Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Tue, Sep 07, 2010 @ 06:42 AM
Years ago Roger Sitkins ran into Muhammad Ali at an airport. Always being a good Dad, Roger approached Ali to get an autograph for me. The story of what happened next turned into a powerful lesson for me and a great teaching tool.
Roger approached Ali and asked if he could get an autograph for his son. At this time Ali was just beginning his fight with Parkinson’s Disease. Ali looked up, smiled, and asked what my name was. He pulled out a pamphlet and began to sign it. His disease made this task very difficult as his hand was very shaky and hard to control. He finished signing it and paused. He crumpled up the pamphlet and said ‘not good enough’. He pulled out another one, signed it and handed it to Roger.
‘Not Good Enough’. Ali took extreme pride in what he did. It didn’t matter if it was in the ring, preparing for a fight, personal appearances, or even signing something for a young kid. He didn't accept anything less than his very best, and that is what made him ‘The Greatest’.
Do you settle for good enough, or are you willing to do the things to make yourself the greatest?
The Author, Patrick Sitkins, is Vice President of Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Sep 02, 2010 @ 08:00 AM
People, teams and companies are ALWAYS evolving in stages toward “commoditization” unless intervention occurs. What stage describes you, your team, your company? 
The Commodity Cycle:
Stage 1: Innovation (figuring out what business of tomorrow looks like)
- Unique value proposition
- Creating Intellectual Property
- Delivering the “client experience” (making life better for the client)
Stage 2: Sales & Marketing (one way of going to the marketplace)
- Focus is on brand awareness
- Telling “the story” at a high level of competence
Bottom/top line growing (everybody feels responsible for retaining, obtaining and selling)
Stage 3: Operations (heavy focus on services and clients)
- Very streamlined, make sure plan being executed
- Protecting bottom line on expense side versus growth side
- Start looking negatively at salespeople – need to get them under control
Stage 4: Consolidation (Companies merging, declining numbers)
- How do we consolidate, eliminate offices, eliminate staff
- Acquisitions strategies = method of growth
Growth happens in the Sales & Marketing and the Innovation Stages. What “interventions” are making growth happen in your world?
The Author, Steve Lounsberry, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Mon, Aug 30, 2010 @ 08:58 AM
If you have read any of my previous posts/articles, you know that I don’t see anything in the current healthcare reform legislation, nor do I anticipate any future changes, that aren’t survivable. However, if you had read my previous thoughts on the subject, you also know that I don’t see it as survivable by those who are insistent on maintaining the status quo.
Just like on reality shows, surviving healthcare reform won’t be determined on one specific day, it will be determined over a period of time, starting with decisions you make today. Those who survive will be the ones who have a have a game plan, form the proper alliances, and have a willingness and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Of course, whether on Survivor or in Darwinian theory, the weakest among us will be the first casualties. Here’s a look at who is in the game, why they will or won’t survive and the order in which they will be voted off the island.
Traditionalists
Who are they? - They are the producers/agencies who compete on price & product along with promises of great service (unfortunately it’s reactive). The more “progressive” traditionalists will even throw in their list of value added services.
Why they WON’T survive. – They have placed themselves as the quintessential middleman peddling someone else’s commodity. In the eyes of the prospect they, at best, look just like everyone else. They are the first casualties.
Generalists
Who are they? – They are the “jack of all trades”, but masters of none. Need employee benefits? I do that. Want a GL policy? I can do that too. Need a surety bond from our agency? Yep, I’m the one who does that as well.
Why they WON’T survive. – While a “one stop relationship” may sound good on the surface, it makes it impossible to have enough depth below the surface to meet the true needs of a client in any single area, much less all of them. The more complicated our world becomes, the less of a future that exists for generalists. Second casualty.
Commission Based Specialists
Who are they? – These are the producers who understand the complexities of truly making a difference for their clients. They have moved beyond a value proposition based on price, product, and service and have moved into a model focused on identifying the needs and opportunities of their clients, delivering customized solutions. Unfortunately, they allow the carrier’s commission structure determine how much they get paid.
Why they WILL survive. – They will survive because they have moved out of the commodity business and can identify the specific value they bring to the process.
Why they MAY not. - Because they are commission based, the Minimum Loss Ratio and threats to traditional commission streams will be a mid to long-term challenge for these players. While they can survive, they will see significant reductions in revenue and will have to find other ways to protect their bottom line.
Fee Based Specialists
Who are they? – They are very similar to the commission based specialists with the exception of how they get paid. At first, this may seem like a subtle difference between the two, but the true difference in the eyes of the client can be profound. In moving to a fee based compensation model, producers and agencies have accepted the challenge of needing to articulate and demonstrate the value they bring to the process. Because their compensation model has become transparent, the client can now clearly see the value being delivered.
Why they WILL survive. – Simple. Through their business model, they are making a difference in the business of, and on the bottom line of, their clients and, through their compensation model, that value becomes crystal clear in the eyes of the client.
Strategists
Who are they? – These are the rare producers/agencies who are the innovators in the industry; they are changing the rules of the game. They have cast off the labels and expectations of what being a benefits producer/agency has meant in the past and are writing a new definition. They are building business models and systems that move beyond benefits, and even HR, to include driving greater returns on the investment their clients make into human capital. They are the producers and agencies that truly understand business and the challenges of running a business. More importantly, they understand how they can create plans and bring solutions that make their clients more successful at what they do. Bottom line, they become attached to the strategy of their clients.
Why they will THRIVE. – That’s right, the strategists won’t just survive, they will thrive as a result of healthcare reform. They will thrive because what they do is something that is absolutely needed by their clients. They will thrive because they will be creating unbelievable value for their clients. When you are getting paid for delivering that type of value rather than getting paid for delivering someone else’s product….well, it’s clear who the winner in this game will be.
No, there isn’t anything in healthcare reform that you can’t survive, but, depending on how you choose to play the game, you could still lose. Those decisions of today I mentioned earlier - it’s time to get serious about them.
What are your thoughts? Where do you see the line of survivability?
The Author, Kevin Trokey, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. He is also President of Benefits Growth Network. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 09:36 AM
Playing basketball in high school taught me a lot about momentum. There were times when our team would have momentum and it seemed that everything went our way. We made very few mistakes and the ones we did make we overcame quickly. On the other hand, when the opposing team had momentum, it seemed our mistakes were more frequent and more costly.
As with sports, we can achieve momentum in our production and the things we want to accomplish in our career. When you don’t have momentum in your career, it seems everything is more difficult and you lack the flow you need. Things don’t come very easy and you end up going from sale to sale desperate for the next one. That desperation bleeds through and compounds itself and makes success more difficult to realize.
I remember recognizing a number of years ago that I had very little momentum in my sales career. My production was average and was not getting me to financial freedom. Recognizing this, I decided to go on a 90 day sprint to generate the momentum I needed.
So what do you do if you find yourself or your organization without any momentum?
There are 3 Simple Keys to generating the momentum you need to reach your goals.
Recognize your Situation – You have to recognize it if you are going to do anything about it. The economic challenges that the US in particular has gone through has opened many eyes to this fact. Being an order taker is not necessarily momentum. Many have recognized how close they have come to being out of business without realizing it.
Create the Plan – Momentum doesn’t just happen, it must be created by applying constant pressure. In basketball you may apply a full-court press. In your career, you must step back and create a plan. I planned out my 90 days and asked my wife if she was OK with me working 7 days a week for those 90 days. We came to an agreement and I started working the plan immediately.
Don’t Stop When You Start to Have Success – This is one thing I see too often. Once we start seeing success, we stop following the Plan because we’ve ‘made it’. Real momentum is measured by overflowing pipelines, consistently increasing revenue and a general sense that you are in the zone. Things start coming easier. You still have to work hard, but that hard work is paying off now.
Momentum can be your friend if you use it to your advantage. Recognize your lack of momentum, create a plan to generate momentum and don’t stop when you start having success. Follow the plan, and you will see consistent success.
The Author, Gregg Goodmanson, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Mon, Aug 23, 2010 @ 10:46 AM
I recently watched my friends coach their competitive team in a soccer tournament. Their team is a girls under-7 team. As I watched, I was amazed at the skill level of these young players, their maturity and teamwork.
As I sat on the sideline for the Championship Game, I heard Trey’s pre-game motivational speech. At the end of the message, he sent them out on the field and said ‘Play Hard’. Without missing a beat, one of their standout players exclaimed, “don’t play hard, play your BEST”. I was astonished at her outlook; it’s not enough to simply ‘try’ or ‘play hard’. She stepped up and told her teammates that anything less than their individual best was unacceptable.
In looking at her leadership, do you demand the best from your teams? Have you set the expectation and managed a culture that demands this? Do your star ‘players’ demand this? Do they lead by example?
By the way, not only did they win the tournament, but they outscored their opponents 63 to 1 - in the under 10 division. It’s safe to say that they gave it their absolute best.
The author, Patrick Sitkins, is Vice President of Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Aug 19, 2010 @ 12:07 PM
I have a fear that way too many agencies are sitting around “Aggressively Getting Ready”. They really do believe that they are making progress, that things are about to turn around. Yet, their results speak differently.
It’s like the old saying of “Ready, Aim, Fire”. I see way too many agencies, and their Producers, playing a Ready, Ready, Ready, Aim, Aim, Ready, Ready, Aim, Aim game, but never pulling the trigger.
Hey, if you’re still sitting there aggressively waiting for the roast duck to fly into your mouth, it’s not going to happen!
If you’re sitting there aggressively waiting for the economy to magically turn around, it won’t happen that fast!
If you’re sitting there aggressively waiting for the hard market (the what, what’s that?) so you can get a rate increase, it’s not going to happen!
If you’re aggressively waiting to improve your selling and presentation skills, it’s not going to happen!
If you are aggressively waiting to have a focus day to fill up your pipelines, it’s not going to happen!
The time has come to Pull The Trigger. You’ve got to eliminate all excuses (we are waiting because....) and you’ve got to demand action from yourself and others.
You only score points when you are in the game, so you’ve got to fill up your pipelines now! You’ve got to improve your offering now. You’ve got to improve your skills now. You’ve got to get better at everything you do now.
OK, so if we agree now is the time, now what? Now you’ve got to establish a Set Offense that differentiates you in the marketplace. Now you’ve got to earn and generate referrals and introductions. Now you’ve got to establish low risk practice time to improve your presentations. No more Look, Copy, Quote and Pray way of selling. Now you’ve got to get out and network. Now you’ve got to develop your centers of influence.
So, you’re either Aggressively Getting Ready (or thinking about getting ready) or you’re Aggressively Getting Results. It’s your choice.
The Author, Roger Sitkins, is Founder & Chairman of Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 07:55 AM
The conflict of different ideas, different personalities and an overall competitive atmosphere seems to cultivate office politics. It is a part of every organization and usually the bigger the organization the bigger the office drama becomes.
Some leaders take the highroad and hope that it will work itself out. Unfortunately, by doing nothing it can have a great impact on office morale as well as the business results.
Research tells us that managers believe that an increase in office politics is one of the greatest sources of their stress. Recent studies have also told us that 18% of management time is spent resolving conflicts among employees.
When employees are in conflict over things such as the way a procedure will be executed or use of a tool, there is a greater chance that they are going to take their eye off customers and prospects. Office politics can also have an impact on innovation. Innovation is fostered by new ideas that often come from employees. A business with a lot of office politics often means that employees will be scared to challenge, bring up new ideas or debate issues. Therefore, the innovation will be less.
As you can see, office politics are more than just gossip. It can have an impact on your business. The good news is that it can be diminished through powerful leadership and open communication throughout the organization.
A few months ago I had a coaching call with Tom Hickey – President of Wedgwood Insurance Ltd. Tom had decided it was time to address office politics. During a State of the Brokerage meeting, Tom and two other leaders role played a typical situation. After the role play they debriefed with the entire staff and asked the following questions.
- What impact does office politics have on employees?
- What impact does office politics have on clients?
- What impact does office politics have on our company overall?
The overall answer – not so great! Tom then took a page from what Oprah has been doing with her “No Phone Zone Pledge”. He challenged everybody to take the “No Office Politics Pledge”. Here is what it said:
“I promise to refuse to engage in office politics. If I have an issue with a co-worker I promise to talk about it with them in a respectful way, privately. If we cannot agree on a mutually acceptable resolution we will get a manager to help us come to one.”
Don’t take the highroad. Office politics are real and can have an impact on your results. Take a proactive role as a leader to stomp out this type of culture.
*The Author, Bonita Argent, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. Click here to view her bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Aug 12, 2010 @ 09:00 AM
I was a young 28 year old producer with two years in the business. Charlie was a legendary VP of Sales for the company I represented. Charlie planted a “seed” that grew into a significant support structure impacting my career and development.
Charlie’s short “seed of wisdom”: “Young man, you need to develop your own personal board of directors!”. As the seed developed, personal board influencers/mentors came in three categories:
1. Formal Board Members - Regular meetings where they knew I was wanting to learn from them
- Some days I felt I learned a lot
- Some days I felt I did not learn anything
- Some days I picked up a little seed of an idea that took time to blossom into wisdom in my head
2. Informal Board Members - Regular interactions where I took note of what they did and said… and tried it for myself
- Some things worked for me
- Some things did not work for me
- Some things did not work for them, and I learned without experiencing the PAIN myself
3. Celebrity Board Members - Famous/influential people I learned about and tried to mirror my habits, actions and attitudes around:
- Some things were BIG impact ideas for me
- Some things were small impact ideas for me
- Some things were just interesting and entertaining
Who is on your ‘personal board of directors”? What are you learning from them? What else can you learn from them? Who else should you put on your “personal board”?
Throughout my career, the concept of a personal board of directors has helped me grow and develop “my style” to be more effective. Thank you Charlie!
The author, Steve Lounsberry, is a Vertical Growth Advisor with Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Mon, Aug 09, 2010 @ 12:59 PM
- ‘What does this organization look like in the next 5 years?’- ‘What is your brand?’- ‘What do you offer?’
- ‘What is your product?’- ‘What is it that separates you from your competition - your differentiator?’- ‘What are the compelling reasons to do business with you?’- ‘What are the core values of your organization?’- ‘What are your most important strategic initiatives over the next 12 months?’If I were to walk into an executive team meeting at your organization and ask those questions, would I get a consistent answer? Hopefully, the answer is yes. Hopefully, you have taken the time to set a
strategic plan that you are managing, reviewing, and discussing on a regular basis.
The sad reality is, most executives spend the time putting plans together, but they fail miserably at communicating these plans. We notice that most organizations under communicate with their employees, and therefore create confusion. They don’t take the time to explain the current state of the organization, the future, and how they are going to get there.
Perhaps even worse than under communication, is sending a confused message. Is what you’re intending to say and what is being heard different? Are your words truly conveying the correct message and intention? Or, is your communication style clouded like Steve Zissou’s (Bill Murray)?
Clear consistent communication is a major key in effective
agency/brokerage leadership.
The author, Patrick Sitkins, is Vice President of Sitkins International. Click here to view his bio.
Posted by Sitkins Advisor on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 @ 08:00 AM
Over the past 10 months I have interviewed and surveyed a few hundred First in Commands. The big question has been, “What percent of your time do you spend doing what you do best that brings the greatest value to your company?” 
The answer has been an average of 21%!
You don’t have to be a very creative or intelligent consultant to come to the conclusion that utilizing the strengths of a First in Command 21% of the time, is not a great business strategy. If I were to tell the CEOs that I work with to make sure they spend 21% of their time doing what they do best, they would find another Advisor.
We are in the midst of one of the toughest and most opportunistic business economies in our lifetime. We are under attack from market shrinkage, credit limitations, bank reform, political pressure, employee entitlement, limited cash, social media entrance, wiki information economies, and the list goes on.
The skill and talent needed to attack these issues strategically and tactically fall in the unique abilities of First and Second in Commands. When these people do what they do best, they increase revenue, obtain cash, motivate people to increase productivity, manage key professional financial service relationships, plan, and get results.
Almost every First and Second in Command I know has a history of success. It is hard to get in those positions without having past success. They had success in sports, the arts, and/or academics. They have awards and accolades from school days and throughout their business careers. They know how to win and they get the greatest results.
Lets go back to the top of this article. Why is it that we allow these incredibly talented people to spend only 21% of their time doing what they do best?
What if they were able to spend 50%, 70%, 80% or more of their time doing what they do that brings the greatest results to the organization? I know the answer!!! They win big!!!
What keeps these First and Second in Commands from doing what they do best? NOISE! They are distracted by employee issues, problems, client issues, process breakdown, poor decisions, failed results, strategic concerns, and feeling alone.
These issues snowball in capturing the time of first and second in commands. They deal with one issue, get involved in things they don’t do best, create new problems, de-motivate teams, read additional reports, and get bogged down in the NOISE.
A strong First and Second in Command relationship will eliminate the noise if they have the right strategies in place. Moving away from traditional thinking and bad habits into noise reducing strategies is the only way out of this mess.
What is it worth to a company to eliminate the noise and get our First and Second in Commands doing what they do best 80% of the time? First in Commands who have answered this question say anywhere between a hundred thousand and multiple millions of dollars.
The biggest RISK I see in our business economy today is the lack of availability of our best talent. We need to get our First and Second in Commands back.
Larry Linne is President & CEO of Sitkins International. He is also the author of Make The Noise Go Away – The Power of An Effective Second In Command and the supporting training program The Noise Reduction System™
Click here to download the session 1 video of The Noise Reduction System