T H U R S D A Y ,   A U G U S T   2 5 ,   2 0 0 5

 Industry News

B I G   " I "   C O N V E N T I O N
Roadmap to Becoming a Best Practices Agency

The Best Practices Management Institute (BPMI), beginning on Sept. 12, will help agencies enhance customer service, build "the ultimate" producer and provide essential information for every owner and agency manager. The owner and manager essentials track details how to build a Best Practices foundation for your agency. Reagan Consulting’s staff will guide you during the morning session through the foundational building blocks that enable Best Practices agencies to stay ahead of the pack.

The BPMI will cover core Best Practices concepts and business philosophies, secrets from highly effective agency leaders, the components of successful sales cultures in Best Practices agencies and the factors most critical to building and measuring agency value.

As an added bonus, a leadership panel comprised of successful Best Practices agencies will highlight key points and provide personal insight. Click here for more information. Click here to register.

Build an Ethical Organization: Practical Solutions to Real-Life Challenges

The insurance industry is under close scrutiny from the government, media and consumers regarding the ethical nature of some policies, including commissions and compensation. On Sunday, Sept. 11, Lawrence Geneen will host a workshop discussing how to create and bolster an ethical agency culture. He will review common situations agents, brokers and reinsurance companies face and will examine the practical issues of ethics in the insurance industry. He also will discuss the cost of ethical lapses, how organizations deal with ethical failures and the difficult choices executives must make. Geneen is president of Lawrence Geneen & Associates, a consulting firm with a mix of Fortune 1000 and middle market company clients. For more information, click here. To register for the Big "I" Convention, click here.

Win an iPod from Big "I" Advantage

Big "I" Advantage invites you to attend four free educational sessions held at the Big "I" Convention on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 1 to 5 p.m. Session attendants also will gain free admittance to the Opening Night Party at 6 p.m. This reception is a great chance to network with other agents and carrier representatives at the kick-off event for the industry’s most lively annual meeting. Also, attendees at each session will be entered into a drawing for a free iPod Shuffle! Attend all four sessions for four chances to win, and you could be the envy of your friends (or your kids!)

Sessions include:

Big "I" Flood Program – Don’t Be a Drip, Think Flood!—Learn how easy it is to cross-sell flood insurance, how rewarding selling flood insurance can be and how offering flood coverage can help you avoid E&O claims.

Big "I" Markets: The Right Move for Your Agency—Learn how to leverage online access to products such as non-standard and affluent homeowners, special event liability and a host of other commercial and personal lines markets, all provided by the member-benefit Big "I" Markets.

Taking Aim at the High-Value Homeowner Market—The affluent homeowner program provides member agents with access to two of the premier carriers in this market, Chubb and Fireman’s Fund. Learn what lines can be written stand alone vs. package and what coverage enhancements can give you an edge on the competition for homes valued at $500,000 or more.

Retirement Strategies for Agency Principals—There have been a number of changes in tax laws that allow for greater flexibility and tax savings through retirement plans. This session will look at retirement plans from an independent agency principal's standpoint as it relates to agency perpetuation and recruitment of quality employees.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Brett Sutch at brett.sutch@iiaba.net; 800-221-7917.

It’s Not Too Late to Register

It’s not too late to register for what promises to be one of the best Big "I" meetings on record as thousands of independent insurance agents and brokers and other industry professionals prepare to descend on New York City for the Big "I" Convention.

The convention, the showcase event of the Big "I," will take place Sept. 10 through 12 at the Hilton New York. The Big "I" Convention will feature nationally recognized speakers such as "America’s Mayor," Rudy Giuliani, who revitalized New York City during his tenure and inspired his city—and the nation—to come together and move forward in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The convention also features insightful continuing-education workshops, numerous networking events and the largest trade show in the insurance industry. Hotel rooms are still available. To register for the Big "I" Convention and to find information about other events and programs, click here.

  T R U S T E D   C H O I C E ^®
Maximize Your Fall Advertising Campaign

The Trusted Choice® fall national cable TV ad campaign is right around the corner, but there’s still plenty of time to plan your agency’s local tie-in campaign. Your agency can leverage this nationwide ad flight by running a local ad campaign using the Trusted Choice® "tag-able" TV, radio and print ads. The national ad flight begins Sept. 12 and runs through Sept. 25; click here to view the complete schedule. The tag-able ads introduce consumers to Trusted Choice® and educate them about the valuable services—choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support—Trusted Choice® agencies provide. It is easy to have your local media insert your agency contact information into these ready-to-use materials. To preview and order the tag-able print, TV and radio ads go to www.TrustedChoice.com, log onto "Agents and Brokers" area and then click "Advertising."

Want to launch a local advertising campaign and build consumer awareness of your Trusted Choice® agency? Follow these easy steps:

1) Determine the media where you want to run your advertising campaign.

2) Contact your local media sales representative to develop an advertising schedule, secure cost, times and negotiate voiceover for your agency contact information.

3) Download and fill out the order form for the TV and radio ads. Digital copies of the ads you choose will be sent directly to your local broadcast stations. You can download the print ads directly from the Trusted Choice® Web site and send them immediately to your local newspaper or magazine.

Nowis the time to take advantage of this opportunity. For a relatively small investment, your agency will achieve double the exposure as the Trusted Choice® for local insurance and financial services consumers. For more information, contact Jeff Myers at jeff.myers@iiaba.net or Stacy Heatherington at stacy.heatherington@iiaba.net; 800-221-7917.

V I R T U A L   U N I V E R S I T Y
ISO’s Amendments to ‘Additional Insured’ Endorsements

ISO’s amendments to its "Additional Insured" endorsements included changes to its Vendor’s Endorsement. Most notably, ISO added an exclusion to its Vendor’s Endorsement for a vendor’s sole negligence. This article addresses the amendments to ISO's Vendor's Endorsement and examines whether it will achieve its purpose. In addition, the article looks at the June 29, 2005 decision from the New York Court of Appeals in Raymond Corporation, et al. v. National Union Fire Insurance Company. This 4-3 decision from New York's highest court contains competing opinions on the potential availability of coverage under a Vendor's Endorsement for a vendor's sole negligence.

To view this article and to learn more about these and other changes to the endorsements, click here. Big "I" members can take advantage of their free access to the VU by ensuring that each employee has a user ID and password. If you do not have a Big "I" user ID and password, click on the Member Login icon here, and then click on "Don’t Know Password" and follow the onscreen instructions.

I I A B A   N E W S
Big "I" Shines in the Media

The Big "I" is basking in the media spotlight during the last few months of summer. In July, the Big "I" was featured in five articles---ranging in subject matter from terrorism insurance coverage to fund-raising reports---in The Hill, Capitol Hill’s premier newspaper for legislators and their staffs. In addition, The New York Times quoted Big "I" CEO Bob Rusbuldt in the July 18 article "Compromise May Extend Terrorism Insurance Aid." The Times also quoted Paul Buse, Big "I" Advantage president, on homeowners insurance in the Aug. 13 article "Underinsured? Then Don't Throw Stones." Quoted twice within 30 days on political policy and technical insurance issues, the articles show that the association as a leader in the insurance community. The Big "I" Trusted Choice® Junior Classic also generated great press coverage, with articles in local papers across the country, as well as two articles in USA Today. In total, during July and August, the Big "I" was featured in more than 90 print articles, creating more than 9 million circulation impressions in the past two months. For more information, contact Emily Crane at emily.crane@iiaba.net; 800-221-7917.