Kevin Trokey identified as a leader in the St. Louis business community.

April 30, 2012 - St. Louis, MO - Kevin Trokey, CEO of Benefits Growth Network, has been selected for an esteemed local business award. The St. Louis Small Business Monthly has chosen Trokey to be recognized as a part of their feature “100 St. Louisans to Know to Succeed in Business”.

According to the feature article by editor Jeremy Nulik, their motivation for creating this list is that they want their readers “to get as much success as you will allow into your life and knowing the right person at the right time increases your probability of success.”

Trokey expresses his appreciation to the St. Louis Small Business Monthly and the community. “I am flattered and honored to be selected by my peers as a role model in the community. Helping people build better businesses is both my passion and my business. It makes me very happy to know that people feel I’m successfully filling that role.”

All 100 were honored at a special luncheon on March 14, 2012 at the St. Charles Convention Center.

Benefits Growth Network, based out of St. Louis, MO, is an international membership-based consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for independently owned insurance agencies and brokerages. Through the exclusive Benefits Growth System™, members get individualized planning, coaching, training, use of proprietary systems and access to a network of thriving insurance agencies. For more information about BGN, visit www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com.

When you are working with people or businesses in a service capacity, the client is paying you to be an advisor and watch their back. And really, they want you to perform that role. Sometimes it can be a little intimidating to approach someone with what may feel like unsolicited advice, but if you’re an advisor, that’s what you’re being paid to do.

It might be more comfortable to get permission at the beginning of the relationship to do this – set the table that you’ll be looking out for them and bringing suggestions from time to time. This not only prepares them to expect it, but it gives you some built-in accountability to be actively looking out for your clients.

There are many ways to follow client activities, and Internet tools make it very easy to not only keep an eye on their activity, but on their industry and local marketplace, as well.

If you’re familiar with their business operations and vision, and you’re actively watching them in the local news, following their online activity, or noting what’s going on in their industry, then you’ll very likely run into some information where it makes sense to proactively contact them.

Let’s think about some possible scenarios:

• Maybe it’s something as simple as congratulating them on an accomplishment, or note what kind of progress they’ve made in an area on which you know they’ve been actively focusing (clients love to know you’re paying attention away from the sales cycle).
• You’ve got some advice or tips on how to improve something they’re doing (e.g., improve consistency across locations with standards & training).
• You find some information that could help them improve their business (e.g., new technology now available that might replace existing out-dated technology).
• You can help them take a competitive lead (e.g., a trend that is taking hold in a different industry might translate to their business).
• Help them head off a potential risk or threat or take advantage of a possible opportunity coming down the pipe (e.g., new large employer coming into town looking to do a lot of hiring which might threaten their employee base).

If you’ve got solid business ideas and concerns that they need to consider, then by all means, talk to them. Don’t wait until disaster strikes and then say, “Yeah, I wondered if that might be an issue for you.” Take a proactive approach to the relationship and know that you’ve got their best interests in mind, plus a more distant perspective, which can always be beneficial.

When I hire someone in a service capacity, I usually start off the relationship asking her for advice on how I can improve and then directly open the door for her to proactively contact me with ideas. Which means I’m readily putting myself out there as being willing to take advice, be a repeat buyer, and a potential referral source or center of influence. I find that it’s the rare person who takes me up on this offer.

Happy, delighted, successful current clients are a direct link to new clients and more revenue. There are so many resources at our fingertips to keep an eye on what businesses are doing that watching and offering a little help along the way just makes good business sense.

Photo by Laughlin Elkind.

@wendykeneipp

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The idea of allowing people to experience your services before making the commitment to buy is something that I think about fairly regularly – maybe it’s my unwillingness to make the commitment, or maybe it’s the burgeoning opportunity I see from it.  Or maybe both. 

Our philosophy at BGN is that a sales process itself should provide some type of value to the prospective client, so it’s probably no surprise that I’m a fan of try-before-you-buy.

It’s not always easy to figure out how to offer it, and then, if you do, it can be easy to fall into the trap of just giving piles of stuff away for free thinking that the more you give, the more likely people will be to buy. I’m not sure that’s actually true, though. I think by just giving everything away, you’re teaching people how to buy from you – which is, they don’t buy.

Erica Allison, of Allison Development Group (a public relations and marketing firm), wrote about pay-before-you-play recently on her blog. Her premise is that by offering so many ideas on our blogs, we’re already giving a lot of our ideas for free in a try-before-you-buy scenario. Taking additional steps to also offer webinars and e-books for free is just going too far. It becomes a devalued commodity at that point.

I definitely agree – when we don’t have to pay something for an item, a service, a seminar, or whatever, it becomes too easy to just brush it off. Once there is cash involved, along comes a commitment.

So, how do you offer a reasonable amount of try-before-you buy, but not put yourself out of business? I have some ideas that I’ve been kicking around which are completely unrelated to benefits or insurance, but I’m going share anyway for the sake of brainstorming. See how you can take these ideas and interpret them for your own business - or maybe even better, perhaps you can help your clients come up with ideas for their businesses.

We’re going to the gym!

The gym I go to also houses a physical therapy office and a massage therapist. Three opportunities rich for experimentation with a captive audience!

Physical Therapist try-before-you-buy idea

How often do you have aches and pains that you’re never sure quite warrant a trip to the doctor? You want someone to take a look and maybe just give you a little sympathy that yes, this happens after crossing 40?

Offer 10-minute-visit punch card. If your issue turns out to be real, you can make an appointment. I’d gladly put down $50 or $100 to know I could stop by for a quick visit now and then that didn’t cost an arm and a leg and didn’t have to go through the insurance company.

Massage Therapist try-before-you-buy idea

Similar idea – instead of making people commit to an hour naked in the room, offer 10 minute back massages in a massage chair during certain time blocks. Leave the door open to entice others and make it a casual atmosphere. Again, you could make this a punch card scenario or drop-in.

Personal Trainer try-before-you-buy idea

I see a lot of opportunity for more personal training around the gym – but that’s an intimidating commitment. What if you don’t like the suggestions? Or the trainer?

Well, how about if the trainers offered 10 -15 minute how-to sessions with a particular piece of equipment or a set of exercises? Make it limited, quick, and offer a taste of what more you could get with one-on-one instruction. These could be pre-purchased, or it could be a free program offered by the club with rotating instructors so you could get the opportunity to meet all of the trainers.

Of course all of these come with the up-sell option to purchase full services. And yes, there are logistics to work out, but the idea is to get you thinking. How can you, or your clients, give people a taste of the services you have to offer before making them sign their life away on a multi-year contract? Yet not get your business sucked into operating as a for-free service under the guise of gaining experience to eventually earn the business.

Samples should be for more than just the ice cream shop! However, it's a tricky balance - especially for service companies. What advice can you offer?

Photo by Phillie Casablanca.

@wendykeneipp

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Business success and personal development are so intertwined.  For the success of your business, you must be willing to put the time into both business improvement and self-improvement.  If not, you and your business will be stagnant, at best.

Building a business is really just that – a building process.  It requires base level planning, working out the foundational pieces, and then at that point you can build into higher-level functions.  All of this takes an increasingly sophisticated understanding of business operations and the interdependencies that influence those operations.

Even if you know business inside and out, if you don’t keep up with business processes and best practices, which continuously change with generations and technology, then you’ll be unable to maintain a thriving business.  Remember, “A” level talent wants to work for “A” level companies. 

Keeping up with all of this is where the personal development comes in.  When you make learning a priority and a part of “what you do”, you might be amazed at how almost everything you learn can somehow be applicable to business.

• Think about parenting – one of the best training grounds for management.  If you read books about parenting a teenager, you might find yourself thinking about your staff.
• Or a movie might inspire you to evaluate your team and improve your communication and accountability.

The idea of improving your business will just become a part of your culture and not something that gets pushed to the side and eventually off the priority list.

While there are great ways like this to interrelate your everyday activities with your personal development, you also need to be purposeful about it.

1. Identify and focus on specific areas that need improvement.
2. Figure out how to turn what you’ve learned into something that is directly applicable to your business or your clients’ businesses.
3. Take the opportunity to talk with other people about things you’ve learned – this is when it becomes fun and maybe a bit addictive!

There are a bazillion ways to improve your knowledge.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Read articles & blogs over a cup of coffee or lunch.  If your clients or prospects have blogs – be sure they’re on your list.  Talking to them about their writing will definitely win you points.
• Use the Reading List by Amazon on your LinkedIn account.  You can add books you’ve read and write reviews, and you can see what books your clients and peers are reading.  Talk to them about the books and discuss how you see the information relating directly to their businesses.  Now, you’ve not only increased your knowledge, but you’ve improved a client relationship as well (and perhaps their business).
• Follow business people on Twitter.  Let other people do some of the work – find people who are interested in topics in which you want to improve.  Read the articles they share and the conversations they have – they know all the good sources.  Follow people in your industry who are in different marketplaces, or follow people who are in different industries.  There is a lot to be learned when you get outside of your own sphere of influence.

I’ve found there is a direct correlation with learning, success, and happiness:  The more focused I am on learning and educating myself, the more helpful I am to those around me, and the happier and more satisfied I am personally.  And thus continues my commitment to...

Always Be Learning.

@wendykeneipp

Benefits and Insurance Agencies,

I understand that many of you don’t think social media is a relevant business tool.

But your clients think it is. 

And so do your peers. 

And your competitors.

If you believe that Facebook is for teenagers and Twitter is for telling people what you had for lunch, then it's time to educate yourself on the business applications of social media:  making connections and educating clients & prospects - a cornerstone of building a business.

@wendykeneipp

Benefits Growth Network and member agencies prepare for BGN Live!, its annual networking event.

August 11, 2010 – St. Louis, MO – The Benefits Growth Network membership is coming together for its inaugural networking event, BGN Live! The independently owned, non-competing benefits agencies will share and learn through a series of networking opportunities, presentations, idea-exchanges, and participant workshops.

Kevin Trokey, Benefits Growth Network president, explains that, “Networking is an important part of our member experience. We’ve structured this event so networking and learning are happening throughout the conference by means of member participation and collaboration through workshops. Everyone will get the chance to speak and share ideas.”

The BGN Live! conference, held in Dallas, will focus on the strategic HR role that benefits agencies must be teaching and helping their clients achieve within their organizations. Sessions include presentations, agency panel discussions, and group workshops:

• Our Evolving Role - HR as a Strategic Driver
• Dynamic Benefits Communication: How Tos that Create Results
• Health Care Reform: Communicating as an Opportunity
• Understanding Employee Cost Drivers
• Developing Value Added Services
• Member Idea and Best Practice Exchange

Featured speaker, Jennifer Benz of Benz Communications, will help agencies make the business case for investing in benefits communications, and she will provide a tactical look at how to overhaul a benefits communication program to enhance the value and improve use of programs.

About Benefits Growth Network
Benefits Growth Network, based out of St. Louis, MO, is an international membership-based consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for independently owned employee benefits agencies and brokerages. Through the exclusive Benefits Growth System™, members get individualized planning, coaching, training, use of proprietary systems and access to a network of thriving benefits agencies. For more information about Benefits Growth Network, visit www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com.

Keeping members on the leading edge of the industry and business trends, Sitkins International and Benefits Growth Network are gearing up for the semi-annual networking experience.

March 30, 2010 – St. Louis, MO – Independently owned insurance and benefits agencies will come together to share intellectual capital through a series of learning, networking and best-practice exchanges. Sitkins International and Benefits Growth Network bring all non-competing member agencies together twice a year for Extreme Networking, an in-depth conference to collectively share strategies for building a profitable business and delivering client value.

Members hear presentations by the vertical growth advisors about leading industry and business topics including sales management, agency operations and profitable growth strategies. Agencies are also given the opportunity to learn from one another, share best practices and develop connections with other agencies over a common topic. This format increases a foundation of trust and facilitates a quicker turnaround in the ability to draw on those connections.

Kevin Trokey, Benefits Growth Network president and coach, explains that, “We take a multi-disciplinary approach to agency development and our live networking sessions are a vital part of the member experience.” Taking various learning styles into consideration, Sitkins and BGN ensure that members are able to listen and talk to all advisors, giving them the opportunity to hear ideas which may resonate with them in a new way.

This spring’s conference, held in Orlando, will feature 40 sessions over two and a half days with a mix of main stage presentations and topical breakout sessions. The first day is devoted to sales leadership topics and the remaining days take a look at the agency from a broader perspective. For the breakout sessions, members choose areas specifically targeted to their individual business needs. Topics include:

• Getting Paid for Your Value
• Performance Benchmarking
• HR After the Recession
• Pipeline-Building Strategies
• Question-Asking Skills
• Mentoring and Coaching Sales People
• Effective Sales Meetings
• Accountability and Consequences
• Developing Centers of Influence

Main stage presentations, lead by Larry Linne, Patrick Sitkins and Roger Sitkins, are topics relating to business needs every agency faces. Topics include:

• Smashing the Glass Ceiling of Potential Success
• Getting Paid for your Value
• Profit Drivers
• Marketing 2.0 Best Practices
• Performance Benchmarking
• Future Leader Development

Patrick Sitkins, Vice President of Sitkins International, says, “This format has proven very effective for our members. Not only are they able to benefit from the discussions of strategies and issues that affect the entire industry, but they are also able to choose sessions which focus on topics that present specific challenges for their own agency.”

About Sitkins International
Sitkins International is an exclusive membership organization comprised of high-performing independent insurance agencies and brokerages in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Members gain access to The Vertical Growth Experience™ which provides them with intellectual capital to help them with innovation, sales, growth, profitability and increased organizational value. For more information on Sitkins International, contact Patrick Sitkins at (239) 337-2555 or visit www.sitkins.com.

About Benefits Growth Network
Benefits Growth Network, based out of St. Louis, MO, is an international membership-based consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for independently owned employee benefits agencies and brokerages. Through the exclusive Benefits Growth System™, members get individualized planning, coaching, training, use of proprietary systems and access to a network of thriving benefits agencies. For more information about Benefits Growth Network, visit www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com.