Since 2006, Benchmark Business Group has worked extensively with insurance agents, financial advisors, field leaders and professionals in the financial services industry. Our newsletter Optimal Outcome Insights provides additional value to financial services professionals in short and thought-provoking articles with practical insights. Delivered to your inbox on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, these insights will challenge you to design your Agency to achieve optimal results. You can sign up here or read published Optimal Outcome Insights below.
Working with financial services professionals across the country, one thing we’ve heard a lot lately is that it’s hard to hire. This isn’t exactly news because it’s something that small business owners in many industries are experiencing. There is no sugar coating it. The employee market is difficult, but it...
Most financial services professionals work hard to be seen by their clients and prospects as someone they can trust. The goal is to be a trusted advisor who is knowledgeable, that understands their needs and has a solution that can solve those needs. This leads to a lot of education,...
In the financial services industry, you’re constantly advising your clients about the value of a dollar. You may educate them on how they can invest their dollars to grow over time or even how to protect their hard-earned dollars from risks such as accidents, crimes, or mother nature, etc. As...
It’s always interesting that the world of sports is studied often to learn how to improve businesses. What makes it so interesting is that in sports a lot of time is spent practicing for the big games. Football is a great example. Typically, there is one game a week and...
When it comes to sales, it’s easy to assume the worst when a prospect isn’t getting back to you. You might find yourself thinking negative thoughts such as: If they were interested, they would answer. I left the ball in their court, but I think it’s a no. The price...
Prospecting. It’s a vital part of any industry, but in the financial services industry it’s often the area that is the easiest to ignore. We all know that service is important. And simply by servicing a client you can and should find new opportunities. Especially if your team practices. “Service...
How do you train your team to be more sales focused? Whether you are looking to add a sales associate or simply want your service team to do more cross-selling, training sales is an important piece of running a successful agency. When an agency is first emerging it’s natural that...
In the financial services industry one of the biggest concerns that hurts both agencies and clients is an agency’s concern of being too aggressive. It stops both sales and service team members from: Asking questions that might seem too personal Following up with an unresponsive client or prospect Asking for an...
Most advisors get into the financial services industry because they care about protecting their clients. And that protection includes protecting what your clients care about, or rather what they love. For some that might be assets, it might be a lifestyle they want to be able to maintain into retirement,...
As a business owner, do you give yourself permission to be yourself? Many business owners in the financial services industry are told their personalities are a great fit for the position. You may have taken a profile-based assessment such as a DiSC® assessment before becoming an owner. We even built...
