1. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Replacing Guessing With Knowing to Eliminate
Hoping…
Assuring Client Alignment and
Understanding

2. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Universal Goal
The “Right People”
doing the “Right Things”
the “Right Way”
with Relentless
Client-focused Consistency

3. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Universal Challenge:
balancing competing influences
• Academic Perfection vs
Real World Applicability
• Structure vs Flexibiity
• “Global” Consistency vs
“Local” Autonomy
Strive for balance

4. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Universal Objective: deliver what
clients want
• Business understanding
• Relevance to Value
– solutions to problems
– responses to issues
• Outcome certainty
– no rhetoric gap
• User-friendly

5. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Universal Objective: correct
failure/replicate success factors
• Broad mindset
– risk vs insurance
– solutions vs products
– thinking beyond
transactions
• Deep client/prospect
understanding
• Effective team-work &
communication

6. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Which raises questions

7. Hope is NOT a Strategy
How confident are you in
your understanding of a
client or prospect’s
business, the challenges
they face and the world
as they see it?
Are you sure?

8. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Do you really
understand your client
or prospect’s business or
just their
insurance program?
What if you’re wrong?

9. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Are you aligned and
relevant to your clients
and prospects?
Are you positioned to
deliver value or quotes?
How do you know?

10. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Wouldn't it make sense to
have a second set of
“experienced” eyes work
with your team and advise
you on adjustments needed
to enhance client/prospect
understanding, build
stronger alignment and
deliver improved results?

11. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Welcome to YorkPlan
Proven approach for
assisting sales and
account teams in their
efforts to build effective
client/prospect
partnerships based on
business relevance and
value delivery.

12. Hope is NOT a Strategy
YorkPlan extends your
reach to bridge the gap
impeding in-depth
understanding of your
clients and prospects.

13. Hope is NOT a Strategy
YorkPlan helps sales
and account teams
replace confusion with
clarity with targeted
client/prospect focus
and impact.

14. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The YorkPlan Approach
Analysis
Execution
Enhanced Client-Prospect
Understanding,
Relevance and Value
Synthesis

15. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 1: Analysis
We will undertake
rigorous broker and
client/prospect analysis
to assure comprehensive
understanding of issues,
challenges and
opportunities as a
foundation for relevance
and value delivery.

16. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 2: Synthesis
We will assess and
synthesize our broker
and client/ prospect
findings with
recommendations for
action to assure that the
right path forward is
chosen.

17. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 3: Execution
Based on our findings
and recommendations,
we will work with you to
develop a plan to assure
effective
implementation and
execution of agreed
actions to also include
York engagement and
support as necessary.

18. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Putting YorkPlan to Work

19. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 1 Analysis Template
YorkPlan
Client/Prospect
Client/Broker Situation Review
Business Environment Short Term/Long Term Objectives Strategic Initiatives (Business/Risk/Ins)
Internal:
(S-W)
Strategic Strategic
External:
(O-T)
Financial Financial
Business/Relationship Risks/Issues/Challenges
Risks/Issues/Challenges Current Client/Broker Solutions Solutions/Responses

20. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 1 Analysis how to
 The Process
• Work: left  right
• Work: top  bottom
• Solutions Box: last one filled
- Colleagues want to go here 1st  don’t let them!!
- If we do this last, we have more “boxes” to feed on!!
 Do’s & Don’ts
• Do stick to the time & sequence schedule
• Do keep the discussion moving
• Do insist that solutions are linked to issues/problems/challenges
• Don’t edit/over-rule/stifle discussion, or let the group
• Don’t insist that every “box” be filled, it is what it is
• Don’t be close-minded

21. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 2 Synthesis Template

22. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 2 Synthesis how to
 Making it Happen
• Client overview by Client/Prospect Team: 15 min
• Q&A (of Client/Prospect Team) led by Facilitator: 15 min
• Brainstorm (Analysis Template) led by Facilitator: 30 min
• Summary/Next Steps (Synthesis Template) led by Facilitator: 30 min
 The Rules
• Stick to the time frame by sequence
• Stick to the sequence by time
• Work left  right & top  bottom with Solution Box last
• Solutions are sales opportunities
• No opportunity unless first identify problem/issue/challenge
• No bad ideas
• No such thing as a “bad” YorkPlan
• Most importantly: have fun!!!

23. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Stage 3 Execution
• Built-in action plan
• Works with clients & prospects
• Tested & proven internationally
• Alternatives
– YorkPlan Day
– YorkPlan with clients &
insurers
– WebEx YorkPlan
• Presentation templates &
guides available

24. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Out-think your Competition…
• Identify and analyze issues…
- what’s recurring
- by segment/industry
- create tailored solutions
• Focused marketing
campaigns
• Client-centric product/service
development
• Effective staffing and training
• Enhanced client/prospect
understanding

25. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Foster Team-work & Communication
• Team-work: identify…
– roles
– expertise
– relationships
– dependencies
• Communication: discussion…
– beyond the transaction
– about issues & responses

26. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Alternative…competitor miming?
• Do nothing and hope?
• Guess at
client/prospect needs
vs knowing?
• Imitate competitors,
only do it better?
• Pitch products vs
solutions?

27. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The Opportunity
• Enhanced Understanding
• Relevance to Value
• Differentiation
• De-commoditization

28. Hope is NOT a Strategy
YorkPlan Impact
• One 75 minute session…9
new growth opportunities
• One 5 hour “day”…180 new
growth opportunities
• Four “days”/year…
– 720 new growth
opportunities
– $18,000,000 potential
new sales value
• Enhanced customer
understanding assured

29. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Why York?
• Decades of “real-world”
experience assessing and
turning-around under-
performing client/sales teams.
• Proven approach for adding
value to our clients’ efforts to
protect, retain and competition-
proof strategically and
financially important accounts.
• Outcome certainty drawn from
extensive global experience in
varied professional
environments.

30. Hope is NOT a Strategy
Program Leader
Phil O’Brien is Managing Partner of YCG and
the senior partner involved in the execution
of York assignments. Phil brings decades of
experience in developing and executing
complex account protection strategies with
competition-proofing results and managing
and improving the performance of client and
sales teams with target achieving results at
Sedgwick, Johnson & Higgins, Marsh and Aon.
He has served in senior client management
and sales leadership roles in both the US and
Europe. Phil received bachelors and masters
degrees from the University of Maine and is a
graduate of Harvard Business School’s General
Management Program.

31. Hope is NOT a Strategy
We help our clients…
TRIAGE
Develop and install enhanced strategies for
protecting, retaining and competition-proofing
strategically and financially important clients.
INTERVENTION
Identify and address underlying performance
issues of individuals and teams for purposes of
securing increased sales results.
ADVANCE
Analyze issues and execute strategies that solve
problems, enhance organizational effectiveness
and realize team potential.

32. Hope is NOT a Strategy
York’s other Agent/Broker Solutions…
• TRIAGE for Competition-proof Client
Relationships
• INTERVENTION for Improved Sales Performance
• Effective Change Management
• Situational Assessment
• Executive Coaching/Team Mentoring
• Building a Performance and Values-driven Culture
• Process Engineering
• Project/Initiative Management
• M&A Assimilation
• Team Building
• Strategy Development
• Organizational Structure and Alignment
• Getting Paid for Value
• De-risking Business/Sales Planning

33. Hope is NOT a Strategy
The York Consulting Group, LLC
PO Box 934, York Harbor, ME 03911
802.825.1560
pdobrien@yorkconsultingllc.com
www.yorkconsultingllc.com
Replacing Guessing With Knowing to Eliminate
Hoping…