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... years on their retrospective rating program. A sweater factory went from $470,000 in paid claims and reserves for two years prior to the initiation of a safety program to only $45,000 after the program's first year. Similar results were achieved at a manufacturer of vibration-isolation equipment. The traditional agent's role has been to write the policy and handle accident reports. I believe that agents can become proactive missionaries for safety and loss prevention. Imagine, we could have 20,000 missionaries preaching that the the cheapest accident is ... only safety professionals responsible for results. In smaller enterprises, the agent can become a major influence in molding these elements together. The effort should be made not just for the sake of safety, but to improve morale. For instance, a sanitary district had special trucks to pick up heavy items, such as refrigerators and washing machines, but did not supply its workers with hand trucks. The workers had to move heavy items manually from the curb to the truck-not a safe environment. The employees thought I was a miracle man ... . That's only the beginning. I encourage a more hands-on approach to safety. Agents can make a real difference by helping the employer establish safety committees. Why is this important? Studies show that 90% of all accidents are caused by employees rather than by faulty equipment or conditions. Turning over the responsibility for safety and accident prevention to employees, through safety committees, is the only sure-fire way to achieve lasting results. Through my experience, I am more convinced than ever that the only successful approach to safety is to implement ...

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Workers Comp policies go by the official name of 'Workers Compensation and Employers Lia...ar every year, and insurance companies offer competitive premiums to attract b...

... a great example for independent insurance agencies. Independent hardware store A probably has 1/20th the floor space, stock, and selection of the competition. However, there's plenty of variety among the items they carry. For example, they carry parts for every sink manufacturer. So even though I can't buy a sink at Store A, I can find the parts to fix any sink. More importantly, someone is always available to tell me how to do the repair and help me get the right part the first time. ... class of customers, Store B also successfully cross-sells its customers clothing, hunting and fishing equipment, toys, and animals. The key is that the clothes are Western-style or work clothes ranchers and farmers like. The toys are things like tractors, plastic animals, and trucks. Store B found that it can sell its customers almost anything related to farms and ranches. Small independent agencies can thrive by identifying a type of business that large agencies inadequately service. Identify a group of clients, become experts in their business and their needs-and ... them all the coverages they require. Independent agencies, even small ones, definitely have a bright future. They need to do something special like the two small hardware stores. Offer better service related to a specific product or offer better service to a select group of customers-and you can sell those customers everything. Chris Burand can be reached at Burand & Associates, LLC, PMB 345, 1829 S. Pueblo Blvd., Pueblo, CO 81005, (719) 485-3868, fax (719) 485-3895, E-mail [email protected ...

...s, definitely have a bright future. Offer better service related to a specific product or offer better service to a select group of customers, and you can sell those cust...l like the two small hardware stores. Offer better service related to a specific product or offer better service to a select group of customers-and you can sell those cu...