Benefits Think

Commentary: In part two of his series on how to create trust in the sales process, columnist John Graham shares the value of asking clients the right questions to create value, understanding, and confidence.

Commentary: As buying cycles seem to stretch out longer as buyers require more time to make decisions, brokers, agents and other salespeople are doing their best to close quicker. Columnist John Graham discusses how building trust makes all the difference.

Employees will play fantasy football and will do it in the workplace. It is incumbent upon HR and benefit managers to find ways to keep employees engaged and let them have some fun. But it’s also important to develop guidelines.

Commentary: Companies across America are scrambling to discover the secret formula for engaging the millennial generation with their benefits. Blogger Matt Burns unveils a few tips on how benefit advisers can help.

Commentary: It all starts with a mindset, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya. Do you begin each day with a mentality of scarcity or abundance? One is a recipe for failure.

Exchanges are creating a significant distribution shift in the benefits marketplace -- specifically, increased choice, changing funding mechanisms, defined benefit or defined contribution, and opportunities for new product offerings.

Despite the ever-changing world, ERISA remains strong and steady. The average American worker is far better off because of ERISA, which has held up remarkably well over the past four decades.

With such a wide range of opinions about how much money employees need to save for retirement – estimates vary from eight to 25 times final pay – it can be hard for participants to know what to aim for.

Commentary: If you want to be successful at voluntary sales, columnist Nelson Griswold says you should concentrate on selling a solution, not a product — much like the Girl Scouts aim to solve your cookie craving.

Commentary: Columnist Jack Kwicien shares how to transform your business by differentiating your processes and services to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.