Search CompleteMarkets

... x No Thanks Loading.. The Phantom Rolls Royce 5/6 /2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Barry Zalma This content has not been rated yet. In California and several other states, before a car can be insured, the agent must photograph the car and its vehicle identification number. This regulation is an effective weapon against fraudulent auto-theft claims. But in one case, an insured managed to purchase Physical Damage insurance on a Rolls-Royce before the regulation was fully effective. His planning was flawless. He was thwarted in his efforts only because of the actions of a dedicated, thorough investigator. To start his plan, the insured went to a Beverly Hills classic automobile dealer and took two Polaroid photographs (slightly out of focus) of a 1946 Rolls Royce. Unlike modern cars, the Rolls did not have its vehicle-identification number beneath its windshield. It was written on the specification sheet provided to him by the dealer. The insured began to create an artificial 1946 Rolls-Royce. First, he visited the Department of Motor Vehicles and obtained forms from the department for the issuance of replacement title and registration documents. He then filled out the documents with a vehicle identification number similar to the one in the showroom, but 200 digits higher. He also filled out a sworn declaration of lost title and signed it with the name John Jones, vice president, Lincoln Savings and Loan, the lender. The Department of Motor Vehicles processed his application for lost title and registration without an inquiry. A new ownership certificate showing ownership by Lincoln Savings & Loan was then issued and delivered to the insured's post office ...

... name and the agency insignia. Announcement letters can be mailed to 100 of the producer's select clients informing them of the selection and honor. To make it on the "Wall of Fame," a producer should have: met specific production goals, completed specific educational courses, met a specific percentage increase over previous year's production, and been recognized as a top performer an established period of times consecutively. Agent-of-the-Month Award-You can assign points based 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 ...

... has already used the mark in commerce and bases the filing on use in commerce, he or she must submit three specimens per class showing use of the mark in commerce with the application. If, instead, the application is based on a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce, the applicant must submit three specimens per class when filing either an Amendment to Allege Use or a Statement of Use. What to File as a Specimen The specimens must be actual samples of how the mark is being used in commerce. The specimens may be identical or examples of three different uses showing the same mark. If the mark is used on goods, examples of acceptable specimens are the tags or labels attached to the goods, containers for the goods, displays associated with the goods, or photographs of the goods showing use of the mark on the goods themselves. If it's impractical to send an actual specimen because of its size, photographs or other acceptable reproductions that show the mark on the goods or packaging for the goods must be furnished. Invoices, announcements, order forms, bills of lading, leaflets, brochures, catalogs, publicity releases, letterhead, and business cards generally are not acceptable specimens. If the mark is used for services, examples of acceptable specimens are signs, brochures, advertisements, business cards or stationery that shows the mark in connection with the services, or photographs that show the mark as used in the rendering or advertising of the services. In the case of a service mark, the specimens must either show the mark and include some clear reference to ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Banning Camera Phones In The Workplace 1/7 /2015 by Don Phin This content has not been rated yet. BANNING CAMERA PHONES IN THE WORKPLACE by Don Phin More and more companies are restricting employee use of personal cell phone cameras at the office for fear that the ubiquitous camera phones might create legal headaches. Improper photos at work might lead to job-related claims, as well as compromise company trade secrets. For example, employees might take inappropriate photographs of co-workers without their permission, and the secret photos or videos could amount to sexual harassment or an invasion of privacy. Even if the picture-taking doesn't create a legal problem, it could still make some employees uncomfortable or embarrass them if photos or videos appear on YouTube. Another worry relates to a soured working relationship. A disgruntled employee might want to embarrass a boss or gather evidence for filing a legal claim. All sorts of photos – from a supervisor getting upset with an employee to overall working conditions – could become fodder in an employment dispute. For companies with patented products and closely-protected manufacturing processes, any information leaked to a competitor might be extremely damaging. Companies need to protect against cell phone cameras used to copy confidential documents or record other internal information. What can an employer do? A big first step is to adopt a written policy that controls employee use of cell phone cameras at work. Determine which employees need cameras as part of their jobs. It might be a good idea, for example, if truck drivers carried cameras in case they have to photograph an accident ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Public Relations: An Investigation 4/30/2013 by Jack Burke This content has not been rated yet. Unfortunately, too many insurance agencies define public relations as sending out a story on employee promotions with photograph attached. Hundreds of articles have been written on the how-to's and 1-2-3s of public relations (PR), but few take the time to examine the actual concept of public relations and the agency's or company's role within that context. First, let's divide PR into three very distinct categories: the general public (your Personal Lines markets), the business public (your Commercial Lines markets) and the trade public (your peers) . IMMS Silver Membership predominantly deals with Commercial Lines, so it's too bad that a public relations campaign for the business public is the most difficult to develop and nurture. (Trade relations are generally the easiest, with the general public falling in the middle.) This article examines each of these categories independently, with ample cross-referencing. The Trade Public An agency or brokerage owner might ask, Why worry about relations within the insurance industry? ' There are any number of reasons, a few of which are: 1. PERCEIVED AGENCY VALUE. Every day we are seeing agencies bought, sold, merged, and clustered. We are also seeing agencies not being bought, not being sold, not merging, and not clustering. Public relations within the industry can alter your agency's perceived value. If other agency owners continually hear about your agency, its value is psychologically enhanced- which can translate into added dollars if you ...

... certain age to qualify (such as for licensing or driving a car), don't ask. GENDER. The only place this applies is for rest oom attendants. LANGUAGE SPOKEN. Use caution. You may require effective communication, but you may not eliminate a candidate due to a slight accent. PARENTS' OR MAIDEN NAME, CITIZENSHIP, PLACE OF BIRTH, AND COLOR OF EYES OR HAIR. Forget these. They could be used to reveal nationality or marital status. HOMEOWNER OR RENTER. Don't ask. You might be discriminating against protected classes. NUMBER OF CHILDREN, CHILD CARE ARRANGEMENTS, MARITAL STATUS. This is confidential information. CLUB MEMBERSHIPS. Don't ask. This can reveal religious affiliation or ethnic background. EMERGENCY INFORMATION. Wait until the person is hired to ask for this information. PHOTOGRAPHS. Avoid these. They may divulge national origin. Avoid height and weight requirements as well. PHYSICAL DISABILITY. The ADA prohibits pre-employment, pre-offer inquiries regarding disability. After you describe the position to the candidate, you may ask whether the candidate can perform the functions of the job as described, with or without reasonable accommodation. The need for reasonable accommodation should not be a factor when considering the disabled individual. You may not ask specifically about a disability, but you can make a job offer that is conditioned on satisfactory results of a post-offer medical examination or inquiry, provided that this condition is made clear to all applicants for the position. ARREST RECORDS. Don't ask. You may ask if the person is eligible to be bonded, since that might be a requirement for certain positions ...

... ? Great! Colorful graphics that seem to jump off the screen? Terrific! And the content? Uh-oh. Does your Web sit.. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Producers Need Media Exposure This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor 4/30/2013 10:38:09 PM PRODUCERS NEED MEDIA EXPOSURE Because of constant change and information overload, producers need ongoing media exposure that breaks through the psychological barriers consumers erect. Constant chan.. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Public Relations: An Investigation This content has not been rated yet. Jack Burke 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM PUBLIC RELATIONS: AN INVESTIGATION by Jack Burke Unfortunately, too many insurance agencies define public relations as sending out a story on employee promotions with photograph attached.. All Articles by Jack Burke Comments (0 ) Using The News Media As A Communications Tool This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Henry Stimpson 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM Do you think reporters are human sharks who want to misquote, distort, and sensationalize? When you hear the word reporter, ' does your instinct tell you to utter no comment'? Or instruct your secretary to tell the reporter you won't be in your office for, say, the next 11 years? All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) x No Thanks Loading.. Loading.. x No Thanks Loading.. ...

... the company you're trying to reach doesn't want you to reach them? Does your firm come across this way in any of its communications? This document by Jack Burke examines the value of personalizing your business. Make it personal! ' has been my battle cry for years, as technology seems to depersonalize too many business relationships. After a speech, people often ask how they can make their Web site or e-mail more personal. The answer is in the people — your staff. Use your people to personalize your site and allow your people to personalize their electronic communications with your clients. At the very least, your site should have a complete list of your employees and some means of contacting them. I strongly urge companies to provide their employees with their own pages, where they can post photographs and provide insight as to who they are outside the business context. This enables clients and prospects to identify with, and bond with, your employees. For instance, my page at www.soundmarketing.com shows pictures of my grandchildren and my auto restoration hobby. Quite frequently those pictures become the initial commonality in conversations with prospects. I even had a NASA scientist contact me because he'd found our Web site when searching for a classic car part. While visiting our site, he noticed various communications products that could benefit his operation at NASA. Now, about that e-mail and the story of Ivan (with a heart) . I often excuse incredibly big companies from the need to really personalize. I just can't picture AT&T or Microsoft getting really personal. Granted, Amazon.com has managed to make ...

... insurance other than Earthquake coverage will pay for property repairs. Insurance policies can pay for repairing many of a building's components. For example, pre-earthquake damage caused by faulty plumbing and electrical or mechanical systems may be covered. Many older buildings have asbestos in cottage cheese' ceilings or as part of the building's insulation; for these, special and separate repair measures may be covered by Liability policies. Third-party liability provides a significant source of funds for repair. For example, damage may be the result of poor construction. Experts should determine whether the property had met codes and standards, including seismic safety standards. If the building was defectively constructed and the defects contributed to the earthquake damage, the builder or prior owner may be liable for the cost of repair. It is important to take lots of photographs of the property's damage. Pictures of newly exposed beams and other normally hidden parts of the structure can be particularly valuable. Ideally, a construction expert should inspect the nature of the damage. It's best that this expert be hired by the owner's attorney rather than the owner directly, even though the owner will pay for the services. This allows attorney-client privilege to cover the expert's report, lending greater flexibility to the owner's case. Even if this consulting' expert is not an expert in litigation, he or she will be able to provide the attorney with the factual basis for knowing if a claim exists and how that claim can best be proven. The Mortgage Factor Because the mortgage holder is named as an additional insured, any checks from the insurance company require the lender's endorsement. As ...

... The responses from subsequent seminars began coming in immediately, producing nearly three times more registrations than in the past. If it looks like junk mail, it is junk mail. If the presentation looks second-rate, so will the product. Be genuine. Why do so many businesses (of all sizes) have an inferiority complex? Why do they want to portray themselves as something different than what they are? The answer: They're not sure that what they are is acceptable to someone else — especially to prospective customers. In a highly competitive business environment, the temptation to alter reality becomes increasingly severe. The same businesses that complain about job applicants who "enhance" their resumes do the same thing when presenting themselves. Their brochures are filled with hyperbole. How often has a company used a photograph of the building where its offices are located, implying that it owns the entire skyscraper? How many companies insist on including products and services that they can't deliver in their promotional literature? Irrational? Of course — and unnecessary, too. Inferiority complexes can cause businesses (like individuals) to behave inappropriately and push others away. The goal is to be genuine. Most businesses have more expertise, experience, and knowledge than customers ever know — that's what today's customers are seeking. It's intellectual capital that counts today. Charlotte Otto, senior vice president for public affairs at Procter & Gamble, recommends that we look at ourselves as "knowledge engineers." Customers want credibility — a condition that occurs only when image is consistent with reality. Otherwise, the discomfort and dissonance raises a red ...