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 Industry News

B E S T     P R A C T I C E S
Elite Force Sales Training Scheduled for 2006

IIABA is offering a sales training program that is proven to help newer agents average $65,000 in annual commissions. The dramatically successful Elite Force Sales Training Program returns March 7, 2006. The course helps new agents post excellent results and is ideal for producers who are familiar with the sales process but lack the foundation of a strong sales-skills program. The classes are small, thus ensuring the individual attention necessary to identify a producer’s sales strengths and quickly translate these advantages into results. Agents will work with experienced instructors, receiving practical education, using books and videos written and produced by some of the best sales minds in the industry. The class consists of many educational elements that have proven essential in the success of sales professionals, including role playing, etiquette enhancement and effective negotiation training.

Program highlights:

· Class size is limited to 15 students to ensure everyone receives individual attention.

· The Associate in Insurance Production (AIP) designation is given to every student who completes the course of study and all sales-reporting requirements.

· The program maintains contact and reinforcement through e-mail exchanges with each student.

· Students are required to report sales activity and review the results quarterly with instructors.

· Builds accountability into the daily habits of students.

· Friendly, competitive environment with peers.

The Elite Force Sales Training program is geared toward producers with less than three years of experience in sales and less than five years in the insurance industry. The course consists of 12 full days of training conducted in four-day intervals. Held at the Big "I" National Office in Alexandria, Va., the first set of classes takes place March 7-9 followed by additional sessions May 9-11, Aug. 8-10 and Nov. 14-16. For more information on the 12 days of the Elite Force Sales Training class,  click here; for an application  click here.

B I G   " I "   M A R K E T S
Celebrate Safely: Advise Clients of Host Liability

This year, many of your clients may plan on hosting an office or personal holiday party. Most partygoers worry about what to wear, how to avoid gaining holiday pounds and what kind of wine to bring; as a host, your clients need to be aware of the responsibility they shoulder. If a guest or third party is injured in an accident related to alcohol consumption, and the drinking can be linked to your client, he or she could be held responsible for the payment of medical bills, vehicle repair costs, lost time from work and, in the worst case, claims for wrongful death resulting in huge monetary settlements. Serving up a little too much holiday cheer may lead to being served a lawsuit—or worse—if hosts aren’t careful.

With so many people hosting holiday parties, it’s a good idea to remind clients to look to the liability portion of their homeowners or renters insurance policy to provide protection if they are sued and found liable for an accident involving a guest who drank in their home. Consumers should regularly review their liability coverage limits to ensure they have adequately coverage should an accident occur.

Courts across the country have found non-commercial hosts liable for the damages their party guests cause as a result of consuming alcohol at their social gatherings and then driving motor vehicles, and several states have enacted statutes that can be interpreted as mandating non-commercial social host liability.

If your clients are employers, they need to make sure a comprehensive general liability (CGL) policy provides coverage for third-party liquor liability through a special endorsement, or they should purchase special event coverage or a separate liquor liability policy before hosting a holiday office party.

All holiday partygoers and hosts alike should act responsibly and know their limits. Most risks cannot be eliminated entirely, but planning ahead and learning about what’s involved in hosting a reception is the best defense. Purchasing a personal "umbrella" liability policy—providing $1 million or more in additional coverage over the limit of a standard homeowners or renter’s policy—may be a prudent move for the frequent party host.

To help prevent accidents, remind your clients to:

Limit their guest lists to friends.

Host their party at a restaurant or bar that has a liquor license, rather in a home or office.

Provide filling food for guests and alternative non-alcoholic beverages.

Schedule entertainment or activities that do not involve alcohol. If the party centers around drinking, guests will likely drink more.

Arrange transportation or overnight accommodations for those who cannot or should not drive home.

Stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party is scheduled to end.

Do not serve guests who are visibly intoxicated.

Consider hiring an off-duty police officer to discretely monitor guests’ sobriety or handle any alcohol-related problems as guests leave.

Stay alert, always remembering your responsibilities as a host.

Help your customers protect themselves from the unexpected by offering them a personal umbrella policy from RLI corporation. The RLI personal umbrella is a stand alone policy with limits up to 5 million, offered on admitted paper from an A+ rated carrier. To access this product, log onto Big "I" Markets and look on the "Underwriting and Coverage" page of the personal umbrella product for a list of state administrators. Your administrator can tell you how to get applications and rate sheets, and how to submit a quote. For more information, go to www.bigimarkets.com or e-mail bigimarkets@iiaba.net. 

D&O Product Class Restrictions List 

Big "I" Markets agents have access to an excellent non-profit D&O product. However, we have recently had several quote requests for this product declined because the classes did not meet our company partner Philadelphia’s eligibility criteria. A list of unacceptable classes is posted on Big "I" Markets under the "product resources" page for this product. Ineligible risks include: abortion clinics, adoption/foster care placement services, blood banks, cemetery, college and university, college fraternities and sororities, community action programs, counselors, dentists & accountants trade associations/bar associations, economic development corporations, environmental/activist groups, health services/medical clinics, homeowners/condo association, hospitals, medical providers, municipalities/public officials, nursing home/assisted living, private school/colleges, public school/college, school sponsored athletic programs, unions, residential facilities (juvenile delinquents and ex-convicts) and utility authorities. To learn more about this product, go to www.bigimarkets.com.

Agency of the Year Awards: The Final Stretch

It looks like an exciting mad dash to the finish line for first Big "I" Markets Agency of the Year awards. Less than $2,000 in written premium separates the top two contenders for the Babe Ruth Award. After enjoying a commanding lead for most of the year, the BC Szerlip Agency finds itself in a virtual tie with hard-charging Carpenter & Company. With only one month left in 2005, who will make a run for the top prize? Here are the standings through Nov. 28: The Babe Ruth Award ("Most Home Runs for a Single Team") will be awarded to the agency which writes the most new premium on Big "I" Markets for calendar year 2005. There is no minimum number of quotes required to win in this category. The current top five include BC Szerlip of Iselin, N.J. with $150,178 in written premium, Carpenter & Company of Kansas City, Mo., with $149,027, ABH Insurance Agency of Pueblo, Colo., with $62,269, the Feldman Agency of Bloomfield, N.J., with $61,171 and United Insurance Brokers, Bellevue, Wash., with $54,879. The Richard Petty Award ("Most Single Season Wins") will be awarded to the agency that has the most confirmed binders on Big "I" Markets for calendar year 2005. To be eligible to win, your agency must have a minimum of 10 submitted quote requests. The current top five are Cambridge Insurance Services, Atlanta, Ga., with 105 confirmed binders, Sun Insurance Services of Winter Park, Fla., with 59, BC Szerlip, Iselin, N.J., with 41, Brown & Haynes of Southaven, Miss., with 21 and the Virginia Commonwealth Corporation, Virginia Beach, Va. with 20. The winners will be announced in 2006. Are these Big "I" member agencies taking advantage of something you're missing out on? Big "I" Markets is IIABA's online market access program and features no fees, no volume commitments and competitive commissions. Log in or register online today at www.bigimarkets.com.

Holiday Greeting Cards   Time

It’s already December! Luckily, it’s not too late to let clients know you’re thinking about them by sending personalized holiday cards. Printed and shipped to your office from IIABA’s endorsed printer, The Mines Press, personalized cards are available in more than 500 designs with many elegant business appreciation messages. Offered at a discounted rate, order these cards so you’ll have them in time for the holidays. Act now, and cross one more thing off your holiday to-do list. For fastest service, order online here or contact the Mines Press at 800-447-6788.

T R U S T E D     C H O I C E ®
Web site Traffic Continues Brisk Growth

Consumer and participating agent visits to the Trusted Choice® Web site continue to grow at an incredible rate. Compared to all of 2004, the number of visits to the Trusted Choice® Web site has more than doubled, and the number of pages viewed has tripled in the first 11 months of this year. Through Nov. 30, www.TrustedChoice.com experienced 2,051,434 visits and 48,430,613 page views this year. In all of 2004, there were 1,018,045 visits and 15,208,383 page views. The daily hits on the site have more than tripled to 20,316 thus far in 2005 compared to 5,646 in all of 2004. The hits skyrocketed thanks to an Internet advertising campaign in June and July on www.homestore.com. This online ad campaign contributed to increased traffic and page views, says Jeff Myers, Trusted Choice® executive director. More than 65,000 consumers clicked on the Trusted Choice® banner ad to go to www.TrustedChoice.com and 13,000 consumers clicked on the Agency Locator. "More consumers are becoming knowledgeable about the Trusted Choice® brand, the Web site and individual Trusted Choice® agencies. Consumers are using online Trusted Choice® resources to learn about insurance coverage issues and to find a trusted insurance advisor," Myers says. The site hosts an Agency Locator through which consumers can find the agency that is right for them based on location, coverages offered and insurance companies represented. In addition, in the site’s secured "Agents/Brokers" area, participating agencies and brokerage firms can find information about the branding program and business resources, such as advertising materials, public relations tips, logo rules and vendor contact information. Click here to learn how to integrate Trusted Choice® into your agency’s Web site. For more information, contact Myers at jeff.myers@iiaba.net  or Stacy Heatherington stacy.heatherington@iiaba.net; 800-221-7917.

I I A B A     N E W S
Big "I" Golf Tournament

Please join us at the January Board meeting for the 10th Annual Big "I" President’s Cup Golf Tournament, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2006. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. The tournament is at the Pete Dye Golf Course at The Mission Hills Golf Club in Palm Springs, Calif. Over the years, Mission Hills continues to attract golfers from around the world, all looking forward to playing the challenging and beautiful, scenic and tough golf course. For more information, or to register, click here.

I N V E S T
InVEST Announces Dates for 2006 Silent Auction

Participate in the InVEST Silent Auction and support the program’s annual scholarships awarded to InVEST graduates who are pursuing higher education with an emphasis on insurance. The 2006 InVEST Silent Auction will take place during the Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention, April 26-28 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.

A 501(c)3 educational trust, InVEST introduces high school and community college students to insurance and careers available within the industry. The program offers insurance agencies, brokers and carriers a diverse and talented group of entry-level recruits. Play an important roll in the future of InVEST’s brightest students by bidding on items at the Silent Auction and supporting their higher education. In the past, the auction has featured items ranging from golf clubs to jewelry, trips to sports tickets, agency management tools to gadgets.

Visit www.independentagent.com and click on "InVEST" to download a Silent Auction Contribution Form. Thank you in advance for your contribution and support of InVEST. For more information, contact Sandra Skipper 703-706-5437; sandra.skipper@iiaba.net.