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April 10, 2006
GUARDIAN's SMALL GROUP SALES (SGS) PROGRAM HAS EXPANDED TO 48 GEOGRAPHIC MARKETS
Enhances Services to Brokers Serving Small Businesses with Two to Fifteen Employees
New York, April 10, 2006 —The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), a leading provider of employee and voluntary benefits to small and mid-sized companies, today announced the successful expansion of its Small Group Sales (SGS) Initiative. SGS, which now serves 48 geographic markets, up from nine in the beginning of 2005, was designed to give brokers dedicated access to benefits experts who understand the unique challenges of small businesses with less than 16 employees. Brokers continue to work with local Guardian Group Representatives for groups with 16 or more lives.
"We saw the need for a tailored offering to this market and are committed to understanding and meeting the unique needs of the small business market. The SGS expansion reaffirms our commitment," said Clancy Merrill, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales Northeast, Guardian. "We provide custom-designed, high quality, cost-effective benefits to help small business clients attract and retain top talent."
A broker survey commissioned by Guardian revealed that loyalty and broker satisfaction have been key drivers in the success of the program. 92% of brokers familiar with SGS said that they are likely to recommend SGS to a colleague. In the survey, SGS was praised as being a program that is easy to work with and trustworthy, with an average score of 8.7 and 8.9 respectively, on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 as the highest score.
Added Merrill, "We are never complacent and we use feedback from brokers to continually improve our services to this key market. The early success of our SGS initiative marked by our high broker awareness and satisfaction demonstrates Guardian's ability to meet the strong demand for benefits programs that are in tune with the unique challenges and opportunities of small business owners. No matter how large or small their case, brokers will get the same excellent service they have come to expect from Guardian."
The Small Group Sales program offers many advantages to brokers including the following:
 | Customized, high quality benefit programs for companies with as few as two employees; |
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| Sales support that understands the needs and challenges of small business owners; |
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| Fast, efficient service including two-day turnaround on proposals and phone messages returned within an hour. |
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| Dedicated staff for in force business; |
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| Rate discounts for multiple lines of coverage. |
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About Guardian
Founded in 1860, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY (Guardian) is the fourth largest mutual life insurance company in the United States. As of December 31, 2005, Guardian and its subsidiaries had $40.7 billion in assets (on a GAAP basis). With more than 5,000 employees and 3,000 financial representatives, as well as over 85 agencies nationwide, Guardian and its subsidiaries protect individuals, businesses and their employees with life, disability, health, long-term care and dental insurance products, and offer 401(k), financial products and trust services. More information about Guardian can be obtained at: www.guardianlife.com.
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