Engage! Toolkit
Your Guide to Connecting with K -12 School Districts and Their Employees
Welcome to the Engage! Toolkit –your go-to resource for building meaningful relationships with educators and school district staff. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to strengthen existing connections, this step-by-step guide is designed to help you confidently engage with current and prospective clients in the K -12 space.
When you’re ready to take action, put our turnkey financial literacy campaigns to work. Each ready-to-launch series includes:
- Email templates
- Social media posts
- Flexible presentations tailored for both one-on-one and group settings
With the Engage! Toolkit, you’re prepared to lead with value, build trust, and grow your business –one conversation at a time.
First, Some Ground Rules
You must be approved to market to a school or district by both National Life and the school/district itself.
Find Your Relationship Manager
Relationship Management is here to help you succeed in the retirement marketplace. The team consists of relationship managers with specific geographic focus who work closely with you to build new relationships and work smarter in the areas you do business.
Attend 403(b)/457(b) Certified Training
Stand out in a sea of sameness. By attending National Life Groups’ 403(b)/457(b) Certified Training Program, your badge will give you a competitive advantage in getting access to public schools, municipalities and 501(c)(3) organizations. The Certified Badge is earned after attending a 403(b)/457(b) Certified Training class and submitting five (5) 403(b)/457(b) flow annuity policies.
Get Familiar with the Retirement Plans Playbook:
A comprehensive field guide for serving educators, faith-based, and public sector employees:
Developing a clear, workable plan for success in the retirement marketplace begins by getting familiar with your distinct market. This playbook offers steps to find and engage plan prospects, build successful relationships, access to helpful tools to serve clients and partner with National Life Group. Plans covered: 403(b), 403(b)(9), 457(b), FICA Alternative Retirement Plans Playbook (Cat#108134) is designed to help you do just that. Your road map to the many opportunities in the 403(b) plan market, this playbook offers steps to find and engage 403(b) plan prospects, build successful relationships, access to helpful tools to serve clients and partner with National Life Group.
What Do Your Prospects Look Like?
School Districts
1
Log into the Agent Portal and navigate to the 403(b)/457(b) Plan Opportunities Tool or click here to determine if National Life is an approved vendor and current status of your prospect. Use this step-by-step guide to help navigate the tool.
2
Visit the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to research every school district and individual school in the country. This site will provide district and school websites, number of employees, superintendent information, address, phone and more!
3
If you are interested in opening a new slot or activating a dormant slot, you may be eligible to participate in the Slot Bonus Program. The Slot Bonus Program also compensates for prolonged, consistent application submissions over time.
PRO TIP
Take a few minutes to review the Retirement Homeroom to get into the mindset of your prospects and clients. This will refresh you on the retirement concerns that may be keeping them up at night and help you to further identify your prospects.
How Can You Make Contact?
By Phone
Explain who you are and why you are calling…
- I know you weren’t expecting my call today, but do you have a few minutes?
- How can I help you? If I am not able to help you, I will find someone who can.
- It’s been a while since we last met…
PRO TIP
Start every conversation with a personal connection.
PLUG INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS!
- When calling the district office there are any number of administrators/departments for whom you might ask. For example, Payroll, Chief Financial Officer, Benefits, Business Administration. Don’t forget some of our plan sponsors know NLG as “LSW” or “Life Insurance of the Southwest”.
- If stumped on who to call, call the payroll office and ask where you can find a copy of the Salary Reduction Agreement (SRA) and the process to submit it.
- Once you get that information confirm that NLG is an approved vendor.
- If NLG is not an approved vendor, ask what the procedure is for adding a new vendor to a plan.
- If NLG is an approved vendor, ask how the Salary Reduction Agreement is processed and if the Plan is working with a TPA.
- Ask about solicitation rules. Can you reach out to employees using district/school email?
Remember that all marketing you create or use in an NLG slot must be reviewed and approved by NLG compliance, even if NLG isn’t mentioned on it.
Introductions
After introduction at the District level, and if District instructs you to contact school sites to get access to employees, be sure to have a name from the district as part of your introduction to the school site. For example, “Mary Rogers from payroll told me I should contact you about the 403(b) Plan and how I can help to answer any questions the employees of ABC school may have about the SECURE Act”. What I normally do is meet with a group of educators and review the changes in the SECURE Act and answer any questions about their pension or retirement plans”.
OPEN DOORS THROUGH SERVICE
IRS Universal Availability requires plans to give meaningful notice to employees of their right to make elective deferrals into a plan. Not all districts are aware of the requirement. If you help them meet these requirements at no cost to them, you’re offering a meaningful service and a straight inroad to gain new prospects. To satisfy this requirement, ask if they will plug you into their next faculty meeting, new teacher orientation or benefit fair.
By Email
NLG Email Templates
Email templates are provided in National Life’s turnkey campaigns located here and on the Agent Portal.
Follow these instructions to prepare your email:
- Choose a template.
- With your cursor on the email, select all (Ctrl +A) and copy (Ctrl + C).
- Open a new email in your email system. With your cursor on the body section of the new email, paste (CTRL + V) the template into your email.
- Personalize with your contact information where noted.
- Add your subject line and send a test copy to yourself or a colleague.
Personal Outreach
Send a confirmation email including the video conference link and instructions. Remind them to bring a family member or friend!
PRO TIP
While a phone call is always best, a personally written email from you may be more readily opened and read by your recipients. Fancy emails can be perceived as advertising, and then deleted. This is what we mean by personal outreach.
PLUG INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS!
- Reach out to district administration and school employees with helpful updates. Introduce plans to the Plan Sponsor Resource Center retirementresource.nationallife.com and employees to Retirement Homeroom retirementhomeroom.com!
- Once you receive prior approval from the school or district to reach out to employees via school email, send an invitation to attend a group Zoom meeting to discuss any concerns the employees may have about their state pension plan, 403(b) retirement plan, or retirement strategies in general. Do not mass email entire schools or districts; personalize your emails to groups of 10 employees at a time.
Through Text
A brief text is a great way to confirm a one-on-one or small group meeting and should include time, date and how to access the meeting. Just be aware that marketing by text is prohibited. It’s ok to confirm appointments. Representatives of Equity Services, Inc., please comply with CellTrust rules.
Conducting Meetings
Opening the Meeting
You must disclose the states in which you are insurance licensed, and ask any attendees from other states to please leave the webinar. The people you invite may share the invitation with others, and you don’t want to be in violation of state insurance solicitation laws.
PRO TIP
- Ask a buddy to partner-present with you. Have your co-presenter facilitate chat box questions that come in. Establish a procedure for employees to request a one-on-one meeting with you. (Try displaying a QR Code to set appointments.)
- ESI representatives, be aware of your restrictions for conducting webinars and setting appointments. See ESI Field Notice 2020-06 regarding video seminars, and ESI Supervisory Procedures regarding electronic communications such as appointment setting applications.
- Do something nice for your attendees like mailing them an item from the National Life store. Please be aware of gifting rules in your state, and never condition a gift on a meeting or purchase.
- Present the Life Changer of the Year program to school employees attending the meeting.
PLUG INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS!
If the school district is reluctant to allow you to join their meeting, ask if you can record a brief video for them to play during the meeting. Don’t forget to include your QR Code or another method of appointment setting.
Getting Down to Business
After the Call
Send a thank you email asking to meet one-on-one.
- Include in your email a selection of meeting dates and times from which the recipient may select.
- You might include a link to one of these:
- Retirement Journey Roadmap
- Our indexed annuity policyholders Haven’t Lost a Penny
- Life Checkup Retirement Worksheet
- Retirement Homeroom
Consider sending a post-meeting survey. In the survey…
- Ask for other topics of interest.
- Collect information such as participation in 403(b).
- Request an appointment.
PLUG INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS!
When asking school district employees for a one-on-one meeting, also include a link to Retirement Homeroom. Ask them to take five minutes to do a little homework by reviewing the assess tab.
PRO TIP
Now’s the time to make sure you are using pension and retirement planning strategies software that helps you show clients what they need in retirement vs. what they are projected to receive from their state retirement system.
- SHOW the shortfall between what your client needs for income in retirement, and what they’re projected to receive from their state retirement system.
- TELL the change in take-home pay for your client’s 403(b) contribution.
- CLARIFY state retirement plans with 650 updated public pension plans.
- DELIVER easy to understand graphical illustrations to validate your clients’ concerns based on the values they provide.
One-on-One
Discover Additional Financial Needs
- Before we get started, tell me about what is keeping you up at night
- Let’s run through your financial house and then we’ll drill down into ways in which we can address your concerns.
Complete the Application
- Share your screen to complete the application.
- Provide simple instructions for completing the Salary Reduction Agreement (SRA) or complete the SRA for the employee during your one-on-one (in paper or electronic form) and submit it to the district via email.
Generate Leads
Ask a few closing questions:
- May I introduce myself to your emergency contacts to explain what they will need to know in the event of an emergency?
- Before we go, do you have friends in a similar situation that you would like to refer?
Current Clients
Boost your Bottom Line with the Premium Increase Program (PIP)!
The Premium Increase Program is designed to reward your good client service.
When you take the time to check in with clients, conduct policy reviews and bolster their retirement preparedness with premium increases, you do good by your clients.
To reward the good that you do, each time you initiate a qualifying increase to an existing flexible premium annuity policy or initiate a qualifying lump sum increase, you earn full commission on the increase.
Learn more about the Premium Increase Program.
PRO TIP
Looking for a reason to reach out to your clients during these uncertain times?
Our Client Intelligence dashboard on the Agent Portal provides transparency into your clients’ interactions with National Life Group. It’s a powerful tool that can help you provide even more responsive service to and uncover new sales opportunities with your clients!
Be a Part of Something Good
Build Relationships Through Service
There is nothing that will build recognition, trust and a reputation among your clients and prospects as when you become their partner in a cause. Volunteerism demonstrates that you understand and appreciate their values and challenges and are willing to help.
There are so many ways to get involved! A few ideas to get you thinking:
- Offer to sponsor a school award (think citizenship), and ask if you can present it (think gift card) during each grading period assembly.
- Purchase t-shirts for a school club or team (think chess, environment, debate, A/V).
- Ask the PTA how you can work with them to make a difference.
- Bring a “School Supply Treasure Box” with much-needed resources (think antibacterial wipes, tissues, hand-sanitizer).
- Organize a community day to clean up school grounds.
PLUG INTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS!
National Life Group developed the two turnkey programs to help you build relationships with school districts and their employees:
- LifeChanger of the Year is a National Life Group program that honors K-12 educators and other school employees across the country for making a significant difference in the lives of students.
- Prizes for Pages is an Agent-sponsored program that helps build relationships in school districts by promoting and rewarding literacy.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Questions?
Contact the National Life Group Sales Desk at 800-906-3310, option 1
FOR AGENT USE ONLY – NOT FOR USE WITH THE PUBLIC
National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York.
Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser. All companies noted under National Life Group are affiliated and are located in Montpelier, VT, unless otherwise noted. In CO, MO, NH and WI, Equity Services, Inc. operates as Vermont Equity Services, Inc.
Centralized Mailing Address: One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604 | 800-906-3310 | nationallife.com
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