Description: Discussion of ways direct marketers have beaten recessions in the recent past and suggestions for beating this recession.

Description: A health actuary describes her journey as a parent of a child with medical needs, and the complexities associated with navigating the health insurance industry.

Description: A look at the "The Power of Nice" by Ron Shapiro and how we can learn some important lessons from his work.

Description: The Stepping Stone issue 60, November 2015

Description: This article defines "elevator pitch" and why one is needed. A great elevator pitch is an indispensable competitive advantage that will accelerate your career progress. A poor one can leave you toiling in anonymity.

Description: This is an article about the sales process for long-term care insurance.

Description: Beyond technical skills, actuaries must be outstanding communicators and influences in order to maintain the critical roles they play within insurance organizations. Early career development is focused on building a strong technical and industry foundation. Once this foundation is in place, however, actuaries must quickly adapt to being submerged in a fast-paced, results-oriented business environment that requires the ability to communicate effectively and, more importantly, influence those around you. This article is intended to educate young actuarial professionals on key business influencing skills that will be beneficial in the near term as well as throughout their careers. The main focus is on influencing peers.

Description: To persuade successfully and non-manipulatively, it’s important to understand five key principles of influence. In this four-part series, I’ll be covering these five principles that are based on human psychology and behavior. Let’s look at the first two now.