What are you doing to reinvent?
Compiled by Paul Wilson action reaction
“For us, it’s personal. In light of the changing face of the benefits industry we are expanding our
operation, not shrinking it. With hundreds of clients who already know and trust us we’ve expanded
from the core company First West Benefit Solution to add four other divisions over the last few
years: Retirement Solutions, Wealth Management Solutions, Human Resource Solutions and Risk
Management Solutions.
Our passionate and collaborative team is dedicated to delivering the best solution. And we do
that by nurturing relationships built on trust, communication and performance. We are looking to
become a strategic partner, not vendors. It’s our personal touch and genuine care that creates enduring
relationships.”
– Lyle G. Swenson, benefit consultant
“We have had to expand our core consulting as we’re
having to get more creative in helping our clients
strategize and control costs now more than ever before.
We’ve been very successful in thinking outside of the box
and our employers appreciate fresh new ideas that a short
time ago they may not have been willing to consider. We
are having success with things like voluntary benefits,
onsite clinics, telehealth, medical tourism, PBM consulting,
referenced based reimbursement and many others.”
– Danny Talley, senior vice president, HUB International Insurance
Services Inc.
“Here are a
couple of things
we are doing to stay
relevant:
1) Get paid for
your advice: We are
consulting like crazy.
Don’t want to sign a
BOR? Not a problem;
but I’m not going to
work for free. As my
mama always told me,
if you don’t value your
time, no one else will.
2) The millennials
are invading: So,
I’ve hired a rock
star producer that
is 25 and speaks
their language.
For millennials,
mentoring and feeling
imporant is huge.
For example, we’ve
started doing “how
to” videos where I
record my screen and
show clients how to
do a doctor search.”
– Susan Combs, owner
of brokerage Combs &
Company
“The average age of
insurance agents is in
their mid 50s, so I am
traveling all over the
United States teaching
both new and older
agents how to use social
media, technology and
free Internet tools to
sell insurance over the
phone.”
– Robert J. Russell, Robert J Russell
Companies, 2015 Broker of the Year Finalist
“The mentality of just being a broker to your
clients is obsolete. Showing up once a year
for open enrollment with coffee and donuts
and then disappearing behind the curtain for
12 months is no longer acceptable. Employers
and consumers demand more. It’s no longer
just about benefits. As a trusted advisor we
must go beyond insurance and consider how
we can provide innovation and support the
business of our clients. My goal is to develop
a cost mitigating and sustainable long term
strategy to attract develop and retain key
talent for my clients.”
– Jack Tartaro, Human Capital Practice Consultant
