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Trusted Choice® Month Almost Here |  Senator Ben Nelson Addresses Big "I" |  Agents Honored for Service, Fund Raising |  Making Your Customer Service Work |  More on the 2004 CGL and Mobile Equipment |  Industry News

T R U S T E D   C H O I C E ^®
Trusted Choice® Month Almost Here

The brand program is putting the finishing touches on Trusted Choice® Month, which begins the first day of May.

The promotional event will be the most concerted activity in the program’s brief history to educate consumers on the valuable role of Trusted Choice® agents and increase public awareness of the brand and its more than 4,500 participating agencies.

Advertising will be a central part of this month-long campaign. It will consist of national, state-level and local-agency advertising campaigns as well as participating company advertising activity.

Beginning May 9, nearly 100 Trusted Choice® ads will be seen nationally on Fox News, Turner Network Television, Home & Garden Television and The History Channel. Click here to view the complete ad schedule.

Complementing the Trusted Choice® television advertising campaign will be nationwide ads by participating company Drive Insurance from ProgressiveSM. Drive Insurance’s campaign will give TV viewers a double-dose of commercials promoting Trusted Choice®. The Drive Insurance and Trusted Choice® brands complement each other. In fact, you may have noticed the Trusted Choice® logo in the Drive Insurance commercials starring actors Ryan Stiles and John O’Hurley. Click on each actor’s name to see a frame featuring the Trusted Choice® logo.

Trusted Choice® Month also will feature a national and local public relations campaign. This campaign will be launched the week of May 16 when the brand program releases to national media revealing findings from a survey on small businesses and business interruption insurance. Participating agencies will receive a drop-in release they can customize with their contact information and send to their local media.

This PR campaign will be a great way to introduce an insurance issue to consumers and educate them on the valuable services offered by Trusted Choice® agencies—choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. And, it’s an effective way to create positive, local media coverage of your Trusted Choice® agency.

In addition to these consumer-oriented activities, Trusted Choice® will conduct a full-month recruitment drive designed to encourage agencies to join the brand movement. Outreach activities are planned at the national and state levels.

Make your plans now to be a part of the largest promotional campaign in the history of Trusted Choice®.

For more information about Trusted Choice® Month or to join the brand movement, click here or contact Jeff Myers at 800-221-7917; jeff.myers@iiaba.net.  T O P

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 Addresses Big "I"

Senator Ben Nelson is often touted as a moderate Democrat who frequently reaches across the aisle, working against the current trend of divisive partisan politics. In his breakfast speech Friday April 22, he discussed the value of bipartisan collaboration and specifically discussed TRIA, medical liability, crop insurance and states’ rights as related to state-based regulation of insurance.

"I’m a very strong supporter of the 10th Amendment," Nelson said. "I believe we should leave to the states that which the states can do best."

Senator Nelson also discussed the importance of commitment to government relations in the insurance industry. "It’s important to everyone, not just because it’s your livelihood, but because of those who depend on that security every day of their life. That’s why you’re in an honorable profession. That’s why you are the ‘trusted choice.’"

"His experience as Insurance Commissioner of Nebraska really allowed him to explain federal issues and how they relate to our members," says Charles E. Symington Jr., Big "I" senior vice president of government affairs and federal relations. "Senator Nelson occupies the middle of the aisle, where the work gets done, and he puts policy ahead of politics. He gave our members a new appreciation and understanding of the issues."

Senator Nelson joined several prominent political leaders to speak to agents and brokers at the Big "I" event. Thursday morning, President George W. Bush and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) addressed the group. Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) spoke at a luncheon Wednesday and House Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) addressed the Big "I" Insiders’ Luncheon Tuesday, April 19.  T O P

Agents Honored for Service, Fund Raising

Several awards and accolades were given during the 29th annual Big "I" National Legislative Conference, which took place last week in the nation’s capital.

The Big "I" and the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia bestowed the Sidney O. Smith Award upon Tom Ahart, chairman of the Big "I" State Government Affairs Committee, in recognition of outstanding service to his peers and the national association in the field of government affairs. The award honored Ahart, CPCU, AAI, president of Ahart, Frinzi & Smith in Phillipsburg, N.J., for his outstanding leadership on state and national legislative issues. He helped lead the association’s activities on legislative issues affecting all independent agents and brokers: advocating continuing and modernizing state regulation of insurance, working on credit scoring, agent licensing reform, rate reform and numerous other issues. As chairman of the State Government Affairs Committee, he testified numerous times before Congress on an array of issues, before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and other state-based organizations.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Mississippi (IIAM) received the Maurice G. Herndon Award. The Herndon Award recognizes the state association whose legislative achievements the previous year on behalf of the Big "I" and its members have been deemed most outstanding. IIAM received the Herndon Award for its outstanding leadership in pushing through comprehensive legal-reform legislation in the State of Mississippi. The legislation, passed with the strong support of Gov. Haley Barbour, is expected to help improve the legal climate for businesses in a state formerly known for its plaintiff-friendly court system.

Mark V. Williamson of the Mark V. Williamson Company in Little Rock, Ark., was honored with the Bernard J. Burns Award, bestowed annually upon the agent or broker making the most significant impact on fund-raising efforts for InsurPac. Under Williamson’s leadership in 2004, Arkansas became the first state to raise an average of $100 per agency for InsurPac, and it also had more $500 donors than any other state.

Dean Wooten of Wooten Insurance Center in Statesville, N.C., was honored with the InsurPac Young Agent Recognition Award, bestowed annually upon the young agent or broker making the most significant impact on fund-raising efforts for InsurPac. Wooten exhibited outstanding dedication as Young Agent InsurPac chairman for the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC). A total of 142 North Carolina young agents contributed $12,250 to InsurPac under his leadership, and he regularly published articles and delivered speeches to educate young agents about the importance of InsurPac and political involvement.

The Independent Insurance Agents of Arkansas and the Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) Association of Independent Insurance Agents received the first-ever InsurPac Eagle Awards. The new award is presented to Big "I" state associations whose member agencies contribute, on average, $100 a year to InsurPac. The Eagle Award was created this year by InsurPac to recognize outstanding fundraising efforts by the Big "I" state associations.  T O P

B E S T   P R A C T I C E S
Making Your Customer Service Work

Many service experts indicate that a 5% increase in customer retention translates to a 50% increase in future profits. One way to increase customer retention is by offering superior customer service. That’s just one of the reasons why the Big "I" produced the must-have Best Practices guide "Customer Service Made Simple: An independent agent’s guide to superior customer service."

From marketing for growth to online services, this guide lists priorities and tactics to help agents set and achieve customer service goals. Learn how to lead teams to better evaluate customer feedback, increase the number of policies written and significantly improve account retention and development. The guide also includes a free copy of "The Quality Journey," a seven-page worksheet designed to help you answer the question, "How far has my organization advanced on the journey to quality operations and customer service?"

"Customer Service Made Simple" is available for $29.95. Click here for an order form. For more information, contact Madelyn Flannagan at 800-221-7917; madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net. 
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V I R T U A L   U N I V E R S I T Y 
More on the 2004 CGL and Mobile Equipment

The major change in the new 2004 CGL policy was the redefinition of mobile equipment subject to state motor vehicle laws as autos, requiring coverage under the BAP with a new endorsement from ISO. Since the Big "I" Virtual University newsletter VUPoint first published an article on this in January, numerous questions have arisen. An updated article that takes a look at some of the situations that can lead to major coverage gaps and E&O exposures is now available on the VU. As a bonus, Big "I" member agencies and paid VU subscribers can access an Excel spreadsheet with a listing of two dozen carriers who have or have not adopted the 2004 CGL.

Big "I" members and their employees who do not have a Big "I" user ID and password can click here, go to the Member Login icon, 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 e-mailing your name and agency contact information. Click here for more information about Big "I" membership and the Big "I" Virtual University.  T O P