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Industry News

TRUSTED CHOICE^®
Austin Mutual Insurance Co. Joins Trusted Choice^® 

Austin Mutual Insurance Company is the latest independent agency system insurance group to join the Trusted Choice^® consumer brand movement. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., Austin Mutual has been providing personal and commercial lines insurance coverage for more than 110 years. Austin Mutual currently writes in nine states, including Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Austin Mutual has built an excellent reputation through competent management and diligent customer service and stands by their mission to build value and security for the lives of their policyholders by sustaining a profitable growth oriented organization. More information can be found on the company’s Web site, www.austinmutual.com.

“Our history is anchored by our commitment to the independent agency system and we are excited for the opportunity to directly contribute to its support and success,” says Jeffrey Kusch, CPA, president and chief executive officer of Austin Mutual Insurance Company.

“We are proud to be members of Trusted Choice^®,” says Robert Long, CPCU, senior vice president of Austin Mutual Insurance Company. “We both share a strong commitment to professionalism and integrity in dealing with policyholders.”

Trusted Choice^® was launched in 2001 by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America and several independent agency companies to highlight the benefits independent agencies and brokerage firms offer consumers—choice of companies, customization of policies and advocacy support.

“We are pleased to have Austin Mutual join Trusted Choice^®,” says Dave Evans, executive director of Trusted Choice^®. “They have been expanding their geographic presence and broadening their lines of coverage. Joining Trusted Choice^® compliments that growth.”

“Austin Mutual has a long history of serving independent insurance agents and their customers in Minnesota,” says Dan Riley, executive director of the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers. “We are pleased that they are continuing their commitment by joining Trusted Choice^®.”

Trusted Choice^® is promoted through a combination of national, state-level and local-agency advertising, promotional and marketing activities; insurance company branding and public relations campaigns.

Trusted Choice^® educates consumers about the benefits of using independent agents and brokers for their insurance needs: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. Trusted Choice^® is the consumer marketing identity for more than 10,000 independent insurance agencies, brokerage firms, their branch locations and 48 leading insurance companies, including Austin Mutual. For more information, visit www.trustedchoice.com.


LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE & CONVENTION
Sen. Crapo to Address Large Agent/CEO Dinner

Senate Banking Committee and Finance Committee member Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) will speak to attendees at the Large Agent/Broker and CEO dinner on April 3 during the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention.

The Big “I” Large Agent and Broker Roundtable, a group which advises the Big “I” Board of Directors on topics important to large agents and brokers, hosts the annual dinner. The group has recently been working on issues such as agent licensing, technology and industry workforce recruitment. Large agents and brokers from around the country, as well as regional and national carrier CEOs, will be in attendance April 3.

Now in his second term in the Senate, Crapo serves on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax and trade issues. He also is a member of the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees insurance and financial services issues. Before being elected to the United States Senate in 1998, Crapo served three terms as the 2nd District Representative for Idaho in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We know  this influential group of insurance industry leaders will enjoy and benefit from hearing  Sen. Crapo,” says Big “I” President & CEO Bob Rusbuldt. “He is a true player on insurance and tax issues for both independent insurance agents and brokers and companies.”

More than 1,200 independent agents and brokers from across the country are expected to participate in the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention, the insurance industry’s premier legislative meeting.
This year’s event will take place April 2 to 4 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Highlights of the Big “I” Legislative Conference & Convention include an in-depth issues briefing session, appearances by numerous high-profile speakers and the industry’s largest trade show. This year’s event will also include an election year debate moderated by Big “I” President & CEO Bob Rusbuldt featuring Democratic strategist Paul Begala and MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson.
 
To register online and make hotel reservations go to  www.independentagent.com  and select the “Events and Conferences” link.


InVEST
Now Accepting Dach Award, Teach-of-the-Year Nominations

Know an InVEST industry liaison worthy of praise and recognition? The Dach Award is bestowed annually upon InVEST industry liaisons dedicated to their InVEST students. To nominate a liaison, complete a Dach Award application form and compose an essay detailing why this liaison should receive the award. Include any classroom materials, photos and letters of recommendation that reinforce the essay entry.

The winner of the Dach Award will receive a $1,000 cash prize to be used in his or her InVEST classroom. (If multiple winners are selected, the amount of the cash awards will vary.) All Dach Award submissions must be received by April 18. 

The InVEST Teacher-of-the-Year award acknowledges an InVEST teacher who has made substantial contributions to his or her InVEST students. For consideration, agent liaisons, state/local agents’ associations or students should complete the InVEST Teacher-of-the-Year application form and compose an essay detailing why this teacher should receive the award. Include any classroom materials, photos and letters of recommendation that reinforce the essay entry. Judging will be based on the teacher’s leadership and creativity in the classroom, rapport with students and agents, dedication to the program and students, promotion of the program and interest in the subject matter. Please include all pertinent details in the essay entry.

All Teacher-of-the-Year entries must be received by April 18.The first place winner will receive $500 for use in their InVEST classroom and $500 for personal use.

For more information about the Dach and InVEST Teacher-of-the-Year awards, click here or contact Sandra Skipper at 800-221-7917.


TRUSTED CHOICE^®
Daylight Savings Time Sets Off Spring Safety Check

The catchy phrase “spring ahead” signals change for Americans. It’s a reminder to move clocks ahead one hour for daylight savings time. And it’s an optimistic forecast that warmer and sunnier weeks are ahead. With these seasonal changes, millions take on “spring cleaning” of homes, garages and yards. With customers longing to get outside in the spring months, they should consider several simple steps to enhance their family’s safety. After all, the numbers show where the danger is --- home accidents result in 10 million emergency room visits each year in the U.S., according to Home Safety Council estimates. Many injuries occur in garages and near doorways to a home. The Agents/Brokers section of the Trusted Choice^® Web site has a new article that includes suggestions for an effective spring safety sweep. Feel free to reproduce the article in any agency customer communications or Web sites. Members can also log into www.TrustedChoice.com and access five other new consumer interest articles. The articles can be found in the Public Relations section, under Public Relations articles. Members will need their  username and password to access these areas. If you do not have this login information, send an e-mail to Trusted.Choice@iiaba.net requesting the information. For more information, contact Jenner Gohr at 800-221-7917 or jenner.gohr@iiaba.net.


IIABA NEWS
ACSR Scholarships Available

IIABA, in close cooperation with the National Association of Insurance Women International (NAIW), continues to offer a scholarship program to further promote and assist insurance agents and brokers’ commitment to excellence.

During NAIW’s annual convention in June, the Big “I” and NAIW will award the following scholarships toward IIABA’s Accredited Customer Service Representative designation (ACSR): Two full scholarships to take all classes required to earn the ACSR personal, commercial or life-health designation; and one scholarship to take an ACSR personal, commercial or life-health class.  

“We are thrilled to be partnering with NAIW to offer their members and our own association members the opportunity to continue their education and gain valuable technical and professional training,” says Madelyn Flannagan, Big “I” vice president of education and research. “The ACSR designation is an important one—it promotes and recognizes the professionalism of customer service personnel in the insurance industry.”

Scholarship recipients will gain critical professional development skills, improve their customer service tactics, retain accounts and reduce their agencies’ E&O exposure. In addition, they will be able to take advantage of earning their designation online via the Big “I” Virtual University.

Applicants must be current and active members of the NAIW and in good standing. They must also work full-time at a Big “I” member agency and have one year experience in the insurance industry. Scholarship recipients must complete and achieve the ACSR designation within three years or take the ACSR class within one year and expect to continue their career for the next three years in the insurance industry. To obtain an application, which must be postmarked by April 25, click here.


BEST PRACTICES
Best Practices Tools Sharpen Agents’ Competitive Edge

Insurance industry business is not “business as usual” anymore. Increased competition from direct writers and banks; recruiting, hiring and retaining producers; technology and workflow issues and agency perpetuation are just some of the challenges independent agents face today. The goal of IIABA’s Best Practices series is to help agencies be the best they can be––to overcome and combat these challenges––so your agency can continue to grow and prosper long into the future.

The Best Practices tools are designed to help you do just that by providing the information, resources and guidance needed to work smarter, more efficiently and more professionally to enhance performance, maximize results and increase agency value.  

Take a look at the multiple tools in the Best Practices portfolio:

• Annual Best Practices Study. This study is the heart of the program and gives detail on the inner workings of today’s most successful agencies, provides benchmarks against which you can measure your own agency’s performance and offers guidelines on how to use the study as a tool to improve operations and maximize potential.  

• Agency Self-Diagnostic Tool. This unique resource helps agents evaluate their agency’s performance, identify strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to increase an agency’s value.  It’s a great starting point for any agency new to Best Practices. 

• Best Practices of Crisis Management. No one expects the worst to happen to their agency, but with this tool, agents can be prepared and ready to take action. It includes an interactive CD to develop a personal plan, and is of value to both an agency and its clients. 

• Joint Agency/Company Planning Tool Quick Step. Developed jointly by agents and companies, this Microsoft Excel document is designed to help build collaborative planning relationships with companies to further your mutual success.

• Customer Service Made Simple. Learn how to raise the value of a business by raising the level of service provided to customers. This results-oriented idea book contains information-packed pages filled with practical suggestions and useful tips.

• Five Practices of Highly Effective Leaders. Skip the trial-and-error approach and get four-star results from five proven practices for overcoming new and difficult challenges.  This handbook lets agents profit from the experience of 18 leaders who successfully guided their agencies through periods of change and uncertainty.

• Best Practices of Business Perpetuation & Management Succession. Obtain an analysis of privately held businesses, both inside and outside of the insurance industry, and their experiences with ownership transfers. The study provides practical information and planning tools to independent agents who are currently or will soon be addressing the issue of business perpetuation, whether internally or through a merger or acquisition with a third party.

• Top Producers: Discover, Train, Reward. Find out how to recruit, interview, train, compensate and retain top producers. The study is more than 125 information-filled pages and includes a section on sample producer contracts.

• Best Practices of Leading Sales Organizations in the United States.  This guide provides an examination of the skills, approaches and management of the leading sales organizations in the country. It offers practical ways to improve the agency sales environment and takes a look inside and outside of the insurance industry.

Join the growing list of agents who are implementing Best Practices to effect improvements in performance, value and prepare for the future to ensure long-term success. For more information, or to obtain on order form, visit www.independentagent.com and select “Best Practices” or e-mail BestPractices@iiaba.net.