Benefits Influencer

This episode orginally aired in March 2022. Ned Schaut talks with Becky Patel, CEO at Amwins Connect, about mentorship. Becky has over 35 years of experience in this business and shares the importance of both having a mentor and being a mentor. During the conversation they focus on the need to be authentic and know your secret sauce in the business.

This episode orginally aired in July 2020. Dennis and Chesley discuss ways to make employee benefits communication meaningful, relevant and timely in order to drive value for employers and employees. Connect with Chesley: chesley.gaddis@intrepid7.com http://intrepid7.com/

Dennis chats with Rachel Rutherford of ArmadaCare about Executive Benefits and how to position Executive Medical reimbursement to attract and retain top talent. Find Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelgann/ Reach out at rrutherford@aramadacare.com visit https://armadacare.com/ for more info

Dennis chats with Spencer Smith about how benefits advisors can leverage social media to grow their pipeline and increase sales. Find Spencer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/ Check out Spencer's podcast here: https://spencerharlansmith.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerSmithSelfFunded For more info on Plansight visit: https://www.plansight.com/        

Dennis chats with Kevin Curran, Founding Partner of Salt Margin a Baldwin Risk Company. Listen in as they discuss ways Benefits Brokers can win with a too often overlooked part of the benefits package, ancillary. Kevin outlines three ways brokers and advisors can get started with becoming true consultants on ancillary, just like they already are on medical insurance. Kevin uncovers some key group life and disability policy provisions that every advisor should be aware of. -- for more content for Benefits Brokers and Advisors visit: benefitsinfluencer.com 

Dennis chats with The D.I. Coach, Chris Carlson about how benefits brokers and advisors can better position (or start positioning for the first time) disability insurance with their clients. Chris began his insurance career as a Brokerage Consultant with Provident Life and Accident in 1984.  After working with Provident as a Consultant, District Manager and Branch Manager, he formed his own independent Disability Insurance Marketing Organization in 1995.   Chris's organization eventually became the D.I. sales office for Ascensus Insurance Services. When Ascensus was purchased by BISYS, he became the National Sales Manager for the BISYS D.I. Center.    Chris founded The D.I. Coach to fill the education void left by the disability insurance carriers. He combines his knowledge of the D.I. industry with his coaching expertise to provide a truly unique perspective in his coaching of producers. Chris is the author of six books to include, Prospecting Through Positioning For The Financial Advisor, The Napkin Advisor and The Broker’s Broker. He works with producers to help them fill their pipelines with highly-qualified prospects while establishing themselves as the recognized authority in their market niche. Reach out to Chris at chris@thedicoach.net https://www.thedicoach.net/ ---- More great episodes and sponsorship opportunities at: http://benefitsinfluencer.com/

Dennis chats with Executive Benefits expert, Helen Ornellas.  Helen is the President and Founder of Ornellas & Associates Insurance Services. Based in California, Helen Ornellas specializes in Executive Benefits using Life Insurance, Disability, and Long Term Care to provide solutions. With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Helen represents many different insurance companies offering a wide variety of coverage options and price points. Her goal is to take the confusion and uncertainty out of buying Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Medicare, and help you make sense of it all. She specializes in helping business owners understand their coverage and find the right solutions for the future. Helen is an active member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) and has held various leadership roles at the local and state levels.  More info at https://ornellasinsurance.com/ ------ For more episodes and insights for Employee Benefits Brokers and Advisors, check out http://benefitsinfluencer.com/      

Dennis chats with Noyo CEO and Co-Founder, Shannon Goggin. Listen as they discuss how poor data quality prevents the benefits industry from delivering the modern experiences today’s consumers want. Addressing these challenges at the carrier and ben-admin level with clean, always updated enrollment data lets HR professionals and brokers truly remove friction for members — while paving the way for frictionless benefits that are easy to understand and easy to use. Shannon Goggin is the CEO and co-founder of Noyo. Before starting Noyo, she was a product manager, building benefits software that showed off the powerful role technology can play in improving people's experience with their benefits. Shannon lives in San Francisco, where Noyo is based. visit https://www.noyo.com/ for more info.  

Dennis chats with Kevin Trokey.  Kevin is the Founding Partner of Q4intelligence, a marketing and sales enablement firm committed to the preservation and transformation of the independent agency system. He writes prolifically regarding the many challenges being faced by today’s agencies, providing guidance to overcome those challenges. He is a frequent industry speaker and has been recognized by the National Association of Health Underwriters as their speaker of the year. Kevin is currently serving as the National Chair of the NAHU Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He recently led the NAHU Name Change Task Force, has served as the National Membership Chair, and is a past president of both St. Louis and Missouri chapters. https://www.q4intel.com/ Q4Live info here: https://q4live.q4intel.com/    

Dennis interviews Benefits Advisors Andrew McNeil and Rosario Avila of Arrow Benefits Group.  They discuss how winning awards and writing columns contribute to their position as thought leaders in the community and with their clients.  They also discuss strategies they've found work well with small group clients in a post-COVID environment. Find Andrew and Rosario on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-d-mcneil-5a45559/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosarioavila/ For more episodes and information check out http://benefitsinfluencer.com/