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... x No Thanks Loading.. An Attention-Getter Paving The Way 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. AN ATTENTION-GETTER PAVING THE WAY COVERAGE: Total Service PROSPECTS: Prospective Clients COMMENTS: An Attention-Getter Paving the Way for Future Follow-Up. Dear (Customer Name), 3 THINGS YOUR INSURANCE AGENT OWES YOU Do you receive the insurance service you deserve and, more importantly, the service you need? Insurance service consists of three basic elements: advising the policyholder on the types and amounts of coverage best suited to specific needs, following through to see that the program of financial protection remains adequate and up to date, and assisting the policyholder in resolving any losses covered by the insurance. We give close and continuing attention to all three areas. That's our job as independent insurance agents. And to us, that adds up to service that you deserve. . . service that brings a smile of satisfaction to the people whose insurance requirements it is our privilege and responsibility to handle. Ours is a true multiple-line insurance agency providing a broad range of coverages for car, home, family, and business. We hope we can be of service to you. Sincerely, (Your Name) Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Paving Company Saves By Investing In Employees 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor This content has not been rated yet. PAVING COMPANY SAVES BY INVESTING IN EMPLOYEES Safety has been a major reason for the start-up and operation of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at Chamberlain, a paving contractor in Laurel, Maryland, specializing in parking lot maintenance. Over a three-year period, increases in Workers Compensation and Commercial General Liability exceeded 100% . By implementing a Safety Awareness Program, the company saw an immediate and significant decrease in the frequency of workers compensation claims and vehicular accidents. Because the company's heavy equipment and trucks travel daily on interstate highways around metropolitan Washington D.C., the owners felt it was necessary to implement an alcohol and drug policy. Years ago, a local consulting firm helped with the development of this policy by working with the company's human resource advisory group. The process included meetings with all employees to explain the rationale for the new policy and an opportunity for employee input. In the course of those meetings, it became clear that designing an alcohol and drug policy would not magically solve all the problems associated with these negative behaviors. The 75 full-time employees needed a mechanism to deal effectively with personal problems so that, if necessary, they could find help, take a leave of absence to deal with their problems, and then return to the company and improve their productivity. Chamberlain asked its consultant to solicit proposals from qualified EAP providers to implement and manage an EAP. At a cost of approximately $3 ,000 a year, Chamberlain's ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Developing Broker Services Agreements 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Gary Griffin This content has not been rated yet. DEVELOPING BROKER SERVICES AGREEMENTS by Gary Griffin This document by Gary Griffin illustrates the detail with which you can draft a broker service agreement and paves the way for you and your insured to develop a meaningful and profitable service partnership. For many businesses, insurance represents a substantial percentage of their revenues. In most instances, one or more insurance brokers places insurance policies on behalf of the insured. The brokers' income is usually derived from insurer-paid commissions, from a fee negotiated with the insured, or from some combination of the two. The insured pays — directly or indirectly — for the broker to perform certain services which might be limited to the marketing and placement of insurance; or they might include hands-on assistance with such things as risk identification and measurement, loss control, claims consulting, and actuarial studies. Although most businesses enter into some form of written contractual arrangement with many of their vendors, most don't have such contracts with their insurance brokers. This can hold true for even very large organizations where brokers' fees and commissions can range from several hundred thousand to millions of dollars each year. The benefit of a broker-services agreement is that it defines in writing the expectations of the insured and the responsibilities of the broker. This helps eliminate disputes that might arise. A written service agreement also provides benchmarks for measuring performance. Developing such an agreement nails down what the broker will do and requires the insured to focus on the services they ...

... something, the sale comes much easier and faster. The biggest difference between a LU and a Torpedo isn't charisma or a friendly personality — but patience and discipline. Take two producers I know, one with 10 years experience and the other with 20. The producer with less experience is much more successful than the other, even though the more experienced salesperson is actually the better talker. However, because he lacks discipline he's always pursuing the next best thing (a new sale, a sales method, a sales tool, or target market) . This undisciplined approach prevents the producer from ever building a reputation as the go to' person with whom to do business, who has the answers — the person who will take care of their customers. The undisciplined producer never established a reputation that paved the way to easier sales. In fact, his reputation created more resistance, making sales go even more slowly — which led him to shift strategies even more readily. Other agents, co-workers, and customers have come up with such comments as John is a great guy but we can't depend on him. We never know how much he really knows and how much is just talk. Although we like John as our insurance guy, he didn't give us the right information because he's so unfocused that he never gains adequate expertise. The Torpedo, however, provided specific products to a specific market from day one and focused on how to be the best. As a result, he's built such a reputation that even his competitors now refer business to him. The patience to stick with a good plan and ...

... are due to their follow-up method. They might reach someone other than the insurance buyer, or they might come on too strong and turn the buyer off. Others might neglect to build on the message the telemarketer provided on the initial call. Producers usually have to work hard to build rapport with telemarketer-supplied prospects because they have no prior relationship with them. A person who is called out of the blue by a telemarketer will not be loyal to the agency until he or she is convinced that the agency can perform well. Even then, the new client likely will shop the account at renewal. So our agents must provide exemplary service throughout the policy term. And they must work hard to retain accounts at renewal, especially if they are large enough to attract competing agents. A telemarketer helps pave the way for sales. It supplies qualified leads in a business classification for which we have competitive products, as opposed to a referral, which might be for a classification in which we are not competitive. Telemarketing has opened the door to increased sales for our agency. I developed my largest client from a telemarketer-supplied lead. Why not see what telemarketing can do for you? Paul Robinson is vice president at Mayer, Steinberg & Yospe, Inc., Baltimore, MD. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers ...

... reminders, birthday cards (for the car!), and invitations to customer appreciation events. &# 160 What you can do: Find relevant ways to thank customers for their purchase. Establish standards, methods, and time frames for follow-up. Encourage ongoing two-way communication through service, check-ups, seminars, assistance centers, surveys, newsletters, events, e-mail, or other means. &# 160 5. SOLVE PROBLEMS &# 160 Just 10 months into production of the new Saturn cars, one of the suppliers for engine coolants misformulated a batch. Instead of cooling, it could eventually destroy the engine. Saturn responded by sending owners a registered letter offering them a choice of a brand-new car or refund of the full purchase price. This "preventive maintenance" won over customers and helped pave a positive future for Saturn. &# 160 What you can do: Anticipate and prevent problems for customers before they happen. Listen to customers to learn about their concerns. When problems occur, respond promptly, and keep the customer informed during any resolution process. Don't just solve the problem — exceed expectations. &# 160 6. KEEP CUSTOMERS COMING BACK &# 160 To say thanks to customers and celebrate its fifth anniversary, Saturn invited owners to the "Homecoming" — a weekend of fun, food, and tours of the plant in Tennessee where their cars were "born." About 44,000 people showed up, and more than 130,000 customers participated that summer in appreciation events at Saturn dealerships closer to their home. Saturn continually says thanks through various appreciation ...

... premium. 10. Potential loss of existing business. If you, as the agent, write the insurance for three banks in the area, will you lose these policies if you partner with some other bank? Will you lose the business and personal policies written for directors of these existing bank clients of the agency? From the agent's perspective, will the gains provided by a new partnership more than compensate for the losses caused because of the partnership? From the bank's viewpoint, any losses of agency revenue should be reflected in the price offered, if an agency is to be purchased. These are just some of the initial questions that agents and bankers must ask and answer before even considering a relationship with the other. If both players feel comfortable with the answers, then the way will be paved for further evaluation. Roger Thomas, CIC is a principal of Thomas & Thomas Agency Consultants and Appraisers, Inc., located in Livingston, Texas. Thomas specializes in assisting agents in all matters relating to sales, mergers and acquisitions of agencies; provides litigation support to insurance companies and agents; and consults with agents and companies regarding most agency and company issues. Thomas presently serves as president of the American Association of Insurance Management Consultants (AAIMCO) . Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts ...

... business. He then led the sale of Cypress Point to Arrowhead General Insurance in 2005 where he then managed a team that wrote more than $1.6 billion of premium from 2005 through 2008. Atlas, founded in 2009, is expected to write in excess of $400 million of premium in 2016 in all states and within multiple lines of insurance. Last year, Trzos directed a capital investment and strategic partnership with Atlas by Vanbridge Holdings LLC, an insurance intermediary, capital advisory, insurance and reinsurance management firm which has continued to leverage the services offered by Atlas, making it a significant power in the program administrator space of the industry. "I am truly honored by this acknowledgement. Our team continues to position Atlas as a dynamic industry leader. We continuously adhere to the highest standards, paving our way with original ideas, developments and new initiatives that have a positive impact on the industry. Our goal is not simply to maintain our position as a trendsetter, but to constructively influence the industry's future," says Trzos. Honorees of the IBA Hot 100 List are insurance industry leaders all over the nation. For more information on the selection process or the other honorees, visit the IBA website at http://www.ibamag.com. About Atlas General Insurance Services Atlas General Insurance Services is a full service program administrator that offers a wide range of insurance solutions. Atlas has expertise in developing and underwriting programs with a variety of insurance carrier partners. Atlas has the primary goal to provide exceptional service and unique options for its clients. For more information, visit atlas.us.com. CONTACT Stephanie Bozzuto ...

... find this meeting to be a valuable use of your time. Do you have your calendar handy? Here's another version of this script you can use when you haven't been introduced by your referrer. VERSION #2 – CLIENT OR PROSPECT DIDN'T INTRODUCE YOU Opening: Hello (prospect's name), this is (your name) with (your company name) . I know you're busy. The reason I'm calling is that your name recently came up in a conversation I was having with (referrer's name – "George") . Introduction: Did George tell you that I would be calling? (No.) Well, I guess he got busy. I'm certainly sorry to disturb you. I guess we have a couple of choices. We can wait for George to call you and "pave the way" for this call. Or, if you have a couple of minutes, I can go ahead and tell you why I'm calling. Which do you prefer? >No (Let's wait for George) That's fine. I completely understand. I hope to speak to you again soon. I'll let George know we spoke briefly, and that you would like to hear from him first. >Yes (Tell me why you're calling) At AAA Financial, we help individuals such as yourself plan very carefully for their financial future. I'm curious. Do you currently have a close relationship with a financial advisor? (From here, refer to script #1 above) TEACHING POINT Your first phone call to your new referral prospect will be influenced by many things. The important ...

... in a decision-maker coming to the phone to the actual number of set appointments. Then monitor the amount of appointments per prospect before an insurance program is proposed to figure the call-to-sale ratio. In the insurance industry, typically it will take three to four appointments before a sale: an introduction appointment, an appointment to do preliminary fact-finding, an appointment to fine-tune fact-finding, and the close. The predominant difference between a manual system and an automated system is the maintenance of data and the ability to track results. One thing to remember about computers: Do not work on the computer while developing business over the phone. A producer is too easily distracted from what the prospect is saying to record data as fast as the prospect talks. Organization is the basis of prospecting, the sales process, and paves the way for producers to get on with the business of talking to prospects. Scripts are organizational tools that keep calls on track with what producers want to say, what they should say, and when they should say it. Scripts help producers accomplish the objective of a call: an x-date or an appointment. If a producer stays in practice with telephone scripts, they become rote. The following is an outstanding foundation for a script - one that works for Life, Health, Personal Lines, and Commercial Lines. The framework of the script is: whom to call who you are the reason for your call requesting the appointment preparations for objections second request for the appointment There are two parts to a script: 1) what the producer will say to the decision-maker, and 2) ...