The P2P Team

Jim Effner | CEO

Jim Effner is founder and President of P2P Group, a company specializing in sales training for financial services professionals. His mission is to help bridge the gap between financial advisors’ potential and their performance.

Prior to forming the P2P Group, Jim was Managing Partner of one of the largest Northwestern Mutual offices in the country. He built the Effner Financial Group to nearly 150 full-time and college advisors, insuring over 65,000 policyholders with a face amount of nearly $27 billion.

A Million Dollar Round Table qualifier every year he worked in the business, Jim is now a lifetime member of MDRT. He was a three-time Recognition Dinner/Forum qualifier, which represents the top 5% of all Northwestern Mutual advisors. In fact, he was the youngest person to make Forum the first two times he qualified. As a new advisor, he led his region in 1990, 1991 and 1992, placing runner-up in the Bronze and Silver awards, and 3rd in the Gold.

Jim has overcome numerous life challenges, including losing his hearing just 30 days after taking his Managing Partner contract. He brings his commitment to excellence, his passion, energy and conviction – along with his perspective of 30+ years in the industry – to every aspect of his business.

Jim’s Notable Achievements

Back-to-back years as the youngest qualifier for Forum - NW Mutual’s most elite producers

As an advisor, built a highly successful practice – as an MP, developed others to do the same

A Million Dollar Roundtable Qualifier Every Year He Worked In Business

Chicago Council Board Member of Feed My Starving Children

Former MP leading 145 Financial Reps with $27 Billion of insurance inforce

Kelly Phillips | Coach

Kelly Phillips serves as a P2P Advocate and plays a key role in helping advisors and offices implement the systems, structure, and mindset needed to create sustainable growth and long-term success.

Kelly’s role at P2P has three primary components:

  1. She works directly with advisors in Jim Effner’s exclusive Sales Cycle Mastery program, coaching them through the implementation of Jim’s proven sales systems. Kelly has now coached over 1,000 financial representatives through the program, helping advisors build confidence, consistency, and sustainable performance growth.

  2. She is responsible for coordinating speaking engagements, workshops, and advisor development opportunities while continuing to apply Jim’s systems in her own practice and coaching.

  3. Kelly oversees P2P’s Launch program, a development platform designed specifically for brand-new financial representatives. In this role, she partners with offices and leadership teams to help implement Launch effectively while supporting new advisors as they build the foundational habits, systems, and mindset needed to create a strong fast start in the business and long-term success in the career.

Prior to joining the P2P team, Kelly spent 10 years with Northwestern Mutual in various roles ranging from sales to technology and recruiting. She has always been passionate about helping people tap into their true potential and believes transformational growth happens when mindset, systems, and accountability work together. Kelly works diligently to ensure everything P2P delivers is designed to create maximum impact and measurable results.

Kelly and her husband, Jamie, have three children. In her free time, she loves being outdoors doing everything from camping to hunting.

Jennifer DeTroye | Director of GSD

Jennifer DeTroye brings decades of leadership, strategic thinking, and deep industry experience to P2P Group. Her career began as a financial advisor, where she quickly developed a passion for helping advisors build meaningful practices and create lasting impact for their clients. That passion ultimately led her from the field into leadership, where she spent many years serving in a variety of roles at Northwestern Mutual's Home Office, partnering with advisors, leaders, and teams across the country to drive growth, innovation, and execution.

Today, Jennifer serves as a key strategic partner at P2P Group, helping transform ideas into actionable solutions. Known for her ability to bring clarity to complexity, she plays a critical role in shaping strategy, refining implementation, and ensuring that the vision behind P2P's programs is delivered with excellence. Simply put, Jennifer has a unique ability to take what's in Jim Effner's head and bring it to life in ways that create meaningful results for advisors and organizations alike. Her combination of field experience, corporate leadership, and operational expertise allows her to bridge big-picture thinking with practical execution, making her an invaluable member of the P2P team.

Outside of work, Jennifer is a devoted wife, proud mother of three boys, and recently celebrated one of her greatest joys, becoming a grandmother for the first time. She is also a passionate advocate for diabetes awareness and research, dedicating her support to efforts aimed at improving lives and ultimately finding a cure.

Jennifer's passion for people, commitment to excellence, and belief in the power of continuous growth are reflected in everything she does.