Gil Lowerre

• Voluntary industry confidence dips

  By Kathryn Mayer  |  August 25, 2011

  The latest results of Eastbridge Consulting Group’s Voluntary Industry Confidence Index survey are mixed. Though the overall index dipped to 98.4 percent after reaching a high of 102.1 at the end of 2010, participants say sales are surpassing expectations.

• Group plans getting edge in voluntary market

  By Jenny Ivy  |  August 2, 2011

  Over the last decade, the mix of sales between group and individual platforms has shifted from predominantly individual plans to more and more group voluntary plans, according to an annual sales study from Eastbridge Consulting Group.

• Takeover sales keep increasing in voluntary market

  By Kathryn Mayer  |  July 20, 2011

  Takeover sales now account for almost 41 percent of new voluntary sales premium reported in 2010, according to the most recent U.S. Worksite Sales Report from Eastbridge Consulting Group.

• Eastbridge names CIGNA top sales growth leader

  By Jenny Ivy  |  July 5, 2011

  Marketing advisory firm Eastbridge Consulting Group announced Tuesday it has recognized CIGNA as a leader in voluntary sales growth for 2010.

• Blame the economy for lower voluntary sales

  By Bonnie Brazzell, Gil Lowerre  |  July 1, 2011

  Eastbridge’s annual U.S. Worksite Sales Report for 2010 was recently released and, according to the findings, sales for the year were down compared to 2009.

• Keep those customers

  By Gil Lowerre, Bonnie Brazzell  |  May 1, 2011

  In the voluntary market, conservation takes many forms. We think about keeping our current accounts, protecting them by selling multiple lines of business in each, and even reclaiming accounts that have gone dormant.

• Benefit managers and employers: The only opinions that matter

  By Bonnie Brazzell, Gil Lowerre  |  April 1, 2011

  Lowered commissions, increased competition, loss-ratio mandates, buying direct from exchanges, carriers withdrawing from the medical market, and on and on and on.

• Climbing the curve

  By Gil Lowerre, Bonnie Brazzell  |  March 1, 2011

  The broker has an employer prospect that is interested in a voluntary solution and the time has come to craft a recommendation that will close the sale and create a happy long-term client.

• Ditch 'one-size-only' voluntary benefits

  By Gil Lowerre, Bonnie Brazzell  |  February 1, 2011

  Henry Ford, when he came out with the Model T, said that buyers can have any color car -- as long as it was black.

• Selling voluntary -- not just a sideline business

  By Gil Lowerre, Bonnie Brazzell  |  January 1, 2011

  A new year is upon us and it's time for resolutions.