Jim Edholm

The trade of benefits broker is becoming more cutthroat by the hour, just ask Jim Edholm. As President of Business Benefits Insurance, an employee benefits planning firm in Andover, MA, Jim has worked with employers for more than 25 years and has witnessed his field become overrun with competition during that span.

“Even ten years ago you could start to see the business getting more and more crowded,” remarks Jim. “I would hardly ever have to compete directly with another broker, whereas today there are a lot more brokers selling insurance.”

So how has Jim managed to stay a step ahead of his competitors? The answer: thoughtleading.

“Publishing has really helped me build my credibility with clients,” he says. “It’s been an invaluable asset in a field such as mine, which is getting more competitive everyday.”

With hundreds of articles and columns to his credit, Jim has become a permanent fixture to some of the region’s most prominent business journals and trade publications. With published articles in the Employee Benefit Plan Review, Employee Benefit News, Benefits & Compensation Solutions, Worcester Business Journal, Lawrence Eagle Tribune, IndUS Business Journal, and dozens of other publications, he has maintained a strategic advantage over his opponents and become one of the foremost experts in the business of benefits.

Publishing articles as a thoughtleader, he's been able to communicate his expertise to an ever-growing audience, educating employers of all sizes with seasoned insight. An excerpt from a recent article titled “Focus on… Brokers: The Secret That Benefits Brokers Do Not Want Employers to Know,” in Employee Benefit Plan Review, highlights Edholm’s grasp of the industry:

“Conflicting interests beset the benefits broker… And some of those interests are not necessarily the same as the company the broker is advising. Group insurance/benefits brokers often present themselves as totally allied with their client. They claim to be working to generate the best possible coverage, at the best possible price, with the best possible service. And that is frequently true. But there are hidden forces in play which may result in the client getting advice that works better for the broker than it does for the company he or she purports to serve….”

Though his firm specializes in areas such as group health and dental insurance, short and long term disability insurance, group life insurance and voluntary group insurance, Jim, like many thoughtleaders, is frequently invited as a guest speaker to educate various groups and organizations on a wide range of industry topics and trends.

about emerson consulting group
emerson consulting group transforms consultants, attorneys, finance experts, executives and companies into successful "thoughtleaders" via publishing, speaking engagements, research projects, the Internet and other thoughtleading channels. Learn more by visiting our website www.thoughtleading.com or by calling 978-371-0442. Sign up for our free monthly "thoughtnotes" by filling in the subscriber box in the left-hand margin on our website.

JUST OUT! A new book by our Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) Ken Lizotte The Expert's Edge: Become The Go-To Authority People Turn To Every Time has just been published by McGraw Hill. It’s available at Amazon.com and in bookstores everywhere. Click here to learn more: www.thoughtleading.com/books.htm

Company Website: http://www.thoughtleading.com

Ken Lizotte, Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO), 978-371-0442
Patricia Coate, West Coast Manager, 415-309-2331

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