The benefits industry has undergone drastic upheaval in recent years. From technological advances to PPACA and product innovations, the rate of change has forced those in the industry to adapt quickly or be left behind.

We recently asked seven benefits professionals what they were doing to reinvent themselves and their businesses. Here are their answers.

“The average age of insurance agents is in their mid 50s, so I am traveling all over the United States teaching both new and older agents how to use social media, technology and free Internet tools to sell insurance over the phone.”

— Robert J. Russell, Robert J Russell Companies, 2015 Broker of the Year Finalist

“Here are a couple of things we are doing to stay relevant:

1) Get paid for your advice: We are consulting like crazy. Don’t want to sign a BOR? Not a problem; but I’m not going to work for free! As my mama always told me, if you don’t value your time, no one else will.

2) The millennials are invading: So, I’ve hired a rock star producer that is 25 and speaks their language. For millennials, mentoring and feeling important is huge. For example, we’ve started doing “how to” videos where I record my screen and show clients how to do a doctor search.”

— Susan Combs, President, Combs & Company

"Today, employers face more challenges than ever, with limited resources to resolve them. So much has changed. The benefits we offer, the way we deliver them to employees, the way we communicate about them, and the laws governing the entire process. Just like the employer groups we support, we are all searching for talent — seeking out those key employees to grow the business.

The mentality of just being a broker to your clients is obsolete. Showing up once a year for open enrollment with coffee and donuts and then disappearing behind the curtain for 12 months is no longer acceptable. Employers and consumers demand more. It’s no longer just about benefits. As a trusted advisor, we must go beyond insurance and consider how we can provide innovation and support the business of our clients.

My goal is to develop a cost mitigating and sustainable long-term strategy to attract develop and retain key talent for my clients."

— Jack Tartaro Human Capital Practice Consultant, Willis of Texas Inc.

”We are striving for excellence and looking for top talent. With many challenges in our industry, there are still great opportunities. But rather than sit around and wait for them to knock, we’ve been actively creating them. We don’t just sell insurance (anybody can do that) we provide employer and employee benefit solutions.

In light of the changing face of the benefits industry, we are expanding our operation, not shrinking it. With hundreds of clients who already know and trust us, we’ve expanded to add four other divisions over the last few years – Retirement Solutions, Wealth Management Solutions, Human Resource Solutions and Risk Management Solutions.

We’re dedicated to delivering the best solution. And we do that by nurturing relationships built on trust, communication and performance. We are looking to become a strategic partner, not vendors. It is our personal touch and genuine care that creates enduring relationships.”

Lyle G. Swenson., Benefit Consultant, First West Benefit Solutions

"We have had to expand our core consulting as we are having to get more creative in helping our clients strategize and control costs now more than ever before. We have been very successful in thinking outside of the box and our employers appreciate fresh new ideas that a short time ago they may not have been willing to consider.

We are having success with things like voluntary benefits, onsite clinics, telehealth, medical tourism, PBM consulting, referenced based reimbursement and many others. Our industry is ever changing and we have to make sure we are at the forefront of these changes."

Danny Talley, Senior Vice President,HUB International Insurance Services Inc.

"Our clients partner with us for intellectual capital and creative solutions, not insurance products. With health care evolving so quickly, we must innovate our business model constantly to keep our competitive advantage.

In particular we recently developed Employee Protector, a new division of our firm. Employee Protector assists our self-funded health care clients in lowering medical claims costs, increasing employee productivity and driving wellness within their population. It has been so successful we are now rolling it out to other brokers, TPAs and private exchanges nationally to use with their clients."

Joshua N. Jeffries, MBA, SPHR, Arkin Youngentob Associates, LLC.

"With the increasing costs of health care and legislation over the affordability of health care, telemedicine is a beneficial solution to reduce our clients’ loss of productivity costs and overall health claims — thus high utilization will help in lowering client medical plan renewal increases in subsequent years.

Our clients’ employees benefit from convenience, reduced cost and quick access to care with accessibility from anywhere, any time of day through videoconference or telephonic assistance.

We have had positive feedback and experiences from those enrolled in a telemedicine program – myself and our staff included."

Jo Ellen Stockel, Senior VP of Operations, BenefitHelp

Instant Insights /

7 ways benefits professionals are reinventing themselves

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