Practice management

Commentary: Executives are starting to acknowledge that engagement alone won’t drive long-term results.

In an exclusive interview, EBA’s 2015 Adviser of the Year Tim Olson describes “the single biggest thing” advisers should avoid if they want to grow their business. Also, Olson, managing partner at The Olson Group, shares how advisers can make money on licensing fees with little outward spend.

A new company founded by two former Munich Re Stop Loss executives is selling stop-loss insurance directly to self-insured employers, aiming to eliminate brokers from the equation altogether.

Commentary: Adviser Vinnie Daboul offers a three-step process to overcome the elements that pose the greatest threat to a broker’s business.

Commentary: Three costs to your business that go beyond monetary loss and have a direct long-term impact on client relations.

Commentary: Changes will attack the costs of health care and trickle down to benefit brokers. These outsiders may or may not see the broker as a valuable resource in their future world, says Joe Markland.

Commentary: Gone are the days of century-old insurance carriers’ dominance at conferences and expos. In are new products, new technology, new vendors and new partnerships. As a result, unique ideas and models are thriving, says Zenefits’ Tim Cerimele.

A new hotline for agents and brokers will not be able to answer specific questions from agents about their clients, disappointing broker organizations, which expected a hotline similar to what navigators have.

To date, adoption of private benefit exchanges by employers has been modest, but Holley Maher, partner at St. Louis-area brokerage MRCT, sees them as a highly relevant solution. And, despite issues Healthcare.gov has caused for brokers and consumers alike, the site is changing the health care landscape, says Maher, whose company operates its Smart Benefits Marketplace using bswift technology.

As private exchanges continue to evolve, industry insiders say the integration of accountable care organizations could be the ‘next big thing' in the exchange world; one that could be a big win for employers.

Commentary: There are a few major culprits behind the challenges women face, and advisers must be mindful of the best ways to address them.

Commentary: With so much uncertainty, your clients need your expert advice and counsel now more than ever before. They need a trusted adviser, and you can fulfill that role, says columnist Jack Kwicien.

Commentary: Whether we call ourselves consultants, relationship managers, advisers, producers or anything else that tends to disguise our objective, we’re salespeople.

In today’s increasingly technology-focused benefits industry, brokers need to compete on a new level in a new playing field. How can brokers reposition themselves as trusted advisers and use technology to their advantage?

A more competitive health insurance market is favorable, but not always possible. Brokers operating in a market controlled by only a few carriers need to offer a wide variety of services in order to retain clients and increase sales.

Return on investment is no longer the main measuring stick, with employers instead focusing on overall value, new research finds.

Commentary: Hundreds asked adviser Eric Silverman for the secret to his prospect-winning thank you note. Now, he shares the formula to his success.

ADP has agreed to drop its defamation lawsuit against Zenefits after a months-long dispute fought in the public eye. What does the Zenefits win mean for established industry stakeholders and the benefit startups that threaten their way of business?

The agents have completed mandatory training to sell on the federally-facilitated marketplace for 2016, with 10,000 more in the process. For the first time, producers can train through non-government organizations, including NAHU and AHIP.

Commentary: Female leaders have the unique challenge of cultivating perception to avoid the typical stereotypes, walking a tight rope between the bitchy tyrant and the obliging child, says ACI Specialty Benefits’ Erin Krehbiel.