The PLANSPONSOR Institute

The PLANSPONSOR Institute is the education arm of PLANSPONSOR®, the nation's leading authority on retirement issues. For more than a decade, we have provided news, insights, and information services to help employers and financial advisers navigate the complex world of retirement and benefit programs.

Training Philosophy

Successful training results in behavioral change for the people who participate. The changed behavior and activities that follow should move an organization toward the achievement of a critical objective. Without a clear objective and practical strategies that lead to behavioral change for the participants, training is an unproductive exercise. The process to determine a critical objective and then to develop strategies that are measurable in nature forms the building blocks for a successful training program. Below is the framework for how we approach this task.

Components of Successful Training

Clear Objectives

  • What are the goals?
  • Who are we training?
  • What is their background?
  • How will we measure?

Identify and Benchmark Outcomes

  • How are results measured?
  • When are the results measured?
  • Who tracks and measures results?

Understanding the Client

  • Buying motives
  • Frustrations
  • Fears

Product Understanding

  • Where does it fit?
  • Features and options
  • Understand the "why"

ERISA Understanding

  • Make the rules work for you
  • Know what you don't know
  • Keep it practical

Putting It All Together

  • Combine client, product, and ERISA knowledge
  • Interactive sessions
  • Role play
The PLANSPONSOR Institute - Independent Thought Leadership for the Retirement Plan Industry