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Best Practices—Keep your customers happy |  Joint Planning Made Easy for Your Agency |  Network Maintenance/Upgrade Scheduled |  National YAC Promotes Committee Development Guide |  Call for Partner Recommendations |  Why Participate in the 2005 InVEST Silent Auction? |  Industry  News

B I G   " I "   C O N V E N T I O N
Best Practices—Keep your customers happy

Don’t miss the Best Practices Management Institute workshop "Beyond Satisfaction – Climbing Up to the ‘Loyalty Level.’" This workshop is designed for anyone who wants an exciting day of learning all the secrets of customer care. Customers are expensive to acquire and even more expensive to lose. Keeping customers (and keeping them happy) is the No. 1 priority in today’s competitive environment. You need new skills, attitudes and responses to stay ahead. Learn to set your sights on creating consistently positive customer experiences.

Speaker JoAnna Brandi is the Founder of JoAnna Brandi & Company, Inc., a customer care company committed to helping companies build better relationships with their customers through the use of marketing, consulting, research and training. Brandi has developed seminars on customer care, management in a customer-focused environment, customer-focused vision and culture. In her consulting practice, Brandi deals with a diverse group of clients facilitating positive change through customized processes and programs. This workshop is on Sunday, Sept. 11, in New York City, at the Best Practices Management Institute at the Big "I" Convention. It’s not too late to register! Click here for more information. Click here to register.

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B E S T   P R A C T I C E S
Joint Planning Made Easy for Your Agency

Best Practices research shows that effective joint agency-company planning can eliminate non-productive efforts, reduce costs and inefficiencies for both parties and greatly enhance the ongoing agency-company relationship. In an effort to facilitate this critical planning in a fast and dynamic electronic approach, the Big "I" introduces its Best Practices tool, the Joint Planning Tool Quick Step. This product responds to repeated requests from companies and agents to simplify and update the Joint Agency/Company Planning Tool.

This fully automated desktop application, designed using Microsoft’s Excel program, takes agents through establishing internal goals, preparing for joint discussions, developing a joint plan and implementing, adjusting and monitoring the plan, all from the agency principal’s desktop.

The Joint Planning Tool Quick Step is available electronically for only $79.95. For a copy of the order form, click here. Click here for more information about how to implement the Best Practices program in your agency. If you have questions about the Summer Sale or the Best Practices Program, contact Madelyn Flannagan at madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net.

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T E C H N O L O G Y   U P D A T E
Network Maintenance Planned

Starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 22, IIABA’s national office will perform a major network upgrade. We will be replacing five servers and upgrading them to Microsoft Server 2003. 

We anticipate that the Web sites will remain up, but you will not be able to login to access member-only information during the upgrade. Anyone who tries to login will get a message that we are performing system maintenance. We also will be turning off the eCommerce capability for the Big "I" during the upgrade. Big "I" staff also will not be able to access or send e-mail from Friday, July 22, at 5 p.m. until Monday morning, July 25. We appreciate your patience as we complete this upgrade.

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Y O U N G   A G E N T S
National YAC Promotes Committee Development Guide

The National Young Agents Committee offers states the "Step-By-Step Guide to Developing a Young Agents Committee," a useful tool for associations and YAC chairs to use when starting, revitalizing or rejuvenating their state young agents programs. There are currently 45 states with active young agents programs. In addition to this helpful tool, the National YAC, consisting of a committee chair and representatives from five regions of the country—North Eastern, Great Lakes, Southern, Mid-America and Far-West—is also available to offer assistance to any state that wants help with their young agents programs through the National YAC Mentor Program. To receive a copy of the "Step-By-Step Guide" or for more information on the National YAC Mentor Program, contact Leslie Mularski at 800-221-7917; leslie.mularski@iiaba.net.

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B I G   " I "   M A R K E T S
Call for Partner Recommendations

Big "I" Markets, the online market access program available exclusively to Big "I" members, has continually added products to its roster since its inception in 2003. BIM has always focused on offering access to products that our agents need most. Last August, we conducted a survey of all Big "I" markets users to ascertain what markets are most in demand. The top vote getters were non-standard homeowners, general contractors, workers’ compensation, habitational (apartment buildings), restaurants and marine insurance. Based on those results, BIM added a non-standard homeowner product (and its sister non-underwritten renters product) and recently introduced the personal lines marine product. Having added several personal lines markets, we now will shift our new product development focus to the high-premium potential, high-demand commercial products that BIM agents asked for last August.

Ski-SafeTM, the marine insurance provider we just added to Big "I" markets is a great example of how we hope to expand. Ski-SafeTM is a member of the New York Big "I" state association, IIABNY, and was referred to us by IIABNY. Our experience in bringing Ski-Safe on board was such a positive one that we are extending our call for partner submissions to the entire Big "I" community. If there are any product providers that offer the markets outlined above and you think would be interested in working with Big "I" Markets, please contact Gary Heiligman at gary.heiligman@iiaba.net. For more information about Big "I" Markets or to register for the program, click here.

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I N V E S T
Why Participate in the 2005 InVEST Silent Auction?

The 2005 InVEST Silent Auction will take place Sept. 9 through 12 during the Big "I" Convention in New York City. Due to space limitations, the event will feature a total of 30 items, each from one the following three categories: Great Getaways, Gems & Jewelry and Gizmos & Gadgets.

Proceeds support InVEST’s annual scholarships awarded to graduates pursuing higher education with an emphasis on insurance. In May, InVest distributed $44,000 in scholarships from proceeds generated by the 2004 Silent Auction. As a 501(c)3 educational trust, InVEST relies solely upon your tax-deductible contributions!

Our ability to help students develop the skills they need to pursue professional entry-level positions in the industry is a result of your financial assistance. Bidding on the items at the InVEST Silent Auction is a great way to show your support and help raise scholarship dollars to help program graduates succeed. The auction will be open Friday, Sept. 9, and Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 8 am to noon. Winning bidders will be alerted and can pick up their items between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. Click hereto learn more. For more information, contact Sandra Skipper at 703-706-5437; sandra.skipper@iiaba.net.

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