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Churches - "Peace Of Mind"
CHURCHES - 'PEACE OF MIND' Dear (Customer Na...insurance coverage for all types of churches. When you need guidance to ensure...

Churches - "Not A Typical Business"
Dear (...me), we specialize in insurance for churches. We know about the risk you face ...

... has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Grace Bauer 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM BACKLOG! ARE YOU KEEPING UP? by Grace Bauer Does your office have a serious backlog problem? If you answered no' to this question, think again! Most of the offices I talk to every.. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Catastrophe Planning: Is Your Agency Really Prepared? This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Grace Bauer 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM CATASTROPHE PLANNING: IS YOUR AGENCY REALLY PREPARED? by Grace Bauer After talking to a number of agents, I've learned that only 10% of agencies are truly prepared for a catastrophe! Sur.. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Churches - "Peace Of Mind" This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor 4/30/2013 10:37:47 PM CHURCHES - PEACE OF MIND' Dear (Customer Name): PEACE OF MIND . . . that's the quality that a place of worship provides for its parishioners. Guidance, joy, comfort, but most importan.. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Eliminate Customer Service Nightmares With "Carre" This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Jack Fries 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM ELIMINATE CUSTOMER SERVICE NIGHTMARES WITH CARRE' by Jack Fries Wouldnt it great if you could get all of your customers to come back every year? For starters, you should put. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments ...

... succeed by offering his competitor's customers significantly lower prices to break their contracts and that meant getting into real estate. Since the main cost of storing records in New York City (where he located his operations) is storage space, Brodsky needed to use real estate more efficiently. Because space is leased on a square footage basis regardless of the ceiling height, by leasing only buildings with tall ceilings his company was able to acquire more storage space for minimal additional cost and pass the savings along to his competitor's customers. The key was finding the right buildings, which put Brodsky in the real estate business. At a Small Business Administration seminar a few years back, I met a minister who had concluded that his business was not just saving souls, but entertaining minds by drawing more people to his church. His goal was the creation of a marketing plan to convince people that attending his church would be more beneficial and enjoyable for their eyes, ears, bodies and souls than channel surfing, watching Sunday sports (especially football and NASCAR), fishing, golf, and a wide variety of other weekend activities. What business are you in? As these examples show, the answer might be far from obvious. If you believe that you're selling insurance, ' prepare your agency for a slow demise. Traditional P/C coverages are becoming less and less important by the day. According to some estimates, almost 50% of all Commercial P/C premium bypasses the traditional market, and conventional P/C products cover only 2% of corporate risks. In the past, every ...

... course, there's that legendary family in the obscure community of Coudersport, Pennsylvania that took care of the town while looting Adelphia, the company they founded, and turning it into a piggy bank' for their personal pleasure. What's it all mean? Frankly, the millions of words in print and on the air make for good entertainment but little enlightenment. And the abundant, yet preposterous and self-serving, political posturing only adds to the din. When it comes to identifying the basic problem, the widely touted sins of greed, immorality, and defective character are irrelevant. Whether it's Arthur Andersen or WorldCom, there's little or no indication that the perpetrators of dishonesty are bad people. Quite the contrary, many are the portrait of what we consider the good American. Devoted to their families, they attend church regularly and give their time to civic concerns. The founder of Adelphia was generous to a fault, helping employees and those in the community who had a financial need. Yet, he and his family members looted the company of hundreds of millions of dollars. THE DISLOYALTY DEED The problem isn't bad, dishonest, or greedy people. It's not about putting the brakes on acquisitiveness or isolating some defective moral gene. The bedrock issue is totally different: All of these executives exhibited a total disregard for their companies. No matter what position of responsibility they held, their actions were identical: they were disloyal to their employers. It's striking that in many cases it was the founders of these corporations who did the most damage. They willfully destroyed what they created. If those who perpetrated such ...

... members of their fraternity — the CPAs — are moving lawyers, used car salesmen, and insurance people out of society's prestige dungeon. Some now perceive them as umpires who sold out. Enron, Arthur Andersen, World Com, Global Crossing, etc. are daily fodder for the talking heads on TV. How could they? The vast majority of their employees and stockholders perceived that their companies valued creativity, conscientious effort, capitalism, community, and competition. The disconnect' was that the boards, leadership, and watchdogs (Arthur Andersen) knew that the real values were profit and perks at any price! This wasn't about fraud; it was about a misunderstanding of corporate values. After all, there's no right or wrong. When you work to build a family, a business, a church, or an organization, it's essential to understand that values are the foundation of the entity. Make sure that everyone understands these values and agrees to abide by them. If you and the values don't match up — leave. If someone else in the system can't live according to these values, invite them to leave. Without congruence in values, social institutions can't develop to their maximum potential and in all likelihood will self-destruct. Unmatched values are a lie. Think back to a recent Super Bowl and the riot that followed at the home city of the winner. Both events (the game and the riot) can be defined as violent, high intensity, dangerous, adrenaline driven, and emotional. The only difference was that the game had boundaries, rules, regulations, and a ...

... succeed by offering his competitor's customers significantly lower prices to break their contracts and that meant getting into real estate. Since the main cost of storing records in New York City (where he located his operations) is storage space, Brodsky needed to use real estate more efficiently. Because space is leased on a square footage basis regardless of the ceiling height, by leasing only buildings with tall ceilings his company was able to acquire more storage space for minimal additional cost and pass the savings along to his competitor's customers. The key was finding the right buildings, which put Brodsky in the real estate business. At a Small Business Administration seminar a few years back, I met a minister who had concluded that his business was not just saving souls, but entertaining minds by drawing more people to his church. His goal was the creation of a marketing plan to convince people that attending his church would be more beneficial and enjoyable for their eyes, ears, bodies and souls than channel surfing, watching Sunday sports (especially football and NASCAR), fishing, golf, and a wide variety of other weekend activities. What business are you in? As these examples show, the answer might be far from obvious. If you believe that you're selling insurance, ' prepare your agency for a slow demise. Traditional P/C coverages are becoming less and less important by the day. According to some estimates, almost 50% of all Commercial P/C premium bypasses the traditional market, and conventional P/C products cover only 2% of corporate risks. In the past, every ...

... that she felt their business was valued and service was good. One day, Jan and Bob received a letter from their agent advising that he was selling his agency to another local agent and that the new agent would be in touch. No problem, they thought. Months went by without even a letter of introduction from the new agent. Then the renewal policies came in with a letter from the new agent, saying that their account had been moved to a different company, and that they should call if they had any questions. "Questions?" said Jan. "I was fuming. Who is this agent? She doesn't even know us and she's making decisions like this for us!" Jan and Bob quickly worked to move their business. They knew an agent from their church whom they liked and trusted. After a meeting and account review with this agent, Jan and Bob moved their account. Bob told me that they haven't heard from their prior agent even after they cancelled their policies. STORY #2 My Aunt Judy had been doing business with the same agency and CSR for 30 years. She knew Marie well and they shared life happenings with each other when business brought them together. Aunt Judy's Personal Lines business has been through carrier purchases, automobile claims, jewelry losses, and premium increases. Her trust and loyalty never wavered. She knew it was inevitable that Marie would retire or the agency would be sold. Both happened. Like Jan and Bob, Aunt Judy received notice of the agency's sale. In this case, it was sold to a ...

... the reasons for buying insurance. As best you can and as realistically as possible, explain how and why to buy insurance (not just why customers should buy it from you) - i.e., they are purchasing financial protection against major types of disasters. DEFINE what customers want. Help them know what they're getting, then make sure they get what was promised. This encourages longevity in the relationship. On a regular basis, clarify exactly what the prospect or customer does not want to be without in the event of a loss (cars, home, building, employees, etc.) . ACCLIMATE customers. Within a few days of the prospect making a buying decision, offer to meet him or her individually. If you have a group of clients with similar concerns - say, churches or dry cleaners - conduct a short, educational seminar for the group. Also, introduce clients to others in the agency who may work on their protection plan during the upcoming year. SHOW customers examples of forms and other insurance-related items such as a: certificate of insurance policy billing statement or invoice loss notice DEMONSTRATE how to fill out certain forms and offer to answer any questions. ROLE-PLAY: Walk customers through a couple of possible scenarios they may encounter. For example, what do they do in the event of a loss? What information will the agency need when they call for certificates of insurance? PREPARE clients to be better businesspeople and better risk managers. Explain how they can protect their property by storing and locking it appropriately. Teach them how to have healthy and safety-conscious employees and ...

...cess inventory to local schools, churches, etc. Offer employees sabbatical...