Start. Stop. Continue. By Susan L. Combs
February 1, 2016, 1:24 pm
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Susan L Combs
I was supposed to be heading back from Atlanta today, but Snowmageddon had a different idea of me and I was unable to leave NYC after about 30 inches of snow fell in my neighborhood. So I did the next best thing as a Millennial/Gen X-cusper and Skyped in for a two-day board meeting for WIFS, the national organization where I currently serve as the Immediate Past President. My biggest takeaway was the concept of Start Stop Continue, which was introduced to me by leadership coach, Whitney Siavelis.
Such a simple thing really, but I think will be tremendous in both my practice and my board work and I wanted to share it with you! It’s a way to be more intentional with what you are doing and realize what is working and what isn’t. Click here to continue reading.
Quit complaining about PPACA and get creative
October 21, 2015, 1:09 pm
Filed under:
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I have been traveling and speaking at many conferences this past year and often attend seminars on PPACA. The thing that perplexes me is how my colleagues who are spending thousands of dollars to attend these conferences are still bitching about it. Get over it people… If you are still going to church and lighting a candle that it is going to be repealed, in my opinion, you are wasting time that could be better spent educating yourself and helping your clients.
When I’m faced with a challenge the first thing I ask myself is: “What would it look like if…?” Click here to take a step back and do that.
Decoding the millennials
September 24, 2015, 10:15 am
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Combs & Company,
Get Creative,
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Millennials
So I recently spoke at the Mutual of Omaha National Sales Symposium in Omaha, Nebraska and one of their keynotes was Jason Dorsey. If you’ve never heard him speak, he’s high energy and a lot of fun. He’s basically the “magic decoder ring” when it comes to figuring out millennials.
I’ve always thought that I just missed this generation, but I was informed that Jason is almost exactly a year older than me … and I was annoyed to learn that at age 36, I’m part of this group. He also enlightened me with the knowledge that most Gen Yers feel like they are special and don’t belong in this group. Ho hum…
Click here for some of the key takeaways from his talk that really gave me some “aha” moments.
Move fast or get outta the way!
As many of you know, I live in NYC. But I’m from a town of about 1,000 people called King City, in the Northwest corner of Missouri, or what I refer to as “God’s Country.” I get emailed, texted and Facebook messaged monthly from people asking for suggestions on what to do on their NYC vacation. I have a great list I have compiled over the years that I send, and I also send this video. It’s from my pal, Johnny T, advising you that there are two speeds in New York: A) You move fast or B) Get outta the way!
I think this is also true for our industry. Let’s face it, it’s been a rough couple of years, but if you are reading this, then you are still standing! How are you adapting? How are you evolving? Here are some things we are doing to stay relevant:
- The millennials are invading: So, I’ve hired a rock star producer that is 25 and speaks their language. For millennials, mentoring and feeling imporant is huge. I encourage you to start looking for your successor!
To pick up at #2….Click Here!
3 ways to Brand Yourself in the Market
Ok, so one thing I’m really good at is branding, connecting and getting the word out so I thought I’d share a few tips of things I use frequently:
1. Announcement postcards. In this day and age of email marketing, I have found that people miss getting mail. Have you done something amazing? Have you received an award? Tell people! It’s easy and cheap to do a quick postcard through companies like Vistaprint, where you can get 500 postcards for way under $100. When I became national president of WIFS (www.wifsnational.org), I send out a postcard to clients and referral sources thanking them for supporting me through my journey and it turned into referrals.
To pick up at #2, click here!
Our Latest Blog Post for Broker Innovative Lab: Getting Creative
So when PPACA started coming down the pike and some brokers started jumping ship for fear of falling commissions, I started thinking: How are there ways to make more cash with little cost?
So here are some things I did:
- I expanded my knowledge base. Many financial advisors have a few letters after their names and I decided I wanted some, too! So I got the PPACA designation through the National Association of Health Underwriters. This has opened a lot of doors for me. Which in turn has allowed me to come in as a consultant and do PPACA audits for companies AND for brokers who felt like it was a little above their paygrade (and yes, my E&O carrier covers it). By doing this alone, this is now 11 percent of my revenue, and that’s not splitting anything with anyone, its cash in my pocket! Click Here For More!
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