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T H U R S D A Y , M A Y 1 7 , 2 0 0 7 Industry News IIABA NEWS FAIA Lends a Hand in Greensburg, Kan.
Caption: FAIA’s Trusted Choice® CRV pulls into Greensburg, Kan. to provide agents with some much-needed help after the worst tornado in town history ripped through the area earlier this month.
Last week, two members from the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA) drove its Trusted Choice® CRV from the Sunshine state to Greensburg, Kan. to lend a helping hand to independent agents---and their customers---who fell victim to the 1.7 mile-wide tornado that flattened the town May 4.
FAIA’s Brian Leibow and Troy Simmons drove the 40-foot vehicle, which has Internet access and a satellite phone, for two days straight in order to give agents in Greensburg a home-base to work from and a place where customers can come to file complaints.
“It was important for FAIA to respond to our fellow members in Kansas simply because we knew we could help. While the CRV may be as big as a billboard, and it certainly turns lots of heads rolling down the road, we didn’t buy it just for advertising. Its mission is to help agents in need during a time of crisis,” Leibow says. “One look at the pictures from Kansas and we knew that they needed help desperately. Florida has had plenty of its own disasters in the last few years and the offers of support from our fellow state associations have always been appreciated; the CRV allows us to pay back that kindness in turn. Besides, even though it meant a few sleepless nights and trekking halfway across the country, it was all worth it when we saw the tears on the faces of the agents in Greensburg. They had lost everything and the CRV gave them not only shelter from the elements, but also the ability to get back in business and help their clients put their lives back together.”
Leibow and Simmons spent 16 hours in the town helping with the clean up and teaching Kansas agents Larry Magill and Paul Tompkins how to man the CRV.
“Basically what we told them is you can have it for as long as you need --- I think they’ll probably need it for a couple weeks,” Leibow says. The tornado that hit the town is the worst in its history, but Leibow says the residents are taking it all in strides.
"I can’t describe how bad the town is --- the entire town is destroyed there is nothing there to show it was a town except for the outline of the trees. I would say there’s 100% vehicle loss --- I don’t think there was a single vehicle out there that wasn’t totaled. The main street of the town, which is all brick architecture, was completely written off,” he says. “One thing I will say about Kansas is that they don’t take a storm badly. There was even a girl there dressed up as Dorothy looking for her dog.”
Caption: Linda Crowe of People’s Insurance in Greensburg, Kan., stands behind a makeshift desk. Her actual office is the pile of rubble over her left shoulder.
BEST PRACTICES Attention Best Practices Nominated Agencies All agencies nominated to participate in the 2007 Best Practices Survey should have received an invitation to participate in March. Agencies that accept the invitation must agree to provide financial and operation information completed an in-depth survey. The deadline to submit this information has been extended from May 15 to June 15. During the month of June, the process of analyzing and scoring the submitted data will begin. When this process is completed, only the top 30 agencies in seven revenue categories will be selected as “Best Practices Agencies.” The notification will begin in August and in September a public announcement will be made to the insurance trade press and the new study will be published based on the Best Practices Agency results.
Firms selected as a Best Practices Agency receive a plaque, a press kit to promote their achievement, use of the "Best Practices Agency" logo and an invitation to the exclusive Best Practices Symposium to be held in January 2008 at the Westin Grand Bahamas Island Lucaya Resort.
Being nominated and recognized as a Best Practices Agency opens the door to many opportunities. For more information about the Best Practices program, contact Madelyn Flannagan at madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net. For more information about the the nominations or data submission, contact Shirley Lukens at Reagan Consulting, shirley@reaganconsulting.com.
EDUCATION IIABA Plans Elite Force Sales Training Make plans to attend the most comprehensive insurance sales training course available – Elite Force Sales Training, where students average results of more than $62,000 in first- year commissions.
Elite Force Sales Training is designed to be a complete training program for newer producers (recommended for agents with less than three years in sales and less than five in the insurance industry) who have a basic understanding of the sales process who now seek the foundation of a strong sales skills program.
Students will benefit from 12 full days of training, done three days at a time and work with experienced instructors who will utilize practical education, books and videos from the industry best. Students who attend all sessions, complete the homework and reporting requirements will earn the Associate in Insurance Production (AIP) designation.
Here’s a small sample of the topics covered: time management, personality traits, negotiation skills, consultative relationship building, presentation skills, carrier relationships, how to involve the sales/CSR team, conflict and politics, Best Practices and creating a sales culture, business etiquette and setting, measuring and tracking goals.
In fact, goal setting and reporting are the “written” requirements of earning the AIP designation, an additional benefit of attending the Elite Force Sales Training sessions. Instead of the traditional paper and pen academic testing of most designations, the AIP requires instead that each student submit a written report each month that tracks activities and production results.
Class size is limited to 15 students to ensure everyone receives individual attention. Click here to review the schedule, investment, detailed curriculum, meet the instructors and more. For more information on Elite Force Sales Training, call 800-221-7917 and speak to the education department or email Jennifer Becker at jennifer.becker@iiaba.net.
YOUNG AGENTS 2007 YAC Award Submissions Request The Big “I” National Young Agents Committee is seeking submissions for the 2007 YAC awards in the following categories: membership development, state committee project, communications, Young Agents meeting and political involvement.
Outstanding Young Agents Committee-of-the-Year and first runner-up honors will also be awarded. Participating in the National YAC awards program demonstrates the commitment state young agents and brokers committees have towards perpetuating the independent agency system and solidifies their presence as the driving force behind its future. The 2007 YAC awards will be presented at the 2007 Young Agent Leadership Institute being held in conjunction with the National Board of State Directors meeting scheduled for September 28-30 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, Calif.
Entries must be postmarked by July 1. Visit www.independentagent.com and click on Young Agents and then Tools to download the 2007 YAC Awards Criteria. Direct questions to Katie Cosgrove at 800-221-7917; katie.cosgrove@iiaba.net.
BIG “I” MARKETSSM Rounding Affluent Accounts One of the best ways to round up new accounts is to use account rounding with the Affluent Package program available on Big "I" MarketsSM. What is account rounding? It’s to cross-sell within the same sales cycle. Often times agents may be competing against an Allstate, State Farm or other direct writer policy on a home because its increased replacement cost now qualifies it for an affluent homeowner policy and the homeowner could benefit from the broader coverage typically found in the Chubb Masterpiece and Fireman's Fund Prestige Portfolio policies. That means the Chubb or Fireman's Fund policy will probably cost more. To help agents sell the benefits of broader coverage ask to quote the customer's auto and don't forget to ask about yachts, jewelry, art work, etc. When quoting the entire package, both Chubb & Fireman's Fund provide price breaks that will increase the value of the offering which helps agents sell against monoline homeowners polices that cost less. Remember to help customers understand the old adage, “You get what you pay for” and focus on the coverage benefits that Chubb and Fireman's Fund provide in their packages. Not sure what those benefits are? Click here for a policy comparison chart that points out some of the key features and benefits that the affluent products provide compared to some of the standard homeowner products you will sometimes be selling against. Learn more by logging into www.bigimarkets.com.
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