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... expenses INTERNET CUSTOMERS The Internet has not only changed the way agencies and insurers do business, but presents them with a new kind of customer. Today's insurance customers are: Younger as a group (21 to 35) Harder to reach as clients Less receptive to cold calling Technically advanced and better educated Experienced in using the Internet Comfortable buying on the Internet The most compelling reason for agents to use the Web is to convert these "cyber-prospects" into traditional policyholders. Currently substandard Auto, Health, and Term Life coverages offer the greatest potential business-but remember, the Web is tomorrow's window of opportunity. Think of the Web as a worldwide collection of interconnected pages that are often linked to other pages. The links are highlighted for easy recognition and are easily accessed by the click of the mouse. HOW ... changes, so there's no way for an agency to promote these pages through Internet search engines. Write the site yourself. This is the most inexpensive option, but a difficult task for most agents. Your personal Internet pages need to reflect a personal look. This isn't to say you can't do it-but we don't recommend it unless you're skilled in HTML programming. Get a free page. Some Web hosts, such as America Online, Angelfire, and Tripod, offer free space where you can build a site based on their page templates. Generally, they're for personal site use, but many small businesses also use them. These hosts offer no support or technical help. Some assign a page name that makes it all but impossible to identify an agency. The agent is responsible for all promotion ...

... expenses INTERNET CUSTOMERS The Internet has not only changed the way agencies and insurers do business, but presents them with a new kind of customer. Today's insurance customers are: Younger as a group (21 to 35) Harder to reach as clients Less receptive to cold calling Technically advanced and better educated Experienced in using the Internet Comfortable buying on the Internet The most compelling reason for agents to use the Web is to convert these "cyber-prospects" into traditional policyholders. Currently substandard Auto, Health, and Term Life coverages offer the greatest potential business-but remember, the Web is tomorrow's window of opportunity. Think of the Web as a worldwide collection of interconnected pages that are often linked to other pages. The links are highlighted for easy recognition and are easily accessed by the click of the mouse. HOW ... changes, so there's no way for an agency to promote these pages through Internet search engines. Write the site yourself. This is the most inexpensive option, but a difficult task for most agents. Your personal Internet pages need to reflect a personal look. This isn't to say you can't do it-but we don't recommend it unless you're skilled in HTML programming. Get a free page. Some Web hosts, such as America Online, Angelfire, and Tripod, offer free space where you can build a site based on their page templates. Generally, they're for personal site use, but many small businesses also use them. These hosts offer no support or technical help. Some assign a page name that makes it all but impossible to identify an agency. The agent is responsible for all promotion ...

... expenses INTERNET CUSTOMERS The Internet has not only changed the way agencies and insurers do business, but presents them with a new kind of customer. Today's insurance customers are: Younger as a group (21 to 35) Harder to reach as clients Less receptive to cold calling Technically advanced and better educated Experienced in using the Internet Comfortable buying on the Internet The most compelling reason for agents to use the Web is to convert these "cyber-prospects" into traditional policyholders. Currently substandard Auto, Health, and Term Life coverages offer the greatest potential business-but remember, the Web is tomorrow's window of opportunity. Think of the Web as a worldwide collection of interconnected pages that are often linked to other pages. The links are highlighted for easy recognition and are easily accessed by the click of the mouse. HOW ... changes, so there's no way for an agency to promote these pages through Internet search engines. Write the site yourself. This is the most inexpensive option, but a difficult task for most agents. Your personal Internet pages need to reflect a personal look. This isn't to say you can't do it-but we don't recommend it unless you're skilled in HTML programming. Get a free page. Some Web hosts, such as America Online, Angelfire, and Tripod, offer free space where you can build a site based on their page templates. Generally, they're for personal site use, but many small businesses also use them. These hosts offer no support or technical help. Some assign a page name that makes it all but impossible to identify an agency. The agent is responsible for all promotion ...

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A CPA firm spends $11,200 on a Web site that attracts only a handful of v...Who needs expertise when it comes to a Web presence? Despite the pervasive 'w...

...y with valuable protection-related webinars. Technology makes it easy to make...ion to post their photo on your agency Web site and in the reception area. Be...

... from the phone. With such a device, a producer in the field could access the Internet, check e-mail in Microsoft Outlook and make a presentation by connecting the phone to a personal computer in a client's office. Getting creative Rounding out accounts is always a challenge. But by combining a little creativity with cutting-edge technology, an agency can produce profitable results. If you have not checked out Progressive's Web site you might be surprised to learn that when a user enters a name, address, and ZIP code, the site presents a list of all autos registered at that address, asking the user to pick the auto for which he or she desires a quote. Creative agencies have used this tool to look up autos for their "A-list" Homeowners clients. Then they prepare Auto quotes and ... clients and prospects. The most effective value-added is intellectual capital that positions your agency as an "insurance expert." One way to provide it is via free online Webinars for commercial clients on such topics as Internet security, risk management, sexual-harassment prevention and disaster recovery. If you use online tools, your "talent" for the Webinars can be located anywhere in the country. You also can host Webinars that deal with topics in which your staff are the subject-matter experts. Data-security devices Many producers carry laptops into the field for presentations and proposals. Some of the challenges with laptops are Internet connections, expense and client-data security. With recent changes in the privacy laws, agencies must be careful how they handle client data, especially when it is taken outside the office, where the agency no ...

... like climbing a very steep mountain with no mountain gear. It would be far more cost effective to allocate marketing dollars for changing the company's reputation and attracting new customers. Without this research, the client would have continued down a dead-end path. There are many approaches to research that offer insightful and timely input to help management make informed decisions. Qualitative research such as focus groups, telephone interviews, Web, and open-ended surveys help identify the more subtle aspects of the client's product and service, while quantitative research such as closed-end surveys and e-surveys give hard figures and percentages, but can miss the nuances of open-ended questions. In most cases, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research produces the best results. STEPS TO SUCCESS To guide your marketing research process, follow these steps: 1. Define ... . Some questions to ask yourself include why you want to do the survey, the information you really need to know, who will use the results, and how they will use them. Well-defined objectives become the compass that guides the research project. 2. Remain focused. Two common problems in surveys are overload and brevity. Although it might seem cost-effective to conduct a large study that includes a host of questions, you lose the ability to target specific issues and will probably kill your response rate. What's more, the results often don't set clear marketing objectives. On the other hand, a survey can be too brief and general. Web-based customer satisfaction surveys offer a good example: "How would you rate our customer service" is a common question on surveys. What does the answer ...

... like climbing a very steep mountain with no mountain gear. It would be far more cost effective to allocate marketing dollars for changing the company's reputation and attracting new customers. Without this research, the client would have continued down a dead-end path. There are many approaches to research that offer insightful and timely input to help management make informed decisions. Qualitative research such as focus groups, telephone interviews, Web, and open-ended surveys help identify the more subtle aspects of the client's product and service, while quantitative research such as closed-end surveys and e-surveys give hard figures and percentages, but can miss the nuances of open-ended questions. In most cases, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research produces the best results. STEPS TO SUCCESS To guide your marketing research process, follow these steps: 1. Define ... . Some questions to ask yourself include why you want to do the survey, the information you really need to know, who will use the results, and how they will use them. Well-defined objectives become the compass that guides the research project. 2. Remain focused. Two common problems in surveys are overload and brevity. Although it might seem cost-effective to conduct a large study that includes a host of questions, you lose the ability to target specific issues and will probably kill your response rate. What's more, the results often don't set clear marketing objectives. On the other hand, a survey can be too brief and general. Web-based customer satisfaction surveys offer a good example: "How would you rate our customer service" is a common question on surveys. What does the answer ...

...nitors, to provide more desk space. Webinars If you want to move up from price...you have not checked out Progressive’s Web site you might be surprised to lear...

...om; Blog: grahamcomm.com/wordpress; Web site: www.grahamcomm.com. ...