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... such as benefits and Workers Comp to offer monthly Webinars to your "A " business insurance clients, creating "golden handcuffs" that give them a tangible reason to remain loyal to your agency. Don't forget your Personal Lines department. Schedule a series of "box lunch" Web clinics on topics such as employee benefits or caring for aging parents. Personal Lines prospects and customers can eat lunch at their desk while gaining valuable information. If your staff does not have expertise in a specific area, invite subject matter experts to participate from anywhere in the world. Create a direct mail and print media marketing campaign around your Web workshops. Even if attendance is light, the fact that you're advertising this creative idea sets you apart from your competition. Idea # 7: Put a TV in your reception area. Not all agencies have or encourage walk-in prospects and customers. If you do, make the most of a perfect opportunity to communicate the value of doing business with your agency by investing in a new flat screen TV for your reception area. For content, create PowerPoint presentations that show how clients and prospect can benefit from doing business with you. Add to the impact by including testimonies from your clients. Take this great idea to the next level by offering to let Commercial Lines clients purchase "spots" on your private TV marketing network. Idea # 8: Write a regular column in a local newspaper. Mark Von Moss of the Bomford, Couch & Wilson agency takes full advantage of the agency's relationship with the local newspaper by writing a regular column about various types ...

... are currently unavailable, according to Lee Van Vechten, the Freehold, N.J., publisher of The Van Vechten Report, a telemarketing management resource. However, says Van Vechten, recent studies of the attitudes and expansion plans of managers in a broad range of industries show that telemarketing in general is growing by leaps and bounds. WHY TELEMARKETING? A number of factors account for telemarketing's recent surge in popularity within the insurance industry. Economic trends, for example, have made many independent agents more marketing-oriented. The recent hard market in this area forced agents to look for new ways to stay competitive, ' says Jim Smith, a commercial producer at Leick, Marshall, Neal and Associates in Dallas. Moreover, ' adds Smith, many oil-related companies were eager to reduce their premiums and become much more receptive to what insurance telemarketers had to say. By using the telephone to spawn new leads, an agency often can lower the costs associated with face-to-face sales efforts. In today's market, it's simply too expensive for us to go out knocking on doors, ' says D. Scott Liebert, sales manager at the Liebert Group in Nanuet, N.Y. Our agency's producers are too valuable to send out to a prospect's premises only to be turned away because the prospect was unavailable. Moreover, a good telemarketer can call up to 200 people in a typical five hour period-or about 195 more than even the most seasoned producer could reasonably hope to contact during the course of an eight-hour day. We've generated about 650 viable leads during the eight months that our telemarketing program has been going, ' says Joe Martin of ...

... educate a client and the client didn't get it. KM mentions that she never had to be exceedingly pleasant at her previous job and now is finding that her letters are too businesslike and that she is too assertive on the phone. However, she is viewed as being extremely professional. Her question is: How can I brush up on my new phone skills and letter-writing techniques? ' Refine Communication Skills This is a question asked by many industry employees. What KM needs to do is refine her communication skills. Or, in other words, to adapt more readily to the style of a particular customer, company representative, or associate. She may not need new telephone skills; rather, by expanding the basic telephone skills she already has to include a customer-friendly focus, she'll achieve a better reception while retaining a professional and businesslike manner. In her previous job, the agents and their representatives she dealt with were customers and probably more knowledgeable about insurance and various work procedures. They were probably more tolerant of a professional and businesslike manner, as they deal with company' people on a regular basis. In fact, they may have preferred it. The difference now is that KM is dealing with the general public, most likely with clients who aren't as educated or knowledgeable about the procedures involved in effecting coverage and solving insurance problems. While the general public will accept professional behavior, the information must be disseminated at a level the customer can comprehend. This customer is a lay person, not an insurance professional, and must be handled differently than a business owner or industry professional. ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Reactive And Proactive CSR's 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Mary Beth Bolen This content has not been rated yet. Some people believe things happen to them, while others believe things happen because of them. Sometimes, people fluctuate between the two extremes. CSRs need to have both a receptive and a take-charge personality. It's possible to make modifications in behavior-to focus on anticipating problems rather than sitting back and reacting after things have happened. If, on the other hand, you jump into a situation too quickly before listening carefully, it's possible to concentrate on learning to be more receptive. Are you proactive or reactive? Each chapter in the following Autobiography' represents an attitude. Which chapter or attitude best represents your state of mind? Chapter 1 I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost . . . I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2 I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it, I fall in, again. I can't believe I am in this same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter 3 I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I fall in . . . it's a habit . . . but my eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my ...

... values to convince a client that it's worth the change because the immediate loss will be made up later on, there's no assurance that this will occur. Buyers are drawn to the attractive impossibility rather than the less attractive probability. The only thing more annoying than finding out that the computer you just bought has been made obsolete by a newer model is to learn that the system is being advertised for less than you paid for it! Consumers generally believe that they must do everything possible to get the lowest price. Because a policy illustration provides the flexibility to create the appearance of a good price, it's easy to prey on the consumer's desire to get the best deal. So when a client learns that their nine-year vanish' will take 14 years under the diminished dividends of today's economy, they're receptive to an unscrupulous agent who confirms their worst fears that they bought a lousy policy to begin with. The agent is quick to point out that there is a path to salvation: a new policy (which, by the way, just happens to include a new commission) . If you show me a Universal Life illustration with a calculated premium, I can beat it. If you show me a Whole Life illustration with a seven-year vanish, ' I can beat it. I can always beat your' illustration — at least on paper — by comparing two new' policies or comparing an old policy to my proposal for a replacement. Although the reality will be vastly different, the illustration does not give the client the information or the skills to understand the issues. It's time to ...

... There are 46 million consumers aged 18 to 29, representing a market that will become increasingly important to insurance marketers, especially as the baby-boomer generation ages. But it's a very different group than the boomers, having come of age at a time of lowered expectations. For instance, they tend to be less willing to pay premium prices. To speak to this group effectively, you need to get to know them now. 9. DO NOT IGNORE THE SHOPPING REVOLUTION. Now firmly entrenched on cable TV, home shopping is about to take another giant step, as corporate America embraces the infomercial' and interactive computers proliferate. Home shopping dovetails nicely with the desire of Americans to save time. And because it gives them greater control over the purchasing process, it can actually make some consumers more receptive to insurance. But to succeed in this forum, you need to establish trust, backed by guarantees. 10. AMERICA'S MOOD IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. If one word can be used to describe the American attitude right now, it might be tentative. Like the state of our economy-and the state of our world- it could go along for some time in much the same way: neither highly optimistic nor deeply pessimistic-just tentative. It is not a mood that engenders bold decisions. As insurance marketers, it is up to you to instill confidence in your customers. Talk about the security your policy provides and the stability of the provider. Reinforce the rightness of their decision. Then go for the sale-before the customers change their mind. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain ...

... companies has increased over the last several years and has resulted in an increase in market share for this group. In deciding whether to keep a carrier or to add one, look for a company that: is financially stable with a Best's Rating higher than A- or that is at least improving its rating every year. has download capabilities with your automated system and is supportive of SEMCI and ACORD. has a history of providing a stable market for the lines of business that you write. has innovative and creative underwriting and pricing. treats each risk on its own merit. makes key underwriting decisions at the local level. has efficient and accurate policy processing and claims service. pays competitive commissions. has profit sharing calculations geared to your type of agency. has top managers that are accessible and receptive. treats each agency individually. views the independent agency system as an important part of its future distribution plans. views your agency as an important part of its marketing plan in your territory. Contact potential new companies and begin to screen them against this list (or a personalized version) . Find out everything you can about what type of business they want to write, how they write it, and what their pricing practices are. Do not take the marketing representative's word for it-meet with the underwriters to figure out where they are coming from. Question the company personnel about the things that your current carriers are doing (or not doing) that make it easier for you to work with them. Check with your local association and other agents who have been with the company for a while ...

... you have openings. Of course, an enhanced image will help business (sales), too. Focus attention on the good people who are already valued members of your team. The emphasis today should be on keeping the good people you have. Reduce uncontrolled employee turnover, and you reduce the need to find replacements on the open market. Pay attention to the work environment. Do you provide comfortable surroundings? Are office colors conducive to high performance? Support positive, cooperative relationships among team members. Help everyone work together by encouraging communication about how to make things easier for each other. Your agency should be a fun place to be. Give people what they need to get their jobs done. If that old copy machine keeps breaking down, people become frustrated, irritated, and more receptive to outside job offers. Little things mean a lot. Help your people grow. Enable them to learn more about your products, the industry, sales and service techniques, and even interesting knowledge that may have nothing to do with your business. Check out the continuing education offerings at the local community college. People don't switch employers for monetary reasons. It's the non-financial issues that cause them to look for the greener grass. Take care of your people and they'll take care of you. Roger Herman, certified management consultant, is author of Keeping Good People (McGraw-Hill, 1991) . 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 ...

... carrier believes the allegations are true, only that it won't have liability for any of the uncovered allegations. Subject to the reservation, assigned counsel defends the insured. Assigned counsel is required to defend all aspects of the case and advise the insured accordingly. In the majority of cases, fraud allegations are unfounded and subject to dismissal by the court. However, if the court determines that you committed fraud, there's no coverage under the E&O policy for those acts. You'd be responsible for the judgment made against you or your agency. Does this end your troubles with your E&O carrier? Definitely not. As the long-term manager of the Utica program, I have no desire to provide coverage for agents convicted of fraud. And I doubt that any other carriers would be particularly receptive, either. Without E&O , you expose your agency to future claims and also risk losing good carrier contracts, because many companies require E&O protection. When dealing with fraud, it's a no-win situation. A version of this article originally appeared in the Utica National Insurance Co. E&O Bulletin and is reproduced with permission. Curtis M. Pearsall, CPCU, AIAF, can be reached at Utica National Insurance Group, P.O. Box 530, Utica, NY 13503, (800) 274-1914, fax (315) 734-2807, or e-mail [email protected] . 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 ...

... . Most national companies require an agency to have a minimum premium volume of $250,000 to $1 million to qualify for contingency bonuses. However, an agency usually needs at least $1 million in premiums to have any bargaining power. Smaller agencies with lower premium volume might choose to work with regional companies. Some regional companies offer significantly lower contingency thresholds than the major national companies — sometimes as low as $50,000. Small agencies can also consolidate their business with fewer companies to generate an adequate amount of business per company. Compare all available contracts. Then, when attempting to negotiate a better contract with a carrier, you can prove that the insurer pays substantially less than what other companies would pay for the same book of business. Most companies are fairly receptive to negotiation, and will consider changes at any point during a contract period if the negotiating agency has a good loss ratio and adequate premium volume. However, autumn is usually the best time of year to negotiate. Most contingency contracts are renewed annually, so company marketing representatives are under pressure to get new contracts signed by January 1. Some companies will even negotiate items other than contingency bonuses. Negotiable addenda might include higher commission percentages or enhanced contingency contracts. Many companies have a basic contingency contract but offer additional bonuses under an addendum. Some companies offer as many as five or six of these additional bonuses. But to return to the contingency contracts themselves, agents often negotiate how loss reserves, “take-downs” (reductions in loss reserves), and IBNRs affect ...