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Strategic Marketing Review  

    
With life insurance companies racing to increase engagement with policyholders and prospects, one old-line mutual insurance company retained LIMRA, including my professional consulting background and industry knowledge. Along with The Altus Group, we were asked to complete a comprehensive review of the insurer’s current retail marketing capabilities. After extensive assessment, applying real-time knowledge of the industry’s efforts to make marketing a central part of the growth strategy, we recommended a complete reorganization of the company’s marketing function.  Now, after three years, the new Senior Vice President and CMO is guiding the development and implementation of contemporary marketing strategies, digging deep using the most current data analytics methods, and building local and national marketing programs to build brand awareness. This marketing organization is a model for moving an old-line mutual into the world of retail consumer marketing, while helping its traditional career agents leverage newly available marketing support for the home office.  Learn more about how we accomplished so much in so little time. We are confident that we can help your organization make the same progress.

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Executive Coaching

 

Building young talent is the CEO’s most critical job. Sometimes that means finding younger executives and betting on their success. Every senior executive knows that executive leadership be lonely, which is why so many use an executive coach to help new leaders become successful. In this case, a CEO turned to me for help. With a strong relationship built throughout a prior engagement, the CEO recognized that the newly appointed EVP of Life Insurance Operations and Distribution and I could have a very productive partnership. We were a perfect match to explore:

•  professional development strategies,

• discuss ideas for his integration with the CEO strategy team,

• build trust and confidence with his direct reports, and,

•  find ways to launch strategic plans for the future.

This eighteen-month assignment resulted in outstanding success for this new rising star within the company. He developed a strong executive presence, gained the trust of his team and broadly within the organization, and continues to impress its very demanding Board of Directors.

With more than 50 years in our industry, I have seen a lot of changes — though one thing has stayed the same. Newly appointed leaders need people they can turn to, whether it is to bounce an idea, discuss a talent issue, or ask for help managing the CEO. Ask me about other executive coaching assignments I have conducted, and you will see the benefits for your organization.

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Driving Strategic Growth

 

When you are a regional niche life insurance player, every strategic move is critical to your ongoing success. This is the precise reason the CEO of a South-Central U.S. life insurance company retained me, as the primary LIMRA resource, and The Altus Group for guidance with its organizational strategy. Building on the market research trends identified by LIMRA, and matched against the market demographic, client profiles, and Distribution Partner profiles, we were able to lead this executive strategy team through a process of self-discovery and awareness.  They build a growth plan for the future. Our process helps to bring the internal executive knowledge into focus, prepares the executive team to see the reality of their current growth state. We partnered with them to develop strategic growth plans that are realistic and achievable. Today, the plan we built for this company — to expand into the supplemental health market — is working. They have launched new products, built new distribution relationships, and added new markets and products to their portfolio. They are enjoying growth and a new-found prosperity.
 

Career Agent Compensation Review

Even leading mutual life insurance companies turn to the experts sometimes, which is why one high-profile marketing leader turned to LIMRA’s compensation consulting team. Their objective was to compare their agent compensation plans to five peer companies. Leveraging LIMRA expertise and my consulting skills, we were able to develop a series of agent compensation profiles, which were necessary to compare six different agent contracts and the associated commission, benefits, and incentive compensation profiles. The study provided a path for the company to follow in order to remain responsive to their agents’ needs, attract experienced agents, and position compensation levers directly where they can be competitive. Through my continued consulting relationship with LIMRA and LOMA, Clearview Partners is available to help guide and coordinate any number of compensation studies specific to producers, field managers, and home office distribution.

 

Finding New Markets in the IMO Space

 

The newly appointed President of a major Independent Marketing Organization had a dilemma. How can he guide the more than 50 BGA owners to develop a vision of growth? This would require a new and unique collaborate effort to be successful? The idea was to expand the marketing and sales expertise of the 50 BGAs into a single marketing force within the wealth management channel. The first step was to involve me in a strategic planning session to provide an in-depth summary of the state of the IMO/BGA channel — covering the growth opportunities, development issues, and concerns that insurance manufacturers were having with the ongoing-term growth potential of the market. Following this session, the IMO retained me to guide the organization through a planning and development process, which would result in a plan for growth. Working together with a select group of BGAs, several current and potential wealth company Insurance Division Heads, select carriers, and the IMO National Office, we developed a coordinated and realistic approach.  Two years later, a new Second Vice President of Marketing with extensive industry experience is leading the implementation plan, and success is within sight.  More and more IMOs are facing the reality that the industry is completing a major transformation, from field underwriting and case design to insurance operations and marketing and distribution channel partnerships. My team of professionals can provide guidance in planning for success using a sound process informed by unique industry expertise.

 

LL Global International Sales Team Development

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Putting the very best trained international sales team in front of LL Global members, and prospects is critical to delivering “member-centric” service and support. The newly appointed LL Global, CEO, turned to Jim Kerley to lead a 16-hour training session on ‘Consultative Selling”. The training held in Macau, China, including skill building based on the theory of “Curiosity Selling”, the development of a “personal selling” guide, role playing of the LL Global message, and team building exercise to encourage team-base selling relationships. We even used part of the LIMRA/HPN TrustWorthy Selling program, as a foundation for skill development. Feedback from the participants and CEO, and other LL Global participants was outstanding. Think what we might be able to do for your Wholesale Teams.

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