There is no doubt in my mind that every benefit professional reading this column provides extraordinary service to his or her clients. There is also no doubt that every one of you possesses an abundance of benefit knowledge.

However, here is the single most important concept that I can impart to you today: Great service is irrelevant and your knowledge, while beneficial, will not make your accounts competitor-proof.

Prospects will not do business with you simply because you promise great service or because you have an abundance of benefit knowledge.

Clients will not keep your competitors out simply because you provide what you believe to be great service.

And when you do the annual review and ask the client how you are doing and he tells you that you are doing a great job - well, don't get too excited, because there is no meat on that bone.

You may win cases because you have saved the prospect money, although when you live by price you die by price.

You may have an array of value-added services that can get you the case, but if you want to keep your competitors out you must build a strong relationship with the key decision makers as well as the individuals involved in managing the benefits.

Clients do not care how much you do for them. They care about how much you care about and appreciate them.

In one of my recent teleclasses, one of the participants responded to this idea by stating that on every renewal he tells his clients that he sees them as friends and not just clients. That statement and around $2 will get a grande coffee at Starbucks.

It is highly likely that you believe you have really great relationships with your clients. But ask yourself these questions:

* Between renewals, do you visit with the decision makers within your client companies at least twice per year?

* Do you take clients to lunch without talking about their benefits?

* Do you send the decision makers and HR staff handwritten birthday cards?

* Do you know the names of the children of the decision makers in your group clients? What about the HR staff? If so, do you ask about them?

* When was the last time you sent the decision makers a handwritten note thanking them for the opportunity that they have given you to be of service to their company?

If you are not doing at least three out of the five actions in this list I can guarantee that you do not have relationships that are strong enough to lock out your competitors.

Making service truly mean something

I can say with absolute certainty that in the last two weeks you have had at least one employee of a client call your office with a problem.

The problem might have been a need for a replacement ID card, a claim issue or a need to have something explained. You resolved the issue quickly and the employee was satisfied.

So here is my question: How does the employer know what you just did?

Every agent that I ask this question of responds in one of two ways:

"Unless the employee tells the owner (or HR director), he will not know."

"At the end of the year I provide an update of all the services we provided."

Both responses are meaningless. Most employees will not run to their HR department and tell them how great your service was - although if your service was miserable they certainly would.

Here is an idea that accomplishes two important objectives for you. The next time that you resolve an issue for an employee, send a handwritten note to the president of the company that reads:

Jim, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me to be of service to your company. What made me think about this was when John Smith called my office last Monday needing a new ID card. We got it resolved that afternoon, but it occurred to me that I haven't let you know in a while how much I appreciate the chance to work with you and your company. Thanks. - Mel Schlesinger

I can guarantee that you will receive a call of appreciation for the card. With this card you have been self-promotional while acknowledging your gratitude for the business.

Do this two or three times per year and you will never lose an account to an agent-of-record letter.

Special occasions merit special attention

One of the great things about being in the benefits business is you already have easy access to the birthdays of all of the important people in each one of your accounts.

The truth is that in today's world very few people get a handwritten birthday card in the mail. They may get an e-card or simply an e-mail, but that has very little impact.

On the other hand, opening the mailbox and receiving a real card can truly brighten a person's day.

Make it a habit to send a handwritten card to the business owners and HR staff in each of your client companies and they will feel that you truly value them.

To take relationship building one step further, ask each of the key people in your accounts about their children and marital status and make note of each. Ask about wedding anniversaries and send a handwritten note acknowledging the date.

The result: Your relationship will reach the ultimate competitor-proof level.

More new business equals more referrals

Cultivating relationships is about much more than competitor-proofing your accounts. Relationship building can also be a tool that creates an avalanche of referrals that lead to new business.

As you've likely experienced, great service rarely motivates a client to simply rave about you for no reason.

A birthday card or an anniversary card, on the other hand, is unexpected - which is precisely why it is so appreciated. Recipients of the cards will tell others about how different you are from your competition and how much you seem to really care about them as individuals.

While it sounds like this will be a lot to keep track of, new technology makes this relatively pain-free and easy to incorporate into your work day.

There is technology that allows you to upload these special occasions and create cards in your handwriting that will automatically go out in the mail five days prior to the event.

Equally valuable is the ability to create thank-you cards that can be sent utilizing no more effort than sending an e-mail. However, keep in mind that taking the time to place a handwritten card in the mail soon after an appointment will have a significantly greater impact on the recipient than any e-mail ever could. EBA

Voluntary benefits provider Trustmark Mutual Holding Company is looking to broaden its horizons with a cash-tender acquisition of Health Fitness Corporation, an award-winning provider of integrated health and fitness management services, valued at about $97 million on a fully diluted basis that could close in the first quarter of 2010.

Under the recently announced deal, HealthFitness shareholders will receive $8.78 in cash for each share of the company's common stock tendered in the offer without interest and required withholding taxes.

Trustmark CEO Dave McDonough noted in a statement that his firm's "experience in one-on-one enrollment of voluntary benefits has the potential to increase employee participation rates in health management and wellness programs.

"Trustmark provides a range of voluntary and group medical benefits, as well as health care management programs and benefits administration through its subsidiaries and operating divisions.