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2005 Best Practices Study Update Now Available |  Trusted Choice® Web Store Offers Promo Tools |  Reach Out to Affected Agents |  National Staff Hosts Golf Outing for Katrina Relief |  Jump Start Your Way to Extended Sales |  Save the Date |  Rep. Kingston Addresses Large Agents/Brokers and CEO Dinner |  Industry News

B E S T   P R A C T I C E S
2005 Best Practices Study Update Now Available

It’s time to update your Best Practices library with the "2005 Best Practices Study Update." This valuable study provides critical performance benchmarks in seven agency revenue categories ranging from less than $500,000 to more than $25 million. Agencies can measure, evaluate and compare results for agency operations including:

· Income & Expense Distribution

· Revenue & Profitability Growth

· Production and Service Staff Compensation/Productivity

· Technology Expenses

· Carrier Representation

Realize your agency’s potential---purchase the Best Practices Study today. For more than a dozen years, the annual Best Practices Study has served as a tool to help agency owners and managers understand their business operations’ performances and benchmark against the top the performing firms across the country. It is a "must have" for those agencies that want to become the best they can be. Click here to download an order form.

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T R U S T E D   C H O I C E ®
Trusted Choice® Web Store Offers Promo Tools

Are you looking for a cost-effective way to thank your customers? Giving away promotional items is an easy, targeted and personalized approach to increase customer awareness and to reinforce the Trusted Choice® brand. Customers tend to keep and use promotional products, and with repeated exposure to the Trusted Choice® logo, instant recognition can be achieved. Promotional products can entice your customers, generate interest and promote a positive image. For all your promotional needs, visit our extensive Trusted Choice® Web store, provided by Advertising, Premiums and Incentives (API), a national premier full-service promotional products company, which offers a wide selection of Trusted Choice® gifts and apparel—polo shirts, denim shirts, umbrellas, license plate frames, coffee mugs, key chains, window decals, pens, tote bags and more—prominently displaying the Trusted Choice® logo. Select items that appeal to your customers by using the convenient search feature on the Web store. This tool makes it fast and easy for you to access and order more than 500,000 promotional products that can be customized with the Trusted Choice® logo. API provides shipping and fulfillment services, and maintains an inventory of Trusted Choice® products that can be shipped within 24 hours.

Click here  to access the Trusted Choice® Web store or contact API directly at 800-507-7007. For more information contact Stacy Heatherington at stacy.heatherington@iiaba.net.

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B I G   " I "   K A T R I N A   R E L I E F   F U N D
Reach Out to Affected Agents

The Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund will assist those whose lives have been tragically altered by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

All donations will assist insurance industry colleagues, including independent agents, brokers, their employees and their families in the impacted areas.

Checks should be made payable to "Big ‘I’ Katrina Relief Fund" and mailed to:

Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund
c/o InsurBanc
10 Executive Drive
Farmington, CT 06032

If you prefer to contribute via credit card, please click here.

All funds contributed to the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund are tax deductible as charitable contributions.

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I I A B A   N E W S
National Staff Hosts Golf Outing for Katrina Relief

The Big "I" National Staff hosted its 13th annual golf outing this week, using the money raised from entrance fees and a raffle to benefit Hurricane relief efforts. More than $3,500 was raised on Monday for the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund by several agent volunteers, state association staff and national staff. Several staff members contributed with donations of their own even though they were not able to join the tournament. The Big "I" would like to thank all the sponsors, donors and participants for making this event memorable, and for raising money for a good cause.

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B I G   " I "   M A R K E T S
Jump Start Your Way to Extended Sales

In the past several weeks we have seen an increase in quote requests for the extended auto warranty product available on Big "I" Markets as more members are becoming aware of the availability of this product and offering it to their clients. Registered Big "I" Markets users may access the extended auto warranty product offered through Virginia Surety. Auto warranties are purchased to prolong the coverage of a car’s bumper-to-bumper warranty and to safeguard against expensive unforeseen repairs. Extended warranties are in essence service contracts and can be purchased at the time a vehicle is purchased or further along during ownership. The Virginia Surety plan features four levels of protection with a choice of named exclusion and named component options providing maximum flexibility in plan choices, a menu of "per visit" (the best kind) of deductible options and is transferable. For more information, log into Big "I" Markets. Not yet registered? Register online at www.bigimarkets.com.

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B I G   " I "   C O N V E N T I O N
Save the Date

If you enjoyed this year’s Big "I" Convention in New York City, be sure to save the date for next year’s show when it joins forces with the Big "I" National Legislative Conference. The 2006 Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention will take place April 26-29 in Washington, D.C. Click herefor more details.

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Rep. Kingston Addresses Large Agents/Brokers and CEO Dinner

Congressman Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) discussed the Congressional reaction to Hurricane Katrina before more than 150 insurance industry leaders, company CEOs and executives from the largest agency and brokerage firms in the country at the Large Agents/Brokers and CEO Dinner, held recently at the 2005 Big "I" Convention in New York City.

Kingston, a seven-term congressman from Georgia’s 1st District and vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, focused on the paramount importance of quick and effective response in the face of a catastrophe. Kingston also discussed the necessity of having a federal backstop in place for terrorism insurance by the end of the year, and said the Big "I" will be critical in making that happen.

Kingston also discussed flood insurance, claims issues, the economy, terrorism and Iraq, and much more.

"Jack Kingston is the only member of Congress who holds the CPCU designation, and his speech showed the sophisticated understanding he has of the insurance industry," said Big "I" CEO Robert A. Rusbuldt.

"As a former Palmer & Cay agent and Big ‘I’ member, Jack Kingston is one of the most knowledgeable members of Congress on insurance issues," Rusbuldt said. "It is refreshing to hear a member of Congress who truly understands the intricacies of our business."

Also at the dinner, Rusbuldt discussed the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund and the significance and scope of the insurance industry’s response to the hurricane. "Helping our industry colleagues, their families and their communities is what we are all about," he said. "The Big ‘I’ established the Relief Fund to concentrate on assisting our industry colleagues and their families get back on their feet quickly so they can help their customers."

"This dinner was an invaluable opportunity for the leaders of the insurance industry to get together and discuss issues important to their businesses," said E. Donald Lewis, chairman of IIABA’s Agents & Brokers Roundtable and president, USI New England.

"It’s not every day that the top CEOs and the biggest independent agents and brokers get together and talk about what really matters. Congressman Kingston provided us with a valuable insight into the Congressional perspective on important insurance issues. We look forward to similar events in the future."

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