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T H U R S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 1 7 , 2 0 0 9
Trusted Choice® | Young Agents | Big I Advantage®
Big "I" Professional Liability | Big "I" Markets | Industry News
Trusted Choice®
Help Trusted Choice® Members Get Leads
Drop-in article and details on new lead generating program available for Trusted Choice® agents. Trusted Choice® has a new tool that helps agencies get leads in zip codes of their choice: the phone number 1-800-We-Insure. Trusted Choice® is working to create a variety of tools for state associations and other stakeholders to help solicit agent sign-ups for the new tool and to get the word out to consumers. Trusted Choice® staff members are working swiftly to create print ads, banner ads, flyers and other updated materials to include the 1-800-We-Insure phone number. Look to the Trusted Choice® collaboration center, SMAC, the Trusted Choice® state Web site and Big “I” staff for an expanding arsenal of resources to market to agents and consumers. Please note that all resources can be customized with your state association’s name. Click here for a drop-in article to get things started, which also appears in this week’s association news. In addition, click here for a link to the first ad, which will appear in the October issue of Independent Agent magazine.
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Young Agents
Young Agents Talk Tech and Sales at Leadership Institute
Several Young Agents Committees win awards. The 2009 Young Agents Leadership Institute was a great success! The event took place Sept. 11-12 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and featured numerous opportunities for Young Agents to learn new leadership and business development skills.
The event kicked off with an Agents Council for Technology (ACT) special joint event that focused on best practices workflows to enhance agency productivity and sales. Young agents gained insight into how agencies are rebalancing their marketing strategies to an online focus using their Web sites, social media and search engine positioning. Keynote speaker Cary Mullen brought inspiration and motivation to attendees while sharing his five key winning strategies. Young agents also brushed up on their sales skills and discovered solutions to potential pitfalls. After attending the Magnificent Seven panel featuring Young Agent award winners, attendees from across the country were able to walk away with the necessary tools to make their state Young Agents programs stronger than ever.
Congratulations to the 2009 Outstanding Young Agents Committee Award Winners: Young Agents Committee Award: The Young Agents Council of the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents Young Agents Committee Award Runner-Up: The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina Membership Development Award: The Kentucky Young Insurance Professionals of the Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky, Inc. State Committee Project: The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc. Young Agents Meeting Award: The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, Inc. Political Involvement Award: The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Inc. Communications Award: The Young Agents Committee of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois, Inc. For more information, contact Katie Cosgrove at 800-221-7917; katie.cosgrove@iiaba.net.
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Big I Advantage®
Member Marketing Activity Center - State Marketing Initiative Underway
The new program is gaining ground. The new Big "I" Member Marketing Activity Center has gained popularity with 175 agents who have subscribed to the service in 41 states. To date, members have purchased nearly $5,000 in leads and more than $1,500 in prospecting and printed materials. As word travels in Two for Tuesday, Insurance News & Views and Web site links, agents are becoming more aware of MMAC’s marketing benefits. Thank you to those state associations that have promoted MMAC on their Web sites. Draw members to your state association Web site by adding the MMAC link or by copying information from www.iiaba.net/MMAC. As a refresher, MMAC is a Big “I” member-exclusive suite of services that aids producers in acquiring new business and assists with the retention of their current clients. MMAC is comprised of the following services: • ProspectNOW: Personal and commercial lines prospecting
• DirectMailNOW: Online marketing materials, customization and mailing
• LeadsNOW: Personal and commercial insurance leads
• Cross-sellNOW: Tips and materials to help cross-sell current books of business
• RetainNOW: Custom newsletters designed for retention
• ManageNOW: Agency management tools Banner ads, flyers and links to video podcasts can be found on SMAC’s home page under for-profit news and updates. To enable states to demonstrate the product to your members, the annual $18.96 introductory enrollment fee has been waived for state associations. States and agents can gain access by visiting www.iiaba.net/MMAC or by clicking on the MMAC banner ad at www.bigimarkets.com. Look for MMAC updates in our Two for Tuesday newsletter. For more information, contact Brett Sutch at brett.sutch@iiaba.net.
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Big I Advantage®
Marketing Tip of the Week: Promoting Umbrella Coverage
Refer to the numerous Big I Advantage® umbrella programs. Big I Advantage® offers several markets for umbrella programs. They include Swiss Re/Westport insurance agents E&O umbrella, RLI personal umbrella, Anderson and Murison personal umbrella and Chubb umbrella for commercial properties. A recent Insurance News & Views article published in the national news section gave a good overview of the umbrella marketplace and the techniques some agents use to encourage their clients to obtain coverage. Click here to read the article, which will be placed in SMAC’s drop-in article section. When including the article in your member newsletter, place it next to an advertisement for one of the Big I Advantage® umbrella programs. Visit the related program sections within SMAC for flyers, ads and banner ads. Contact Elif Wisecup at elif.wisecup@iiaba.net to have your state’s logo and contact information added to any material.
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Big "I" Professional Liability
Next ASP™ Webinar Provides Demonstration on Improving Agency Productivity
Encourage your policyholders to attend this demonstration. Get the word out on the ASP™ program by encouraging members to attend a webinar at 2 p.m., Oct. 7. The webinar will be facilitated by Richard Lund of Swiss Re and Geoff Garden of MIHI, and agents will receive a demonstration of the initial survey, project tracking sheet documentation and final completion and certification. Please notify all Swiss Re policyholders about the event; click here for an invitation to use. Big “I” staff is happy to e-mail this invitation to all members on your behalf. Contact Pam Andrews at pam.andrews@iiaba.net indicating whether you will send the invitation or whether you prefer Big “I” staff to e-mail it.
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Big “I” Professional Liability
Memo Available for Insureds in FFIC Agents E&O Program
Memo will simplify billing process.
AAS has developed a policyholder billing information memo to attach to the policy form when delivered to the insured. This memo is intended to clarify the billing process for the insured and includes a discussion of the delay in delivery of a bill/invoice from Fireman’s Fund to the insured. The memo also provides direct contact information to the Fireman’s Fund billing department, as well as information on how to make an early payment if desired. The memo should help insureds feel more comfortable with the Fireman’s Fund billing process and will give them direct access to Fireman’s Fund in the event of a billing question. The memo can be issued on your state association’s letterhead if desired and will be stored on in the product resources section of Big “I” Markets. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Amanda Hodgson at amanda.hodgson@iiaba.net or Jim Hanley at jim.hanley@iiaba.net.
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Big “I” Markets
State Associations Contest Heats Up
Check out the August results.
Big “I” Markets is hosting two contests for 2009: one for the highest percentage of membership that has registered for Big “I” Markets (Member Sign-up Gold Cup) and one for highest percentage of registered members requesting a quote (Notable Quotables). The prize for each contest will be $750 in Trusted Choice® dollars for the winning state to spend however it wants.
Standings for the first eight months in 2009 are: 
Rhode Island still leads the Member Sign-up Gold Cup, though the trailing states all gained in the percentage of members registered for BIM. Nevada had another 3% of its membership submit a quote request and took the lead from Maryland, which was previously the contest leader for Notable Quotables. New Jersey jumped from fifth to third, the most movement by any state this month.
See how your individual state is doing by logging on to www.bigimarkets.com, clicking on reports and selecting the BIM penetration report. Contact Aimee Fawns at aimee.fawns@iiaba.net or Gary Heiligman at gary.heiligman@iiaba.net if you have questions or need assistance. Good luck!
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