​HOW TO INSURE DISABILITY INCOME
National Edition
FREE PRODUCER GUIDE

• No Purchase Required.
• Download It.
• Read It.
• Use It.

Your client insures the house.

• The cars.
• The jewelry.
• The boat.
• Maybe even the business.

But ask one more question:
“WHAT INSURES THE PAYCHECK THAT PAYS FOR ALL OF IT?”
For most working people, their ability to earn an income may be one of their most important financial assets.
If illness or injury prevents them from working, the bills don't automatically stop.

• Mortgage.
• Rent.
• Utilities.
• Groceries.
• Car payments.
• Insurance premiums.
• Childcare.
• Debt.
• Everyday living expenses.

Health insurance helps address medical expenses.
DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE ADDRESSES A DIFFERENT PROBLEM
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PAYCHECK?
WHY ARE WE GIVING THIS GUIDE AWAY?
Because you shouldn't have to take our word for the quality of the How to Insure series.

• See it for yourself.
• Download the guide.
• Read it.
• Use it with a prospect.
• Use it in a producer meeting.
• Use the discovery questions.
• Work through the scenarios.
• Try the prospecting ideas.

Then ask yourself:
“WOULD I LIKE THIS KIND OF HELP FOR THE OTHER LINES I SELL?”
If the answer is yes, that's exactly why the How to Insure library exists.

THIS ISN'T A PREVIEW
IT'S THE GUIDE.
We're not giving you three sample pages followed by:
“Buy the rest to continue.”
You're getting the actual How to Insure Disability Income producer guide.
Our thinking is simple:
IF IT HELPS YOU BECOME A BETTER PRODUCER, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THE REST OF THE SERIES.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This practical producer guide helps you work through:

• Disability-income discovery
• Income exposure
• Personal financial obligations
• Existing employer benefits
• Individual coverage
• Benefit amount concepts
• Elimination periods
• Benefit periods
• Definitions of disability
• Occupation considerations
• Underwriting
• Policy limitations and exclusions
• Business-owner considerations
• Existing-coverage reviews
• Documentation
• Professional boundaries
• Cross-selling
• Prospecting
• Referral development
• Educational marketing

The objective isn't to memorize product terminology.
It's to help you answer:
“WHAT HAPPENS FINANCIALLY IF THIS CLIENT CAN'T WORK?”
WHO SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE?
Especially useful for:

• Life & Health producers
• P&C producers adding Life & Health
• Personal Lines producers
• Commercial Lines producers
• Multi-line agencies
• New producers
• Agency owners
• Producers serving business owners
• Producers serving professionals
• Producers looking for cross-selling opportunities

If you insure working people, you probably know people who should at least have the disability-income conversation.

DON'T BEGIN WITH:“DO YOU WANT DISABILITY INSURANCE?”
Try this instead:
“HOW LONG COULD YOU PAY YOUR BILLS IF YOUR PAYCHECK STOPPED?”

• A week?
• A month?
• Three months?
• Six months?
• A year?

That question turns an abstract insurance product into a financial reality.

DISABILITY ISN'T THE SAME AS DEATH
Life insurance asks:
“What happens financially if you die?”
Disability income asks:
“WHAT HAPPENS FINANCIALLY IF YOU LIVE—BUT CAN'T WORK?”
That's a completely different exposure.
The client may still need:

• Food.
• Housing.
• Transportation.
• Utilities.
• Insurance.
• Childcare.
• Debt payments.

And now there may be additional expenses related to the illness or injury.

“I HAVE DISABILITY COVERAGE AT WORK.”
Good.
Now ask:

• What percentage of income is covered?
• Is there a maximum benefit?
• How is disability defined?
• How long is the waiting period?
• How long can benefits continue?
• Who pays the premium?
• How might benefits be treated for tax purposes?
• What happens if employment ends?
• Are bonuses or commissions considered?

Don't assume employer coverage is inadequate.
Don't assume it's sufficient.
VERIFY.

DEFINITIONS MATTER.
Two policies that both say “disability income insurance” may not work identically.
The definition of disability can matter enormously.
The producer needs to understand the actual contract being discussed.
Never reduce a complex definition to:
“If you can't work, it pays.”
That's exactly the kind of shortcut that creates misunderstandings.

THE ELIMINATION PERIOD MATTERS
Benefits may not begin immediately.
The client needs to understand the waiting period.
Ask:
“How long could you comfortably live without income before benefits begin?”
That turns insurance terminology into something the client understands.

THE BENEFIT PERIOD MATTERS
How long could benefits potentially continue under the policy terms?

• A year?
• Several years?
• To a stated age?

The producer should explain the actual contract rather than relying on general descriptions.

OCCUPATION MATTERS

• A surgeon.
• A truck driver.
• An electrician.
• An accountant.
• A real estate agent.
• A business owner.

Their occupational duties aren't the same.
That can matter when discussing disability coverage and underwriting.
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CLIENT ACTUALLY DOES FOR A LIVING.

BUSINESS OWNERS CREATE ANOTHER LEVEL OF DISCOVERY
A business owner may ask:
“What happens if I can't work?”
But there may actually be two questions:
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY PERSONAL INCOME?
and
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY BUSINESS?
That may create separate conversations and potentially different insurance needs.
Don't assume one policy solves both problems.

NOW LET'S FIND THE PROSPECT
This is where disability-income insurance becomes especially interesting.
Your prospects aren't hiding.
THEY'RE WORKING.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #1
A NEW JOB
A client changes employers.
Ask:
“What benefits did you gain—and what benefits did you leave behind?”
The client may have lost or changed:

• Life insurance.
• Health insurance.
• Disability coverage.
• Retirement benefits.

A job change should trigger a benefits review.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #2
SELF-EMPLOYMENT
This is a big one.
A client leaves an employer and starts a business.
The employer benefit package may disappear.
Ask:
“IF YOU CAN'T WORK, WHERE DOES YOUR INCOME COME FROM?”
That's not a sales pitch.
It's a business-owner question.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #3
A LARGE PAY RAISE.

• Income increases.
• Lifestyle often follows.
• Larger house.
• Different vehicles.
• More savings goals.
• More family dependence upon the paycheck.

But did disability protection increase too?
A significant income change can trigger a review.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #4
A NEW HOME.
The client qualifies for a mortgage based partly upon income.
The homeowners producer protects the house.
Now ask:
“WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MORTGAGE IF YOU'RE ALIVE BUT CAN'T EARN YOUR PAYCHECK?”
That's a natural cross-sell conversation.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #5
A NEW CHILD.

• Family responsibility increases.
• That usually triggers a life-insurance conversation.
• It should also make the producer think about disability income.

The family doesn't only depend upon the parent being alive.
IT MAY DEPEND UPON THE PARENT BEING ABLE TO WORK.

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #6
PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS
Certain professionals may have substantial income tied closely to their personal ability to perform occupational duties.
Potential prospecting niches may include:

• Physicians
• Dentists
• Attorneys
• Accountants
• Engineers
• Executives
• Consultants
• Other professionals

Don't market only:
“We sell disability insurance.”
Talk about:
PROTECTING THE INCOME THEIR CAREER PRODUCES.​

PROSPECTING TRIGGER #7
THE BUSINESS OWNER
You may already insure:

• The building.
• Commercial auto.
• General liability.
• Workers compensation.

Ask:
“We've insured a lot of things your business owns. What protects your personal income if you can't work?”
One question.
One new conversation.

YOUR EXISTING P&C BOOK MAY BE FULL OF PROSPECTS
Look for clients who:

• Own homes
• Have mortgages
• Recently changed jobs
• Have high earned income
• Are self-employed
• Own businesses
• Have young children
• Recently increased umbrella limits
• Work in professional occupations
• Have never had an income-protection review

Start with 25.
Not 2,500.

HAVE BETTER CONVERSATIONS WITH THE RIGHT 25.​

EDUCATIONAL PROSPECTING
People have questions.
Answer them.

• Does disability insurance cover my entire paycheck?
• How long do disability benefits last?
• Is my employer disability insurance enough?
• Do self-employed people need disability insurance?
• What's an elimination period?
• What happens to my mortgage if I become disabled?
• Does disability insurance cover business expenses?

Each can become:

• Google Business Profile content
• Facebook posts
• YouTube videos
• Website articles
• Emails
• Client newsletters
• Professional-group presentations

ANSWER THE QUESTION FIRST.
Then invite the conversation.

A 30-DAY DISABILITY-INCOME PROSPECTING PLAN
WEEK 1 — IDENTIFY 25 WORKING CLIENTS
Look for:

• Business owners.
• Self-employed clients.
• Professionals.
• New homeowners.
• Parents.
• Clients with recent job changes.

WEEK 2 — ASK ONE QUESTION

• “HOW LONG COULD YOU PAY YOUR BILLS IF YOUR PAYCHECK STOPPED?”

Then listen.
WEEK 3 — TEACH ONE CONCEPT
Publish:

• “YOU INSURED YOUR HOUSE. YOUR CAR. MAYBE EVEN YOUR LIFE. BUT WHAT INSURES YOUR PAYCHECK?”

Use it in email, social media, Google, your website, or video.
WEEK 4 — FOLLOW UP
Track:

• Conversations
• Existing benefits
• Needs identified
• Quotes
• Applications
• Referrals
• Other opportunities
• Future review dates

Then repeat.

ONE DISABILITY CONVERSATION CAN OPEN THE ACCOUNT.
Suppose a self-employed contractor asks about disability income.
During discovery you learn:

• He has a mortgage.
• Two children.
• No individual life insurance.
• His wife handles the office.
• The business has six employees.
• He's having trouble retaining workers.

Now there may eventually be conversations involving:

• Disability Income
• Life Insurance
• Mortgage Protection
• Business-owner Life Insurance
• Small Group Health
• Commercial P&C

One question about a paycheck opened an entire insurance relationship.
THAT'S WHAT GOOD DISCOVERY CAN DO.

REAL-WORLD PRODUCER THINKING
The guide includes practical situations involving:

• Employer disability coverage
• Self-employment
• High-income occupations
• Business ownership
• New homes
• Family responsibilities
• Elimination periods
• Benefit periods
• Policy definitions
• Existing coverage

Work through them using:

• HEAR →
• ASK →
• VERIFY →
• DOCUMENT →
• NEXT SAFE ACTION

The goal isn't simply knowing disability insurance terminology.
It's developing producer judgment.

PRACTICAL PRODUCER TOOLS
Use this guide for:

• Income-protection conversations
• Employer-benefit reviews
• Business-owner discussions
• Personal-lines cross-selling
• Commercial account rounding
• Existing-policy reviews
• Prospecting
• Referral development
• Educational marketing
• Producer meetings
• Scenario training

WHAT'S THE PRICE?
NOTHING.
This one is on us.
Why?

• Because the easiest way for us to explain what makes How to Insure different is to let you use one.
• No sales pitch can demonstrate that as well as the guide itself.

FREE — DOWNLOAD IT. KEEP IT. USE IT.
DOWNLOAD HOW TO INSURE DISABILITY INCOME — FREE
THEN PUT IT TO WORK
Don't download it and forget about it.
Choose five clients.
Ask:
“HOW LONG COULD YOU PAY YOUR BILLS IF YOUR PAYCHECK STOPPED?”
Use the guide.
See where the conversations go.
If it helps you uncover even one exposure you otherwise would have missed, you've experienced what the How to Insure series was built to do.

LIKE THIS GUIDE?
THERE'S AN ENTIRE LIBRARY BUILT THIS WAY.
The other How to Insure guides help producers understand the coverage and find people who need it.
Topics include Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Life & Health, and specialized insurance opportunities.
The individual guides are:
ONLY $25 EACH.Buy It Once. Use It From Now On.

• You don't need a subscription just to own a guide.
• You don't need to buy an entire library.
• Choose the markets you want to learn.
• Choose the markets you want to grow.

EXPLORE THE HOW-TO INSURE LIBRARY

• Personal Lines
• Commercial Lines
• Life, Accident & Sickness

KNOW THE COVERAGE...BUT NEED MORE PEOPLE TO TALK TO?
That's the second half of the equation.

• Training helps you know what to do when the prospect arrives.
• Prospecting helps the prospect find you.

FYI Express+ can help insurance professionals build educational marketing and local visibility around the questions prospective clients are already asking.
For Disability Income, that might begin with:
“WHAT INSURES YOUR PAYCHECK?”
Then answer the question.

• Teach.
• Help.
• Become visible.

BE FOUND.
BE HELPFUL.
BE REMEMBERED.

ASK EDDIE ABOUT PROSPECTING & FYI LOCAL VISIBILITY

RELATED HOW-TO INSURE GUIDES
INDIVIDUAL LIFE INSURANCE

• Protect the financial consequences of premature death.

VIEW GUIDE

MORTGAGE & DEBT OBLIGATIONS

• Protect the obligations that still require payment when income disappears.

VIEW GUIDE 

BUSINESS OWNERS WITH LIFE INSURANCE

• Explore the personal and business protection needs surrounding ownership.

VIEW GUIDE

SMALL GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE

• Help business owners protect another critical asset—their employees.

VIEW GUIDE 

HOW TO INSURE DISABILITY INCOME

• Protect the Paycheck.
• Protect the Lifestyle.
• Protect the Future.

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