3+ ways benefits advisors can grow despite industry change

The title of this column implies that industry change is making growth more challenging —for many (maybe most) that is true. However, as we all know, every challenge also brings opportunity.Those who fight change and ignore the new demands of growth will be left behind. However, those who embrace change and celebrate the new opportunities it provides will find new levels of growth they never could have conceived in the past. Of course, this growth opportunity will result from so many in the industry who fight against, or at least ignore, the demands of change.Here are three (plus) things you can do to unleash your growth potential.Be more intentionalAdmittedly, most of us didn’t grow up with the intention of a career in employee benefits; we were accidental arrivals. Unfortunately, this “accidental” nature can sometimes have ramifications as we grow books of businesses and entire agencies.To grow moving forward, it is critical to move from an accidental growth path to one that is much more intentional. Here are a couple of examples:Not every account is a good one Advisors and agencies alike need to be more intentional in selecting the clients they take on. In a typical book of business, the bottom half by case count, only generates 7% of total revenue, while the top 20% generates almost 70%.Imagine how the financial health of the book improves when you intentionally pursue accounts like those in your top 20% and avoid accounts like those in your bottom 50%.Nothing will allow your bottom line to grow faster.Hiring producersBecause the industry perpetuates the myth that this is a “relationship business,” the primary qualification for new producers is too often the size of their contact list. This leads to a failure rate with untold financial and opportunity costs that slow an agency’s growth.As our need for consultative selling continues to increase, curiosity is the number one trait to intentionally pursue in producer candidates. When you find a producer with an insatiable curiosity about learning about the buyer, identifying their needs, and designing a plan of improvement to make that buyer more successful, you can stand back and watch that producer’s book of business grow.Take control of the renewal process Agencies often claim to “sell on price but retain on service,” but that’s a bunch of BS. The fact is, you will lose every client the same way you earned them. After all, your sales approach trains the buyer about how to make a buying decision.If you have sold on price and want to break your dependence on a spreadsheet, use a stewardship report to focus on how you have delivered value (beyond the carrier’s price on a spreadsheet).This will deliver growth by improving retention and creating client promoters who can fuel additional growth via referrals and introductions.Follow a sales processProducers who tell themselves they are better off when they “wing it” are delusional and lazy and will consistently fall short of their growth potential. Here are two reasons why a sales process should be non-optional.It drives consistent conversations If you’ve been selling for any period of time, you have had some success. You have found that certain approaches, questions, and techniques are effective. However, until you build these elements into a sales process, they are only being used inconsistently, at best.If nothing else, recognize that a sales process takes the best of what you deliver when you are at your best and ensures you deliver it every single time. And don’t fight this idea because you feel it will be too rigid. The right sales process is consistent without being formulaic.Buyers need it to break down the complexity of their decision to hire youGiven the increased complexity of insurance solutions and HR/benefits programs, the decision to switch advisors can be overwhelming for employers, leading many to stay with the devil they know.A buyer-focused sales process breaks the big decision (of switching brokers) down into smaller, less threatening, easier-to-make decisions. These smaller steps reposition the switching of advisors as more of an obvious outcome of their collective decisions rather than the primary decision itself.