SIAoF's Agents First! - December 2014

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

AGENTS FIRST! News & Views of Specialty Insurance Agents of Florida

Why should I join your association?

In This Edition WHY

SHOULD I JOIN YOUR ASSOCIATION? ............................... 1

A BIT OF THE SOUTH ...................... 6 SOCIAL MEDIA CUSTOMER SERVICE: REACTING VS. ENGAGING ............... 8 HOW TO CONDUCT AND MEASURE ADVERTISING AND M ARKETING CAMPAIGNS ................................. 10 THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE VALUE OF AN INSURANCE AGENT.. 13 WHAT’S COVERED / WHAT’S NOT . 20 “THE WHITE FEATHER” ................ 22 CITIZENS PERSONAL LINES POLICYCENTER WEBINAR ............ 24

It’s that time of year when you should be questioning all expenses.

You need to check out other options before you join or renew your membership.

Membership in an agent’s organization used to mean something.

Better yet, call them up and ask “Why should I join your organization?”

It did not guarantee getting a company contract but it did get your foot in the door.

Don’t be surprised if you get a rambling answer with no real benefits that directly impact your bottom line.

Now practically any agency can get access to standard and nonstandard carriers through the aggregators.

You had to pay extra to get CE but it was about the only way to get it.

Now you can complete your CE from the comfort of your desk at your own pace.

Exclusive E&O? Not anymore.

You don’t even need to be a member to buy the coverage in most organizations.

How about discounted convention registration? You get the privilege to pay your own way and stay at expensive resorts.

Staff members in your agency do not automatically qualify for the membership benefits unless you pay extra for them.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

Page 1

We have a better idea.

We have created the only Virtual Insurance Agent Organization.

Our benefits are designed to help agencies in every aspect of their operation and all of it is done on the Internet.

It is delivered weekly in a combination of “How-To” videos, interactive quizzes and breakingnews.

Just last month I created the “CSR Online Training” program. It will be free for everyone to use st until December 31 . Go to www.SIAoF.com and enjoy learning for a change.

Continued on page 2 December 2014

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

Why should I join your organization?

Continued from page 1 st

Starting January 1 it will be an exclusive benefit for our members.

Next month I’ll be rolling out the “Complete Insurance Agency Owner Training” program.

We already have a library of “How-To” booklets on a wide range of agency topics.

Want to create a YouTube channel or Facebook for your agency. We have a booklet that takes you by the hand.

Want to set realistic goals for your CSRs and Producers? It’s in the library.

https://www.warriorplus.com/o2/a/tmpf6/0

Want to know how to evaluate, buy & sell a “Mom & Pop” insurance agency? I wrote the book based upon my decades of ownership experience.

All agency staff members are included for one low fee of $99.00 per year. No hidden fees, no discounted programs.

Free Custom Holiday Videos And you get to enjoy the latest benefit … free custom Holiday videos for your agency to post on your website and Social Media.

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Check out the one I created for one of our members at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUrUCJO8kOk&rel=0 Just to show you how strongly I believe we offer more value for less money, I challenge everyone to dare to compare, dollar for dollar, our benefits against any other organization.

If you can prove to me that some other organization has better benefits, I’ll give you a free year’s membership in our organization.

Attention: Insurance Companies, MGA’s, Premium Finance Companies & Insurance Industry Vendors: Check out the rates for the most cost effective method of keeping your message in front of your customers …

The Independent Insurance Agent.

www.SIAoF.com

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SIAoF’s Agents First!

Page 2

December 2014

SIAoF Agency Membership has More Advantages!

Here’s what you get for only $99.00 per year: Free Disaster Planning Toolkit: At least one in four small businesses that close because of a major disaster never reopen. Here’s a new tool for your agency (& your commercial policyholders).

Free 30 second Agency Promotional Video. Click here to enjoy the one I created for my friend’s agency.

This could be your agency!

Free Customizable Business Forms: These documents are free to download and customize for your own professional use.

Free Micro-Mobile Site & QR Code Marketing Strategy.

Scan this QR Code for a current example. This could be your agency!

Discount registration to Annual Convention Free Agency’s Online Visibility Report complete with improvement tips If your website looks like this on a Smartphone

It could look like this for Free if you join

Free Small Business Handbook: Everything you need to know to run your business, from equity to employees.

Free Marketing Templates: Sets of templates with a coordinated design including letterhead, envelopes, business cards, brochures, etc.

Free Office Poster Software: Templates to create your own custom office posters, all without any knowledge of design or graphical skills needed.

Free Monthly CSR Online Training using interactive quizzes, videos and worksheets Free Monthly Agency Owner’s Tips ‘n Tools

Free HR Policy & Compliance Guidelines Free Claims Apps for Policyholders Free Agency Valuation Consultation Free Voice to be heard in Tallahassee

Free “How To” Booklets on Agency Management, Buy / Sell / Evaluate an Independent Agency, Internet Marketing & Social Media

All this & much, much more for only $99.00 per year

Join today at www.SIAoF.com

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

Cap Dat ACORD will be Simply Easier ACORD Forms We started our ACORD forms products under the name Simply Easier ACORD Forms.

When we added the ability to save the ACORD forms we named that product Cap Dat ACORD for capture data ACORD. Kind of geeky, huh?

We have added many features since then including a mobile app named ACORD ONE. Check out feature highlights below.

We thought all the names were getting confusing. So we are consolidating all products under the original name - Simply Easier ACORD Forms.

The products are not changing. There is no change in ownership of Cap Dat ACORD or ACORD ONE or Simply Easier ACORD Forms.

You will just see the CAP Dat ACORD logo go away and be replaced by the Simply Easier ACORD Forms logo.

Major Features of Simply Easier ACORD Forms DATA INTEGRATION You can map our product to any data base or management system which will allow data integration.

Simply Easier ACORD Forms believes the data belongs to you and your can move it anywhere you wish using our very simply data integration tools.

Self Service Certificates Permanent Certificate Log for Audit Learn More about Simply Easier ACORD Forms Certificate Center E-SIGNATURES You have no need to buy any other product for esignatures.

E-Signatures and digital signatures can be added to any document inside or outside of our product. Plus we have pre-installed e-signature fields on all our ACORD forms.

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Our full Simply Easier ACORD Forms product is designed to run perfectly on your iPad or Android tablets.

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PUBLISH FORMS TO YOUR WEB SITE Using our Forms Publisher, you can publish any ACORD form on your web site and have the completed form and the data securely stored in your Simply Easier ACORD Forms account.

Learn More about Simply Easier ACORD Forms Data Custom designed forms are something we are glad to do Integration for you.

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Page 4 December 2014

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More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

Louisiana

A Bit of the South Florida A Florida senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he pushed it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left.

"Amazing," he thought as he flew down I-95, pushing the pedal even more.

Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a Florida State Trooper, blue lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for this!" and pulled over to await the trooper's arrival.

Pulling in behind him, the trooper got out of his vehicle and walked up to the Corvette. He looked at his watch, then said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes.

Today is Friday. If you can give me a new reason for speeding - a reason I've never before heard - I'll let you go.."

The old gentleman paused then said, "Three years ago, my wife ran off with a Florida State Trooper. I thought you were bringing her back."

"Have a good day, Sir," replied the trooper.

Georgia The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for some mathematical help.

He called her into his office and said, "Y'all graduated from the University of Georgia and I need some help. If I wuz to give yew $20,000, minus 14%, how much would you take off?"

The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everthang but my earrings."

SIAoF’s Agents First!

A senior citizen in Louisiana was overheard saying, "When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana ."

When asked why, he replied, "I'd rather be in Louisiana 'cause everythang happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the world."

Mississippi The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"

Bubba replied, "Did y'all see who it was?"

The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."

North Carolina A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait.

A passerby studied the scene as he drove by, and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, "I got a flat tahr."

The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"

The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back. I never did understand it neither."

Tennessee A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?" The driver replied, "Bout whut?"

Y'all kin say whut y'all want 'about the South, but y'all never heard o' nobody retirin' an' movin' North.

Page 6 December 2014

InsureZone Direct Announces Expansion Into Florida Fort Worth, Texas based InsureZone, a national brokerage and agency network and a leader in insurance technology, announced today the launch of their Florida InsureZone Direct (IZD) agency alliance operations designed to give an exclusive opportunity to small and mid-sized independent insurance agencies offering them products, tools and support needed to compete with larger brokers and direct writers.

“Florida is a unique state for insurance companies. The geography, among other underwriting challenges, has limited groups like ours from doing business in the state,” said Ed Gillman, company president and third generation insurance agent. “What was needed was local experience which would allow us to access the markets we needed to be successful. The hiring of David Wilson brought us the last piece we needed. Our team brings decades of Florida agency and carrier knowledge and relationships to our agent partners. We want to share our experience and success in order to help agents build the most profitable, efficient and respected agencies possible.”

InsureZone Direct offers experienced insurance professionals an array of tools they need to operate their business. Some call that an “agency in a box”. But in reality we find that description limits the depth that InsureZone brings to the table. Access to the best national and regional home, auto and commercial carriers, real independence as the agency owns their book of business, strong service and support, training, and a comprehensive suite of technology tools that make the job of selling and servicing a policy just plain easy. “We don’t believe in separating the agent from their client by moving the service work away from the local office” adds Gillman, “we have simply invented a way to make doing the service work simple and efficient for our agents so they have more time to sell and prospect”.

IZD’s Florida Division is headed up by David Wilson, a long time Florida insurance agent and agency advocate who has deep ties with hundreds of agents and insurance companies in the Sunshine State. “I have been thrilled by the positive response of our carrier partners,” said Wilson. “Our conversations in the state with agents and carriers are giving IZD tremendous momentum as the friendly, fair alternative to the other organizations that are in the agency aggregation space,” Wilson continued. We have also discovered that several of Florida’s top carriers are expanding into other states where we already have established networks of agencies so we are able to help them grow much faster”.

John Pergande, InsureZone CEO, elaborates further, “what distinguishes us from the crop of networks and franchises in Florida is that our partner agents actually own their book of business. They grow and market under their own names and we don’t keep a large percentage of their commissions”. “We are often asked ‘what’s the catch’”, said Gillman. “There is no catch however we are very patient when choosing agency partners. Our agents are dedicated professionals. We are only looking for 50 agencies in Florida and expect our opportunities for partnerships will fill up quickly”, he added.

With their strong commercial success, IZD plans to help personal lines agencies diversify their books by writing profitable business insurance.

For further information contact David Wilson at 904-885-9797, via email dwilson@insurezone.com or apply online at www.insurezonedirect.com.

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com 3.

Finish strong. Regardless of how upset a customer may be, start there. See what you can do to solve the problem or answer the question in such a way that the customer would want to say something nice about you via their favorite social channel, once the issue is resolved, thereby turning what may have started out to be potentially negative PR into something extremely positive.

Social Media Customer Service: Reacting vs. Engaging Most companies I work with have the social media customer service thing wrong. They typically monitor social channels like Twitter, Facebook and others and react to the comments, trying to respond and fix customer complaints. If all a company is doing is responding to customer complaints, well that is so… 2012!

As the social customer service experience transforms into engagement, here are three more ideas to consider: 1.

Consider developing an app. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get something that will engage and interact with your customers. The app can share new information about products, better ways to use your products and more.

Within the past two years or so, companies have figured out how to take social media customer service to a much higher level. No longer do they just react to comments on social channels. They also engage in conversations with their customer communities. They interact and provide valuable information in the process. Reaction is still an important part of social service, but there is much more.

2.

Create a content marketing campaign. This is perhaps one of the strongest social media strategies you can have. The key is to deliver content versus blatant marketing.

It’s not about asking for business. It’s about delivering value.

Do it right and the business follows.

First, let’s look at the concept of reaction. Here are three important points to consider.

3.

Use YouTube. Create videos that deliver value with solutions to commonly asked questions. I once bought a ping pong table and had difficulty setting it up. All I had to do was put the model number of the table in the YouTube search box and up came a video that helped me put together the table. It was like the customer service rep was standing over my shoulder telling me exactly what to do. Customer will leave comments under your videos, so be sure to interact with them there as well.

1.

Speed counts. Reacting and reaction time is extremely important. If I wanted to have my question answered 2 hours from now, I’d have waited 2 hours to ask the question.

Regardless of the social channel reaction time is paramount.

Social Bakers had an interesting stat that the average wait time in social media is nine hours. That’s right. Nine hours! The 2014 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer indicates that 25% of consumers who complain on social media expect a response time of less than an hour. The bottom line is: when a customer complains, they want to get an answer now.

Social media customer service is powerful. It’s more than reacting. Engage and interact and you’ll experience more appreciation and loyalty from your customers.

2.

Stay on the same social channel. If somebody approaches you via Twitter, try not to move them to Facebook.

Sure, you may want to move the customer to a private area, such as Twitter’s direct message forum. There may be times that you might have to move the customer to a phone call or maybe some other channel, but try and keep to the same channel, if possible.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

Copyright ©MMXIV, Shep Hyken – www.Hyken.com

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December 2014

Since 1986, Assurance Systems, Inc. has offered a variety of software products for independent insurance agencies, in addition to custom solutions and analytical products for insurance carriers. Our leading, long-standing, and awardwinning product is AccuAuto, a comparison rater for personal automobile insurance. Together with AccuTrac, a versatile client management program, AccuAuto is a valuable tool used by independent agents for many years.

Our newest web - based AccuAgency system integrates agency management and document storage in one easy-touse program. AccuAgency is also fully integrated with our AccuAuto web-based comparative rater, where available, and is loaded with features to help organize, manage and run your agency.

In addition to AccuAgency and AccuAuto, we offer agency websites, 24/7 Consumer Rating and partner products to help increase your agency’s revenue.

ACORD forms - All ACORD forms are available in

Letters - AccuAgency provides you with many letter templates with built-in macros. You may edit the templates, add additional information or create your own letters using the “New Letter” feature. Utilize the letter templates and/or create your own letters. Create letters by client or easily send batch letters using the “Print Letters” feature within the Reporting tool.

User Messaging - Send messages to other AccuAgency users with the “Messages” feature.

Client Follow-Up Reminders - Create reminders and set notifications with the “Reminders” feature. You may select the exact date and time you would like to be reminded. A record of the reminder will be saved in the client history.

Client Notes - Create notes within the client level information, policy level or quote level. Keep a running history of all client conversations.

Payments, Receipts & End of the Day Report Track premium payments with the “Post Payment” feature.

AccuAgency. Access ACORD forms from within a client’s policy or quote and many fields will pre-fill with the client information. Fields may also be edited. Print or store each form with our document storage feature. A record will be kept for each form you create.

Print and issue customer receipts once they are posted. Track day-to-day monetary transactions with the “End of the Day” Report.

Email Capabilities - Email individual clients and prospects from within the client page or use the batch email feature from within the Reporting tools.

Reports - AccuAgency provides you with numerous reports.

Track production, monitor and track marketing campaigns, prospects, employee production, insurance company level production, quotes, policies, renewals, etc. With AccuAgency’s reporting tools you can easily track your agency’s performance and obtain the information necessary to determine profitability and areas for improvement. All reports may be exported to Microsoft Excel.

Customizable Lines of Business, Management of Companies & Coverages - AccuAgency provides you

Document & Image Storage (Attachments) Eliminate all paper with document storage. Store any type of document including Adobe Acrobat files or PDFs, Microsoft Word documents or digital photographs. All documents are stored on AccuAgency’s secure servers. Attach images and documents by client, policy or quote or use the file storage feature for additional storage needs.

with a list of default lines of business. You can add custom lines of business, setup and manage your companies by line of business and add specialty or custom coverages for each.

Commissions - Track and reconcile commission payments.

http://www.accuauto.net/AccuAgency.aspx

File Storage - Eliminate the need for a server with AccuAgency’s file storage feature. File storage includes an agency level storage file and an agent level storage file. Share and store agency level files with all users in the “Agency File” or use the “My Files” feature to store files which are only accessible by individual user.

Rolodex - Manage your contacts using the Rolodex feature.

Quickly look up contacts including insurance company contacts, lienholders or employees.

Use your Smartphone to scan this QR Code and “like” AccuAuto.

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

How to Conduct and Measure Advertising and Marketing Campaigns We began by identifying the number of total households in his geographic marketing area – his demographic prospect base. Then we determined how many clients he already had insured to determine the agency’s current penetration level. This is critically important. Even if the client numbers are relatively low, you do not know how successful you have become unless you have a frame of reference.

By Al Diamond of Agency Consulting, Inc.

A few years ago Agency Consulting Group, Inc. visited an agent who boasted about continuous strong advertising and marketing efforts but bemoaned the lack of growth in his agency. Our consultants asked the Agency for the marketing layout and the results. His “continuous strong marketing and advertising efforts” consisted of a full one page ad in the Yellow Pages.

Once the agency baseline and total insurable population was determined, we began designing a specific combination of internet, media and targeted marketing methods that would sequentially present the agency and its message to the residents of the local area. We chose a sequential approach instead of a simultaneous approach in order to measure the activity and results of each method. Measurement of the results is as important a key to success as making the sale.

Agency Consulting Group, Inc. began to assist him to create a true marketing campaign; the campaign was designed to spread the advertising over several media types with effective methods to gain a higher visibility among the prospects and to drive more of client to the agency as the preferred insurance professional to handle their asset protection needs.

Whenever Agency Consulting Group, Inc visits an agency, we ask for a record of new business, proposals and prospects over a multi-year period. Two issues are being judged: the effectiveness of the agency’s sales and marketing programs and if agents are even aware of their successes and failures.

The agent only realized that he was having problems when his overall commission income dropped below what he remembered having in the prior year. It was getting worse, so he called on Agency Consulting Group to remedy his problem. He immediately assumed that his new business was down and that the cause was market related because of the declining economy in his area. He had no idea of the effect of changing rates, his own retention rate of clients and the secondary effects of changing rates, his own retention rate of clients or the secondary effect of rewriting business to maximize client savings.

But “gut feel” is sometimes intuitive. We measured his retention rate and found it to be over 95% with only five or ten rewrites each month. The agent was right. His marketing method, attracting new residents to the area, was having substantially diminished results. He needed a new way to attract prospects for his products and services through advertising and implementation of a marketing campaign that would yield new prospects and clients for his agency.

A marketing campaign was proposed that included media advertising for name and image recognition, bill boarding to get the agency’s message and motives to the target population, internet presence to permit the computer literate younger people to inquire at their leisure and targeted marketing to chosen local communities consisting of homogeneous and relatively affluent residents. A local advertising agency was solicited on behalf of the client to schedule and budget the entire campaign. Before the first dollar was spent and the first advertising performed, we knew, as did the agent, the targeted goals of the program, the cost and expected return, the monthly benchmarks that would gauge the agency’s success and the MSL (Minimum Success Level) below which the program would be considered unsuccessful and therefore be terminated.

The advertising agency was able to ‘fine tune’ the components of the program to yield the best results based on the sequential presentation and both the activity of each segment.

A marketing campaign is much like a behavior modification diet to an overweight person. It must be lifechanging and continuous or it will eventually fail causing all of the lost weight to be regained (something that many of us Yo-Yo Dieters’ recognize after dozens of years of weight loss and weight gain).

Every agency has its own set of unique strengths and weaknesses. An advertising and marketing program must be tailored to the strengths and away from the weaknesses of the agency and of the agent.

Continued on page 12

SIAoF’s Agents First!

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December 2014

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

How to conduct and campaigns Continued from page 10

measure

advertising

Each agency will find a set of advertising and marketing programs that will work to present the agency with more opportunities to grow its customer base.

Changing economy (insurance and/or general) will require changing advertising and marketing methods.

Only effective record-keeping will permit you to know when you’ve found the right formula for success – and when that formula no longer works and must be refined and revised.

Structure your growth path in a comfortable way that “fits” your personality and your organization.

Don’t begin a marketing campaign until you know your own statistics and demographics.

Don’t let anyone (including your ad agency) convince you to do multiple advertising methods until you have tested each in a logical sequence to determine how effective each method is alone.

Keep score of the activity related to the programs you implement as well as the results. This means that you must count the responses as well as the sales calls, proposals and sales. Keep a budget of costs and results that will be your bible for future marketing efforts.

“Begin with the End in Mind” (effectively stolen from Steven Covey). Don’t start any advertising campaign to simply stir up activity. It will drain your pocketbook and Finally, once you find the formula that brings you the leave you hungry. Have a short term (one year) and long right number of prospects and clients, keep advertising, term (three to five year) goal that qualifies through the extend the marketing efforts and realize that the tide will ROAM (Realistic, Objective, Achievable, and continue to change. You will find that you must alter your Measureable) test. No, you can’t grow in an unlimited methods to meet the current conditions in order to keep way and get more people as you need them. You are your marketing efforts successful. limited by your current staff (how many calls can you Reprinted from The PIPELINE, the national take every day?), by your production capabilities (what newsletter for agency principals. The PIPELINE is would you do if you had 50 prospects contact you published by Agency Consulting Group, Inc., a leading tomorrow asking for a visit within the next week?) by consulting firm for independent agents in the U.S. for your markets, (what would you do with hundreds of over 30 years. Call 800-779-2430, homeowners asking for insurance if you are on the Visit www.agencyconsulting.com for information about Coast and are not invited to write homeowners by your the content of this article or PIPELINE subscription current carriers?) and even by your own personal information. capabilities.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

Page 12 December 2014

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More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com

The Definitive Guide to the Value of an Insurance Agent

Who This Post Is For Insurance-Seeking Consumers

http://insurancegoddess.com/

You can get many types of insurance policies in two ways: direct from the company OR via an agent like me.

If you’re a consumer wondering which method would work best for you, the point of this post is to educate you on what roles insurance agents actually perform and the benefit to you. I want to move beyond the idea that agents are merely “policy pushers.” We’ve lived under that cloud for too long and this post will show you how wrong that perception really is. We perform many roles, with one underlying goal- to help you make good decisions about what matters to you.

Also, this post will give you ammunition to decide whether your current agent or one you’re researching is a good choice or not (for a deeper dive, read my post “How to Tell If Your Insurance Agent is a Problem Solver or a Problem Creator”).

Over the past several years, insurance agents have taken a beating worthy of a Medieval stoning in the town square. The direct writers (think GEICO, SafeAuto, The General for example), consistently push the message that buying direct from them is the best way to purchase insurance. Which by its very message, basically says that insurance agents are unnecessary and not valuable.

Hmmm, there’s a feel-good message if I ever saw one

Insurance Agents

I’ve come to the conclusion that unless agents actually speak out AGAINST this message, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when we’re NOT chosen. And it starts with education. Education about the many roles insurance agents fill in today’s society- and it’s so far beyond merely selling a policy, it’s laughable.

And let me be very clear- the direct route may actually be the best route for some consumers depending on their situation. BUT if we don’t educate them on the differences, they won’t ever have any way to compare. And that’s the point of this post- to obliterate the stereotype and perception of what an insurance agent actually is and does. To give the consumer information to be able to make the best decision based on his situation.

Of course, I’m terribly biased But perhaps when you see the many roles an insurance agent performs, you may change your mind as to the value of an insurance agent.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

If you’ve ever had trouble articulating what you do for a living, share this post. The deep dive I take here goes far beyond what I’ve read and is long overdue. We can no longer sit back and let the public make assumptions.

It’s our job to educate the public on our value or we have no one to blame but ourselves when they DON’T choose us. So take action and spread the word. Your industry will thank you. And so will I. Here’s a list of the many roles insurance agents fill based on my personal experience- please feel free to include additional roles in the comments.

Customer Advocate I’ve lost count how many times I’ve jumped into the middle of a claim when another insurance company hasn’t been responsive. I’ve gotten police reports, called other agencies to find the responsible party and even turned in claims directly to the other insurance company after some research. I’ve spoken with the other company’s adjuster if my client asked me to. I’ve negotiated with body shops and dispatched contractors for immediate repairs when a residence is suddenly damaged.

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More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com The Definitive Guide to the Value of an Insurance Agent Continued from page 14 Not only with other companies, but if I believe my customer’s own insurance company is being unfair, I’ll get in the middle there too.

The truth is, most people don’t really understand what insurance they have until the claim happens. And when it does, I’m there to navigate them through and advocate for them should a problem come up. I speak the “language” if you will, and have been able to get many claims resolved for my customer.

I also advocate on my customer’s behalf with the insurance company on a variety of service and underwriting situations. The company wants to a cancel a policy in 30 days because of a roof issue? I’ve contacted the customer, gotten the back story (such as hospitalization or domestic issue), explained the situation to the underwriter and struck a bargain for additional time. I know my customers and can often plead their case based on circumstance.

The bottom line is this- we are here to stand up for and defend our customers when no one else will.

And often that’s during one of the most stressful times of their lives.

Community Resource I jokingly call our agency “Floyd’s Barbershop”, because so many people stop by for information. Three of our staff have lived in Bellefontaine our entire lives, so there’s a wealth of history to pull from. We’ve all managed to build good size networks, so chances are, you call in and ask if we know if there’s someone that does XYZ, we’ll probably be able to lead you in the right direction. Or direct you to the appropriate department or building within our government, school systems or community at large.

I love connecting people. And most insurance agents come into contact with a wide range of industries. Real estate, banking, construction trades, government, the list goes on. So not only are we good at helping people find insurance solutions, we’re good at helping them find solutions for so many other daily issues/problems.

Many times I’ve gotten a phone call that goes like this- “You know a lot of people, so I thought you might be able to help me.” That’s awesome. Because by helping my community build stronger connections, we’re building a stronger community.

Community Partner And while we’re on the topic of community, many local agencies give handsomely to their community.

Whether through money or time, there is a significant investment with one end goal- to help the people that help us.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

My community has allowed me to make a living doing what I love and helping to support my family. I owe it to my community to repay that opportunity.

Some of our highlights over the past years include adopting 2 families at Christmas and buying them household goods & food (complete with wrapped packages), helping pay for mammograms for those that can’t afford it, sponsoring fire safety programs, collecting toys at Christmas for families in need, and contributing money to buy bulletproof vests for our police department and a police drug dog.

There’s a lot more I could discuss, but no matter what, the message is still the same- we contribute to our community because they contribute to our success. And without a strong community, there isn’t much chance for success is there? You can view and read about the fun community events we’ve participated in.

Friend in Times of Need Yes, I’ve held customers hands as they’ve cried during a personal crisis. I’ve sat with them, I’ve hugged them after losing loved ones. I’ve attended countless viewings, funerals and memorial services. Because at those times, that is what they needed. With many of my customers, I’ve gotten the privilege of becoming their friends too. And that is truly a special phenomenon. So I get to share in their joys and their sorrows. And I consider that a privilege.

Teacher Of course, one of the main reasons I do what I do is to educate (and why I write too). To break down complicated concepts and put them into simpler terms.

To put those concepts into real-world situations so you can relate. So you can connect the dots between what I’m saying and your own life. To understand how your policies work and how taking action on one policy can affect others either positively or negatively. To take what I say and use it for what it’s intended- to make good decisions about your life. My most satisfying moments are still those where the customer says “NOW I understand” after I’ve given an explanation. Those light bulb moments are a main reason why I do what I do.

So, there’s my manifesto if you will. Agents, spread the word. Consumers, if I’ve shed some light on this often misunderstood occupation called “insurance agent”, then I’m thankful. If I’ve led you to reconsider using an agent, then I’m especially thankful. Because we’re real people like you. And our main goal is simple- to help our community prosper and enable our customers to make good decisions about issues that affect their lives and what’s most important to them. That’s the true value of an insurance agent.

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SIAoF’s Agents First!

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December 2014

More Information about SIAoF Membership at www.SIAoF.com How Much Is That Doggie In The Lawsuit?

While dogs make great companions, playmates, and protectors, they also continue to be a problem for insurers. Nearly two million people are bitten by dogs each year with around 800,000 persons requiring professional medical treatment for their wounds. Each of these incidents is a potential lawsuit.

Have Teeth, Will Bite Nearly 40% of America’s households own dogs and biting incidents keep climbing. A key factor that contributes to these incidents is the failure of dog owners to supervise and train their pets. Another problem is that many persons, especially children, do not know how to behave around dogs. Bites may occur when: a person stares at a dog, which the animal perceives as a threat or challenge people attempt to handle dogs during sensitive moments (while a dog is trying to eat or while nursing puppies) trespassers or house guests invade a dog's territory

However, your policy won't cover businesses that may have custody of your pet, such as kennels, obedience schools, groomers and professional sitters or walking services (they should carry their own coverage).

Further, coverage could become problematic if dogs are in a home with unreported, in-home business activity.

Losses involving persons who are bitten while in a home for business reasons may not be covered.

Minimizing the Problem Owners have a responsibility to raise and handle their dogs in a manner that reduces the chance for a loss. Steps to take include becoming knowledgeable about their breed of dog and about general principles of ownership and care. They should make certain that family members, social visitors, neighbors and strangers are protected from the owner's pets. Owners should also take advantage of resources to help them, such as tips from animal shelters, dog ownership clubs, the AKC and Internet sources.

It may not be the fairest set of circumstances, but more insurers are choosing not to give dogs the benefit of the doubt. It is becoming more common for companies to refuse to write coverage for persons who own certain breeds of dogs. Therefore, owners must fight this trend by not taking their pet ownership lightly....because insurers aren't.

"rough-housing" with a dog escalates beyond playing An Issue of Control Insurance is still designed to handle accidents, and companies are at a severe disadvantage when policies are asked to respond to losses that are easily avoided.

Dog bite claims involve the insured having control over areas such as: choosing to own a dog choosing the particular breed of dog raising the dog in a certain manner housing the dog in a certain manner exposing the animal to various social situations being knowledgeable about a dog's temperament and inclination to bite or attack All of the above elements can contribute to lawsuits and to action from an insurer.

The "Policy" On Dogs If you have homeowners insurance and you own a pet, the liability portion of your policy provides protection for losses arising from pet ownership.

The ability to recognize a problem is valuable.

Having the solution to that problem will cement a relationship.

Your Producer Online subscription from The Rough Notes Company, Inc., can help you find solutions to problems in your current customers’ insurance protection and to use that solution-finding-knowledge in soliciting and gaining new customers.

The Producer Online IN ACTION is a monthly reminder of how you can turn the knowledge gained from The Producer Online into powerful sales opportunities.

Katherine believed she had her full homeowner limit available if her dog caused any damage. Her Insurance agent also believed it. However, when a loss of over $250,000 occurred, her coverage responded with only $25,000.

Click http://www.roughnotes.com/in_action/v96.12.2014/ to view the December edition of Producer Online IN ACTION to see how the courts responded when Katherine challenged the imposed policy limitation.

Not only are you and your household protected, but coverage even extends to persons who have custody of your pet.

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December 2014

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What’s Covered / What’s Not Agents E&O Tips http://www.agentseotips.com/ What’s covered / What’s not Posted on December 8, 2014 by Curt Pearsall Recently, I came across an agency flyer / promotional piece that addressed a specific class of business (condominiums). It appears that the primary purpose of this document was to, among other things, detail to unit owners what was covered by the Condo Master policy and thus what coverage the agency could provide to unit owners / what coverage the unit owner should look to secure. In the world of condominiums, this is oftentimes, not a simple situation to work through.

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While I understood the purpose of the document, from an E&O standpoint, I had some issues with it.

Under the “what’s covered”, the document seemed to take a simplistic approach to the issue with no statement or reference to just because the loss is from a covered peril does not mean that there is coverage. Every policy has exclusions and I would have preferred the document to add a statement to the effect of “subject to policy exclusions”.

Under the “what’s not covered”, there were only a minimal number of exclusions cited. If I had to guess, I would bet there were more than a couple of exclusions in the policy. Since there were probably some exclusions that were not referenced in the document, the potential remedy would be to add a statement such as “exclusions include but are not limited to the following”.

As agencies provide documents of this type, it is important for them to understand that these promotional materials can and have been a key issue in a number of E&O claims. Agencies are responsible for what they say and what they put in writing. While I typically do not advocate putting out material that addresses “what is what is not covered”, if an agency feels that it is necessary to do so, be certain that the promotional material could not serve to “mislead” the public on the specific issue.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

Insurance Agents E&O (386) 257-0595 www.GravesEandO.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noAMxFUHZjI&rel=0

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Easily Manage Expenses with Expensify

Once you have added all expenses for a particular trip or event, you can create a PDF file with just a click of a button. The report has an excellent format that includes all receipt images. I then attach this PDF to an email and forward it to the client for reimbursement.

I travel a lot, so managing expenses has always been essential. Up until recently, my system included a physical envelope where I would place receipts for every trip. Once back at my office I would scan those receipts, create an expense report using a desktop application, print the report as a PDF document, and forward that along with an invoice to the client for payment.

That system worked well for a long time. However, earlier this year I transitioned to an online expense management program – Expensify. This expense management platform has significantly reduced the amount of time I spend managing my expenses.

It may help you, too.

There are multiple ways to add receipts and expense information to the platform and a particular report: Manually on the Expensify website. The site is mobile responsive, so it works quite well on a tablet device. You can also drag a scanned image of the receipt onto the website to have it automatically uploaded.

Using the free mobile app (for iOS and Android platforms), you can take a picture of the receipt and manually add information about the merchant, amount, and the particular report it should be assigned to.

SmartScan provides the ultimate hands-free experience. You simply take a picture of the receipt or upload the receipt to the website and the SmartScan process will read the receipt and automatically enter the merchant’s name, transaction date, and the transaction amount. Using this information, SmartScan will create a new expense item.

Directly from bank and credit card accounts.

Expensify offers guaranteed eReceipts for expenses imported directly from a bank or credit card account.

These are full digital replacements of their paper equivalents for purchases under $75 and, as a plus, are accepted by the IRS. You can also manually add an expense including mileage and time billing expenses on the website and/or the mobile app and assign them to a specific report.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

If you use Evernote, you can link Expensify with your Evernote account. The completed receipt is automatically added to a separate Evernote notebook for long-term storage. You can also add receipts to your Evernote Expensify notebook, and those receipts will be automatically imported into the Evernote platform.

The Individual version of the platform is free. This version is a great way for you to test the platform to see how well it will work for you.

The Team version is $5 per month per active user (an active user is someone who submits at least one expense in that month). This version also includes an expense approval process.

I now keep track of all my expenses — business and personal — on the Expensify platform. For personal expenses, I simply create a report for each month and take a picture of the receipt and attach it. Once I close that month’s report, it is transferred to my Evernote notebook where I can search for the specific information on the receipt if I need to view it later.

What have you found to be effective when managing expenses and receipts? Let me know.

Thanks so much for reading this issue of TechTips. I look forward to touching base next issue! And remember, always feel free to email me with comments, new ideas or products that have worked for you. I will check them out and spread the word!

Steve Anderson, Editor, techtip@steveanderson.com Page 21

December 2014

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Dear Parents and Grandparents: If your child attends a party or event where I am the Santa, they may have heard the story of “The White Feather” and what happens if they catch me on Christmas making deliveries to their home. I created this story after doing a number of elementary school programs.

I would ask the children if they knew what would happen if they catch me and the answers were always very surprising. Some said “you will throw pepper in our eyes,” others “you’ll take back all the gifts.” You parents have some imagination!

In response I created the story of the White Feather. In my story, if your children catch me, we will enjoy a Milk and Cookies Party and they may ask me any question they like. But when it’s time for me to leave, I’ll reach into my bag and drop a single magical white feather. This white feather only grows on a bird at the North Pole, and I have shown what the feather looks like to your children. When this magical feather lands on the floor, the children and grownups will be back in their beds, sound asleep and when they wake up they won’t remember anything about catching me.

SIAoF’s Agents First!

This is the story your children have heard…from me…the final word on true Santa facts.

But, having heard the white feather story, Christmas morning your children will wake up and look at the extra milk glasses and cookie dishes, then they will look for the white feather and you will have just enhanced one more Christmas for them with some true Christmas Magic!

This is my gift to you, Let’s keep the magic of Christmas alive for as long as possible.

Sincerely, Santa Texas

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www.SantaTexas.org

“The White Feather”

December 2014

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Citizens Personal Lines PolicyCenter Webinar Join us for a webinar on Dec 17, 2014 at 2:00 PM EST. Register now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/187279711450881

Citizens will be presenting webinars in December, providing agents, customer service representatives (CSRs) and support staff with many opportunities to learn more about the new Personal Lines PolicyCenter®.

PolicyCenter will replace ePAS for new and renewal business effective February 1, 2015. As expected, there will be a learning curve, and Citizens is making every effort to ensure that there are many training opportunities available to smoothly transition agents and CSRs from ePAS to PolicyCenter.

Before participating in the webinar, all attendees are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the online training announced in IE#015-14 which was emailed on November 13, 2014.

During the webinar, Citizens will present the following information • Personal Lines PolicyCenter® overview • New Business Submissions • Servicing Personal Lines Policies • Additional Resources and Job Aids Note: These webinars do not provide continuing education credits for maintaining a Florida insurance license.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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December 2014