At last week’s Agent’s Council for Technology (ACT); ACORD User Group Information Exchange (AUGIE); and American Insurance Marketing and Sales Society (AIMS) meetings in Tampa, FL, initiative updates showed the progress being made to improve business for agents nationwide. With much gratitude to my friend Michael Carroll, Communication Specialist at ACORD, I am able to share with you his professional perspective on how this group of insurance experts from around the country once again came together to help progress our industry through the use of technology in all facets of this thing of ours.

Kicked off by ACT Chair Jim Armitage, Arroyo Insurance Services, Inc. and ACT Executive Director Jeff Yates, the sessions illustrated the progress made by the industry, as well as the work that still needed to be accomplished. As Mr. Armitage remarked, there was a bigger than expected crowd at the event and spoke of the importance of evolving today’s agencies to meet new demands. The use of modern technology is a must and goes a long way to supporting business and meeting customer expectations is important.

A major focus of the event was using technology to support business requirements, from Real Time and mobile to social media and the Internet in general, to build a more customer-centric environment. Customer experience and the way that agencies communicate with their current clients and prospects have changed and independent agencies need to remain on the cutting edge to be competitive. Audience participation was a major part of the sessions and brought out many key points that spurred further conversation.

This included:

Independent agencies need to remain high touch as well as high tech • Technology is not generational as once thought
Social media is a networking tool like being in the Kiwanis or Rotary One of the most important elements is showing customers the value independent agents provide as trusted advisors. This is why industry members need to create and communicate a compelling vision of what agents provide, particularly to younger consumers.

Much of the focus was on the future and how the industry needs to evolve to meet these changing demands. Ron Berg of Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company led a panel including Tom Doran of Reagan Consulting; Claudia McClain of McClain Insurance Services, Jim Ochiltree of IVANS, and Paris Patton of Sachs Insights that examined the key trends and forces impacting the industry. Some details provided included:

Many consumers will still want a relationship, a personal connection, based upon the consultative sale and ongoing advice and counsel when needed. That is the important thing, not the transactions performed or the information provided. All of that is readily available on the Internet.
The industry is likely to see very local, more distributed agency offices in the future—convenient to clients— bound together by technology. These “uber-local” offices may have just one individual.
The agency that is high touch and high relationship will do well with the changing consumer, as compared to the agency that is primarily transactional.
Agencies will operate in a more virtual environment, with more flexible employee relationships and more outsourcing of functions to third parties. This was followed by Peter van Aartrijk of Aartrijk Group who presented the 13 attributes of successful agencies of the future which are:

Leadership Skills
Strategic Thinking
Clear Brand Positioning 5. Anticipatory
People Management Skills
Financial Management
Strong Sales Skills
Agility
Know Your Consumer
Social
Efficient Processes
Effective Business Intelligence Tools

The document and descriptions are available on the ACT website. Planning and preparing for the changing insurance industry, according to all the speakers and sessions, is essential for survival and success today and into the future. ACT and its Work Groups are working with the industry to gather the data, generate ideas, and provide recommendations to independent agencies so they are ready for what’s ahead.

The 2012 American Insurance Marketing & Sales (AIMS) Society Meeting in Tampa, held in conjunction with the AUGIE and Agents Council for Technology (ACT) meeting, focused on understanding the tools, technologies, and techniques for selling insurance in today’s environment.

The AIMS Society provides marketing and sales training and tools to P&C insurance agency owners, producers, support staff, and insurance company personnel. It’s essential that agencies understand and properly use the numerous tools and technologies available to create a sales culture and focus on servicing, making sales, and up- and cross-selling customers. This often begins with an appropriate, informative, proper and robust Internet presence which is vital to today’s agencies. As panelists in Turning Your Internet Presence into a Money-Maker stressed, just having a website is not enough. Moderator Keith Savino, Warwick Resource Group and member of both the ACORD and AIMS Society Boards reminded everyone that nothing happens until the sale is made. He also stressed that it’s about the business and not just the IT behind it.

Panelists included Larry Nielson of Neilson Marketing Services, Michael Jans of Agency Revolution, and Jason Cass, an independent agent. Each brought a unique perspective on the role of technology in supporting the sales mission. Cass brought his first-hand agency experience and passion to his presentation and provided audience members the benefit of his personal experiences in using the Internet to grow his business.

Relationships were another focus of the discussions. As much as technology supports today’s industry, many reminded attendees that this has always been and will remain a business based on personal relationships built between agents and customers. While the ways that the relationships are maintained have changed with technologies such as the Internet, social media, and smartphones, the basics hold true. Another theme resonating throughout the sessions was the immediate need to implement today’s technologies. While many in the room were among the “believers,” it was stressed that it was still not too late to get involved and use today’s technologies to save time, refocus efforts, and grow business. Attendees were encouraged to embrace technology tools as business tools that will, ultimately, generate income. Technology is available to support business efforts. By utilizing what’s available to free up time normally spent processing, agency personnel can focus on sales and relationships.

Technology is not the enemy of sales; it’s a tool that helps enhance existing business methods and expand reach, scope, and possibilities.

Another conference that was well worth attending was the Independent Insurance Agents of Westchester County’s E Day 2012 convention held at The DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, NY. With a sold out trade show and outstanding continuing education courses, this annual event was once again an IIA premier event. Our congratulations go out to Todd Rockefeller, from DeRosa, Rockefeller, Sohigian & Werdal, as the 2012 Dayton Award recipient…you certainly are well deserving of this award! In addition, it is always a pleasure to see Margaret Black and Veronica Black of Allan M. Block Agency, Inc.; Frank De Cesare of The De Cesare Agency; Mary Byrne of AmWINS Brokerage of New England; Ed Viola of Avanti Associates; Dan Stewart of A.J. Benet Inc. Insurance; Elizabeth Okon of SKCG Group Inc.; and so many others…thanks for stopping by my booth and speaking with me.

Well, next time we’ll be speaking about the PIA of CT conference and some other happenings around the area, so until then Ciao for now!

You Know Me, Always ACTing Up!

Michael Loguercio