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It's a Small World: Doing Business Abroad
The international insura... basis. Identify their exposures: Auto, Health, Marine, Products Liability...

...ale contractors deal with simultaneous workers' comp claims at dozens of sites...-optimized areas in large contractor programs.

... , and support of an international account. Qualify the insurer using these criteria: Financial stability-a Best's rating of "A " or higher Corporate culture Multi-state facilities Ability to work with a captive Ability to "front" if required Technical expertise by specific lines of business: Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Automobile, General Liability, Life and Health, Workers' Compensation, etc. Do not necessarily seek an all-lines insurer, since the carrier might not have the expertise across the board. What's more, the insurer might not want to ... your Commercial Lines accounts and insulating them from inroads being made by alphabet house brokers. International insurance operations also offer an entree to new product lines and markets that will expand your facilities abroad. For example, U.S. agents can introduce their expertise in such lines as Auto, Medical, Surety, and Workers' Compensation to third-world countries that are privatizing these coverages. Canadian brokers can expand their expertise in out-of-country private Medical insurance and, potentially, Workers' Compensation. Doing business abroad can introduce agents and brokers to new international markets ... in the construction field does not have the same exposures as a similar situation in the United States would. TWO PEOPLES DIVIDED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE Agents and brokers should also consider cultural differences between the United States and Canada that can affect the conduct of business across the border. For example, the United States tends to be more forms oriented. Accounts are also larger because of the population (approximately 10 times greater than that of Canada) and the inclusion of substantial Workers' Compensation premiums. This results in a U.S. agent ...

... where certain coverages may affect the residents a little differently than others An area where fire classes have been lowered (we also ran a newspaper ad) Our agency sends a lot of mail to Boxholder-Neighbor, ' because we feel that it's a good way of covering every person in a specific geographical area. And next to the word Boxholder' we include some information so that when the prospect glances at it, he will get part of the message, whether he wants to read it or not. In addition, sending such mailings ... have this word processing capability, it is already obsolete. With our word processor, we do direct mail, mass marketing with personal letters-sending a similar or repetitive letter to the same accounts every so often. You can keep track of business lists, homeowners lists, auto owners, boxholders, and so on with a computer. BE YOURSELF When advertising your agency, one of the most difficult rules to follow is to be yourself. Don't try to be something different. You must determine within your agency who and what you are ... If you've recently moved your office or you are just opening up, a general mailing to everyone in your neighborhood is the best advertising you'll ever do. For example, several years ago we opened a branch office in a growing community that was basically served by agencies bordering the town. We established ourselves and outlined our territory. But an agency from a neighboring town kept moving into our territory. So we sent some direct mail into their town. Our competition left our territory to protect their own turf-they thought we were going to ...