We are in a period of enormous opportunity to help employers fix what’s not working in their businesses. And right now, there is a lot that’s currently not working well in businesses.

I’m reading The New American Workplace, which was published in 2006. It’s a follow-up study to a book called Work in America published in 1973. The book looks at the current state of the how workers and employers interact with and feel about one another and how these interactions differ from 30 years ago. It’s particularly interesting to read it now in 2011 because at the time of writing we hadn’t yet entered the recession, yet there are very clear indications throughout the book that if things don’t change with the way employers interact with and treat their employees, there will be some significant consequences. Of course, now we’re watching those predictions actually play out.

Employees

So many businesses have been in such a decline in the treatment of their employees over the past 30 years that many business owners and managers today don’t even know what it means to train your workforce and take care of them in exchange for hard work and loyalty. We lived a bubble of economic growth where business grew at such rapid rates in spite of continual cuts, squeezes, and off-shoring that we believed the way we were managing companies was clearly good management. Or was it? Was it good management and ownership? Or was it circumstantial and merely fortunate due to growing economic conditions?

Over this 30-year period, employees have worked harder and increased average company productivity by 65%, yet at the same time, average wages only increased 22%. This has been a great boon for top executives and shareholders because of the enormous revenue gains from this productivity and profitability increase.

However, it’s clearly proven to be a great de-motivator for the folks doing the work. Right now, according to Met Life Study of Employee Benefit Trends, one in three employees hopes to be working elsewhere in the next twelve months. A clear indicator that employees are sick and tired of the way they’re being treated.

Employers

What would happen if your agency lost 33% of its staff? A big huge blow to the revenue, profit, productivity, and morale, I have no doubt. This leads to other issues down the road with damage to your customer service and brand reputation, R&D opportunities, and on to business continuity. It all rolls down hill, and if it gets started, it’s extraordinarily difficult to get it stopped and going back up that hill.

These very same ideas apply to your clients. You can guarantee that if you are thinking about and struggling with these issues, so are your clients.

The opportunity is ripe to turn things around. And the opportunity is yours for the taking, if you choose.

Clearly things have changed, and I would guess that many of these long-time owners and their managers don’t even understand what good quality leadership needs to look like today. Many don’t even know what they don’t know.

• The old way has been management by pushing and prodding people to just meet the minimum expectations of the job.
• Now empowering employees to be self motivated at work and take on projects because they want to is the new management…rather leadership.

Effectively leading a team in this way requires two foundational elements:

1. Have excellent communication around the vision and goals of where the company is going and why. Be sure to communicate they “why” in ways that appeal to the individuals – not just because the company wants to be more profitable.
2. Figure out what performance metrics really make a difference in reaching those goals, communicate those to the team so they understand their roles in relation to the goals, and regularly communicate the ongoing status to team – good, bad, or indifferent.

There is a great study from Stanford University, Management Practice & Productivity: Why They Matter, that very directly ties the productivity and profitability of a company to good management and leadership – communication of the strategic direction of the business and progress toward goals were at the top of the list. As a matter of fact, the study results showed that an investment in quality management practices (such as these and others) were equivalent to large increases in existing labor and capital.

Notice that these things we’re talking about here require no capital investment – simply an understanding of the importance of good management, the time to plan, and a commitment to making it happen.

There is certainly more you can go on to do that would require financial investment around training, systems, processes, etc., but it’s got to start with these fundamental pieces. Once the momentum starts, it makes sense to continue exploring other options for further training and growth within the organization.

Taking the time to study and learn quality business practices that you can take to your clients – right now – will prove transformative. For them and you.

Speaking as a current and former business owner, I can attest that if you help someone fix something significant in his or her business, you’ve got a client for life (assuming, of course, you continue to influence their business as time goes on).

@wendykeneipp

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As a sales leader in your organization, one of the most critical functions you perform is to help young producers learn and refine their sales skills.  And, yes, selling is a skill, not a personality trait. 

Sure, there is a lot to be said for how personality influences a person’s ability to sell, but personality alone is just a start.  It’s like most other things - you may be born with the potential, but to realize that potential takes a lot of hard work and practice. 

So, as that sales leader, it’s critical for you to understand how to help your team realize their potential and become the most effective salesperson their potential allows.

There are four critical steps.

Tell

An effective sales process is one that can be replicated.  I don’t mean that it is cookie cutter, but it does need to be one in which there are clearly identified steps.  Take the time to explain:

• each step in detail,
• what it is meant to accomplish,
• and (most importantly) WHY it is necessary.

(As you think about your process, if you don’t have clearly defined steps in the process, I encourage you to rethink how you have your people selling.)

Show

As the teacher in this process, it is critical for you to demonstrate for your student how to execute the sales process.  This is the first step in moving beyond theory and putting the process into practice.  And, since no two sales situations are the same, it is important that you show them the process in various settings.   Show them in the safe environment of the office and then show them how it works in front of a prospect.

Watch

Now it’s their turn.  You watching them practice is the only way you will be able to offer them the constructive criticism that is necessary for them to get it right.  It is important that they are allowed the time to build their confidence.  Watch them execute in the safety of the office, but also go along to watch them perform in front of a real prospect.  Not only will it allow for that constructive criticism afterwards, they will be more confident for having you along.

Allow

Follow the first three steps and you will know for sure when they are ready to go out and perform on their own.  However, to truly stay sharp, you need to take them back to the previous steps from time to time. Going through this process with experienced producers offers a few important opportunities:

• make sure that bad habits don’t slip in
• start introducing additional sales skills
• continue refining them into more and more effective salespeople

As you read this, I hope that it all seems obvious.  All too often the middle two steps are skipped because we think of an ability to sell as more of a personality trait than a skill set.  Therefore, we simply tell them what to do, and then send them out in the field to perform.

To be able to follow this formula, two things have to happen.

1. You have to develop a well-defined and repeatable sales process.
2. As the sales leader, you have to develop the skill yourself to effectively execute the middle two steps.

There’s an old saying that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.  If you’re skipping the two middle steps, this likely describes you.  Commit to all four steps and you become one of the most valuable resources in your organization.

Photo by wooleywonderworks.

@kevintrokey

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As you read this article, look at it from two perspectives. First, reflect on how your own agency may be impacted by employee engagement. Second, think of your clients and the impact they are experiencing, as well as how valuable a partner you would become if you could help them improve their current level of employee engagement.

See if this sounds familiar:

AnyCo is a mid-sized business. Things were humming along pretty well; the firm's future seemed bright. Then, almost overnight, the economy seemed to implode around it. Revenues were on a steady decline. Margins were evaporating even faster than revenue. The confidence employees once had in their future started to wane. Further investments to grow the business had to wait. They lost complete sight of the vision that once drove their efforts. In fact, all that mattered was the bottom line—keeping the doors open. Survival became their new definition of success.

To ensure that survival, AnyCo had to lay off all but the most critically needed employees. The budget dollars for training and development were quickly eliminated. Salaries were initially frozen and eventually had to be cut. Employee benefits suffered the same fate. Increases in premiums had to be passed on to the employees, but soon even core benefits had to be eliminated.

These weren't decisions AnyCo management normally would have made, but they had become necessary just to survive. However, as necessary as these actions were, they weren't without consequences. The result was that the remaining employees became frustrated, angry, and more and more disconnected from the business until their level of employee disengagement was at an all-time high.

So, what is employee engagement anyway?

Our working definition is: "The positive connection an employee has to the organization and to the organization's vision. The higher the level of employee engagement, the more positive the employees' behaviors, and the more successful the organization becomes."

More important, why should an employer care about the level of employee engagement?

Recent studies conducted by Towers Watson, and Gallup, have identified that an organization that has an average level of employee engagement has a payroll efficiency of 63%. To translate that to dollars, for every $100,000 being spent on payroll, that employer whose employees are engaged at an average level is receiving only $63,000 worth of work in return. I don't know about you, but after I read that statistic, I had an entirely new appreciation for employee engagement.

Of course, payroll efficiencies will never hit 100%, but think of the bottom-line impact on the organization that can move these points even a littler higher!

So where does the remaining 37% of potential employee efficiency go?

When a company suffers from poor levels of engagement, there are a lot of associated costs, but many are liable to be overlooked:

• Turnover is higher;
• There is a greater demand on HR and its associated resources;
• Communication becomes more difficult and less effective;
• Attracting high levels of talent becomes more difficult;
• Management spends unproductive time with disengaged employees
• Workplace accidents increase;
• Employees are less productive, spending time complaining, looking for another job, not working to potential, etc.

As bad as all of this is, it gets even worse. Lack of employee engagement likely means lack of client engagement.

Dr. Gary Rhoads of Allegiance, a consulting firm specializing in employee loyalty and engagement, recently wrote a paper titled "The Spillover Effect," in which he identifies the correlation between employee and customer engagement as one of the most significant drivers to profitability. The more engaged a company's employees, the higher the likelihood of having engaged, rather than just satisfied, customers. Engagement is contagious. Not only does it spread from employee to employee, it spreads from employee to customer.

Research shows that when customers are engaged, they spend higher percentages of their discretionary dollars with the company with which they feel engaged and prove to be more profitable on each of those dollars spent than are the company's merely satisfied customers. Additionally, a synergy is created when a company has both engaged employees and engaged customers. In fact, they can expect to drive twice the financial results compared with organizations that are able to achieve active engagement from only one key group.

Signs that your employees are engaged

If an organization displays the following characteristics, they are in a good position to have high levels of employee engagement

Employer engagement—The company actively seeks to understand its employees and acts with the expectations and preferences of the employees in mind.

Perception of job importance—Employees have a clear understanding of the importance of their job and how it contributes to the organization's goals and objectives.

Clarity of job expectations—Success in each position is clearly defined, and the resources needed to meet that success are provided. As a result, the employee can focus on organizational success rather than being preoccupied with personal survival.

Career advancement—Each employee has a clear plan of personal development and a realistic path of advancement.

Opportunity to contribute—Employees have clear opportunities to contribute ideas and initiatives that will improve the organization.

Feedback—Employees always know precisely how well they are performing; they receive formal updates on a regular basis. A bonus check is nice, but it will be quickly forgotten (that's not to say it isn't important, but it isn't the complete answer). However, sincere and specific comments on what an employee did well may last forever.

How to improve employee engagement

Based on the list above, you probably have a good idea of how to improve employee engagement when it is poor. However, here are a few specific ideas.

1. Get input from your people. They know why employee engagement isn't as high as it could be and quite likely have ideas of how to make improvements. However, they need to feel comfortable regarding the confidentiality of their responses. Bringing in an outside consultant skilled at drilling down to the core issues will provide the right environment.
2. As you hear negative comments, fight the temptation to become angry with any individual identified as a source of the negativity. Instead, focus on how the negative behaviors can be eliminated and address them directly.
3. Be honest with the organization about what the survey indicated. It's okay to be disappointed with the results and to honestly communicate that disappointment. Fight the urge to sugarcoat the results and to downplay the impact. The employees know what they said, and they talk to one another. They will lose confidence if they believe that their input is being downplayed in any way.
4. Start fixing it! It's too late to turn back now; you have to start implementing change. If you don't follow through, you will make existing problems worse, create new problems, and ensure that any future efforts won't be taken seriously. Publicly state your commitment to implementation.
5. Prepare leadership to implement effectively. Engagement is largely about the culture within an organization, and cultural changes have to start at the top. Spend time with leadership focusing on specific behaviors that they need to demonstrate to make the implementation successful.

Final step

Repeat, but not right away. After you have given yourself sufficient time (a year at a minimum) to implement your initiatives, ask the employees how they are making a difference. Fight the urge to start asking too soon. Cultural changes, including improving employee engagement, take time to take root. Asking for feedback too soon will result in inaccurate feedback.

Employee engagement isn't a project; it's part of the culture. It may take specific projects to improve it from time to time, but we have to work everyday to make sure it is maintained. As levels of engagement improve, you will find that the rewards most coveted by engaged employees tend to change. Make sure your reward system is in alignment with what employees value.

Salary isn't the only motivator. The higher the level of employee engagement, the lower down the list of desired rewards financial compensation moves. Engaged employees tend to value non-compensation types of rewards. They value personal development, a rewarding job environment, and an ability to make a difference, to name a few. Think about it—the things that engaged employees value are the very things that will result in even greater returns for the company.

While employee engagement may seem to be elusive and intangible at times, the impact it has on virtually every aspect of your organization (including customers and bottom-line profitability) makes it something that can't be ignored.

Perhaps the greatest thing about an engaged organization is the exponentially higher return you will receive for continued efforts. You can create an environment that will drive a greater return you receive on investments made through your employees (training, benefit programs, team building, etc.), or you can reinforce a culture that emphasizes wages as the primary reward and continue to just plug the meter with disengaged employees hoping that more money will result in more productivity. Of course, the former takes more of a planned strategy, but the results are well worth the effort.

So, who is AnyCo? Well, perhaps it should have been named EveryCo. There isn't a company out there, whether it's your agency or any of your agency's clients, that can't benefit from very consciously focusing on employee engagement.

As a broker, you're in a unique position; the strategies and experience you gain from working on your own internal employee engagement can easily become a service you take to your clients.

Originally published in Rough Notes magazine March 2011.

Photo by Yasser Alghofily.

@kevintrokey

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When I coach agencies and producers and introduce a new idea, I almost always tell them that I am going to start from a point of black and white, but we have to work to find their shade of gray.  The point being, rarely will one rigid way be the right answer.  It doesn’t matter if it’s in sales or customer service, the right shade of gray is worth finding.

I have been reminded of this a couple of times recently at different locations of Panera Bread. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are bakeries that also have breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. 

It has become very apparent to me that they have a training process that focuses on black and white answers to situations, rather than helping their employees find the right shade of gray to service their customers.

The first incident was several months ago on a trip to Kansas City.  I stepped up to the counter at 10:33 and ordered a breakfast sandwich to which I was told in no uncertain terms,

“We quit serving breakfast at 10:30.”  I pleaded, “But it’s only a couple minutes past.”  To which I was told rather coldly, “I know.”

I muttered something under my breath about her attitude and turned and left, thinking that it was clearly an individual problem and not organizational.

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago on another trip, this time in Baltimore, but to another Panera Bread location.  I walked in, stepped up to the counter at exactly 10:30 (according to their own clock), and ordered my breakfast sandwich only to be told (yep, you guessed it),

“We quit serving breakfast at 10:30.”

No further explanation.

I immediately flashed back to Kansas City and found myself not ready to accept her refusal.  I said, “But it’s still 10:30” and believe it or not, she responded the same as the Kansas City woman, “I know.” 

I pushed again, “Can we at least ask the kitchen if they can still make up a sandwich?” She reminded me that they quit serving breakfast at 10:30 and, besides, they were out of eggs.

These two counter workers took the easy way out, they gave me the black and white answer they had been given themselves.  I’m sure it’s right there in their training manual, in black and white. 

I now believe that it’s both an organizational and individual problem.

I get that restaurants have to switch menus over at certain times.  My point here isn’t even that I didn’t get my breakfast sandwich (although I was not very happy about that).  The point was the rigid way in which they responded created an extremely negative experience.  What’s worse is that, in both cases, there was an easy opportunity to help me understand WHY they couldn’t give me what I wanted.

They could have turned a negative answer to my request into a customer service moment.

They missed an opportunity to tell me about other delicious items they have on the menu and turn me into a raving fan.  The KC counter worker could have told me,

“Oh, I’m so sorry, but our kitchen has already put all of the breakfast food away and are preparing for our lunch crowd.  I know it’s not what you came in for, but you should really try “X sandwich”.  It’s one of my favorites, and I think you would really like it!”

Or, she could have tried to help me get what I wanted by asking the kitchen if they could make one last breakfast sandwich for the morning (a terrific shade of gray by the way).

In Baltimore, she could have just gotten to the bottom line when I ordered.  Instead of hiding behind their black and white timeframe, she could have told me,

I may have questioned their inventory process, but at least I would have had an excuse that I understood.

What are you doing to make sure your employees are always looking for the right shade of gray?

Here’s a hint.  You may think you are doing the right thing by providing a training process/manual that gives them all of the answers, but all you are doing is leading them into a black and white world.  Only when you allow, and expect, your employees to find the answer on their own, will they find the right shade of gray to turn customers into loyal supporters of your business.

Photo by Paul Keller.

If you truly want a team who thinks and acts with intelligence & independence, then you need to make a commitment to continual training & development within your company. 

According to research by Allegiance, a core driver of employee engagement is centered in training and contributions:  learning new and important skills, being able to offer suggestions, and being able to complete whole jobs rather than just a series of independent tasks.  When people feel they are contributing to the success of the organization, they want to do what is best for the company and its customers.

Especially if you’re trying to retain your top talent – development opportunities and career paths are key components to keeping those folks aboard and engaged.  If you’re not investing in training because you don’t have the resources, take a look at the whole cost of loss when those key players leave – salary, searching & hiring, training, loss of time, loss of knowledge, residual effects on remaining staff, loss of momentum (about 150% of the employee’s salary).  You’ll likely find that it’s a much easier decision to invest in some training.

Developing a culture within your agency of continuous learning starts with a commitment from management.  Demonstrating the commitment through courses you take (beyond CE credit classes), books & publications you read, and company resources you allocate is the best way to create and nurture that environment.  Nothing speaks louder than actions and dollars.

As you work with your team members to create performance plans, build in personal development that is relevant and appropriate to each person and his/her team.

This can become a fun part of your company culture and one that employees greatly value – while at the same time, helping to build a better company.  Win! Win!

Some ideas for personal development

• Book clubs – select business books that are directly applicable to the specific team, or a topic relevant to everyone if you’ve got a small group.  Get the team together to discuss the book and how its principles apply to your company.  Need help getting started with a book club?  I’d be happy to share with you how we’ve structured book clubs at BGN.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or connect with me on Twitter.
• Blogs & online news sources – when developing performance plans, pick a publication or two that is relevant to what you want each person to learn and allow 15 – 20 minutes per day to review new articles.
• Classes at local colleges – there is usually a plethora of class options available through local community & tech colleges that can be taken one at a time without having to enroll.  Have staff pick out a class they’d like to take that would help develop a needed skill in your organization.  It might be a course on leadership, web development, or writing.
• Have people teach something to the team – “If you truly want to master an idea, force yourself to teach it to someone else” (from @kevintrokey).   Select topics that are important to the team development and let team members chose which they’d like to research.  Have each person develop a 10 – 20 min presentation that they’ll share with the group.

There are unlimited ways you could implement training and development – these are a few to get some ideas rolling within your own company.  The important part is not the specific method(s) you choose, the important part is that you get it started!

@wendykeneipp

Photo by F Delventhal.

I often wonder how much time and productivity is wasted because people don’t know how to use the basic programs they’re given to do their jobs.  I believe that the basic office programs (MS Office or other similar programs) are thought to be something that “everyone knows how to use.”  Therefore, there is no focus or training put into educating staff on how to efficiently and effectively use the programs.

I guarantee your productivity will go up if your staff really knows how to use their tools.

I know my way around most of the programs pretty well.  For the most part, I learned the same way as everyone else – I taught myself.   However, based on my personal sampling over the years, I feel fairly certain that I know far more than the average self-taught person.  I can accomplish a formatting issue in a mere fraction of the time that others spend hours laboring over and not wanting to ask about. 

I have been so astounded at the lack of competency over the basic use of programs, that I practically begged one employer to let me teach classes to the staff.  10 minutes at a time, a couple times a week.  I guaranteed results – increases in productivity.  But was told “No thanks.  We don’t need it.”  This - coming from the people who aren’t plugging away at spreadsheets and complicated written documents day in and day out.

Whenever I would get the chance to show this team some basic skills, they would be thrilled and started begging me for more training.  Disconnect between management and staff, perhaps??

Don't allow this to happen in your organization.  Make an investment into training your staff and you'll see the results in increased productivity and decreased frustration.

Here are my suggestions:

1.  If you’ve got money to put into training, do it in a professional setting.

• You could send your staff to a local community college or other training center to learn one program at a time.
• You could work with the college/training center to possibly have an instructor come on site and do the training  (If there is a way for staff to learn something new and then immediately practice it on their own daily projects, that’s best).

2. If money is tight and you’ve got someone on staff who knows their stuff and can communicate like a teacher, employ them as your new staff trainer. Any improvement in their knowledge and subsequent skills will help them work more efficiently.

3. Online training programs can be a great alternative for the cash strapped or those who prefer independent learning. Google “online training + [program name]” for some options.  Microsoft offers training programs for each of their Office apps.

Why do we pretend we know when we really don't?

Are we too embarrassed to admit that we don’t know?  Is it because we’re supposed to already know how to use these programs that we can’t admit we really don’t know? 

It’s kind of like walking into a health club and pretending to know what you’re doing and then falling flat on your face when the equipment turns on because you really don’t know.   It’s just best to ask for help - you'll have a better experience and are more likely to return.

And if you train your staff how to use their programs, they'll stop wasting company time, and your productivity & profits will increase.

• They'll have the skills do use the programs effectively & efficiently
  
• There will be a culture of training, so asking for help will not have the stigma it does today

If you’re reading this realizing that you’re one of the people who doesn’t know, let me make you feel better – I have yet to work in a company where, other than a copywriter or maybe an accountant, do hardly any of the staff really know how to use these programs.  Not only are you not alone, you are in the vast, vast majority. 

Bottom line – I suggest you make the investment to train yourself and train your staff.  Your budget will thank you.

Things I’ve seen – really no kidding, these are actual examples

Wasted time and effort put into creating documents by otherwise highly capable and talented people:

• Data & graphs:  Charts printed with no data, but carefully hand drawn data points and connecting lines with data written below the charts.
• Using desk calculators to compile data and then entering the final calculated answers into Excel.
• Using Excel to create large text documents.
• Using Word to do financial calculations…after pulling the raw data from Excel.
• Using PowerPoint to create daily printed documents because they don’t know how to use Word.  Using PPT for printed documents isn’t that bad in itself because it can be used like a layout program for beginners, but not knowing how to change the format (think landscape vs. portrait) and font size (think 36 point), looks like things my kids did in 2nd grade – which was great for 2nd grade.
• Carefully placing headers and footers in text boxes and rearranging them every time a change is made to the document.

These are some biggies that I’ve seen many times.  Do you have any program blunders to add to this list?  Share them with us in the comments below!

@wendykeneipp

Photo by Jim Legans, Jr.

I recently finished a coaching call feeling totally inspired, and I wanted to share that inspiration.  I was talking with Dennis Morgret, a benefits producer with Liberty Insurance Agency out of Pittsburgh, PA.  He just returned from one of our producer training programs, and to say he is all fired up and ready to go would be a huge understatement.

Upon his return to his agency, he was asked to speak at a sales meeting and share what he had learned during the training program.  He has always been committed to maintaining his physical fitness, and he used that as an analogy to share his experience with the team.

He told the group, “Most of you workout.  You go to the gym and lift weights, do cardio, or whatever you enjoy doing at the gym.  There are days when it is a challenge to get into the gym, when you would rather be doing anything other than busting your butt, but you still go.  Why?  You do it because you like the results, you like the way you look in the mirror, because you feel better in your clothes, because of the improved confidence you have for your effort.  You do it to remain strong and healthy.  You also know those results won’t happen if you don’t show up and push yourself.”

He continued, “We have to approach our careers the same way.  We have to make practicing and challenging ourselves part of every day.  If we want to be as sharp professionally as we are physically, we have to work on it every day.  If you want better results for your sales efforts, if you want to be more confident as you approach your workday, it takes work and effort and dedication.  Push yourself harder, set higher expectations, “add more weights, run an extra mile”.  There will be days you would rather not, but the results you get will make it just as important for your professional well being as working out is for your physical well being.”

He went on to tell me that when he took the line at any of the countless races in which he has competed, the months of training gave him comfort.  He knew exactly what he was capable of accomplishing that day because of the training and preparation from those many months before. 

He has come to realize that he has been showing up for the workday waiting for the starting gun, but unsure of what would happen.  He was just hoping it would be something good.  He now understands that his work achievements can be as enviable as his physical achievements; it just takes the same level of dedication, training, and preparation.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.  My prediction?  Dennis will be leaving his competition in the dust.

How do you push yourself to get better every day?  Share what works for you, I’m sure someone else reading this post will appreciate your idea.

Photo by Jon Clegg.

Sitkins International and Benefits Growth Network align their consulting firms to increase the training, coaching and networking resources available for their member agencies.

St. Louis, MO – March 10, 2010 – Two membership-based consulting firms have come together to leverage the strength of their networks. Sitkins International and Benefits Growth Network have increased their training, coaching, networking and solutions programs as a result of their strategic alliance. Their members, independently-owned insurance and benefits agencies, are seeing the results through the specific expertise and additional resources being offered.

Both Sitkins and BGN take a holistic approach to agency management. They are able to use the similarities of their program offerings across both networks, resulting in a stronger value offering for their members.

Kevin Trokey, BGN president, said “I saw the partnership as an obvious fit. The focus of both organizations is on building customized plans for our members that help them develop a consistent sales approach and streamline agency operations. The plans start with the recognition that there are industry challenges they will face, most of which our members have in common. The combined resources of Sitkins and BGN create a synergy that allows our members to more quickly, more purposefully, and more successfully navigate through their challenges and achieve their goals.”

Be it strategic planning, financial, operational, sales process, team building, or any myriad of other challenges they may be facing, the partnership is structured to address those needs. Through complete training programs, individual coaching, member networking, and a library of tools and resources, members have access to the solutions they need to get on and stay on the track to profitable growth.

Roger Sitkins, Chairman of Sitkins International, says “I felt our benefits agencies and multi-lines agencies could really benefit from specific expertise in the benefits industry. Employee benefits and human resources are facing a rapidly changing market, and I want to be sure that we are helping our members lead those changes.”

As a former member of Sitkins International himself, Trokey knew it was the right partnership for the benefits-specific firm. “Sitkins has so much to offer members and it’s a proven program that translates to both the P&C and the benefits agencies and their producers.”

Sitkins International and Benefits Growth Network are now accepting qualified agencies in open markets. See the company websites, www.sitkins.com or www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com for more details about becoming a member.

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, 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 departments. 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

For information:

Ph: 314.436.7171
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www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Kevin Trokey
Benefits Growth Network
Ph: 314.436.7171
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www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com

Benefits Growth Network Brings Innovation to Independently Owned Benefits Agencies

St. Louis, MO – December 2, 2009 - Benefits Growth Network, a membership-based consulting network for independently owned benefits agencies and brokerages, today announced that its has launched operations and is accepting new members.

Benefits agencies are faced with ever increasing demands by their clients, a changing economic and political landscape, and pressures on their top and bottom line growth. This combination requires that agencies change and innovate if they are going to thrive, or even survive. Today’s competitive business environment not only demands a more strategic approach to benefits and HR, but it requires a definable return on that investment.

Kevin Trokey, president, says “To satisfy the new expectations of their clients, agencies themselves have to adopt a value proposition that is much broader in scope and impact than what has traditionally existed. Being able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by this key operational area of their clients’ businesses, and an ability to plan accordingly, will be the foundation of successful agencies.”

With over 20 years of agency management and benefits experience, Trokey saw a need for benefits agencies to receive individualized coaching and training focused specifically on their unique needs. Combining forces with Larry Linne and Patrick Sitkins, who bring over 30 years of experience in management, coaching and training, they have established a consulting and networking firm which helps these agencies not only stay current in the ever-changing industry, but become innovative leaders in their individual markets.

Benefits Growth Network currently has 20 members and is actively seeking qualified agencies in open markets. See the company website, www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com, for more details about becoming a member.

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.

For information:
Ph: 314.436.7171
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.benefitsgrowthnetwork.com