Why Should I Do Business With You? A fair question and your response is critical to the future success of your agency. I just finished recording an upcoming two part webinar on value added selling. I’m pretty sure there will be some members and their staff who will laugh at the idea. They prefer price […]
Peace of Mind Some 30 years ago when I was starting my new career as an independent agent I learned a concept at the time that I thought was just a gimmick to get people to buy the coverage they needed. During my training at the Aetna’s PRIME school they stressed we weren’t selling Insurance […]
Reacting to Change This started out to be a simple article on independent agents and brokers having a plan in 2014. Every time I wrote a draft it felt wrong. I knew what I was saying as I wrote was accurate and necessary but it wasn’t what I really wanted to say. My words where […]
One or Two – It’s Your Call Independent agents and brokers face many challenges today. In the personal insurance arena competition is fierce and the choice that dealing with an independent agent provides also creates its greatest liability, as working with multiple companies creates increased agent/broker costs, workflow issues and a lack of carrier support […]
You Wouldn’t Take a Trip Without a Map or GPS As we enter the last quarter of 2013 it’s time to make that final push for production and to start the planning process for 2014. The day to day operation of an insurance agency is pretty hectic and it’s not easy to find the time […]
My last 2 blog posts at IIABNY have been about establishing the value of buying protection from an independent agent. Having consumers appreciate that value takes the decision on where to buy coverage out of the realm of just price. Technology has allowed price sellers who deal directly with consumers over the internet to offer […]
As an underwriter and later as an agent, it was always hard for me to understand why consumers weren’t willing to buy “voluntary” insurance to protect them against loss. When I say “voluntary” insurance I am talking about coverage not mandated by law, mortgage holders or others with an insurable interest. Issues like flood insurance, […]
This article has not been easy for me to write. Because of my deep feelings, I have rewritten it several times over the last few days. The problem is, I feel very strongly about what I am saying and hope that you will take my passion into consideration and not be offended. Independent agents and […]
Recently I was having a conversation with my adult sons and they started to complain about various issues and how someone ought to do something about them. I asked them why they thought someone else should be correcting things that had to do with them and they told me they don’t have time to do […]
Demographics, technology and advertising threaten the future of independent agents and brokers. As the client base ages and evolves their expectations, demands and buying patterns are changing as well. It’s influenced by the information consumers can obtain on the internet. The internet also offers 24/7 access for pricing and purchasing insurance. At the same time […]
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