Employee Benefit Adviser

Ask The Experts

• Better questioning gives advisers better control of sales appointments

  The cornerstone of successful information gathering is the ability to ask great questions of your prospect. Over the years much has been written about the difference between closed- and open-ended questions.

• Help! Employers need somebody, but not just anybody

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• Steps to effective social networking

  Professionals across many industries are discovering and leveraging social networks to further their careers and strengthen their businesses. Here are some guidelines for getting started.

• It takes strength to conquer the learning curve

  Now, seven months and 108 airline flights into this rambling road show, I have made real-time observations of "the learning curve" applied to the employee benefit business. But note that the "curve" is more "wavy" than a single upside-down smile, or the oft used hockey stick.

• Venus and Mars in benefits advising

  When it comes to benefits advising, are men from Mars and women from Venus? Prevailing "wisdom" would have it that men excel at the strategic level, whereas women are more tactical or excel at account management. Are we really from different planets? Or is it more a case of how we are brought along on our career paths?

• Better business performance is at hand for advisers willing to get busy

  In our multi-part series published since the beginning of the year, we have been discussing strategies for increasing sales revenues and profits. We have commented on a fairly broad range of topics, including: prospecting, selling, enrollment and benefits communications, new products and services, improving client and customer retention, and improving operational efficiencies. This month, we want to summarize the key points so that you can focus on those that are most relevant to your business practice and subsequently develop action plans to implement some of these strategies.

• If high quality prospects are the goal, thoughtful marketing is needed

  A key component to creating significant growth in your agency is a steady flow of high quality prospects. Too many benefit professionals have fewer than three appointments per month with new prospects. These benefit professionals tend to rely heavily on passive referrals for new business.

• On the road with Rob Nielsen: How do you fill your pipeline?

  For most of us in the employee benefit business, if we have been around long enough, picking up the phone and dialing for dollars has at one point or another been the "prescribed" method for success.

• Making good on the promise of superior service is a great way to make clients stick

  Many advisers will tell clients their strongest attribute is that they offer superior service. But if everyone thinks their service is the best, how does it really set an adviser apart?

• On the road with Rob Nielsen - It's About Culture

  Well, we are now 90 days into the LeaderLabs odyssey. With over 40,000 air miles, 50 flight segments, and over 40 hotel nights, we have started to draw some definite conclusions. In working with the nine LeaderLabs partner firms from, one thing has been abundantly consistent in every office I have visited. In the journey to achieve optimum financial performance, the first step is invariably, culture. Study after study confirms it. Companies with the best cultures win. They are more productive, they have lower turnover and ultimately, stronger financial performance and profitability.

• Become the complete benefit adviser by fully engaging the prospect

  Last month I introduced you to the concept of change and its relationship to the sales process. The only way to motivate the prospect to implement a change is by asking really great questions that identify what the prospect wants.

• How are worksite and the Iraq war connected?

  Don't know? Give up? AIG's John Penko has some thoughts on the subject. Penko delivered a well-received talk at the recent Workplace Benefits Renaissance in Orlando, Fla., detailing the calling that worksite producers and other benefits professionals are answering when they communicate and educate employees about available products.