch Zemar:

Employees were happy, right?

Butch Zemar:

And it wasn't like it didn't blow up in their face.

Butch Zemar:

So we came out with another idea, and so they were a little bit hesitant because

Butch Zemar:

now there's more changes that occur, but we actually decreased the out of

Butch Zemar:

pocket expenses in this particular case.

Butch Zemar:

We actually gave them a slightly larger national network, so they may not need it

Butch Zemar:

because they're more local, but, if they needed to go to a cancer clinic outside

Butch Zemar:

of the state of Illinois, for example they would have easier access to get there.

Butch Zemar:

And then on top of that, we brought their premium back down 50, 000 a year.

Freddy D:

Wow, that's huge.

Freddy D:

That guy's a superfan.

Butch Zemar:

Oh he, yeah, but he gives me hell all the time.

Butch Zemar:

But he always actually brings up the podcast all the time.

Butch Zemar:

He goes, you're going to quit the day job and go do this podcast thing for real.

Butch Zemar:

And no, it's costing me money.

Butch Zemar:

And but then it could be on the flip side where.

Butch Zemar:

There are certain situations that come up where they have an employee that needs

Butch Zemar:

to get access to a certain facility.

Butch Zemar:

And and there was this 1 particular client.

Butch Zemar:

We did switch carriers because there was a concern, even though there's regulations,

Butch Zemar:

but the employee was willing to share the information because they needed to get

Butch Zemar:

access to a facility to get treatment.

Butch Zemar:

And so we end up switching insurance companies.

Butch Zemar:

It actually cost them a little bit more.

Butch Zemar:

It was very marginal, but we end up, helping that employee extend their

Butch Zemar:

life just because they were able to get access to that facility, right?

Butch Zemar:

So the money was not the most important thing in that situation But they were

Butch Zemar:

trying to help out one employee that was running into problems with now provider

Butch Zemar:

network situations and so that creates superfans too, like even though it's

Butch Zemar:

not a monetary it definitely gives a peace of mind and in other situations

Butch Zemar:

We've put together programs where not only, the health insurance may remain

Butch Zemar:

the same, but if we could get them access to higher quality facilities,

Butch Zemar:

and in some cases, we've actually eliminate the employees out of pocket.

Butch Zemar:

If you think about it, that your employee gets diagnosed with a

Butch Zemar:

condition or has a heart attack, and you need to go to a heart clinic, or

Butch Zemar:

you need to go to a cancer clinic.

Butch Zemar:

But if you go to some of the higher ratings facilities in America,

Butch Zemar:

your cost is zero to go there.

Butch Zemar:

The employee pays nothing out of pocket, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so those are the things that, that we work on a regular basis to

Butch Zemar:

try to reverse that trend, right?

Butch Zemar:

And create super fans, right?

Butch Zemar:

And all we're trying to do is the right thing, right?

Butch Zemar:

And then, commissions is always a big thing in our industry too.

Butch Zemar:

And for years, it's always been hidden, right?

Butch Zemar:

And so at some point.

Butch Zemar:

We have to disclose our commissions for what we get paid.

Butch Zemar:

And a lot of times these brokers employers find out that they're way

Butch Zemar:

over paid for what the work they do.

Butch Zemar:

And I'm only bringing that up because there's loyalty in our

Butch Zemar:

industry and every industry, right?

Butch Zemar:

So there's employers that will never leave their broker or individual or

Butch Zemar:

solo preneurs that never will, but they never know how much they're getting

Butch Zemar:

paid and what they're getting for it.

Butch Zemar:

And is there a better deal?

Butch Zemar:

Out there and so a lot of times when we make these big moves and we save

Butch Zemar:

the employer money, we actually make less money, but it's not about us.

Butch Zemar:

It's about trying to ride.

Butch Zemar:

Make superfans.

Freddy D:

Right?

Freddy D:

That's at the end of the day.

Freddy D:

That's what it is.

Freddy D:

Because you don't have super fans You don't have anybody that's a basically

Freddy D:

it's a brand advocate I just call them business super fans They're out there

Freddy D:

promoting and giving you the reviews because in today's world reviews is

Freddy D:

the new word of mouth Yeah that's those things that are a really important.

Butch Zemar:

Absolutely.

Freddy D:

So Butch, how can people find you?

Butch Zemar:

LinkedIn is probably the best.

Butch Zemar:

I tried to share on a regular basis on there.

Butch Zemar:

We put our podcast up there and maybe a little snippets from the podcast, as

Butch Zemar:

well as articles and other publications that we try to share and broaden,

Butch Zemar:

the network of, centers, influence, superfans to try to provide information

Butch Zemar:

for LinkedIn is probably the best.

Butch Zemar:

I'm the only Butch Zemar are in the whole wide world.

Butch Zemar:

So you're not going to miss find me.

Butch Zemar:

And Zemar in general is not that common, except for there is an

Butch Zemar:

insurance agent in Michigan.

Butch Zemar:

Believe it or not what the last name is Zemar, but and I've actually had

Butch Zemar:

a couple of conversations with them, but the website for the company's

Butch Zemar:

elitebenefits.net and then for any of your listeners and super fans that you

Butch Zemar:

have you can get access to some of these things that we had talked about on here

Butch Zemar:

for free if you go to elitebenefits.

Butch Zemar:

net forward slash playbook and then you can download your own own

Butch Zemar:

playbook and then you could actually see some of the concepts that we had

Butch Zemar:

talked about here on this podcast and it won't cost you anything.

Freddy D:

Okay.

Freddy D:

And is there anything that you're offering to our listeners?

Butch Zemar:

Yeah, you can download the free book.

Butch Zemar:

Those solopreneurs that that buy their own health insurance you could contact

Butch Zemar:

me on LinkedIn and say, you heard heard our podcast on the super fan podcast,

Butch Zemar:

and then I'll send a quick ebook on how to guide them through purchasing

Butch Zemar:

their own health insurance, whether they working with me or not, they could have

Butch Zemar:

that for free and along with employers can get access to that playbook.

Freddy D:

Okay.

Freddy D:

Excellent.

Butch Zemar:

We can't discount products on our side.

Butch Zemar:

So we just give away the content for free and second opinions are always good too.

Butch Zemar:

And because at least, that the current guy's in check.

Butch Zemar:

Cool.

Freddy D:

Butch, it was great to having you on a business super fan

Freddy D:

podcast show and hope you had a great time and we look forward to

Freddy D:

having you again in the near future.

Butch Zemar:

Absolutely.

Butch Zemar:

Freddy D, it's always good to catch up with you and chat with you.

Freddy D:

All right.

Freddy D:

Thank you.

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About the Podcast

Business Superfans Podcast
We're on a mission to turn employees, customers, and business partners into superfans! Imagine everyone rallying behind your brand, turbocharging sales, and driving our success into the future!
Welcome to the Business Superfans Podcast, where your path to building a dedicated community of superfans begins. Hosted by Frederick Dudek, also known as Freddy D, an international sales and marketing leader with over 30 years of experience selling to major organizations like Bosch, Ingersoll Rand, Banner Health, the State of Arizona, and many others. This podcast is your go-to resource for transforming your business into a powerhouse of loyalty, and advocacy, collectively accelerating profitable and sustainable success.

What sets the Business Superfans Podcast apart? We don’t just discuss enhancing customer (CX) and employee experiences (EX); we delve into the often-overlooked realm of business allies—complementary businesses, suppliers, and distributors. We refer to this experience as the Stakeholder Experience (SX). This podcast encompasses the entire business ecosystem, offering a comprehensive synergistic approach to creating superfans across all your stakeholder groups.

Each episode unveils insider strategies, cutting-edge tools, and real-world examples from various interviewees sharing their stories. These insights aim to boost your brand's visibility and cultivate a dedicated community of superfans ready to advocate for your mission.

We’ll explore the psychology of brand loyalty, uncovering the factors that drive individuals to become superfans and how you can harness this influence to build a powerful advocacy force. Whether you’re a startup aiming to establish your presence or an established business looking to revitalize your brand, the Business Superfans Podcast delivers actionable insights and inspiration to help you achieve consistent results cost-effectively.

So, why wait? Tune in to the Business Superfans Podcast and become the brand that everyone is talking about—among competitors, customers, and business allies alike. Become part of the movement and discover the key to creating superfans who will elevate your business to unprecedented levels.
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About your host

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Frederick Dudek

Frederick Dudek, author of the book "Creating Business Superfans," and host of the Business Superfans Podcast. He is an accomplished sales and marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in achieving remarkable sales performance results in global business markets. With a successful track record in the software-as-a-service industry and others. Frederick brings expertise and insight to help businesses thrive., he shares invaluable knowledge and strategies to create brand advocates, which he calls business superfans, who propel organizations toward long-term success.


Born in rural France, Frederick spent summers on his grandfather’s vineyard in France, where he developed a love for French wine. As a youth, he showed a strong aptitude for engineering and competed in drafting and design competitions. After winning numerous engineering awards, he became a draftsman working on numerous automotive projects. He was selected to design the spot weld guns for the 1982 Ford Escort car. That led to Frederick joining the emerging computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) industry, in which he quickly climbed the ranks.

While working for a CAD/CAM company as an application engineer, an opportunity presented itself that enabled Frederick to transition into sales. It was the right decision, and he never looked back. In the thirty-plus years Frederick has been selling, he has earned a reputation as the go-to guy for small companies that want to expand their business domestically or internationally. This role has allowed him to travel to over thirty countries and counting. When abroad, Frederick’s favorite pastime is to go exploring for hours, not to mention enjoying some of the local cuisine and fine wines.

Frederick is a former runner and athlete. Today, you can find him hiking various trails with his significant other, Kiley Kaplan. When not writing, selling, speaking, or exploring, he is cooking or building things. The next thing on Frederick’s bucket list is learning to sail and to continue the exploration of countries and their unique cultures.