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... thought. Question #13 Untrained listener: You're not aware of the talking/listening "speed limits" mismatch. If someone is speaking at a different speed than you are, you're more likely not to stay connected with that person's line of thinking, lose their main point, and focus on a tangent. Trained listener: You maintain the customer's talking speed to maximize rapport. How did you rate — and what can you do to make yourself a more effective trained listener? Lynn Thomas, JD, is president of 21st Century Management Consulting, 56 A Charlesbank Way, Waltham, MA 02453-2519. She can be reached by phone at (781) 899-4210, fax (781) 899-0707, or e-mail [email protected] . This quiz is based on information taken from Thomas' one-day workshop "Communication: The Essential Ingredient to Success." The workshop covers other important aspects of communication, such as how to handle the upset, talkative, and argumentative caller; and powerful words and phrases to be an effective communicator. Thomas offers this workshop to agencies and for conventions on a customized basis only. 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 - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here ...

...keting campaign around your Web workshops. Even if attendance is light, the f...

... always publishing newsletters, handbooks, pamphlets about legislation, risk management, and safety, and other informational materials. Most of these are free. Order a supply from a carrier and distribute them to your clients in person or by mail. At the same time, discuss any exposures they might have or schedule an engineering audit by the carrier, to save the client some anxious moments regarding compliance. Who knows, you might even write some new coverage as a result of the visit! Of course, the same principle applies to e-communications: promotions, informational newsletters, etc. 7. Let clients know about new developments that might affect their operations. Many current events affect the insurance industry. Send copies of some of this material to your clients. You might even consider doing a seminar or workshop on the subject for selected clients or groups of clients. Some call this “seminar selling;” whatever it's called, this is a form of communication that tells the client that you're a professional and a leader in your field — and that your agency reflects this leadership. 8. Hire and develop “people people.” People skills include nurturing, bonding, empathy, and advocacy. Any relationship you have with a client should be pleasant and display professionalism, service, and concern. You as an agency principal should expect no less than this from your staff. This means talking to — not down to — clients, and projecting a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable image. Although this takes time, it costs very little, and ...

... , to just rest. Don't work through your lunch! In the agency world, I'm hearing such things as: We're remarketing everything. We're trying to stay on top of not losing customers. We're trying to contact renewals way in advance just to make sure they stay with us. We're pounding the pavement. We're developing our marketing plan, we're making employees accountable. We're setting yearly account review appointments. We're doing account rounding. The list seems to go on forever. Remember to take time out just for you – and check the "temperature" of your staff to make sure everything is okay in their world. Life is so short that we need to keep a positive attitude. Sometimes this is hard, but it's essential. Several years back I asked agents at a workshop what they were doing to keep their employees happy. Here (in no particular order) are a few of the ideas they offered: Let your people know they're doing a good job. Thank them! We have a massage therapist give 15-minute massages, about twice a year. We have flexible hours. Fifteen minute massages during stressful times (360 conversion, end of the year) . Flexibility in hours/days off (flex-time, four-day work week, off early to get kids off bus, etc.) . Buy ice cream or some special treat for all employees once a month. Vacation time. Luncheon, surprise treats (Dairy Queen), drawings for prizes. Allow CSRs to work a day or two per week from home Celebrate – Spring, Fall, ...

... just one activity. In seminars, workshops, and consultations we often ask, 'W...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Customer Service, Mickey Mouse Style 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Karen Flaherty This content has not been rated yet. Ask most agency owners what distinguishes their firm from the competition and the answer is almost always, We give the best service. Yet if you ask them what they mean by service, ' they have a hard time giving an explanation. I've always found it amazing that in an industry where we constantly claim that we sell service, ' we have no common words to define it, no standardized system to measure it, no performance guidelines to enforce it, and no evaluation system to monitor it. More than 65% of the CSRs I've surveyed say they've never attended a workshop or read a book on customer service skills. What's even more astonishing is that the main quality control system for customer service in the agency business is Errors & Omissions insurance. As an industry, we need to do more and do better at service. We should take lessons from customer service leaders like the Walt Disney Co. Disney theme parks get consistently high marks for service, despite the fact that they deliver that service via a young, minimum-wage staff who work in the blazing sun amid continually changing, technically sophisticated attractions, and which cost guests more money in a few hours than most of them earn in an entire week. To further credit Disney, realize that they serve thousands of first-time customers each day plus thousands of repeat customers who expect more and better service with each visit. Our job seems pretty easy in comparison. Our agencies ...

... niche market, how you used automation to increase productivity and profitability, or how creative sales ideas have benefited the firm and customers. Once the article is published, make reprints to include with your direct mailings to prospects and to insert into your customers' monthly statements. The article positions you as a professional expert. And people like dealing with pros. If writing isn't your forte, contact community or trade associations about public speaking. Many IIAA or PIA chapters require panel members or speakers at local meetings. Community groups are always looking for capable luncheon speakers. Get your name on their lists. Of course, your topic will recount one of your agency's recent successes. Contact your automation vendor and volunteer to be interviewed whenever their newsletter needs a customer testimonial or profile. Volunteer to conduct a workshop at a regional or national users group meeting. Participate with the vendor's product committee. These activities provide free press that can increase your book of business and your value to the insurance community. Regularly evaluate your publicity program to determine its effectiveness. Conduct a before-and-after survey to evaluate gains. For instance, first call several people in the community and ask what they know about your insurance agency. After three to six months of organized publicity, make more calls to see how awareness improved. In a soft insurance market, you must find cost-effective advertising to keep your agency's name in front of prospects and customers. Obtaining publicity is one way to do this. Reprinted with permission from American Agent & Broker, March 1993. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of ...

...dural manuals and bulletins, and workshops at state, regional or national meet...

... create one of the greatest nations in history. Note that a key factor throughout this entire historical drama was the power of the pen and the art of writing. Those thoughts got me thinking about my favorite exhibit in the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. There, a small case contains a series of handwritten letters from President Reagan to Soviet President Gorbachev. The letters aren't about politics; they're written conversations between two men. The letters often began with questions about the health of Gorbachev's family and personal anecdotes about the Reagans. Those intimate letters helped end the Cold War and provide a foundation for the future. The Power of the Pen The power of the pen has risen exponentially in proportion to the increasing techno-focus of today's society. I recently had the opportunity to present a daylong workshop for the Kansas Young Agents Association. I talked about the power of handwritten notes and letters in opening doors and nurturing relationships. About a week later, I received a handwritten thank-you note from one of the attendees. Ironically, this attendee (Richard Gray of Chris-Leef General Agency) was the only one of my generation in attendance, other than myself. I haven't heard a word from the 30-somethings who were there. One of the most powerful letters I've ever received came from our veterinarian about 15 years ago. I still keep and treasure the letter. After much soul-searching, we sought his services to euthanize our dog. He had met every expectation and handled this difficult decision with understanding and empathy. Yet, several days later we received a two-page, handwritten letter from the doctor. ...

... Two days of agency evaluation workshops at a recent IIAT Convention led me ...