Issue #12 - Self-Funded w/ Spencer Newsletter

"I believe we are entering a Renaissance in Benefits..."

That's the belief of my next guest, Chris Hamilton, Partner of Hotchkiss Insurance, and I share his sentiment. This excerpt came from Part 2 of my "Sales Mastery" miniseries, after last week's episode with Jennifer Bryson.

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Episode 67 Summary:

When I asked LinkedIn who they would recommend as the top sales professional they knew, no less than 5 people said "Chris Hamilton". During the kick-off of Episode 67 I mentioned this to Chris after he suggested he felt out of place on a "Sales Mastery" series. While he conceded that his peers do think highly of him, it is the humble nature that Chris embodies that gives us a glimpse as to why so many employers trust his counsel when it comes to employee benefits.

Chris, like me, didn't get into a sales role until his 30's, and actually came from the world of investment banking. By starting in finance, he got the opportunity to see how money flows in very large employer's books. It is his understanding of the numbers, the valuation of businesses, and the significant impact to an employer's P/L that healthcare constitutes, that makes him one of the most sought after benefit advisors in Texas, if not the country.

In this episode specifically (we covered his self-funded strategy in a second episode coming soon), we talked about sales best practices. Chris only emphasizes relationship-building to a degree, as he often says business owners are already successful and have friends, and many of them just want him to solve their healthcare problem, not take them on a sales trip! Chris loves storytelling, and growing up his football friends requested he tell stories, sometimes over and over, as a form of entertainment for the squad. He even got the nickname "Hannover", a reference to the show "Cheers", a moniker he begrudgingly embraced.

He recounts an incredible story from his investment banking days, that involves a Russian named Vladimir and $20M of frozen assets, that you just HAVE to hear. It starts at 42:40 in the episode, and trust me, it is worth listening to!

Watch Episode 67:

Next Week's Episode Details:

The final installment of the Sales Mastery trilogy will feature Ryan Miller, who is a sales performance and leadership coach. Ryan literally makes his money teaching salespeople how to sell better, and he acts as a great anchor to the miniseries. We start the episode off with a bang about life, relationships, and manhood, and then progress into sales best practices from there. This episode comes out next Tuesday.