BLUE RAVEN actuarial

SVP, Sales & Broker Partnerships

Tillirson Consulting Group

-GTM Strategic Advisory for benefits vendors & brokers
-1x1 coaching for sellers who want to stand out with their prospects and channel partners
-Group sales coaching

Principal

Imagine Benefits

Strategic Advisor

BenEngage

It's Destiny Recruiting

Advisor

Alight Solutions

Consultant strategy and sales leader for Central US

+140% to quota (over $13MM in sales)

Champions Club winner

Regional Director, Consultant Relations - Central

Showcase™

National Sales Leader, Equity Partner

Key New Logos Sold: Blackthorn.io, PAR Technology

VP/Head of Sales (Exited during March 2023 Acquisition)

National Sales Leader

Key New Logos Sold: Mighty Taco, InnovateHR, Cable One

National Director, Business Development

PES Enrollments

Producer - Central US

Key New Logos Sold: R&C Roofing, Vacation Myrtle Beach

Director of Business Development

Colonial Life

Managed partnerships with Alera Group, Alliant, HUB International, Leavitt Group, and all General Agencies.

Established new partnerships with Alliant, BenefitMall, PGP, Emerson Reid

National Broker Partner Manager

Developed enrollment and VB strategies for employers with 500+ employees in Central and Western US.

Premier Client Consultant (Enterprise Account Executive)

Managed account level underwriting for Colonial Life, Paul Revere, and First UNUM in the Northeast U.S.

Risk Manager

Provided service and administrative support for large employers throughout the US.

Billing Specialist III - Core & Premier Markets

Actuarial SaaS and Consulting for Innovative Benefit Advisors / GTM Advisory for Benefits Founders and Sales Execs

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘍, 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭. That's me.

Benefit brokers partner with me to bring innovative tech solutions to their clients.

Outside of the office, I am a:

Community Volunteer 😇
Tattoo Enthusiast 🖋
Recording Artist 🎧
Multi-Instrumentalist 🎸
Singer/Songwriter 🎙
People Connector 🔗

𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒕?

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹: 803.727.5620
𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: sims@tillirsonconsulting.com

I fired my doctor last week after seeing her for over 5 years. 


she didn’t do anything wrong - the system did. 

I couldn’t handle driving 30 minutes (one way), sitting in the waiting room another 45 minutes, sitting in the exam room another 45 minutes, and seeing her for less than 10 minutes before driving another 30 minutes home. 

not to mention - her time constraints meant she was treating my symptoms, not the root cause of them. 

hard to have an experience like that and then pay a co-pay plus a balance bill. 

so, tomorrow morning I’m trying the direct primary care route for the first time. 

$90/month for unlimited visits/access to my doctor and NO INSURANCE. 

i even have her cell phone number 😏

why’d I make this change? 

1) to maximize my time
2) for full price transparency
3) because my doctor makes more money when I’m healthy, not sick
4) going through BUCA insurance as a consumer sucks 

my first appointment with my new doc is tomorrow, and she scheduled us for 90 full minutes!!!

would you ever try Direct Primary Care?

Sims Tillirson

it’s the best day of the year. 

that’s right. it’s Brianne Tillirson ‘s birthday!!!

10 years ago today, my life changed forever over way too many fireball shots at a bar in Clinton, SC. 

since then, we’ve gotten married, welcomed two sons into the world, and built a beautiful life together. 

here’s to you B - my best friend and my light in the darkness. 

I love you. 

thank goodness we’ll be overindulging in pizza and ice cream instead of cinnamon liquor 😂

The most robust playbooks and systems in the world can’t replace on the job training for an employee who needs it. 

While y’all were watching the eclipse yesterday, I was running meetings from an empty desk in a carmax most of the afternoon. 

After toting around the boys in my little A4 all weekend, B and I decided it was time for me to get back into a bigger vehicle. 

The sales rep that helped me out was wonderful and kind, but I was her 3rd sale ever and her 1st experience buying a car from a customer to use as a trade toward the new sale. 

I watched as she pored over helpful instructions and plays inside SFDC and tracked down managers for help. 

She apologized everytime she felt she had made a mistake, and I couldn’t help but think…

A mentor should have been running the sale with her. 

Instead, other sellers would walk by from time to time to say “have you done X?” 

And, she would have to try to figure out how to complete the task. 

All in all, I had a great experience and would buy from this seller again. 

I just hope she gets the help she WANTS as she grows into this new role.

you don’t have to do business with people you trust and respect, but it’s more fun when you do. 

when I was evaluating a move to BLUE RAVEN actuarial, David and Emma were quick to demo our solutions and give me feedback. 

my first week on the job, they became my first enterprise client - rolling our reporting suite out to all of their clients. 

that made yesterday’s OE meeting with our first mutual client extra special. 

the steaks and selfie after the meeting were just icing on a great cake. 

CTA? 

when you work with people whose incentives and values align with yours, amazing things happen.

I’ve generated +$1 million in qualified pipeline and closed over $125,000 in ARR in my first month at BLUE RAVEN actuarial with ZERO cold calls. 

How did I do it? 

- leveraged existing broker relationships
- solicited referrals from my network
- created experiences instead of a boring sales process
- disqualified quickly
- ruthlessly managed my calendar
- kept an extremely tight focus of my ideal buyer

So, cold calling must be dead right? 

Nah. I’m just not great at it, so I used these methods instead. 

- cold email 
- video/voice messages on LinkedIn 
- referral requests
- direct mail
- warm calling

I’m not the greatest salesman in the world - not even close, but I do have two important things on my side:

- product market fit
- a deep understanding of my buyer’s problems

Put all of this together, and our team is off to a great start. 

How are you building pipeline?

I think I forgot to tell you I’m speaking at BenefitsPRO Broker Expo in a few weeks. 

So, this is me telling you. 🤷‍♂️

“are you not entertained?” - Caitlin Clark (probably, okay maybe it was Russell Crowe) 

Caitlin has helped to usher in the era of WBB superstars during her time in the NCAA. 

that’s not to say she did this alone - she stands on the shoulders of giants like Cola’s own Dawn Staley and all time greats like Diana Taurasi. 

still, you’ve got to realize three things as you watch WBB March Madness move toward its exciting conclusion:

1) we are witnessing history with Caitlin Clark 🐐

2) everyone watches women’s sports

3) the game is in good hands with stars like JuJu Watkins changing the game as freshmen

there’s no CTA here. 

I’m just amped from watching the Iowa game last night.

busy parents will dig this one. 

the easiest crock pot supper of all time. 


first, get yourself a friend who owns a hot sauce company and also makes amazing dry rub. Taylor is your guy. 

next, head to the grocery store and grab:

1 lb. chicken breast 
8 oz chunky salsa
8 oz your favorite cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 bag Tostitos or flour tortillas 

here’s where the magic happens:

1) place chicken breast in your crockpot
2) season liberally with Cowboy Campire and garlic powder
3) pour salsa over the chicken
4) cook on low for 8-10 hours
5) shred chicken with forks
6) fold in your favorite cheese
7) serve over chips or in a flour tortilla
8) add sour cream and hot sauce if you’re cool 

this meal saves me on busy days.

remember there’s a big world out there outside of LinkedIn. 

we’re exploring it. 

- Jack & Sims

you want to grow on LinkedIn but don’t know where to start. 

I got you. 

if you’re a salesperson, you’re probably familiar with hard calendaring and time-blocking. 

if you aren’t, here’s a quick rundown. 

we block activities like cold calling, prospecting, and admin on our calendars to dedicate time to them. 

now, that we have that out of the way, here’s how you get started. 

1) block 30 minutes on your calendar every weekday morning for LinkedIn activity

2) send at least 10 targeted connection requests to prospects, partners, or people you want to learn from 

3) leave at least 5 thoughtful comments on posts made by prospects, partners, people you want to learn from, or industry thought leaders. 

your goal is to add to the conversation, not say “great post”

4) create one piece of content with the goal of helping someone know, like, and trust you. 

this is the hardest part, but you’ll get better everyday. 

need more help getting started?

hit me up to book a session or join a Darren McKee cohort. 

we got you.

i rock my own merch and like my own posts. 




if you wouldn’t buy your own product, why would your prospect? 

that’s why it’s so important to ship things you believe in. 

before you make some dope new merch, write a great piece of content, or create a fantastic prospect experience; 

you’ve got to ask yourself…

would i buy this? 

hopefully, the answer is always yes.

sometimes I’m a complete idiot.



my wife might tell you it’s way more often than that, but I digress. 

on Saturday night, my son and I were playing with our family dog outside. 

I had been kicking his jolly ball off the front of the house, so he could run after it. 

you probably know where this is going. 

yep, kicked the ball straight through a window. 

after cleaning all the glass up (there was a lot), my son and I headed to Lowe’s for a new piece of glass. 

after waiting on help for over 30 minutes, we grabbed some plywood and headed home. 

I cut the wood to size and screwed it in, so we could get through the night with no bugs. 

another trip to Lowe’s later, I got the glass I needed and got the window fixed. 

why are my handyman skills only necessary when I do something dumb and break something?

the face of a man who has not had any caffeine today even though he has been on solo daddy duty since Thursday.

you connected with a potential customer on LinkedIn. Now what? 


I like to send a video or voice note introducing myself and providing a few ways I can add value for my new connection (not a pitch).  

here’s what that looks like:

1) get your talking points down, and be sure to use the name of the person you’re messaging often.

2) keep your script under 45 seconds if possible.  

3) step outside or into a well-lit room and put on a smile. 

4) go into messenger on your LinkedIn app and get ready to record your video or voice note. 

that function isn’t currently available on the browser. 

5) send it. 

5a) your chances of an immediate response are higher if your prospect is currently “active” on LinkedIn. you’ll see a green dot on their picture in messenger if they’re active. 

here’s what an intro message script might look like for a broker I want to work with:

“𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 

𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦. 

𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧… 

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦. 

𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴!”

This strategy is meant to begin building a relationship, not book a meeting. 

That said, you’ll be surprised how often a prospect will ask to meet with you after receiving a message like this. 

Want to get your soft CTA messaging strategy off the ground? 

Hit me up.

sometimes you gotta let the tats breathe and go crush some of the best BBQ in the state. 


PS Happy 4202024

here's exactly how i went from 0 to 4 clients on year-long contracts for my consulting business in under 3 months.



i'm really not sure. 

they were all inbound leads from LinkedIn. 

even if you’re one of those lame white dudes who says “I’ve never had an interest in women’s sports”, you can’t ignore greatness. 

congrats to my hometown crew on a perfect season and a well-deserved title. 

and remember… 

everyone watches women’s sports.

It’s not even 8 am on Sunday, and I’m already geared up to crush my Monday. 


here’s what that looks like for me:

1) review my meetings and read over prep notes for each (10 minutes)

2) identify the 5 accounts I’m prospecting into in the morning (10 minutes)

3) write my LinkedIn post for the morning (10 minutes)

4) spending the rest of the day doing things I love with the people I love (11.5 hours)

that thirty minute investment in my work always gives me a jump start on Monday and keeps me on track the whole week. 

how are you using Sunday to make your Monday more effective?

Getting back on the road today for the first time in a few months. 

Can’t wait to see the masters David Contorno and Emma Fox, CHVA  at work running OE meetings and finally meet Nick Allen in real life. 

No better way kick off a partnership than with an onsite implementation! 

As if today couldn’t get any better, I’ll be home in my own bed tonight. 

What are you up to today?

ever wondered about the amazing companies I partner with at Tillirson Consulting Group? 

no? too bad I’m telling you about them anyway. 

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽/𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 - brokerage with a goal to make great care accessible to individuals/enrollment and advocacy firm specializing in RBP and unbundled self funded plans

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 - innovative, fully transparent benefits consultant in Acadiana. 

𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗹𝗹𝘆 - my go-to vendor management tool for the latest and greatest in benefits solutions

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶 - voluntary benefit that helps employees save $1200/year on average on cell phone bills 

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲 - comprehensive mental wellness platform empowering every employee to thrive personally and professionally

want to learn more about any of these great companies? 

DM, text, email, or send a carrier pigeon.

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