BGN Blog | Leading Benefits Agencies to Profitable Growth

Networking: Going All-In

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Networking – different images can come to mind with this loaded word.On the negative side you might picture a tacky cocktail reception with people milling around looking for the next potential sale, not caring at all about the people or their interests.It can also be a powerful word and one that conjures up images of getting closer to your own goals as a result of working together with a group of people all focused on similar outcomes.Networking is a key component to our membership and we design our programs to make it a prominent part of the agenda when we get together face-to-face. At our BGNLive conference last week I was really drawn into recognizing the nuances of networking and the powerful results that can come from it.The catalyst for changeWhen you are with a group of people who are all working toward the same goal, networking becomes one of the most critical components to change – it can create that catalyst needed to get started or stay motivated. When you really choose to participate in sharing ideas with one another there are so many things you can gain from it: find validation or re-direction of current ideas look for…

Work Hard, Play Hard

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Wow, another BGNLive (BGNL) has come and gone. While I’m sure that everyone who attended has their own opinion, I felt that this was the most productive and enjoyable session to date.I started the conference by reminding everyone that BGNL is primarily about two things; learning and networking. For those who haven’t attended a BGNL, this is not your typical “mini vacation” type of conference. There is real work involved. Homework assignments were sent out ahead of time with the expectation that everyone comes prepared to work - for their own benefit, the benefit of everyone back home, as well as the benefit of everyone in the room at BGNL.Prepare and work they did. I don’t recall ever getting to spend three days with such an engaged group. They took every section, every assignment, and every chance to role play and have group discussions very seriously. They didn’t just sit and listen to ideas, they shared their own. They didn’t show up just to brag about what they have already accomplished, they took an honest assessment and identified all of the areas of improvement still ahead of them. The work was long and the breaks (at times) were short. But…

It's Conference Time - Follow Along!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Hi everyone - This week we’re in San Diego spending a few days with our members at our BGNLive conference and networking session. We have been head down preparing for the conference and won’t have any new postings this week. However, we’d love it if you followed along with the happenings as we share them on Twitter – we’ll be using the hashtag #BGNLive. Even if you’re not a Twitter user, you can follow too! See the left side-bar of the blog – we’ll be replacing Kevin’s feed with the #BGNLive feed. Want to know what we’re talking about? Here’s a look at the agenda: Marketing | Communicating business model & value offering Prospecting | Consistently filling the pipeline Sales Process | Teaching clients a new way to buy; Tailor the message; Control the process Accountability | Delivering what we promise Client Experience | Organizational structure & capabilities Next week we’ll be sharing some wrap-up articles from the conference. Have a great week! @wendykeneipp Like this post? Subscribe to BGN Blog.

Your Silence Speaks Volumes

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

We have spent quite a bit of time in this space talking about how you establish the brand you want. A big part of the brand revolves around the things you need to be talking about and where you need to be talking about them. What you also need to consider and be equally aware of is how much what you don’t say affects your brand, as well. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems the general rules of professionalism and communication protocol have become very loose, or abandoned altogether. All too frequently, I experience the following: No-shows for conference calls/meetings with no prior notice Promises for follow-up that never happens An inability to just say “no” When I experience these behaviors, it tells me a lot about the individual; it tells me that they are unorganized, less than professional, and lacking the confidence to state a position. It influences the “brand” I assign to them. I realize that most of the time, this probably isn’t a true reflection of who they are, at least all of the time. I’m sure that in their minds they would never behave this way when “it really matters” for them…

Your Next 90 Days – Accelerate Your Learning

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

This is the second of 10 challenges for you to consider embracing to create a new year that is more productive for yourself as well as for those around you. I have borrowed ideas from a book I read last year, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Stories for New Leaders by Michael Watkins.Read previous challenge articles:First Challenge – Promote yourself. Second Challenge – Accelerate Your Learning If you have committed to being a professional, whether you did it consciously or not, you committed to a lifetime of learning. And I don’t just mean the learning that comes with experience. I mean the type of learning that only comes as a result of a determination to always be the best at what you do.Learn with a purpose – Whether you are taking on a new role, or just committing to execute your current role at a higher level, stop to think systematically about where you have knowledge gaps. Prioritize the need to fill those gaps and use this as your guide for focused learning.Analyze your early wins/losses – Whenever you have a win or a loss, dig in and analyze why you won or lost. As difficult as it may…

Your Next 90 Days

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

It’s a new year, which always means a fresh start, new opportunities, and, hopefully for you, a new role. And while most of you aren’t formally taking on new leadership roles, I would like to suggest that you increase the scope and impact of whatever role you currently fill in your organization to the point of it effectively being a “new role” for you. Over the next several weeks, I will touch on 10 challenges you should consider as you embrace a 2012 that will allow you to have a greater impact on your own responsibilities and results, as well as for those around you. As I do so, I will borrow from a book I read last year, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Stories for New Leaders by Michael Watkins. First Challenge – Promote yourself. This doesn’t mean to go on a campaign of self-promotion, rather it means that you need to mentally elevate yourself to the role to which you have actually been promoted or to which you aspire to create as your “new role”. Define the role - Start by defining your new role in a way that will allow you to contribute to the organization…

Be Committed or Go Home

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Changes - they're generally things we’re either excited about and committed to accomplishing, or they’re things we feel we should do and only put forth a modicum of effort to attempt the changes.One way will likely include planning and commitment to the end goal, a lot of hard work, reality checks along the way, plan adjustments, and hopefully an end result that is somewhat in line with the original vision.The other will likely include a half-hearted attempt to describe “an ideal scenario”. This will be more wishful thinking than an actual goal. The effort will lack commitment and will eventually be abandoned in favor of the status quo because it’s just easier, and the other is a potentially painful path of hard work and consequences you may not want to encounter.By not setting a firm end goal and going all-in with your commitment, what happens is you just see flickerings of the new way, but not enough to sustain it and turn it into a fully burning flame. For example, if you’re trying to change a child’s behavior and get them to stop whining, you might draw the line in the sand and say, “No more whining. Find a different…

Gone In an Instant – Our Year In Review

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

2011 was an incredibly busy and blazing fast year for us. Or it sure feels that way! We have been very involved with creating and training, and time seems to be defined by each of those mile markers along the way. We’ve learned a lot of great lessons and continue to incorporate each of them back into training, resources, and blog posts – where you’ll find our experiences and lessons diligently documented! We started out the year launching our new sales system and digging into training sessions throughout the spring. Then there were on-site strategic planning sessions we conducted with individual agencies. That definitely kept us moving and thinking a lot about agency business models and the need to evolve that model. We rounded out the first half of the year with our networking conference, BGNLive. From the conference we had several takeaways to develop for the remainder of the year. That included additional training and vetting new strategic partners. Another big project was getting an internal social networking site up and running for agencies to discuss ideas and share files & best practices with one another. While we’ve learned many things along the way, here are a few key…

Yep, The Horse Is Still Dead

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

For regular readers of our blog, this list may be familiar. Unfortunately, the strategies listed are all too familiar and, given the time of the year, we thought it a good time to share once again. Here we sit in January with all the promise of a new year ahead of us, convincing ourselves that this is the year that we will make “X” happen. Don’t get me wrong, I love that kind of optimism, but I also want you to take an honest assessment of whether or not you have built a plan that will make “X” happen. In terms of your plan, there are a couple of ideas I would like you to keep in mind. First, while you certainly need to clearly know what your end goal is, your daily focus should only be on the next step towards that destination. While the distance to that goal may seem paralyzing, find confidence in knowing that you can always take the next step. Second, don’t give up too soon. All too often we give up when our efforts don’t produce immediate results. Instead of making necessary adjustments to our plan, we jump off one horse (often too soon)…

Some Favorite Books We Read in 2011

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

We’ve done a lot of reading this year, and while we’ve gotten something out of everything we’ve read, we have a few favorites we’d especially like to share with you. If you’re interested in seeing our full lists with some additional commentary, check out our reading lists on each of our LinkedIn profiles (Kevin on LinkedIn, Wendy on LinkedIn).Also there are a few books that we’ve talked about in previous posts (here, here, and here), so we didn’t feel there was a need to include those again. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation – by Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson Kevin’s biggest takeaway – (First of all, if you only read one book off of my list, make it this one.) The greatest need of your prospect/client is for you to help them discover what it is that they truly need.Wendy’s biggest takeaway – As a natural part of the business evolution cycle, consumer needs and wants change over time and so do the ways that people want to buy. In order to remain a relevant business, selling styles must evolve as well. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – by Chip Heath, Dan…