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...e, and support it with employee volunteers; Staff your child care center w...reness Week; Offer funding and volunteers to a local drug rehabilitation c...

... In my area, we have to be all things to all people, ' he says. We have to be everything from writing homeowners and BOPs to doing notary bonds. Identify Needs The handwriting was on the wall, says Cynthia Regnier, CIC, president of Regnier & Associates in Austin . In 1983 and 84, everybody was talking about niche markets, and how an agency would need to develop niche markets to survive, ' she says. Regnier, who had just opened her agency in 1982, heeded the warning. She just recently turned her existing commercial and personal clients over to another agency and concentrated on niches. It was an absolutely, fantastically wonderful thing to do, ' she says. I'm not sure where we'd be today if we hadn't done that. In 1985, Regnier purchased Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services (VFIS) of Texas , which operates as a Regnier & Associates dba. In the first eight months, the agency doubled its premiums. Regnier & Associates has an exclusive marketing agreement with the national VFIS organization, a subsidiary of the Glatfelter Insurance Group of York, Penn. CIGNA underwrites VFIS programs. The secret to any niche is to identify what people need and want, ' says Regnier. No one was doing that for volunteer fire departments over 20 years ago, before Art Glatfelter went to bat for them. VFIS writes all lines of business except workers' compensation' for volunteer fire departments and emergency service organizations. Available coverages include injury-to-firemen liability, accident and sickness, vehicle agreed value for engines, errors and omissions liability, pollution liability, medical malpractice, bonding ...

... In my area, we have to be all things to all people, ' he says. We have to be everything from writing homeowners and BOPs to doing notary bonds. Identify Needs The handwriting was on the wall, says Cynthia Regnier, CIC, president of Regnier & Associates in Austin . In 1983 and 84, everybody was talking about niche markets, and how an agency would need to develop niche markets to survive, ' she says. Regnier, who had just opened her agency in 1982, heeded the warning. She just recently turned her existing commercial and personal clients over to another agency and concentrated on niches. It was an absolutely, fantastically wonderful thing to do, ' she says. I'm not sure where we'd be today if we hadn't done that. In 1985, Regnier purchased Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services (VFIS) of Texas , which operates as a Regnier & Associates dba. In the first eight months, the agency doubled its premiums. Regnier & Associates has an exclusive marketing agreement with the national VFIS organization, a subsidiary of the Glatfelter Insurance Group of York, Penn. CIGNA underwrites VFIS programs. The secret to any niche is to identify what people need and want, ' says Regnier. No one was doing that for volunteer fire departments over 20 years ago, before Art Glatfelter went to bat for them. VFIS writes all lines of business except workers' compensation' for volunteer fire departments and emergency service organizations. Available coverages include injury-to-firemen liability, accident and sickness, vehicle agreed value for engines, errors and omissions liability, pollution liability, medical malpractice, bonding ...

...veral board members would rally volunteers and get specific jobs done. These s...

...eer labor, make sure that these volunteers are covered. A number of specialist...y of the forms covering employees, volunteers, employed nurses, psychiatrists,...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Lack Of Writing Skills Can Be An "STD"4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Gary Blake This content has not been rated yet. The cumulative effects of poor writing by insurance professionals include wasted time, duplicated effort, poor morale, a negative company image, and the potential for embarrassment. Gary Blake offers tips for improving your letters and memos. Although they share many writing problems with their peers in other P/C lines, Workers Comp professionals have several special issues they need to recognize and overcome. During the past six months, I've reviewed more than 400 writing samples sent by Workers Compensation employees who've either volunteered — or been volunteered — to attend my one-day writing seminar. A review of these documents reveals these four short-term disabilities': ABBREVIATION OVERKILL STD and LTD (short-term disability, and long-term disability) are two of the dozens of acronyms you'll find strewing Workers Comp documents. This is fine as long as the reader understands what these acronyms stand for. Although they might work for Activity Notes (memos to the file), those who can't translate acronyms will need an explanation. Do you know what BOP, COE, C&R , ERTW, HH, MMI, PPD, and PTD mean? These are among the four single-spaced pages of abbreviations and acronyms used in a single company's Workers Comp department. The solution: Spell out the term the first time you use it. For example, Course of Employment' (COE) . CAPITALIZATION MANIA Some companies' computer systems default to ALL CAPITALS for Activity Notes ...

... Also, make sure they note anything that was overlooked. This exercise will reinforce your commitment to the project and provide you with a well-balanced, comprehensive training plan. At your next meeting, finalize the list, including time frames and so forth. The list should then be neatly typed for formal discussions. Next, select an appropriate trainer who will be totally responsible for the administration of the plan and will conduct much of the training. Seniority or technical expertise are not the primary attributes of the ideal trainer; enthusiasm, patience, commitment, and strong communication skills are far more important. Add to these qualities a good working knowledge of operations, procedures, and products, and you have your trainer. If you discover several persons who qualify as trainers, offer those persons an opportunity to volunteer. A volunteer is more likely to favor the project. Just keep in mind that any trainer must be given three things: authority, time, and incentives! These necessities will help guarantee the success of the program. Boot Camp Essentials Scheduling is another important part of the planning process. Provide quiet time for the trainer and trainee-but set realistic time frames. Once time is allotted, organize the schedule with a list of goals, such as at the conclusion of six weeks, the trainee should be able to comparison-rate Homeowners and Auto coverages on the system. Obviously, the goals must be specific and measurable. Benchmarks must be established for review by the trainer and the manager. The trainer and trainee should meet every Friday to discuss the activities of the past week. The manager should meet ...

... Also, make sure they note anything that was overlooked. This exercise will reinforce your commitment to the project and provide you with a well-balanced, comprehensive training plan. At your next meeting, finalize the list, including time frames and so forth. The list should then be neatly typed for formal discussions. Next, select an appropriate trainer who will be totally responsible for the administration of the plan and will conduct much of the training. Seniority or technical expertise are not the primary attributes of the ideal trainer; enthusiasm, patience, commitment, and strong communication skills are far more important. Add to these qualities a good working knowledge of operations, procedures, and products, and you have your trainer. If you discover several persons who qualify as trainers, offer those persons an opportunity to volunteer. A volunteer is more likely to favor the project. Just keep in mind that any trainer must be given three things: authority, time, and incentives! These necessities will help guarantee the success of the program. Boot Camp Essentials Scheduling is another important part of the planning process. Provide quiet time for the trainer and trainee-but set realistic time frames. Once time is allotted, organize the schedule with a list of goals, such as at the conclusion of six weeks, the trainee should be able to comparison-rate Homeowners and Auto coverages on the system. Obviously, the goals must be specific and measurable. Benchmarks must be established for review by the trainer and the manager. The trainer and trainee should meet every Friday to discuss the activities of the past week. The manager should meet ...

... And doesn't turnover often seem to come in clusters? All too frequently it isn't just one employee who leaves. Sometimes it's purely coincidental. But often, if it becomes known that there's been some turnover at an agency, other employees may begin to specifically target the agency. And many times the departed employee will recruit former co-workers. There's another negative effect of high turnover: an unwillingness to let anyone else go. As costly as turnover is, living with poor performers can be even worse. They lower expectations for the group and create more morale problems. The long-term effects are far more costly than the turnover. The correlation between satisfied employees and satisfied customers is unmistakable, as is the relationship between great employees and higher profits. So how do you find and keep great employees? ATTRACTING VOLUNTEERS Employees are volunteers. They choose types of work and places of employment for their own reasons. For most people, a competitive wage is a given - it's table stakes. If the salary is inadequate they won't play. Even if it's higher than average, however, it may not be enough to overcome some of the others factors that make one job more or less satisfying than another. There's more to it than just a paycheck. Here's what people look for in a job: Financial rewards. Not just salary or commission but the whole package - benefits such as Health insurance; provision for a more secure future, such as 401(k )s or other retirement plans; and sometimes an opportunity to have a piece of the pie, such as stock options or, in the ...

... be made. There must be a capable and enthusiastic support staff to help the producer with the marketing and sales effort. Good technical back-up is particularly important if the salesperson has no  insurance sales experience. Service personnel who are already dealing with a backlog can't respond appropriately to the heavy flow of new business, and the producer will quickly become discouraged. The back office systems and procedures must be running smoothly before you bring a new producer into the mix. The second absolutely crucial ingredient is to make a conscious shift in emphasis from a service to a sales organization. All the principals and producers must renew their commitment to the sales process. This might mean that they'll have to participate in the sales center lead-generation program, writing some additional new business themselves. Or they'll have to volunteer to be a mentor for the new people, spending a substantial amount of time directing opportunities and assisting with the onsite sales activities of the fledgling salespeople. The entire agency compensation structure might need to be redesigned to reward all who help revitalize the sales effort. Most important, many if not all of the principals and employees might have to adjust their attitudes. You can't expect a new employee to concentrate on sales when the prevailing atmosphere is clearly directed toward maintaining a comfortable lifestyle for the incumbents. Everyone and everything in the agency must convey the importance of a high level of sales consciousness. Inactivity breeds more inactivity. The third step to take before hiring a new producer is to develop a program to hire the right kind of people for your agency. There are 30,000 independent ...