Austin’s Southerland & Associates Completes Training and Earns the WomenCertified® Seal

Austin, TX (April 14, 2010) – WomenCertified today announced Southerland & Associates has earned the WomenCertified Seal and is specially qualified to provide an extraordinary level of sales and service to women.

Southerland & Associates is an independent insurance and financial services firm, serving business owners and other professionals in the Austin area.

In order to better serve their clients, in March the Southerland & Associates team completed the WomenCertified training and certification program. WomenCertified is designed to teach sales and service professionals how to deliver better customer service, with the goal of creating women friendly companies and experiences to increase customer satisfaction.

"We are very proud to be WomenCertified,” stated Cynthia Southerland. “With insurance questions on many people’s minds following President Obama’s signing of the healthcare reform bill, becoming WomenCertified has fueled our dedication to empowering our clients – both business owners and individuals – with knowledge and solutions while answering their questions with understanding and patience. WomenCertified is a sign of our commitment to our customers’ total satisfaction.”

To become WomenCertified, sales and service professionals must complete a series of intensive training modules to learn the communication and customer service skills proven to be the most effective and desired among women customers. Once companies and professionals complete the program, they are listed on the WomenCertified Locator on womencertified.com, where consumers can search for certified women friendly companies.

“We are thrilled to add the Southerland & Associates team to our roster of WomenCertified companies who are raising the bar in providing the best customer service experience to women,” said Delia Passi, founder of WomenCertified and author of Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women. “Studies show that women are growing less satisfied with the levels of customer service they receive, and WomenCertified is working to reverse that trend. It’s a win-win opportunity for companies and consumers.”

About Southerland & Associates

Southerland & Associates is an independent insurance and financial services firm located in Austin, TX. We specialize in creating insurance plans that are tailored to meet the individual needs of each client. We work closely with business owners, and other professionals regarding all types of business insurance, employee benefits plans, disability and long term care insurance. We cover everything under the sun with your best interest at heart. For more information, please visit www.saprotects.com.

About WomenCertified®

WomenCertified—the Seal women trust for better service—is a proven training and certification program rich with resources to help professionals across multiple industries increase customer loyalty among both men and women through more effective communication, appreciation and an enriched customer experience. For more information visit www.womencertified.com.