​The current COVID-19 Pandemic is forcing us all to shift – personally and professionally. With lockdowns in affect in most states and municipalities, workers of all types are being forced into remote work. For some, it’s no big deal. For others, it’s a huge transition as limited human contact, lack of access to printers, and the removal of informal networks is now gone. 
 
There is an emotional and technological shift that needs to happen in organizations that need to get the right work done. For big companies, their well-funded IT departments can easily grant broader remote access to their network and employees have the needed computing and telephony power to connect and collaborate. Not so for public institutions and those working in smaller organizations where the IT department is “me,” or where showing up has historically been part of the job. 
 
So here are some considerations to ponder through the prism of a transitions model made famous by William Bridges and his organization:

There are three phases that occur in this transitions process: 

• Endings
• A Neutral Zone
• New Beginnings

 Endings
As employees enter their new remote work situation, they must get closure on what used to be. In an office environment, showing up and going to a place began a rhythm of the day and shared calendars created structure. In the case of lockdowns, this ending period has already happened. Most workers have the ability to anticipate change and to prepare for the impact of it. Over the past few weeks we’ve been thrown into the arena with little notice.
Endings often include:

• Dealing with loss: The idea of change is often synonymous with loss.  Individuals giving up their office or work area may no longer feel centered in what their impact is or in how they will get work done, especially through others. 
• Letting go:  Detaching from the way things were is a process that is not easy but is critical for a transition process to flow.  The key for organizations is to communicate and reinforce a picture of a near-term future that includes expectations and measurements so people can make room for the new reality.          
• Meeting the new reality: The key is to get into a work rhythm with less wear and tear- to have your employees accept change as it is- a transition that will achieve its own level in time.

 Recommendations:

• Invest in a technology transition team to help employees get up and running and stay there with easy access to your network and configured PCs and smartphones
• Communicate expectations during the transition in two-week blocks 
• Organize an informal best practice cohort for those who may need help transitioning to home work
• Share tips for getting a household to respect work activity and the impact of interruptions

 A Neutral Zone  
In order to make the transition; any shift means spending time in the gray which is called the neutral zone in the Bridges model:  

• Experiencing confusion & chaos: This is where employees get caught between last week and this week, and neither of them seems to be working.  This phase of a transition is difficult due to the uncertainties and ambiguities that exist in areas like priority setting, feedback loops and timelines.  
• Questioning “It”:  Anxiety and worry may set in around how people fit in to the new order of things.  Everyone wonders if they will be successful in the new way of working and by when.  
• Exploring new options: As employees approach the New Beginnings phase, people start testing out new ways of working, collaborating and thinking - trying new alternatives and resetting their expectations.

 Recommendations:

• Acknowledge that this is an uncomfortable time that can be turned into an advantage for everyone with the right focus
• Set short range goals and checkpoints for the new way of doing things
• Take advantage of any and all training programs to support your people in their job through the transition

 New Beginnings
The new beginning is the destination, the desired new state.  In the case of the pandemic, this might be simply be the ability to go back to the office. But the economic impact of the virus will place an emotional rather than a structural phenomenon on employees. Based on current business social media posts, so many are pledging to be resilient and ready; taking care of mind, body and spirit:  

• Trying on new thoughts and actions: Attitudes and beliefs that were once rejected are now being sampled on a small scale during the course of the day.  Confidence and excitement build as individuals embrace the change. More people are getting outside and lunch, practicing mindfulness and acknowledging areas of gratitude.
• Embracing new approaches: New work methods and attitudes will get integrated into the day to day.  People at this stage have found excitement in connecting with people online with video and comparisons of each other’s daily routines. People in the is stage will have their confidence restored in a better day as a result of this transition. 
• Productivity:  People in this stage have acclimated to the new organizational expectations and ways of operating. A feeling of pride in completing something significant is shared across the organization.

 Recommendations

• Reward those who dive into the new situation with total energy and commitment
• Take the lead in building new relationships - endear yourself to others

• Find valuable parts for everyone to play in the transition
• Model the attitudes and behaviors you are looking for others to develop
• Celebrate early successes and quick wins

Going forward...
Change and transition will only be successful if leaders and organizations address the stages of transition they are experiencing right now. Supporting people through an orderly transition, rather than all ahead full is essential if the change is to work as planned. Employees will need an opportunity to reflect on how their organization is changing and develop some new ways to think about change, even while they’re in the midst of it. High performing organizations are helping individuals develop skills critical to their personal and collective success when working in any environment.  
 
For more insight or to share best practice, please visit www.billwaltonsalestraining.com       
​or connect with Bill Walton at bwalton@billwaltonsalestraining.com.

March 16, 2020: As we enter another week of our National Emergency surrounding COVID-19, I wanted to share with you a few tips that may help us all better manage ourselves, our loved ones and our businesses over the coming weeks. We are featuring an online event at the end of the month that will delve deeper into these areas where we'll help you leverage your energy versus your time to achieve personal success and renewal. There is plenty that has been shared by experts on how to protect yourself from the virus. But right now, I wanted to share three things that you can do to give yourself a better sense of CONTROL over the coming weeks.  

1. FOCUS ON YOU: Now is the time to focus on your health and well being. Those dear to you will depend on you for strength, guidance, thinking and emotional support. Create a foundation for yourself so that you can be in service to others. Rest, eat well, exercise outside and pull in more of the joy that you've been receiving from your life and dwell on that. 

2. WE WILL BE DISTRACTED: With the media doing their best to keep us informed to the constant "on" of social media, there is a great deal to distract us. In addition, we are all bound to have periods of worry and angst. That's to be expected. But what you can do is leverage two blocks of time to manage it. For worry - give yourself 60 seconds to explore that. After 60 seconds you MUST pivot to a more positive thought. For those with fluid schedules or those that need the TV on in the background, harness 90-minute bursts of activity followed by 20 minutes of chill time. Clean that home office, capture three big ideas for your business or family in a journal or finish that book on the nightstand with the bookmark that hasn't moved in weeks. Any sense of accomplishment you can muster is powerful right now. 

3. IMPROVE YOUR INVESTMENTS: Now is the time to improve your relationships, your home or your car. Connect with family and friends. If they're remote, use Face-Time or the free version of Zoom to have virtual dinners. For your home, paint the trim in the bathroom, seal the driveway or yank out that bush that's on its last legs. For your car, there is nothing more therapeutic than the elbow grease that goes into a good wash and wax. 

These are just a few of the tips we'll share on May 28th and May 29th. Reserve your spot here .    We look forward to seeing you.  - Bill

For those selling personal insurance solutions, commitment from high net worth prospects can be tough to come by.  But it’s not impossible. The HNW prospects we speak with continue to articulate that they want counsel and advice on new insurance solutions, but they're not getting it in the way they want it. From our research, high net worth individuals value three things deeply: 

1. Help me understand what I need...specifically
2. I value advice but I also value choice and control
3. I need to feel I made the right choice and my time was and is well spent

So in your HNW prospecting efforts, the approach needs to be more than dialing for dollars and a reliance on COI referrals. The competition does this. Rather it needs to feel and sound like an intentional process that's tailored toward a client type, with a hypothesis or insight in mind that your prospect would likely find valuable. In a way, it’s about knowing more to mean more – a process that leverages your own "issue fluency" to start a conversation. 

Want more? Please visit  www.billwaltonsalestraining.com  and download our newest Whitepaper on prospecting in the High Net Worth Segment or reach out to Bill Walton at bwalton@billwaltonsalestraining.com. 

For more information regarding this Executive Briefing or for programs to help you grow in 2020, contact Bill Walton at bwalton@billwaltonsalestraining.com or visit us at www.billwaltonsalestraining.com .

​Insurance Brokers are currently facing a challenge to grow revenue. Insurance has become an ultra-competitive space and client needs are becoming more sophisticated. Add to that a heightened service expectation and threats from Insure-Tech applications and relationships once thought solid could easily be put at risk.  Insurance clients are seeking value-added services that deliver the transparency and control they need for their businesses and a partner to keep them a step ahead of any exposure. Insurance clients will continue to seek out brokers’ independent advice. But, if brokers want to remain competitive in a time of threats to their growth, they must respond and adapt to increasing trends caused by digital disruption and more complex risks.

Download this white paper that chronicles the value of the day-to-day account professional as value creator and growth engine for insurance brokerage. For additional resources visit www.billwaltonsalestraining.com 

The brokerage community has had a few weeks to reflect on last year and get ready for 2020. Well we’re in it now and the opportunity remains. Grow and be competitive or ______. Whatever verb or noun you chose to fill in the blank the alternative is not great. Not too dissimilar from other intermediated financial services segments, the agency world is still facing challenges from premium increases, competition from larger firms and insure-tech disruptors.
 
In speaking to one agency head, they stated that “we can’t afford to lose any of our top 20 clients”.  As a small business owner, I totally get that. But I’d offer a more aggressive play. 
 
There is no one more qualified and credible to make business building recommendations to clients than your day-to-day account professional. Relationship Managers, Account Managers and even Customer Service Representatives are in a great position to make “intelligent recommendations” to clients. What will this take? 

1. A cultural acknowledgement of the role and it’s opportunity
2. A promise that this is not selling used cars- actually it’s the opposite
3. A framework for how to segue a conversation from the tactical to the insightful
4. Support in terms of messaging and insight sources

 
It’s been our experience that success comes from articulating the behaviors of value creators in sales and service and drawing parallels to what folks are already doing well. Sometimes it’s all about giving account professionals a few high value questions to ask the client that takes the dialogue in a more Socratic direction. 
 
To learn more about converting your account professionals to value (and thus revenue) creators, visit us at www.billwaltonsalestraining.com for additional resources. *To download the presentation from our latest executive briefing on growth in Insurance Brokerage for 2020, click the PDF icon below:
​

Since there is competition in all markets for traditional coverages, agencies need to add value to their clients to distinguish themselves in their market area. But there’s a disjoint in perception of what “client value” actually means. Agencies are focusing on systems and efficiencies to process transactions faster. It's the right thing to do. But clients want value creators managing their account – people with high degrees of business acumen that can relate to the uniqueness of their industry and recommend solutions accordingly. 

BWST works with Agency Brokers to apply a value-creating client interaction process that when followed, earns account professionals the right to suggest business building ideas that make sense to the client. There is no one better equipped than the day-to-day client contact to make cross- and upselling recommendations and BWST helps these firms make the most of this valuable resource. 

Click on the PDF below to see how you can transform your account and relationship management teams into revenue-producing value creators! 

​Princeton, November 21, 2019: Bill Walton Sales Training and Zeiberg Consulting have partnered to provide organizations with topical leadership training that enables employees to embody their organizational values and deliver on their value proposition. "We've heard from our clients that today's managers are operating in fast-paced and complex environments and they're lacking in some of the basic management skills" says Bill Walton, Bill Walton Sales Training's President and founder.  "This lack of capability has HR professionals frustrated," Walton added. Zeiberg Consulting has been training managers and leaders for over 20 years. This new portable curriculum is the brainchild of founder Charlene Zeiberg and her partner Joanne Polichetti. "We created this flexible curriculum to meet leaders where they are in their development. Our clients don't have time to create programs from scratch and most open enrollment programs feature dated content" says Charlene Zeiberg, founder of Zeiberg Consulting. Collaborating with a firm like Bill Walton Sales training is perfect for us since BWST's training is shaping more than just the sales culture, it's reaching a broader audience," Zeiberg added. For more information, visit www.zeiberg.com or download the pdf below to learn more about how you can develop agile leaders in your organization.