https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/662/Consultative-Brokerage-A-Thinking-Player%E2%80%99s-Game/
...professional golfer swinging their clubs while waiting for the group in front ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/790/Using-Publicity-To-Enhance-Your-AgencyS-Image/
... agency's professionalism and dependability. Create an accessible, cordial environment by recruiting qualified employees from the community. Focus on persuading and motivating your audience to call your agency for a quote, to purchase insurance, to refer their friends and associates to you and to keep their insurance coverage with your firm. Identifying your target audience is critically important. Are you trying to reach new large commercial accounts? Are you attempting to develop a market niche? Or are you appealing to the general public to increase your personal-lines book? If you take time to identify your audience, you'll know where to go for publicity. You'll get the right message to the right audience through the right medium. If your agency wants to reach boat owners, for example, consider writing an educational article on insurance for a yacht club newsletter. Appoint someone within your agency to manage the publicity program. This manager will coordinate details of the program, work with the media, write articles and press releases, promote your agency's personality, and ensure that messages to the public are consistent. The manager will keep all employees apprised of all publicity efforts so that phone calls and inquiries are handled appropriately. Once the publicity plan is developed, begin contacting the local media to establish a relationship. Consider networking through community associations (Lions Club, the local chamber of commerce) and sponsoring events like the local Little League, symphony concert or neighborhood marathon. You might have to cold call newspaper and television editors, however, just as you call business prospects. Send the editors a press kit with your agency's brochure, a list ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/880/The-10-Most-Common-Insurance-Agency-Marketing-Mistakes-I/
...ve to 10 calls a day, join certain clubs and organizations, and drop in when t...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1311/Beginning-Your-Pr-Campaign/
...nclude the following:
Service clubs, such as Rotary, Optimists, Lions, Zo...groups, such as crafters guilds, card clubs, and sports teams
Religious g...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1951/ARE-RACETRACKS-SUSTAINABLE/
... developed through the decades. Racetracks must change. The insurance industry must adapt and change. In his classic article, "Marketing Myopia," Theodore Levitt pointed out, "Every major industry was once a growth industry." Mr. Levitt further stated that industries decline not because of market saturation. "It's because there has been a failure of management," he wrote. I could tell you more, but Mr. Levitt does it far better than me. I urge you to read his article. Here's reality: Most firms in the manufacturing and distribution end of the insurance business have done and continue to do well – very well. We aren't motivated to change. For us, the good old days mean two old white guys (OWG) drinking at the City Club and doing a deal. Our system is producer defined and producer driven. We sell products that include our compensation packaged inside. These products "cover" the risk of loss from physical peril – the stuff we know and understand. Unfortunately, the product is a promise to pay in the future for losses that most buyers can't understand in a language that they don't know .. We're comfortable with what we sell, but buyers aren't comfortable with what they buy. The world is changing, but for the most part our industry hasn't. Today, the client's decision-makers often wear a skirt or are of a different color, generation, or ethnicity; and they might not be enamored with our tales of drinking beer and chasing women. We're in a conflict of interest with them ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1039/The-Bottom-Line-On-Agency-Value/
... be vulnerable if producer agreements aren't in place or if producers have too much control over client relationships. To mitigate producer control, make sure you have strong employee agreements, which include non-compete and non-piracy clauses, even among co-owners. Another way to lessen account vulnerability is to use a team approach on your largest and fastest growing accounts. Make sure that service people — not just the producer — visit the client, conduct coverage reviews, or identify cross-selling opportunities. With this approach, the client will perceive the entire agency team as servicing the account, rather than one producer, and the agency has a better chance of keeping the account should the producer depart. We define recurring expenses as expenses necessary to support the generation and retention of insurance related income. We excluded such unnecessary expenses as country club dues, automobile leases for non-employee family members, and season tickets to sporting events. We also exclude non-recurring expenses. These might include professional fees for changes to an employee benefit program, one-time purchases of major office equipment, or producer commissions paid for non-recurring Life income. TRACKING DOWN EXPENSES Because adjusting for unnecessary and non-recurring expense items benefits owners when valuing an agency, keeping track of these items is critical. Some expenses, such as country club dues and season tickets, are easy to track and quantify. Other expenses, such as flying first class or staying in luxury hotels, will be more difficult to quantify. Other expense items that you should track include dues, subscriptions, charitable contributions, professional fees, and outside services. These items often contain one-time business expenses. Another major ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/680/General-Agency-Advertising/
...om you are marketing your product. Clubs and franchises have economic data on ...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1619/INTERVIEWING-MODULE-III-A/
... they like best and least? To what clubs or organizations did they belong? L ... outside activities, such as business clubs, school associations, sports, poli...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/2641/Sample-Agency-Business-Plan/
...is year.
Support of area civic clubs, arts endeavors, community projects e...
https://completemarkets.com/Article/article-post/1634/Motivation-Module-Iii-E/
... on production or base the award on the producer's premium volume as a qualification for the Agent-of-the-Month award. See the "Life Production" graph at the end of this section. In order to qualify, the producer must meet a minimum of, for example, $5 ,000 of annualized first-year commissions during the particular month. Send a press release and a photograph of the agent to local newspapers. Make copies of the newspaper article and send them to the producer's top 50 or 100 clients. Agency Dedicator Program-This program provides recognition each month to those producers who, during the month, produce $5 ,000 in annualized first-year commissions. You can present an engraved trophy to each agent who qualified as a "dedicator"eight times or more in one year. New Producer Club-Organize a special club for trainee producers. If the trainee pays for 12 cases or more in a month, the producer and spouse will be your guests for a gourmet dinner. This also helps the new producer's spouse get better acquainted and feel a part of the agency. Lead-Day Participants-You can choose to assign qualified producers a "lead day." This means you give the recognized agent all of the phone and paper leads received on that specific day. This provides both recognition and the opportunity to develop more business. To qualify, the producer should be a member of the National Association of Life Under-writers and a Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) performer or be on track for MDRT qualification, as well as be a top recognized agency producer. Monthly Publication-An in-house publication can be put together and distributed at ...