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December 16, 2009

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In this Issue

•  Big 'I' Updates Pending Flood Insurance Program Extension 
•  Survey Offers Chance to Express Your Feelings about Carriers' Technology 
•  Magazine: Social Media in Search of Converts Among Independent Agents, Brokers 
•  Insurers Create New 'Green' Products, Services 
•  Seven Tips to Streamline Handling of Your E-mail 
•  'Tis the Season for Marketing Savings with Trusted Choice 

 Hot Links  Local Events | Education Calendar | E&O Reports |Capitol Reports | The Situation Room | Technology
Word on the Street Podcast | Ask Tim Podcast

Big 'I' Updates Pending Flood Insurance Program Extension
The House and Senate have reportedly reached an agreement to extend the National Flood Insurance Program until June 30, 2010. A short term extension was passed at the end of October after a similar month-long extension was passed at the end of September. The program is now scheduled to expire Dec. 18. IIABA expects the House and Senate to pass a Defense Appropriations bill or a Continuing Resolution by the end of the week, and the flood insurance extension will be included in this legislation. Pres. Barack Obama is expected to sign the legislation shortly thereafter to ensure the program doesn’t lapse.

This will be the fourth short-term extension of the flood insurance passed this year alone. IIABA says it fully realizes that these continued short term extensions cause uncertainty in the marketplace, and the Big "I" has been actively lobbying for a longer term extension. House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committee staff continue to assure IIABA that the committees will make long-term extension and reform a priority next year. The Big "I" will continue to work with the committees on these needed reforms. However, given the fact that next year is an election year and that the Senate Banking Committee will still be focused on financial services regulatory reform, further short term extensions of the program are, unfortunately, a strong possibility next year. 

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Survey Offers Chance to Express Your Feelings about Carriers' Technology
You are invited to participate in a brief (five items) questionnaire aimed at informing carriers what bugs you most and what you’d like to see changed about their agent-interfacing technology. (The survey was developed by Deep Customer Connections, an independent research and consulting firm focused on helping carriers make it easier for their agents to work with them.)

Your input will make a difference. Only when carriers clearly know what is most important to agents can they implement an effective technology interface with their agents. Your responses will remain anonymous and will be pooled with answers from other agents to make a case for what carriers’ technology capabilities should address. Complete the survey online. 

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Magazine: Social Media in Search of Converts Among Independent Agents, Brokers
While IIABNY has embraced social media through Twitter, Linkedin Group and its page on Facebook, independent agents are still slow to warming to the idea of using the still-relatively new communications method for reaching clients and potential customers. According to a non-scientific American Agent & Broker magazine reader survey, less than 20 percent are even considering using social media in their marketing plans.

Published in AA&B’s December issue on Internet marketing, the unscientific survey suggests that although agents may still be holding back from full involvement in social media, interest is strong in reaching customers through other Web methods.

The online survey, which was conducted in October and November, included more than 600 participants of all sizes and locations. The questions focused on what types of Internet marketing methods users were currently employing, from basic Web sites to Twitter and Facebook.

In general, the responses suggest that although most agents and brokers are actively using more traditional Internet methods, they have been slower to get involved in more cutting-edge practices. When asked whether their agency or brokerage had a social media presence, almost 60 percent (58.1 percent) said no, 22.3 percent said yes, and 19.6 percent said they were considering it.

Of those respondents who had a social media presence, 26.6 percent used LinkedIn, 24.9 percent Facebook, 11.4 percent on Twitter, and 3.8 percent on MySpace. Of the social networking users, 47 percent reported having a formal policy on what employees can do on the Web during working hours.

Surprisingly, even Web sites are not ubiquitous. Although 81 percent of respondents reported having an agency Web site, 19 percent did not. Of those respondents with Web sites, the majority (32.3 percent) had supervised a redesign over the past six to nine months, 24.6 percent did so more than 2 years ago, and 21.9 percent over the past year. In an open-ended question, several respondents commented that they didn’t pursue any form of Internet marketing because Web sales were "undesirable."

Along with Web sites and social networking, other popular marketing methods used to reach current and prospective customers included:

• E-mail marketing (49.3 percent)
• Search engine optimization (24.9 percent)
• Lead-based Web sites (13 percent)
• Interactive Web site such as reader forums (10.4 percent)
• Electronic customer relationship management (8.4 percent)

Other methods mentioned in an open-ended question included insurer-sponsored Web sites, online and print advertising, telemarketing, seminars, direct mail, cross-policy sales lists and instant quotes and purchase options on agency Web sites.

Editor's note: IIABNY at-large director Rick Morgan of Rick Morgan Consulting in Broomfield, CO, will lead a workshop on Social Media Best Practices Feb. 8, 2010 in Albany during IIABNY's Capital Event. For more information on the Capital Event and workshops, visit IIABNY's Web site. 

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Insurers Create New 'Green' Products, Services
The United Nations Climate Change conference being held in Copenhagen this month is a reminder of the wide range of new insurance products and services available to people interested in "going green," according to the Insurance Information Institute.

More than 600 innovative, eco-friendly products and services are now offered by 244 insurers, reinsurers, brokers and insurance organizations in 29 states; 37 percent of those activities come from U.S. companies. Twenty-two companies now offer 39 products and services specifically designed for new green buildings, and green upgrades for existing buildings, either following a loss or in the course of normal renovations.

"Insurers have become good corporate citizens by creating important new green insurance products and services to reflect changes in society," said Loretta Worters, vice president of the I.I.I.

One insurer has introduced the world’s first-ever insurance for humanitarian emergencies, which was purchased by the World Food Programme. The approach tracks rainfall amounts and patterns and pays claims well in advance of when post-event relief would be distributed. "By mobilizing aid faster than would be possible by traditional approaches, this product reduces human suffering and the overall costs of responding to humanitarian crises," Worters noted.

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Seven Tips to Streamline Handling of Your E-mail
By Marsha Egan 

Here are seven great tips for you to streamline your e-mail handling:

Schedule times to receive e-mail. By selecting an option whereby you receive your e-mail every 90 minutes, or even every two hours, you will be able to consolidate your work. Very little is truly urgent; those urgent items are usually handled by telephone or personal visit.

View e-mail as a tool for keeping touch, rather than an urgent communication tool. E-mail should not be an urgent communication tool. It is excellent at helping people stay informed. Anything you need in less than 90 minutes should be done by phone or in person.

Manage your e-mail with rules. Many e-mail programs have rules that you can apply to receive e-mail. In other words, you can set up a rule to place an item automatically into one of your e-mail folders, without its going into or through your inbox. This is a great option for newsletters.

Use preview pane. You can set up most e-mail programs to be able to review in "preview pane" view. This allows you to see the content of the e-mail without having to double-click on the e-mail to open it. Every second helps!

Put the main point or request in the first two sentences of the e-mail. This practice helps your readers clearly know the point of the e-mail. Too many people "bury" the main point further down in the e-mail.

Only one subject per e-mail. We have all received the e-mails that address multiple subjects in the same e-mail, sometimes impacting different audiences. It is better to write two separate e-mails on the different subjects, rather than to combine them into one.

Make the Subject line specific. By putting detailed information in the subject line, you will enable others to properly sort their work. Many of us have a tendency to use a general subject, such as "Tuesday Meeting." Instead, your subject may be more effective if it states "Please bring the attached handout to the Tuesday meeting."

Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC, is CEO of the Egan Group, Inc. in Reading PA. An ICF Certified Professional Coach, she is a leading authority on e-mail productivity. Egan works with forward thinking organizations who want a profit-rich e-mail culture. Her recently released ebooks, Help! I've Fallen into My Inbox and Can't Climb Out! Five E-mail Self management Strategies that Will Add Hours to Your Week and Reclaim Your Workplace E-mail Productivity: Add BIG BUCKS to Your Bottom Line can be found at http://eganemailsolutions.com.

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’Tis the Season for Marketing Savings with Trusted Choice^®
Many Trusted Choice^® agents shopped to build brand power in 2009, and the national agents branding program created by IIABA has helped them in the process. Agents have applied for marketing reimbursements for items including business cards, Web sites, t-shirts and outdoor signage. It’s not too late for more Trusted Choice agencies to take advantage of the program and live the brand. Trusted Choice agencies have until Feb. 28, 2010 to submit for reimbursements on items ordered through Dec. 31, 2009. To receive up to $500, follow the logo rules and the four easy steps below.

• First, check your stock, because Trusted Choice’s Marketing Reimbursement Program is perfect for re-ordering business cards, stationery and more.
• Second, does your Web site include the Trusted Choice logo and pledge? Do you have a Web site? Trusted Choice can help agencies update their Web presence.
• Third, find a vendor — a Trusted Choice preferred vendor will gladly help, but agents are also welcome to use local resources. Members can create an agency Web site for the special rate of $39 per month through AgentQuote, IIABNY's endorsed Web site development program. 
• Finally, fill out the Trusted Choice marketing reimbursement form and send it with professional proofs to Trusted Choice.

Find out more by visiting the Trusted Choice Web site. (You must be logged in as a Trusted Choice agency to access this section.) For those who have already taken advantage of the 2009 MRP, Trusted Choice will continue the program in 2010 and will make the reimbursement available again. View the 2010 MRP guidelines online.

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