January emailer

I will begin cataloging here the content of my client mailers that we send out on a bi-monthly basis.  That way the information is public access for anyone that can benefit from it.  Please feel free to forward my blog to others within your organization if it can be of benefit.

 

Happy New Year!  I hope this message finds you well rested and energized from the holidays, motivated to make 2012 a prosperous year.  I wanted to start off this year’s series of messages with my predictions of trends for the first quarter and beyond.  This is based upon what we’ve seen from the end of 2011, along with where our current projects are taking us.  As always I welcome your thoughts and feedback as one of our themes for the new year is innovative and proactive mechanisms for communication.  This will hopefully advocate interaction not only with members of Capstone, but our client and candidate base to foster new ideas.  Why re-create the wheel when you can take from the success stories of others to help build your strategy for explosive growth and dynamic client retention?

Trend #1 – The return of the passive candidate.  For the past 2-3 years we have all seen unemployed and underemployed candidates flood the market.  The A+ candidates have been sitting on the sidelines, not really feeling that there were better opportunities to consider.  They are beginning to come out of their shells and companies that open their purse strings will have a fantastic opportunity to rein in these “free agents” at market value.

Trend #2 – The need for middle management, both in sales and client service.  In 2011 we saw more high level projects than we had for 3-5 years and our clients are beginning to ask for more of the same here in the new year.  With so many candidates that claim to have the qualifications, it will take a keen eye to distinguish between the individual who can perform the basic functions of the job vs. the individual that will really bring an energy and passion for change and growth.

Trend #3 – Organic growth and investment hire as opposed to merger and acquisition.  Many industry sources are saying that the market for M&A is ripe here in 2012 with burgeoning cash  stockpiles and smaller agencies looking for a way out.  We have actually seen more and more of our agency clients looking for perpetuation rather than a buyer and I believe that is achievable.  Once again, it comes down to finding the right candidate that shares the vision and won’t take too much time to see the return on investment that agencies may make.

I will have many more thoughts to share in addition to these three, but have a new vehicle for those messages – my insurance blog at www.winterboerposts.blogspot.com.  As I was one of the last people in the nation to purchase (and become addicted to) a Blackberry, I did not really envision becoming a blogger.  But we have found as an organization huge value in the process.  Primarily for cataloguing our messages and creating a library of sorts for our past communication.  I will re-post everything here in my blog and weekly update it with thought provoking articles, additional trends we see in the market, requests for feedback on projects, and innovative ideas that will hopefully spark conversation within your own organization and provide value not only to your staffing needs, but overall strategy to be more profitable and growth-oriented in the new year. 

I will actually be posting the candidate bios I have been working with recently on my blog (along with the overall content of this message) to my blog to drive you to that site and see what it is we are doing.  I literally just started it a week ago and will be making structural improvements in the coming weeks and months.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me regarding how it was created and how we are using social media in totality to boost our results in the world of executive recruiting.  It is much easier than you might imagine………

I will look forward to your thoughts and feedback as always.  We strive to provide world class service to our client base to better their business methodologies, but we also found in 2011 that our clients have helped make us a better executive recruiting firm focused on the ever-changing needs of the industry.  So thank you to all of you and I look forward to a prosperous 2012 for us all!

Best regards,

Chris Winterboer, CPC, RHU
Sr. Search Consultant
Capstone Search Group

Phone -- 515-987-0242 ext. 20
cwinterboer@insurance-csg.com
www.csgrecruiting.com
Member: National Insurance Recruiters Association (NIRA)
Member: National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS)

Candidate profiles

As promised in my recent email communication, below are a a few candidate profiles of individuals I am currently working with that are looking for a new home in 2012 -->

VP, Sales and Account Management (CEW54804)

Over twenty years of experience leading both sales and client service operations specific to group employee benefits.  Keen business sense and proven track record of achieving year over year sales and retention goals.  Believes in a consultative selling approach in a team-based environment.  Strong leader with the ability to foster communication between customer service, underwriting, renewal efforts, sales teams, and much, much more.  Is open to carrier or agency based roles and could thrive in both.  Financial objective -- $150-200,000

National Director of Employee Benefits and HR Technology (CEW56433)

Unique and specialized background focused on technology solutions for benefits enrollment, HRIS, outsourcing, payroll vendors, and much more.  Experience working on large, complex national accounts with thousands of employees and multiple locations.  Viewed as an expert in implementation, training, workflow, project management, and vendor interaction for best new products and services.  Can build an infrastructure from ground floor or improve upon the existing technology and suite of services.  Financial objective -- $90-100,000

SVP, Commercial Lines (CEW55184)

Exceptional sales leader who most recently led a team of more than 25 people and close to $10MM in annual revenue.  Has both carrier and agency experience that includes interaction with underwriting, marketing, customer service, field operations, vendor selection, and much more.  Strongest quality is undeniable commitment to the industry and is viewed as an expert in the field both from a technical/product standpoint, as well as possessing the ability to motivate others around him to a new level of success.  Financial objective -- $200,000+

VP, Operations, Commercial and Personal Lines (CEW56071)

 Dynamic blend of operational prowess and proven track record of improving profitably.  Incredibly efficient leader with a panache for elevating colleagues to achieve challenging goals.  Has developed entire infrastructures for call centers, developed new matrix for interaction with sales and marketing, has had personal growth/sales goals met and exceeded, and most recently started a division from scratch within HNW personal lines to profitability in less than two years.  Strong technical insurance knowledge combined with a razor's edge desire for success equals a high performer that would be a valuable addition to any team.  Financial objective -- $125-140,000

New Year's Resolution

I have resolved to start my professional blog here in 2012 and look forward to sharing stories, news, updates, and more regarding my work at Capstone Search Group.  We are coming off of a very successful 2011 and have big hopes for exciting projects and more growth in 2012.  Employers are beginning to loosen their purse strings, passive candidates who have sat on the sidelines for the past couple of years are beginning to sprout up, and our nationwide reach grows by the day with our team's efforts to let everyone know how we operate differently from so many other executive recruiting firms.  I will covet feedback as we embark on this journey together and hope to provide content that is engaging, relevant, and helpful to my client and candidate database alike.