Elizabeth Galentine

The Affordable Care Act, new ways to fill the sales pipeline and Zenefits dominated EBA’s BeAdvised blog commentary this year. The top 10 most-read blogs of 2015 detail the growing number of ACA regulations and reporting requirements, explain why advisers don’t accurately understand the threat behind a tech-focused brokerage and highlight simple-yet-effective ways producers can increase existing client revenue and get prospects to open the door.

Bring many of the industry’ leading minds together with brokers and advisers from across the country who are eager to learn and share insights on the latest market trends and best practices, and you’ve got some of the year’s most thought-provoking conversations. For those who missed out, here are the highlights from EBA’s 2015 conferences.

Brokers send mixed messages on technology needs, strategy and spending plans in EBA’s second annual technology survey.

This well-rounded Midwest adviser’s holistic approach to employee benefits, genuine character and trendsetting business practices set him apart.

Health reform has put a spotlight on ben admin and HRIS systems, but there are many factors to consider when choosing a new platform, experts say.

Focusing on the end result of what voluntary benefits can do for an employer makes the proposition of introducing the products a no-brainer, says Willis’ Mike Meredith.

Advisers who excel in the vision field do the best job of making the connection between vision and medical plans, some experts say. Shannon Enders, a founding partner at Lakeshore Employee Benefits in Norton Shores, Mich., says when he brings the idea of connecting vision and health data to clients’ attention, “they quickly become very interested.”

Which brokerages have the most clients in the biggest industries in the U.S.? From construction to finance, education to manufacturing — and more, EBA, in partnership with business intelligence data analytics firm miEdge, reveals the top 10 brokerages in 10 U.S. industries. The listing is based on Form 5500 Schedule A reporting data on premiums as of March 31, 2015.

There’s not only a digital transformation of industry going on, but also an information explosion — one that can have “huge positive impacts or devastating impacts,” says technology consultant Scott Klososky.

A bee will travel miles to pollenate an attractive flower, but it will only tell its hive about the experience if the nectar was wonderful. The same lesson applies to customer experience — and it’s one benefit advisers must keep in mind in this age of growing consumerism, said Martha Rogers, founding partner at management consulting firm Peppers & Rogers Group. …

Of the five types of sales profiles, one sticks out as significantly more successful than the rest, but in order to emulate that success, advisers must change their habits.

Leverage the changing ways employees access and consume technology to improve benefits communications and “look like a rock star” to your clients.

There is a unique opportunity in retiree health benefits, one that brings a potential windfall for advisers willing to embrace the market.

Employers must focus on the right objectives if they want a long-term ROI on their wellness plan. That includes engaging in four pillars of lifelong well-being.

It’s not often a company finds itself in a market position where it has the flexibility and agility of a newcomer, along with a storied history that provides name recognition and a solid base of existing expertise. Global financial services giant AXA is in this sweet spot as it enters the U.S. employee benefit business for the first time.

The “profoundly evil” impression the fastest growing small-group employee benefit brokerage in the country has made on some firms is wrong, says Zenefits’ Parker Conrad. The outspoken CEO shares where Zenefits is headed — and why he wants you to work for him.

The broker-carrier relationship, especially one as long-lasting as Bob and William Taylor’s with Florida Blue and Darnell Smith, is dynamic and continuously evolving. EBA examines what makes this necessary partnership tick and introduces the top large-group insurance carriers in the country.

Browse the drop-down menus to see the top carriers broken down by product line — overall, health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and voluntary.

Between new players entering the insurance business and a new generation poised to dominate their sales base, brokers must re-evaluate the way they do business.

Eastbridge Consulting research finds brokers are the dominant distribution channel, but they must use their position wisely to curb dropping participation rates.