Illustrating the gravity of caregiving needs

Q: I want to get prospects more involved in my face-to-face presentation. I already ask questions about caregiving experiences, but what can I do to better explain the need and more actively engage prospects?

A: Convincing prospects of the need is an essential part of this sale. One way to achieve that is to present a scenario they can easily relate to. Chuck Redstone, long-term care director for New York Life, uses an approach that works well for both face-to-face meetings with couples and at group seminars. Redstone suggests the following:

• On a piece of paper, draw two columns. On the left side at the top, write the husband’s name. On the right side, write the wife’s name.
• Ask the wife, “What are your responsibilities in the house every month?” As she answers, he lists the responses on the right side of the chart. Answers could include: income, laundry, taxi, social calendar, shop, cook, do taxes, etc.
• Ask the husband the same and list those answers in the left column: income, home maintenance, take out trash, walk the dog, cut lawn, etc.
• Then introduce the long-term care event scenario. For example, if the husband had a stroke. Ask: “What happens to all the items on the husband’s side of the ledger?”

The answer?
It moves to the wife’s side. Move everything from the husband’s column to the wife’s column and add “take care of husband” to the wife’s list. Their immediate reaction is silence. It’s typically an emotional moment as the prospects start to understand the tremendous impact an long-term care event has on their spouse.