|
T H U R S D A Y , M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 0 5
Senator Ben Nelson Added as Speaker | Best Practices for the Best Producers | Trusted Choice® Month Coming | Big "I" Flood Program Carrier Update | Identity Theft Protection Available | 2005 Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference | Can CSRs Handle SBAs Written on BOPs? | 2005-2006 IIABA Committee/Task Force Appointments | Industry News
N A T I O N A L L E G I S L A T I V E C O N F E R E N C E
Senator Ben Nelson Added as Speaker
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a leading voice among moderates in the Senate, will speak to Big "I" members during the national Legislative Conference next month.
The Big "I" National Legislative Conference is the insurance industry’s best-attended, most effective legislative meeting. This year’s event will take place April 20 through 22 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Sen. Nelson will speak at the Friday, April 22 breakfast. He joins Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who will speak Thursday, April 21.
"Senator Nelson is a true leader and statesman who has displayed an ability throughout his career to work with both Republicans and Democrats to forge consensus on important issues," says Big "I" CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt. "As a leading moderate in the Senate, he is in a key position to advance reforms on issues our members are very interested in, such as tax reform, where he has consistently sought common ground between the two parties. He is also a former state insurance regulator who understands the issues our members face on a daily basis."
Sen. Nelson’s track record of bipartisan consensus-building has enabled him to win three statewide elections in a heavily Republican state since 1990, including victories in the governor’s races of 1990 and 1994, and the Senate race of 2000. He also served as Nebraska’s director of insurance from 1975-76.
Highlights of the Big "I" National Legislative Conference will include an in-depth issues briefing session, the annual Big "I" congressional reception on Capitol Hill, appearances by numerous high-profile speakers discussing important insurance and national issues confronting lawmakers as well as agents and brokers in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of meetings on Capitol Hill between Big "I" agents and brokers and their elected representatives in the Congress. To register online and make hotel reservations click here. | T O P |
B E S T P R A C T I C E S
Best Practices for the Best Producers
IIABA’s Best Practices Program conducts intensive research to identify the practices that make independent agencies the most successful, and then turns the findings into tools that are applicable to any agency. The study "Best Practices of the Leading Sales Organizations of the United States" found that "successful sales organizations hire talented salespeople and recognize that it will be necessary for them to proactively recruit on an ongoing basis if they are to be in a position to effectively identify and attract such individuals."
Thus, the Big "I" has developed "Top Producers: Discover, Train, Reward," the independent agency’s answer to finding, hiring, training and compensating excellent producers.
The comprehensive manual lays out a complete roadmap for success, including how to find a top producer, create a career training path and effectively manage and motivate the experienced producer. It provides step-by-step advice for each development phase and numerous worksheets for goal setting, calculating related expenses and appropriate compensation, measuring sales potential and tracking producer activities.
"Top Producers" is divided into three major sections—Selection, Development and Motivation—that can each be used as a stand-alone resource or as part of your overall producer development plan. The guide also includes IIABA’s "Guide to Producer Contracts," which contains sample contracts and steps on compensating, contracting and managing new producers; a detailed appendix on Interview Guidelines; and a copy of the Best Practices’ "Sales Potential Quick Check." This comprehensive set of resources covers every facet of the process and could save you thousands of dollars by showing how to avoid hiring mistakes.
There is no factor more critical to the longevity and profitability of a sales organization than a continuous source of fresh talent, which not only increases the agency’s bottom line but also lays the groundwork for future success. Click here to download an order form. For more information, contact Madelyn Flannagan at 800-221-7917; madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net. | T O P |
T R U S T E D C H O I C E ®
Trusted Choice® Month Coming
The days until the start of Trusted Choice® Month—May—are dwindling quickly, but there’s still time to make your agency’s plans to participate in the month-long campaign to raise consumer awareness of the brand.
Hundreds of participating agencies and numerous Big "I" state affiliates already are hard at work preparing for the half-million dollar advertising flight slated for May 9 through 22 as well as the small business insurance issues public relations campaign that will be launched that month. The two-week national ad flight will consist of nearly 100 Trusted Choice® ads seen nationally and in your community by millions of consumers on cable networks Fox News, TNT, Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and The History Channel. Programming highlights include "O’Reilly Factor" on Fox News; "Law & Order," the top-rated cable program, on TNT; a Civil War special on The History Channel; and numerous primetime slots on HGTV. Click here to view the complete national ad flight schedule.
Complimenting the national activity will be a large number of local advertising campaigns conducted by individual agencies and state associations. The state advertising campaigns are being funded in part by the Trusted Choice® State Grants Program, a matching-funds program that helps state associations deliver the brand program message of choice, customization and advocacy to consumers.
In addition, Trusted Choice® will unveil a consumer survey on small business insurance issues that will be distributed to national consumer media. Participating agencies will receive a drop-in press release and supporting materials to promote their Trusted Choice® agency to the local media.
It’s not too late to make plans to participate in Trusted Choice® Month activities. You can use the tag-able TV, radio and print ads available by clicking here (you will need your agency username and password).
If your agency is not yet a member, you can sign it up for Trusted Choice® by going to the "Agents/Brokers" section at www.TrustedChoice.com and entering your agency zip code to launch the easy online signup process. For more information, contact Jeff Myers at 800-221-7917; jeff.myers@iiaba.net | T O P |
B I G " I " M A R K E T S
Big "I" Flood Program Carrier Update
Big "I" Flood partner Selective Insurance Company of America (SICA) issues national flood insurance policies under an underwriting agreement with Converium Insurance North America (CINA) in the states of Montana, Oregon and Washington. Due to the recent downgrading of CINA’s financial rating by A.M. Best, the business is moving to SICA, an ‘A+’ rated carrier for the last 43 consecutive years. Immediately all new policies in the states of MT, OR and WA will be written on SICA paper, all existing policies will be renewed with SICA, and existing CINA policies now will be rolled starting now. There will be no activity required of the agent.
Customers will begin receiving renewal notices from SICA along with a letter stating that their agencies are changing flood carriers to SICA, rated an A+ by A.M. Best. Renewal customers who already have been billed by CINA will be issued as new business in SICA but commissions will be treated as a renewal. If you have been waiting to roll your existing flood book to our program, now would be a good time to start the easy process. All you need is a copy of the currently expiring declarations and the Elevation Certificates, if applicable. For more information on rollovers, please click here. If you have questions about the Big "I" Flood Program, visit www.independentagent.com/Flood or contact Linda Mackey at 800-221-7917; linda.mackey@iiaba.net. | T O P |
Identity Theft Protection Available
Have you ever received an e-mail from your credit card company or your Internet service provider urging you to update your private, personal customer information? If so, someone may have been trying to "hook" you on their phishing line.
Phishing is a term that describes criminals luring victims to surprisingly realistic Web sites created to trick them into disclosing their account numbers, passwords, Social Security Numbers or other sensitive information. The thieves then use the information to pilfer bank accounts or go on a spending spree with stolen credit card numbers. You can help protect your clients from the effects of this deceptive and illegal practice.
Big "I" members who are registered as Big "I" Markets agents now have access to the Identity Fraud Expense Reimbursement Master Policy from St. Paul Travelers. This master policy is available along side The WrapSM, which provides private company directors and officer’s liability and crime insurance in a comprehensive package policy. The WrapSM is underwritten by Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America and its p-c affiliates, Hartford, Conn. Access the product by logging onto Big "I" Markets and completing a quote request for Private Company D&O. Mention you are interested in the identity fraud Reimbursement Master Policy and an underwriter will contact you directly. You also can download an identity fraud brochure from the "Product Resources" section. To learn more about Big "I" Markets, visit www.bigimarkets.com or contact a Big "I" Markets team member at bigimarkets@iiaba.net.
| T O P |
Y O U N G A G E N T S
2005 Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference
The rising stars of the insurance industry will take over New York City at this year’s Young Agents Sales & Leadership Conference. As the ultimate experience for the next generation of industry leaders, this event brings together young agents and brokers from across the country to network with peers and company partners, develop sales and leadership skills and learn about the latest industry trends and technology. Whether you are new to the industry or already in a leadership role in your agency or association, this event benefits all young agents and brokers regardless of experience and helps to create a solid foundation for long-term success. As an added benefit, when you register for the Sales & Leadership Conference, you are automatically registered for the Big "I" Convention at no additional cost. Click here to register online and make hotel reservations. For more information, contact Leslie Mularski, at 703-706-5459; leslie.mularski@iiaba.net. | T O P |
V I R T U A L U N I V E R S I T Y
Can CSRs Handle SBAs Written on BOPs?
The Virtual University faculty recently was asked if personal lines CSRs could also handle small business accounts written on BOPs. While some CSRs can make the transition, it is fraught with perils. Find out what the VU experts think about the realistic expectations of such a change. The Big "I" Virtual University has more than 4,000 articles on a variety of insurance technical and business topics that are relevant to your business each day, right at your fingertips.
Also check out The VUpoint, a free bi-weekly e-mail newsletter. We currently have more than 25,000 subscribers in more than 70 countries, with some subscribers distributing the newsletter internally to 60 or more other readers.
Are you taking advantage of these free member benefits? Big "I" members and their employees who do not have a Big "I" user ID and password can click on the Member Login icon at www.independentagent.com , then click on "Don’t Know Password" and follow the onscreen instructions. If this approach does not generate a password, click on the link in the "Member Login Information" section and request a password by sending an e-mail with your name and agency contact information. For more information about the Big "I" Virtual University, visit www.independentagent.com. | T O P |
I I A B A N E W S
2005-2006 IIABA Committee/Task Force Appointments
Much of the IIABA’s success is due to the hard work of various committees and task forces, and in planning for the next year, nothing is more important than the perpetuation of that strong committee/task force structure. The Big "I" is currently seeking help in identifying qualified agents to serve on committees/task forces. We are seeking recommendations for appointments from State Associations and, in an effort to broaden our reach, we invite agents interested in serving on committees/task forces to submit their own Committee/Task Force Appointment Request Form.
If you have not previously been active at the national level, consider getting involved now, including young agents and multicultural agents. If you are interested in being considered for a committee/task force appointment, please complete a separate Committee/Task Force Appointment Request Form for each committee/task force you are interested in serving on and submit each form by April 26, 2005 in accordance with the directions on the bottom of the form. If you have questions about a particular committee or task force, its current activities, or the frequency of its meetings, etc., contact Cathy Spencer at 800-221-7917; cathy.spencer@iiaba.net. | T O P |
|
