Insight April 2018 by Big I Illinois

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doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just tell partner agencies what the path looks like, we walk it with them. We understand the challenges independent agencies face and what it takes to propel them towards growth. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with partner agencies to enable them to reach greater levels of success.

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Editor & Advertising - Deann French | Graphic Design - Rachel Romines

the journal of trusted choice independent insurance agents of illinois

April 2018

CONTENTS 10

22 Ways to Make the Right Impression By John Graham

The Most Important Sales Conversation By John Chapin

Digital is Disrupting the Industry ByForrester Consulting

FREE Digital Advertising Program

By Gordon Walker

In This Issue

7 32 33 38

8 28 35 36 37

Associate News IIA of Illinois News Classifieds

31 Young Agents

Regular Features President’s Message

Statewide Day of Giving You plus St. Jude Equals a Win for All

18 e-Insight

Technology - ePayPolicy Education Staff Profile People in the News Industry News

INSIGHT

Insight is the official publication of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of Illinois). The magazine is published monthly for the members of the IIA of Illinois, with the office located at 4360 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62711-7009; Consumer Website: www.ChooseIndependent.com. The IIA of Illinois welcomes letters discussing concerns of the insurance industry, articles, editorials, other matters of interest to the membership. The editor reserves the right to edit and select submissions for publication. Address submissions for review to dfrench@iiaofil.org.

2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017

info@iiaofil.org | www.iiaofil.org | (800) 628-6436 or (217) 793-6660 | Fax: (217) 793-6744 The Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of IL) has been providing members with a sustainable competitive advantage since 1899.

ADVERTISERS

Board of Directors Executive Committee

Chairman of the Board | Rick Sutton (309) 692-8544 | ricks@was-irp.com

ABRC

President | Ryan Hite (309) 688-7316 | ryan.hite@eaglerockins.com

AMTRUST

President-Elect | Patrick Muldowney (312) 595-7192 | patrick.muldowney@alliant.com

APPLIED UNDERWRITERS

Vice President | Bill Wirth (618) 939-6368 | billw@wirthagency.com

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY GUARD INS. GROUP

Secretary/Treasurer | Bennie Jones (312) 960-6200 | bjones@rmsoa.com

ENVISION

IIABA State National Director Gregory A. Sandrock, CIC, AFIS (815) 438-3923 | sanins@essex1.com

GRINNELL MUTUAL

INSURANCE ASSOCIATES OF AMERICA, LLC

IPMG

Region 1 | Lisa Lukens (618) 942-2556 | salibainsurance@gmail.com

IPRF

Region 2 | Joeseph Heneghan (618) 639-2244 | joe.heneghan@hwcrins.com

KEYSTONE

Regional Directors

Region 3 | Jay Peterson, AFIS, LUTCF (217) 935-6605 | jay@peterson.insurance

THE IMT GROUP

Region 4 | Michael Gonet (815) 339-2411 | mike_gonet@hotmail.com

TRANSCOM GENERAL

Region 5 | Patrick Taphorn, CIC, CSRM (309) 347-2177 | ptaphorn@unland.com

W.A. SCHICKEDANZ/INTERSTATE RISK PLACEMENT

Region 6 | Rob Messer (815) 459-3300 | rmesser@marketfinancialgrp.com

WEST BEND MUTUAL

IIA of Illinois Staff Education Director, CRM Manager Shannon Churchill - (217) 321-3004 - schurchill@iiaofil.org Vice President of Communications Deann French - (217) 321-3022 - dfrench@iiaofil.org Products & Services Administrator Melissa Hilgendorf, CIC, CISR - (217) 321-3012 - mhilgendorf.indep12@insuremail.net Accounting & Admin Services, Tradeshow Admin Tami Hubbell - (217) 321-3016 - thubbell@iiaofil.org Director of Human Resources/Board Admin Jennifer Jacobs - (217) 321-3013 - jjacobs@iiaofil.org Sr. Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Mark Kuchar - (217) 321-3015 - mkuchar@iiaofil.org Chief Executive Officer Phil Lackman - (217) 321-3005 - plackman@iiaofil.org

Central/Southern Marketing Representative Lori Mahorney - (217) 415-7550 - lmahorney@iiaofil.org Vice President, Agents Insurance Services Brian McSherry, CIC - (217) 321-3018 - bmcsherry@iiaofil.org Digital Communications/Web Administrator Rachel Romines - (217) 321-3024 - rromines@iiaofil.org Director of Membership Services Tom Ross, CRIS, CPIA - (217) 321-3003 - tross@iiaofil.org Products & Services Administrator Janet White, CISR - (217) 321-3010 - jwhite.indep12@insuremail.net Sr. Products & Services Administrator Carol Wilson, CPIA - (217) 321-3011 - cwilson.indep12@insuremail.net

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grinnellmutual.com “Trust in Tomorrow.” and “Grinnell Mutual” are registered trademarks of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. © Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, 2018.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Ryan Hite - IIA of Illinois President - (309) 688-7316 - ryan.hite@eaglerockins.com

Half Over! If you’re the planning type, you probably feel that way about 2018. But the IIA of IL year (starting at Convention in October) is actually half over. The fun is only beginning though! Please go to the new website www.iiaofil.org and check out the calendar of events. There are events in every region coming up and I want to highlight two of them. First though, I want to extend my thanks to our staff and to those of you who made it to one of our Roadshow’s. I know everyone that attended found a new member-benefit they didn’t know existed. I personally signed our agency up for two new programs that I found out about because of the Roadshow. Our staff and Association do an amazing job. If you haven’t reached out and asked one of them what all your membership includes, you’re missing out. On a lot. Did you know there’s $10,000 in scholarship money available from our Education Committee? No? Well, that’s the tip of the iceberg. The EDGE Conference is happening May 16-17 in Naperville at Hotel Indigo. Sending someone from your office will pay you dividends. One of our guests will talk about maximizing earning potential, and he’s not “all talk.” He specifically helped one agent add $20,000 a year in income. Identity Theft/Cyber Liability will continue to be an overwhelming topic, along with a mini trade show where everyone wants to know what the latest technology is going to do for our industry. EDGE is focused on furthering leadership skills, sales practices, and personal/ professional growth. (see page 31)

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The second event I’m highlighting is the 2nd Annual IIA Day of Giving on June 2. Last year, you all knocked it out of the park! It was so successful our Young Agents Committee won National awards, our Governor’s Office proclaimed June 2nd the “IIA Day of Giving”, and now the “Big I” is taking our idea nationwide. The original idea was that we, as an industry, already do a lot for our communities. We’re in-tune with our clients, non-profits, and our cities. The Day of Giving simply tries to organize and highlight that we’re a part of something bigger than our individual agencies. The goal is to encourage as many independent agents throughout the state to devote June 2 (or anytime from June 1-3) to donating your time, talent, and treasures for the betterment of your community… in any way you want to do that. In 2017 we had golf outings, volunteer painters, a charity garage sale, casual office days to raise money, etc… ( see page 24) Last year we had 516 participants. 771 hours donated. More than $14,700 raised. 26 agencies involved. 22 events/fundraisers. 16 charities impacted. IN ONE DAY! Let’s make this year a year that our respective communities will feel appreciated and served by the amazing Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois. Completely grateful,

insight

technology

We are a Nation of Automation Introducing ePayPolicy

Love it or hate it, automation is the name of the game, and it’s here to stay. No matter what your stance is on the topic, whenever it is brought up in conversation, be prepared for some push-back. Proponents of automation argue that it eliminates, or at least reduces, human error, cuts down on new hire spending, and evokes greater efficiency and productivity within organizations. Opponents worry that automation will lead to their unemployment and greater unemployment overall, as machines and computers will perform their jobs with more precision, at a lower cost, thus taking their place in a company. Skeptics also contend that artificial intelligence (AI), and robots may be intelligent and efficient at the task and responsibilities at hand, but not yet sophisticated enough to handle unexpected situations; they are only programmed to do one or a finite set of actions. As a tech company, operating in the insurance space (where human connection and relationships have historically dominated the culture), it can sometimes be difficult to get people onboard with the shifting landscape of technology and automation. But emerging tech shouldn’t be a concept to fear. In popular culture, there are often dramatic depictions of potential negative, disastrous outcomes (think Terminator and Minority Report). However, in reality, AI, automation, and tech infiltrate almost every aspect of our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. If you take a quick look around, you will notice everyday examples of little things that improve our productivity and personal lives. Look at coffee, for example. Many of us wouldn’t even dare to try and start our day without our usual cup (or three...) of caffeine. A 2017 study on The Motley Fool found that, “approximately 150 million Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee per day -- or more than 140 billion cups per year.” Some big name kitchen appliance/coffeemaker companies (such as Cuisinart and Ninja) took note of our country’s little caffeine obsession, threw in some new tech, and presented us with the gift of programmable coffeemakers. Whether you’re strapped for time or just trying to catch some extra Z’s, automating your morning cup of Joe to be ready when you’re finally all set to head out the door each morning is a pretty undeniable convenience. And that’s all thanks to automation.

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Another hugely convenient everyday helper is the virtual assistant. Let’s face it. Our days are colored with about 11 million little things to remember: to-dos, grocery lists, birthday reminders, dentist appointments, soccer games, that yoga class we keep signing up for; the list goes on. Not long ago, we might have just scribbled these things down on a piece of paper. But today, all we have to do is utter one of the following three phrases and instruct our virtual assistants to remember, remind, and re-schedule, for us: “OK, Google” “Alexa,” “Hey, Siri” Virtual assistants are engineered into our phones, laptops, tablets, and desktops. Some even come standalone, like Amazon’s Alexa. VAs are quickly growing in sophistication and popularity, with a June 2017 article estimating some 35.6 million Americans to use “a voice-activated assistant device” at least one time per month. “Hey, Siri -- how many users is that per day?” Much like VAs, online bill-pay is on the rise as the preferred method of paying bills for Americans. “Overall trends are shifting toward online and mobile bill payment,” said David Albertazzi in early 2017. Albertazzi, a Senior Analyst at Aite Group, encourages billers to “provide a frictionless payment process...through automated channels.” That’s where ePayPolicy comes in. Our product is an insurance payment processor that enables agents and brokers to accept credit card and ACH payments online, while also passing on transaction fees to the insured. With paper checks quickly declining, it’s imperative that the insurance industry is taking note of this and adapting to technology in order to continue bringing insureds a positive payment experience. Our processor is compatible across mobile, tablet, laptop, and desktop, making electronic billpay simple and efficient. “ePayPolicy truly takes the headache out of online payments,” says Jason Carter of Brown & Brown Pinellas. “The setup was seamless and our clients love the option of online payment versus overnighting a check.” With several management system integrations already tied to our name (including Vertafore’s AIM, Sagitta, and FinancePro, as well as MGA Systems and i-Engineering’s ALIS), and many more on the way, we don’t plan on slowing down any time soon.

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technology

“The reality is that tech is here to stay,” says Milan Malkani, one of ePayPolicy’s Co-Founders. “Our customers realize that, and they want a solution for a more seamless payment experience, both for themselves as well as their insureds,” says Malkani. “ePayPolicy is that solution.”

Be sure to use referral code “iiaofilmember” when you sign up! To learn more about our payment solution, visit us at www.epaypolicy.com. Or check out one of our many demo videos at https://epaypolicy.com/demos/.

Getting started only takes five minutes, we promise.

New IIA of IL Endorsed Product

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22 Ways to Make the

RIGHT REP

It always comes as a shock to find out that others see us quite differently than we see ourselves. More often than not, it can be distressing, particularly at work. “I don’t get it. I’m not that way.” Maybe not. But it happens. And when it does, a bad rep can stick tighter than super glue thanks to word-of-mouth and the social media. In today’s highly competitive workplace, reputation makes a difference. Your competition can be down the hall, across the country, or 10 feet away. It can be someone who wants your customer or your job - maybe both. When it comes to your reputation, hoping for the best isn’t good enough. It leaves it in the hands of others. Your reputation needs to be shaped and managed so it reflects the way you want to be viewed. Here are 22 ways to go about deliberately shaping how others see you:

Complaining can be toxic and those who do it put their reputation at risk. Welcome new co-workers. There’s a reason to be the first: first impressions are indelible and you will be remembered. Go out of your way to help customers. Look at these as opportunities, not interferences. They’re memorable. Customers like to talk about what the times when someone took did something special for them. Come up with solutions for problems. Avoid the natural instinct to hold back and play it safe: What if it doesn’t

Take on extra work. Sure, you’ve got more than enough on your plate, so why pile on anything more? It lets you demonstrate your ability to shoulder a heavier load. And that doesn’t go unnoticed. Meet deadlines. “I didn’t have enough time,” may be the top excuse for failing to meet deadlines, as if something beyond our control intervened and caused us to fail. What really happens is that we run out of time - and that’s due to poor planning. Come up with ideas to improve something. It isn’t that most people don’t have ideas; it’s simply they’re afraid to present them - what will people think? Maybe it’s stupid? Take a chance. You’ll be surprised. Express appreciation to someone who helps. We all get busy and move from one thing to another, and before we know it, several people have come to our aid. Just another day at the office. It shouldn’t be. Make it a point to say thanks. Give credit to others. It seems as if it diminishes us if we make a point to give a “shout out” to a co-worker. But just the opposite is true. It says we understand what it means to be a team player. Pitch in when someone is out. Whether it’s taking messages, answering questions, or solving a problem, it says you have their back. It won’t be forgotten. Ask questions. We’ve all been in meetings where stuff goes by that’s new, unclear or confusing. Ask a question. Don’t assume you’re the only one who didn’t get it. It shows you’re thinking. Be careful about complaining. When there’s nothing else to do, it’s complain time, particularly at lunch or after work. 10

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When it comes to your reputation, HOPING FOR THE BEST I Your reputation needs to be sh REFLECTS THE WAY april 2018

PUTATION work out? Or, it’s rejected? Give it a try and you may be surprised what happens. Offer suggestions so others don’t trip themselves up. “Would it be helpful to look at it this way?” or “Have you considered other possibilities?” Such questions can help rescue someone from stepping off a cliff, from making an unnecessary mistake. They won’t forget it. Admit it when you’re wrong. It’s easy to say, “Everybody makes mistakes” or “I’m just human” when we get something wrong. But passing it off is quite different from taking ownership and saying, “I was wrong.” Both impact one’s reputation.

By John Graham If you spot a problem, propose a solution. Identifying problems is a popular workplace pastime. Coming up with possible solutions, not so much. One is seen as complaining, the other as being helpful. Step back to get a bigger picture. What’s going on right around us holds our attention, blinding us to the bigger picture, distorting our thinking, and causing us to react inappropriately. It helps to step back so we can see more clearly. Pay attention to details. Nothing is more disruptive, embarrassing, and frustrating than the wrong address or price, a phone number that’s one digit off, a misspelling, or something that was left out. Reputations are made on accuracy; the opposite is also true. Don’t make excuses. It’s quite simple: the opposite of making excuses is taking responsibility. Either way, there’s a reward, one you want and one you don’t. Avoid having someone remind you. Digital calendars and reminders should eliminate the need for someone to remind us. It hasn’t. The offenders are just more visible. Thank those who help you. Although we may not admit it, there are many hands pulling up our bootstraps, not just our own. Be generous in expressing appreciation to everyone who literally gives you a hand. Tell someone when they do a good job. Criticism comes easily, praise not so much. Most people benefit from less of the former and more the latter. Welcome challenges. If all we know is what we’re doing now at work, we’re coasting. When we dare to step out of our comfort zone and take risks, we do more than just holding a job. Smile more. A Penn State study found that smiling employees are more approachable, likeable and appear more competent, as well as more trustworthy, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers. When all is said and done, your reputation is what you make it.

on, T ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH. e shaped and managed so it AY YOU WANT TO BE VIEWED. april 2018

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing,” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com or johnrgraham.com.

insight

The

MOST IMPORTANT Sales Conversation By John Chapin

There is a much overlooked aspect of sales success that is rarely talked about and people pay little attention to, it is: self-talk. The most important conversation is the one you have with yourself. The reason that conversation is so important is because the words and language you use both reveal and reinforce your beliefs about yourself and the world. Those beliefs dictate the action you take, or don’t take, and ultimately determine success or failure. If you have a problem selling, you more than likely have a selftalk problem. The difference between the top salespeople and everyone else, is that the top people became aware of their negative self-talk and beliefs and reprogrammed their language and beliefs to positive ones, or, they were one of the lucky few who received positive programming right from the get go. The latter by the way is the exception, most of us received negative programming growing up. Either way, if you want to become a champion, you need to ensure that your selftalk is positive, upbeat, and supports you. How to Identify and Solve Possible Self-Talk Issues Step 1: Awareness Like everything else in life, awareness is step one. You can’t fix a problem you don’t know you have. If you are overweight, but you don’t think you are, the problem won’t get fixed. If your finances are wrong, but you don’t know there’s a problem, you won’t get them right. If you have a self-talk problem, you need to be aware of it before you

insight

can change it. So the first thing you want to do is monitor your self-talk. What do you catch yourself saying about yourself and the world around you? Are most of your conversations negative or positive? Do you find yourself saying negative things about the economy, your particular market, your industry, or your product? How about your self-talk about you? Do you believe you aren’t smart enough, young enough, old enough, don’t have enough energy, have too much energy, that bad things always happen to you, or that the odds are always stacked against you? Your beliefs will be your reality. Step 2: Getting Your Self-Talk Right If you realize you have a self-talk problem, here are some ways to work on it: a. Positive Affirmations Many people are familiar with affirmations and have either tried them in the past or use them currently. In a nutshell, positive affirmations are a series of positive statements which reinforce a belief you want to have about yourself. For example, if you want to have more self-confidence, you might use affirmations such as: “I am confident”, “I believe in myself”, “I feel my confidence increasing everyday”, and other similar statements. b. Positive Afformations Noah St. John coined the phrase Afformations in his book by the same name. Afformations are similar to

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Affirmations but they are slightly different in that they are in the form of questions versus statements. In the case of Afformations, if you wanted to have more selfconfidence, you would use questions such as: “Why am I so confident?”, “Why is it so easy for me to believe in myself and do the things I need to do?”, “Why do I have so much talent and ability?” The theory is that while your brain may be able to argue with a statement (affirmation) you make such as “I am confident”, it does not argue but rather searches for an answer to the question when you ask, “Why am I so confident?” Again, you can check out Noah’s book where he lists Afformations for most areas of life that people struggle with. Note: There are four ways to work with affirmations and afformations: listening to a recording of them, reading them, writing them, and saying them to yourself either out loud or silently. Ideally if you are vocalizing them, you want to say them with as much feeling and emotion as possible. It’s best to work with affirmations and affirmations first thing in the morning, right before going to bed, and then, if you can a few times during the day. c. Psycho-Cybernetics The most popular psycho-cybernetic technique to shift self-talk is to cancel out negative statements. You do this by saying the word “cancel” after you catch yourself saying something negative and then following the word “cancel” with a positive statement. For example, if you catch yourself saying, “Why do things always go wrong for me?”, you’d say “cancel”, out loud if possible, and then follow that with either an Affirmation such as: “Things always go right for me”, or an Afformation such as, “Why do things always go right for me?”

d. Clean Up Your Environment Specifically eliminate negatives and negative people from your environment. Where you end up 5, 10, 15 years from now will come down to what you put in your brain and who you hang out with. You cannot watch the evening news and be positive. You also cannot hang out with negative people and have positive self-talk for any length of time. Finally, keep in mind that everyone has some negative selftalk occasionally. In fact, the majority of champions have had self-talk problems caused by major self-esteem and self-confidence issues. Many were plagued by insecurities that were constantly reinforced with negative self-talk. The key is that they recognized it and did something about it and that’s the key for you too. Become aware of these thoughts, catch yourself in the act, and then shift the conversation and reinforce the positive until it becomes your new habit. This does not happen overnight and takes work, but if you commit yourself to positive words and language, you should see a fairly substantial and positive shift in about 30 days. By the way, another great book related to self-talk is: “What to Say When you Talk to Yourself” by Shad Helmstetter. John Chapin is a sales and motivational speaker and trainer with over 26 years of sales experience. He is the author of the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia. He can be reached at johnchapin@completeselling.com

The most important conversation is the one you have with yourself.

The reason that conversation is so important is because the words and language you use both reveal and reinforce your beliefs about yourself and the world.

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Customer obsession is the driving force for digital transformation in every industry. However, some industries, such as finance/ insurance, have decades of legacy technology they must evolve to become more agile and customer-engaged. Third parties can assist these efforts with significant experience and expertise. In July 2017, Ensono commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate the status of digital transformation in the insurance industry. Forrester conducted an online survey with insurance decision makers responsible for technology infrastructure to explore this topic. KEY FINDINGS

Digital is Disrupting the Industry By Forrester Consulting

The insurance industry is well on its way to going digital. Digital transformation has become the norm for companies across all industries, and insurance is no different. Nearly 70% of insurers in our study reported that their company is on the journey to digitally transform their infrastructure. Their top goals in this process are to better meet rising customer expectations and to derive greater insights through data. Digital transformation is essential but challenging and expensive. Insurers understand the necessity to transform their infrastructure, but this process comes with significant challenges. Each stage presents its own difficulties, but the largest challenge faced across the board is cost: Nearly all insurers surveyed (99%) face challenges funding digital initiatives, controlling rising costs of software licenses, and addressing rising support and maintenance costs for infrastructure and software. Insurers need help transforming. The insurance industry faces unique challenges when it comes to digital transformation, and they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t - and should not need to - go through this process without help. Over three quarters of our respondents said they would get value from consulting services (80%), licensing expertise (80%), managed cloud services (78%), and migration services (78%) in aiding their digital transformation acceleration. Getting assistance from key partners is crucial to success in the transformation process. INSURERS FEEL PRESSURE TO GO DIGITAL Digital touchpoints permeate every aspect of your customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives, resetting their expectations to a higher level each time they are exposed to a better digital experience. These expectations come from other industries that do a better job delivering great customer experiences, such as traditional retail banks, direct banks, and credit card providers.1 As a result, digitally savvy customers increasingly

expect insurers to meet their real-time information needs whenever, wherever, and on whatever device that’s convenient to them. The processes of most traditional insurers languish in today’s digital world. They struggle across the board with claims processing, billing and payments, underwriting, and more, which in turn affects insurers’ ability to process, update, and report transactions in real time. Combined with the growing expectations that consumers have from digital disruptors, this is forcing insurance technology teams to re-engineer their current IT infrastructure mix, data, and skills to create a more dynamic, flexible, and efficient hybrid IT environment - one with the right balance of legacy platforms and emerging cloud and analytics platforms. The solution: Use digital to get more from existing investments. Insurers are responding: Nearly 70% of insurance decision makers in this study report that their company is somewhere along the journey to digitally transform their infrastructure. While meeting rising customer expectations is the primary driver of these transformation efforts, insurance decision makers are also driven by a need to advance internal processes that ultimately touch customer experience, including deriving better data insights from their customers, streamlining business processes like claims or underwriting, and improving customer satisfaction metrics. This is evident in the goals of the transformation, all aiming to boost customer experience though self-service capabilities; improve interactions between policyholders and agents, advisors, or brokers; and give customers the choice on how they want to engage (though an agent, call center, or online). But going digital also plays a big role in cutting costs, critical for all insurers. In particular, property and casualty insurers are in a world of hurt right now because of claims frequency. Investing in digital will help them keep down software license costs and control support and maintenance costs for infrastructure and software. Nearly 70% of insurers in this study report that they are somewhere along the journey to digitally transform their infrastructure. So what have insurers done to meet rising customer expectations? Their efforts have been a mix of improving existing capabilities and implementing new platforms.

Most insurers have modernized the platforms or data center environments they own. Almost 60% innovated front-end customer applications and started to use more cloudcapable infrastructure (see graphic below). These changes are a testament to the reality of digital transformation today: It’s not about throwing away all existing systems and starting fresh, but rather finding a balance between legacy technology and emerging cloud and analytics platforms. Because of their focus on digital, insurers have changed a variety of business capabilities. Customer onboarding and new business processing top the list of these changes, while payments, billing, and underwriting are least affected by the transformation efforts. This suggests two things: First, insurers are concentrating on the low-hanging fruit: Customer onboarding is one of the easiest areas to innovate in as it’s typically right before customer information moves into a system of record. The real difficulty (and impact of digital transformation) comes with massaging the data to be put into systems of record. Insurers fall short here. In today’s digital world, insurers can’t afford to be shortsighted; they must improve the entire customer life cycle. Second, effective customer onboarding means that customers will self-serve online, therefore reducing insurer costs. Yet, findings from this study indicate that insurers struggle to control rising costs. INSURERS FACE CHALLENGES IN DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FORWARD Transforming your infrastructure to be more digital is no easy task, but it is a necessary one to meet customer expectations and improve business performance in the digital world. With customers, carriers, and agents relying on digital to interact with each other, insurance technology infrastructure teams are pressured to flawlessly execute new digital strategies.2 When asked about how wellprepared insurers are to support digital transformation, those who have embarked on this journey rate themselves highly on their ability to digitize their infrastructure and reduce costs, as well as improve agility and flexibility, availability and uptime, and infrastructure performance. However, insurers still face multiple hurdles when it comes to transforming their infrastructure, including: Delivering high-quality digital experiences. If the goal of transforming infrastructure is to be better prepared to meet rising customer needs, delivering high-quality experiences is an important part of that goal. However, insurers struggle to deliver great digital experiences across many business areas: • In customer portals, insurers struggle to extract quality data and insights, integrate legacy systems, and get compliance and legal teams on board with digital transformation. While insurers are oversaturated with customer data, they experience difficulty extracting actionable business insights from data stored on legacy systems. continued...

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insight

• In agent portals, insurance technology teams grapple with their legacy systems, as well as persuading agents, brokers, compliance, and legal teams to be open to change. Obstacles like these demonstrate not only the inherent technical challenges with digital transformation, but the significant updates to business processes that also need to be made to deliver success. It comes down to providing portals that offer integrated and real-time access to data, which ultimately improves agent loyalty. • In digital marketing, most insurers top challenge is still integrating legacy systems. They also must confront resistance to change from actuarial and underwriting teams and find the right digital technology providers. Again, processes need to transform outside as well as inside IT to deliver the maximum impact of digital transformation. • In digitizing and enabling straight-through processing, the main issues insurers face are around integrating legacy systems, standardizing key performance indicators (KPIs) across departments, regaining credibility from previous poor executions, and managing tension between IT and business units. This is an indication that IT is undergoing digital transformation without talking to the business as much as it should. Everything IT does impacts business processes, and clear communication is crucial to meet internal needs. • In operations, insurers are challenged by conflicting KPIs between departments, difficulty integrating legacy systems, and an inability to extract quality customer insights due to poor data. KPI conflicts indicate the lack of an enterprisewide governance strategy for digital initiatives. • In analytics, insurance technology teams face a talent shortage: They’re competing for data science talent with industries that are more advanced in the role that data and analytics play in their strategies; in the mainframe environment, they can’t find the right digital technology providers and lack funding to advance customer experience initiatives. This clearly

demonstrates the challenges of aging technology skill sets; many insurers are managing legacy environments written in languages that they no longer teach in schools. Controlling infrastructure and software costs. Despite their confidence in their ability to control costs, virtually all (99%) of the insurers surveyed insurers face challenges with funding digital initiatives, as well as controlling rising costs of software licenses and support and maintenance costs for infrastructure and software. When asked about the reasons behind these rising costs, insurance decision makers report that they have too many commercial software licenses; they’re locked in to long-term contracts; and they face high costs when hiring knowledgeable staff to support their legacy systems or developers to update custom-built applications. Creating value and insights from customer data. Improving customer experience requires insurers to make data-driven business decisions to provide relevant services at the moment of need. But doing so is hard when companies can’t cull data for insights that drive business outcomes. Every insurer surveyed stated that it struggles at some level with distributing data due to security concerns, accessing data in legacy systems, lacking expertise with advanced analytics, or managing modern database platforms. The long and the short of it: The same monolithic technology and practices that have kept insurers relatively stable for decades are now holding them back when it comes to digital transformation. Customer experience and improved business performance is hindered not only by reticence to update business processes, but by an infrastructure underpinning that must be selectively modernized to best take advantage of it. Forrester Consulting provides independent and objective research-based consulting to help leaders succeed in their organizations. Ranging in scope from a short strategy session to custom projects, Forrester’s Consulting services connect you directly with research analysts who apply expert insight to your specific business challenges. For more information, visit forrester.com/consulting.

Customer expectations are reset to a new, higher level each time they are exposed to a better digital experience. 16

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april 2018

Everything your customer cares about is in this house.

Things the family just can’t afford to lose. As an Official Supplier of the Silver Lining®, you can help them protect it with a Home and Highway® policy from West Bend. Your customers will benefit from the convenience of one policy, one bill, one deductible, and one agency. With West Bend’s identity protection program, they can have access to a variety of identity protection services. And with the claim free award, they’ll even get a portion of their annual premium back if they don’t have a claim. To find out more, talk to your West Bend underwriter.

e INSIGHT -

INSIGH T

AP RI L 20 18

online journal at www.iiaofil.org/Resources/Insight

Did Som eone Sa y

FREE?

Jump ERP.iWe sure did! ght In Y

TRUST CULTURE & the Multigenerational Workforce

In this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s e-Insight.

insight

april 2018

FREE DIGITAL Trusted Choice

ADVERTISING Member Benefit

JUMP RIGHT IN

Did Someone S YEP. We sure did!

Here is your opportunity to participate in a FREE digital ad campaign designed to bring truly interested leads to your agency. The IIA of IL Trusted Choice Committee has worked with Entercom to bring a comprehensive, aggressive FREE digital ad campaign to its membership. Entercom built the campaign from their partnership with over 1,000 networks and has a list of 225,000,000 email addresses nationwide. The list is permission based which means a contact has “opted in.” Entercom has access to the email address, mobile number and postal address for every contact. The list is updated weekly and scrubbed every 90 days to ensure the contacts remain engaged. Each agency will be given a radius (based upon zip codes) from which the contact will be pulled. In the more densely populated parts of the state the radius will be between five and 10 miles, with the radius expanding for those agencies in the less populated regions.

This six-month campaign is available to the first 200 IIA of IL qualifying member agencies and is broken into three parts: • Email Campaign - a total of 100,000 targeted emails per month. (This number will be divided between all participating agencies) • Retargeting - delivers online display and additional emails to those who opened or clicked the original email. • Mobile + Geo-fencing and Behavioral targeting - Casts a net around your agency and delivers ads to only market insurance intenders Trusted Choice Advantage subscribers can enroll by completing the form and providing the contact information for their designated TC point person. All other members must complete two additional steps to help increase their reach on TrustedChoice.com. * Entercom has an 85% retention rate among participants as well as engagement rates of two to three times over the industry average.

YOU DO Provide Name of Dedicated Trusted Choice Agency Contact Become a Trusted Choice MVP Request a Digital Review from Trusted Choice

TC Subscription Advantage Basic

YOU GET

+ + +

500 FREE targeted emails per month (minimum) 235 FREE retargeted emails per month (minimum) 1,144 FREE geo-fenced mobile impressions per month (minimum)

Deadline for enrollment is April 20. *Available to 200 agencies on a first come, first served basis. Acceptance based upon completion of “You Do” list. April 20 deadline is non-negotiable. Campaign starts May 1 and runs through October. 20

insight

april 2018

e Say FREE? E-mail Marketing Details

Self-reported, opt-in, consumer and business lists generated via online surveys, subscriptions, and registrations, as well as an extensive network of permission based websites and partners. Based upon geographic, demographic, special interests, behaviors from over 225,000,000+ E-Mail Addresses Nationwide • 5,000,000+ E-Mail Addresses In Chicagoland • 3,000+ Consumer Data Points • 18,000+ B2B SIC’s (Standard Industry Codes) Re-Targeting • Deliver Online Display to Openers & Clickers • Deliver Additional E-Mails to Openers & Clickers • Capture Postal Address Information for Direct Mail Delivery

Mobile +

Advantages of Entercom Mobile + Platform • Predictive viewability based upon 5+ years of first party data • First party demographic information against 221MM+ devices allowing for precise targeting, and powerful machine learning based campaign optimizations. Targeting Tactics for Trusted Choice • Geo-Fence • Behavioral Targeting: Cast a net around participating agent locations and deliver ads to only in market insurance intenders. • Expectations • Engagement rates two to three times the industry averages (Industry Average .16%-.30%) Reporting Capabilities • Standard Impression and Click Delivery

Mobile + Campaign Optimizations Carrier Optimization:

Depending upon the areas in which your campaign runs, certain carriers will experience better coverage and speeds which will improve customer engagement. We ensure your ads are running on the most suitable carriers.

Frequency Cap Optimization:

If specific people are being shown your ad too often, we will lower the frequency cap mid-campaign to ensure your campaign is reaching as many people at the right frequency as possible.

Audience Optimization:

If we notice that your ads are performing better with certain audiences, we will double down on that audience segment and direct ads to other homogenous or similar groups who exhibit similar behaviors or characteristics.

Daypart Optimization:

If your ads resonate more strongly at certain times of the day, we will adjust the campaign parameters to reflect that. If a smoothie ad is experiencing better results when shown in the morning – we will optimize to maximize these learnings.

Location Optimization:

It is inevitable that some of your targeted locations will outperform others. We make sure that the right amount of resources are directed towards high performing areas while still capturing all of your chosen location segments.

Enroll today at www.iiaofil.org. april 2018

insight

BE WORRY FREE WITH IMT

We understand the importance of partnerships and take great pride in building strong, stable relationships with our agents and policyholders. Through experienced claims expertise and hightouch customer service, we are there when we are needed most. Learn how you can represent IMT Insurance & Wadena Insurance at imtins.com/contact_us.

imtins.com | west des moines, iowa

Your one-stop shop for all of your difficult to insure needs. WE INSURE THE TOUGH STUFF Transcom is a specialized insurance wholesaler serving independent agencies in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Our focus is writing commercial auto risks of all types, garage business, and E&S type property and casualty risks.

Public Automobile

General Liability and Garage

Commercial Property

Commercial Auto and Trucking

We have earned broad authority from our carrier partners so that most businesses can be underwritten and issued efficiently from our Madison office.

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Serving agents in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Industry recognized carriers. Experienced underwriters. Knowledgeable and skilled support staff.

(800) 360-3303 transcom-ga.com 22

insight

april 2018

DISCOVER WHAT WE COVER.

We provide

BOP CybermoreLiability than Property General Liability Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Comp

Commercial Auto

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Inland Marine Commercial Package monoline coverage.

Get to know AmTrust. Discover what we cover at www.amtrustfinancial.com AmTrust is AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., located at 59 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038. Coverages are provided by its property and casualty insurance company affiliates. In TX, coverage is provided by AmTrust Insurance Company of Kansas, Inc.; AmTrust International Underwriters Designated Activity Company; Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc.; First Nonprofit Insurance Company; Milwaukee Casualty Insurance Company; Republic Underwriters Insurance Company; Republic-Vanguard Insurance Company; Security National Insurance Company; Southern County Mutual Insurance Company; Southern Insurance Company; Technology Insurance Company, Inc.; or Wesco Insurance Company. In WA, coverage is provided by AmTrust Insurance Company of Kansas, Inc.; AmTrust International Underwriters Designated Activity Company; Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc.; Developers Surety and Indemnity Company; Milwaukee Casualty Insurance Company; Security National Insurance Company; or Wesco Insurance Company. Consult the applicable policy for specific terms, conditions, limits and exclusions to coverage.

Statewide

Day of Gi ing Hosted by Illinois Young Agents

June 2, 2018

“No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.”

- Aesop

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Illinois Young Agents are hosting the second annual Statewide Day of Giving on June 2. “It is no secret that independent agents rank among the most charitable professionals in their communities,” said Allyson Padilla IIA of IL Young Agents Chair. “Many not only give monetarily but serve on philanthropic committees and boards as well as volunteer at a variety of charitable events. This type of service exemplifies exactly the concept behind the Statewide Day of Giving, where the focus is not all about money.” The goal of Statewide Day of Giving is to encourage as many individuals throughout the state as possible to devote June 2 to donating time, talent and treasures for the betterment of their communities. Help us make an impact in Illinois.

In 2017 we had: Over 500 Participants • 633 Hours Donated More than $14,700 Raised • 26 Agencies/Companies Involved 22 Events/Fundraisers • 16 Charities Benefitting

www.IIADayofGiving.org • info@IIADayofGiving.org

#IIADayofGiving • Facebook.com/IIADayofGiving Twitter - @IIADayofGiving • Instagram - @IIADayofGiving • Snapchat - IIADayofGiving 24

insight

april 2018

HOW IT WORKS

DECIDE ON YOUR EVENT OR FUNDRAISER

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING

First decide how you will participate. Are you hosting an event? Holding an inner-office fundraiser? Donating your time or talent? Or making a donation?

Once you decide how you are giving, let us know! We will post your event on the website so that others in your area can participate with you, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like. Use the form on the website to tell us your plans.

3 DURING EVENT

Take lots of pictures! Post them on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can also send pictures directly to info@IIADayofGiving.org.

4 AFTER EVENT

The Statewide Day of Giving team will be compiling all the results from the day. We want to know every detail of your event or fundraiser!

Help us demonstrate how truly charitable Trusted Choice Independent Insurance Agents are! april 2018

insight

What’s New?

What’s Not?

Now a billion dollar company! (Sales passed the mark in 2016.)

Secure financial strength that comes from being a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family.

Nationwide geographical scope.

Our A+ (”Superior”) A.M. Best Company Rating.

An increasingly robust One-Stop Insurance Shopping solution via a BizGUARD Plus product suite that features Workers’ Compensation, Businessowner’s Policy, Commercial Auto, Umbrella, and Professional Liability coverage.

Average annual growth in premium in excess of 25% per year for the past five.

Ongoing product and service enhancements to win renewals and keep a high retention ratio.

Broader appetite for select risks (including Total Insured Property Values as high as $50 million for certain industries and risks).

Our focus on being data-driven and using business intelligence to gain a competitive edge.

A superior combined ratio that (according to A.M. Best) outperforms our peers.

Our commitment to distribution through independent agents!

Higher A.M. Best financial size (i.e., “X”).

Enhanced infrastructure to support growth.

Berkshire Hathaway

GUARD

Insurance Companies

IT BIL Y A

OWT

We have agency appointments available. Go to www.guard.com/apply!

insight

april 2018

You plus St. Jude equals a Win for All

By Gordon Walker

Spring is finally a reality after a long and frigid winter. Summer will soon be upon us and now might be a good time for you to consider how your agency could do something great for your business, your industry, and the kids of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. By holding a St. Jude event in your community, you draw local attention to your agency, we demonstrate the humanitarian spirit of the independent agency system of which I have always been so proud, and of course we help the families and kids of St. Jude. Money raised from your event will go to treat catastrophic childhood diseases and to do research for treatments and cures. The St. Jude Hospital in Memphis offers the best possible care and treatment, and of course no patient family ever gets a bill from St. Jude. We’re fortunate to have our St. Jude Clinic in Peoria which serves an area covering Illinois. It offers many families the ability to receive treatments there rather than having to travel to Memphis. Thanks to hard work and donations, the progress made in saving kid’s lives is astounding. Unfortunately, much remains to be done and St. Jude is committed to saving kid’s lives.

successful for other agencies. Please give them a call at 309-566-3500 to let them know what you have planned so they can provide materials and help. There’s obviously no better cause than saving children’s lives and providing support for their families. I hope you and your agency become known as the “St. Jude People” in your community and that together we continue this fight to save young lives. Enough agencies participating in this partnership can have such an impact on saving the most precious thing in the world.” Gordon M. Walker is the former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Pekin Insurance. His private generosities and consistent and positive devotion to St. Jude were instrumental in the development of the company’s current Birdies for St. Jude program.

Whatever your idea is for an event, the staff at the St. Jude office in Peoria is willing and able to assist you. They can even suggest some ideas for possible events that have been

#IIADayofGiving

Charity Garage Sale E ent benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

april 2018

As part of the Day of Giving, IIA of IL will host it’s second annual Charity Garage Sale Event benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on June 2 at the Association headquarters, 4360 Wabash Ave., Springfield. insight

insight

april 2018

Agency owners, potential buyers - this class is for you. Presented by Jon Persky, President of Optimum Performance Solutions, LLC.

All agency owners need to consider what will happen to the agency in the event of their death, disability or retirement. Should you sell it to a family member, an employee, your partner, or someone else? How much should you expect to be paid? What’s the process and when should you get started? Do you have a comprehensive Shareholders’ Agreement? If you are thinking about buying an agency, you need to understand the seller’s perspective, the items you should consider in making an offer, and what data you need to collect. All these issues and more will be addressed in this informative six hour session.

Thursday June 28 • 8:30 am - 3:30 pm JC Restoration • Rolling Meadows, IL

6 hours IL CE (pending approval)

Members: $79

Non-Members: $179

april 2018

insight

education

AGENCY PERPETUATION PLANNING

Get Smart Illinois Public School District with your

With experience in the unique exposures of Illinois Public School Districts, I-Schools through ICRMT provides schools with tailored coverage packages, centralized claims services, free online risk control services, and compeeevely priced quotes.

Who do we insure?

• K-12 Public Schools • Community Colleges • Special Education Districts • Regional Offices of Education

Coverages Oﬀered:

• Public Crisis Response Coverage • Increased Faithful Performance Limits • Built in Student Accident Limits • Cyber Liability Limits Included • Increased Property Limits • Increased Sexual Abuse Limits Available • Unemployment Insurance Coverage

insight

march 2018

Presented by:

conference

May 16-17

Hotel Indigo, Naperville Two-Day Program focused on Professional Development, Personal Growth, Leadership Skills, and Relationships Designed to meet the needs of everyone in our industry

young agents, veteran agents, CSR’s 8 hours continuing education

Top-Notch Speakers Joe Bonura

Joe Bonura has been helping insurance professionals jump start their sales since 1989. The unique thing about Joe is that he walks his talk. He has spent hundreds of hours in the field making real sales calls with real insurance sales people.

Alton Carter Jim Hughes

Alton Carter is a motivational speaker and author. He received his Bachelor’s Degree at Oklahoma State University, and is using his story to inspire youth and adults to do all they can to “change the world.” Jim Hughes is a Small Business Consultant/Employee Benefit Specialist. He is a former owner of an independent insurance agency for 30 years and a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS).

Trevor Shylock Trevor Shylock is an Industrial/Organizational Psychology Consultant with

over 15 years of collective experience in consulting, strategy problem solving, coaching, training and development, sales, recruiting, survey design, leadership and organizational development and statistical analysis.

Robb Zbierski Robb Zbierski has trained business professionals, from all walks of life, on

personal development skills that make a difference in both their professional and personal lives. A dynamic and engaging speaker, he makes every effort to connect with the audience to help them understand what can be accomplished with the right attitude and work ethic.

Register today to receive discounted rate. A block of rooms has been secured at Hotel Indigo. Block expires April 17. Addtional details, including how to register and receive discounts are at:

www.ILYoungAgents.com

april 2018

insight

ASSOCIATE NEWS

Thank you to our Associate Members.

Diamond Level Members

Platinum Level

Progressive Standard Property & Casualty, a National General Company

Gold Level AAA Insurance Agent/Broker Review Company Arlington/Roe Blue Cross/Blue Shield of IL

Silver Level Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company Surplus Line Association of Illinois

The IMT Group West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.

Bronze Level A.J. Wayne & Associates AMERISAFE Aon Programs Atlantic Specialty Lines Auto-Owners Insurance Co. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies Chicagoland Carstar Columbia Insurance Group Donald Gaddis Company, Inc. Echelon Property & Casualty Insurance Co. Foremost Insurance Group Forreston Mutual Insurance Company Grange Insurance Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund Illinois Public Risk Fund Indiana Farmers Insurance Interstate Risk Placement IPMG J. C. Restoration J M Wilson Kemper

insight

Keystone Insurers Group, Inc. Liberty Mutual Madison Mutual Insurance Company MarshBerry Maximum Ind. Brokerage, LLC Mercury Insurance Company of IL MetLife Auto & Home Motorists Insurance Group Nationwide Rockford Mutual Insurance Co. ServiceMaster DSI Society Insurance Specialty Risk of America Transcom General Agency Travelers United Fire Group Utica National Insurance Group W.A. Schickedanz Agency, Inc. Western National Insurance Westfield Insurance Company

april 2018

IIA OF ILLINOIS NEWS Education Classes april

2 3 4 4 11 11 17 17 19 24 24 26 30

Ethics Rockford

may

CISR - Life & Health Springfield CIC - Life & Health Springfield Ethics Orland Park Insurance Industry Legislative Day Springfield Ethics Newton Errors & Omissions Lake Bluff CISR - Commercial Property Champaign CISR - Personal Lines Misc. Edwardsville CISR - Personal Auto Rolling Meadows Errors & Omissions Springfield CISR - Agency Operations Bloomington Ethics Chicago

For information regarding IIA of Illinois membership or company sponsorship, contact Tom Ross, Director of Membership Services, at (217) 321-3003, tross@iiaofil.org. april 2018

1 3 8 9 9 15 17

CISR - Commercial Casualty 2 Springfield CISR - Risk Management Orland Park CISR - Personal Lines Misc. Rolling Meadows CISR - Commercial Casualty 2 Lake Bluff CIC - Commercial Casualty Rolling Meadows CISR - Risk Management Edwardsville CISR - Commercial Casualty 1 Bloomington

New Members member agency Comprehensive Financial Concepts, LLC Downers Grove, IL Enora Insurance Agency Chicago, IL Farmerbrown.com Chicago, IL Green Brook Insurance Group Naperville, IL LNR Insurance Services, Inc. Lake in the Hills, IL Rooster Ag Federal Crop Ins. Maple Park, IL

associate copper level AmWINS Access Springfield, MO

associate bronze level Aon Programs Fort Washington, PA insight

DIRECT

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PREFERRED

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Of Commission

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PERPETUATION Planning & Financing

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Not all markets available in all states

insight

april 2018

Staff Profile Janet White E&O Program Manager/ Products & Services

Number of years at the IIA of IL: 18 1/2 What do you like most about your job? On sunny days the birthstone suncatcher angels hanging in my window makes my office sparkle and shine with the beautiful colors found in a rainbow. What will you miss least about your job? I was a file clerk at Standard Mutual Ins. Co. when I was 15. If you could have any career other than this what would it be? Cruise Ship Director...I like to have fun and tell people where to go. What is your favorite: Pastime: Disco dancing by the light of the moon on the Old Route 4 Bridge or battling my daughter with empty wrapping paper tubes in the dark Food: Spoonfuls of peanut butter or hot dogs with macaroni & cheese Movie: Moonstruck and Super Hero Movies (Thor is the most attractive, but Capt. America is my fave and I have crush on Tony Stark) TV Show: Breaking Bad (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m fairly certain Walter White is a relative of mine) Band: Queen (because of them, I make the rocking world go round) Tell us about your family: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the youngest of three sisters. I have a daughter who is attending Sullivan University, College of Pharmacy in Louisville, KY. My two step-sons and their families also live in Kentucky. Ron Awbrey and I have been married for 25 years. I am aunt to four fabulous adults. I am great-aunt to five of the coolest young people. My mom lives a couples doors down from me, which is such a blessing. Name one thing on your bucket list: The beaches in Hawaii (Thanks for stealing my dream vacation Ed Bowman!) What is your biggest fear? Spiders. They have all those legs. Plus, some of them can jump. Not a good combination for this old girl. Of what are you most proud either personally or professionally? Most people thought I was too immature to be responsible for a human life. In their faces, because I totally rock at being a mom. I was blessed with the most perfect child for me. Diane is 33 and we still have a blast together. Name something people would be surprised to know about you. Check out: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ query=jkw+nationals+2013

april 2018

insight

people in the news

West Bend Names Spirit of the Silver Lining Award Recipients in Illinois West Bend Mutual Insurance Company recently presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award to two of its agents in Illinois. Additionally, West Bend also donated grant funding to the two nonprofit organizations supported by the recipients of the Silver Lining Award. The Spirit of the Silver Lining Award honors West Bend agents and the nonprofit organizations they support for their dedication to delivering a silver lining to those in need. The Illinois recipients of the 2018 Spirit of the Silver Lining Award are Jim Smith of Gnade Insurance Group, Inc. and Kevin Lesch of Árachas Group, LLC. The nonprofit organizations Smith and Lesch support will each receive a $10,000 grant from West Bend Mutual Insurance’s Independent Agents Fund. Smith was presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for his involvement with the Midwest BBQ for the Brave. In 2012, Smith and his wife Gayla hosted the first of what is now an annual BBQ that raises money for catastrophically injured service members. The BBQ raises money to support the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which builds specially adapted, custom designed, mortgage-free smart homes for catastrophically injured service members returning home. The grant funding from West Bend will be used to build one of these homes for America’s heroes.

French Joins TROXELL Team TROXELL is excited to announce the addition of Steve French to their growing sales team. French, who has been in the automotive and insurance industry for more than twenty years, offers extensive knowledge to the TROXELL team. After French’s previous employer abruptly pulled most of their business out of Illinois, TROXELL seized the opportunity to bring him in as part of the Sales and Automotive Division. “With over 10 years of cultivating an automotive dealership centric insurance book across Illinois, French brings knowledge of products, services and specialty care that dealerships must demand to secure that their business and its future is protected and secure,” says John Eck, Jr., Senior Vice President at TROXELL. Dealership insurance and risk management is a very specialized area of the insurance industry and one that TROXELL has put time and effort into enhancing through more education and marketing efforts. The Automotive Division at TROXELL consists of a team who specifically targets automotive dealerships and repair shops. The team knows the risks of the industry and has cultivated relationships with the top insurance carriers for this specific type of business. “French was the most knowledgeable option to establish a meaningful relationship with after the upset caused by the exit of Zurich in Illinois,” mentions Eck, “His history of building trust through consultative relationships with clients is exactly the type of individuals we want on our team.”

Lesch was presented the Spirit of the Silver Lining Award for his involvement with Young Hearts for Life. Young Hearts for Life offers free Electrocardiography (ECG) tests to detect conditions that may cause Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and educate the community about SCD. After the passing of a former colleague’s daughter from Cardio Myopathy, Árachas Group has supported Young Hearts for Life. Young Hearts will use the grant from West Bend towards the Elizabeth Grace Kunce Memorial Fund. Since 2006, West Bend has awarded more than $1.2 million in grants for sustaining support, special projects, or capital projects to nonprofit organizations representing a broad field of interests, including, but not limited to, arts and culture; education; the environment; family, youth, and elderly; health and human services; medical research; and community development. Grants are made to organizations within West Bend’s core geographic operating territory that includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota.

insight

april 2018

QBE North America Adds New Multinational Casualty Offering

It was not revealed how much Acrisure paid to acquire 100% of the reinsurance broker’s equity from shareholders and current and previous management, but it’s been announced that all regulatory approvals needed to complete the deal have been granted. Shareholders included New York-based private equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners.

Regional specialist insurer QBE North America is expanding its multinational offering with a new foreign casualty package.

Retaining its name and identity, Beach will operate as an independent advisory and transactional broking business within Acrisure. All of the existing management team, meanwhile, will also remain and have elected to become shareholders in the Michigan-based parent firm.

A release said that the package expands its offering into casualty lines, with the company’s dedicated team of underwriters leveraging their capabilities to deliver tailored solutions to clients.

Beach, which has just formed a specialty and wholesale platform, employs more than 160 people across seven offices globally.

The new QBE Global Connect is comprised of general liability, excess auto, and foreign voluntary compensation coverage features.

QBE North America’s offerings are directed and delivered through the QBE Multinational Client Center.

Liberty Mutual Announces Structure of Global Risk Solutions Business Liberty Mutual’s newly formed Global Risk Solutions business has announced its operating structure. The business will consist of four main arms:

Independent Insurance Agent

• National Insurance – US large commercial lines and middle market business • North America Specialty – US and Canada specialty businesses • Global Surety – includes the second largest surety business in the US, along with its global surety businesses • Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) – operating the Group’s reinsurance and specialty insurance businesses based outside the US and Canada LSM already includes Liberty’s highly successful $1.5 billion global reinsurance business led by Dieter Winkel, president of Liberty Mutual Reinsurance. It will be run by a single management team in London and will bring together LSM’s existing operations with Liberty Mutual’s and Ironshore’s current specialty operations in South America, Asia Pacific, Bermuda and Europe, including Pembroke, which will continue to operate independently from Liberty’s syndicate business.

Commercial Trucking ▶ New Business Ventures ▶ Oil & Gas Accounts ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Shock Loss Accounts Intermodal Livestock Haulers Hot Shots

▶ 1 to 250 units ▶ All Radius (Short,

Intermediate, Long, Unlimited)

▶ Auto Liability ▶ Physical Damage ▶ Cargo ▶ Up to $10,000,000 Limits Available

▶ Super Preferred to NonStandard (all lines)

For more information, contact: Rick Sutton — ricks@was-irp.com

Mark Wheeler, former CEO of Ironshore International and Pembroke Managing Agency, will take up a new post as LSM’s president, International Markets, responsible for coordinating LSM’s international business outside the UK. Tim Glover will succeed Wheeler as CEO of Pembroke. april 2018

Wendy Lucas— wendyl@was-irp.com Abby George — abbyg@was-irp.com Dave Miller, CPCU — davidm@was-irp.com

www.was-irp.com | sales@was-irp.com

W. A. Schickedanz Agency, Inc.

Interstate Risk Placement, Inc.

300 West Main Street PO Box 445 Belleville, IL 62222

7320 N. Villa Lake Dr PO Box 3765 Peoria, IL 61612

Phone: (618)233-0644 Fax: (618)233-0672

Phone: (309)692-8544 Fax: (309)693-0402

insight

industry news

Acrisure LLC now owns the whole of Beach & Associates

CLASSIFIEDS

for the insurance professional by the insurance professional

OPPORTUNITIES/SPACE AVAILABLE/RETAIN OWNERSHIP

13. We are a 100 year old Northbrook agency looking to discuss any mutually beneficial opportunity. Our producers, mergers, clusters and agency purchases receive 50% commissions on new and renewal business without any expenses. We can provide: office space, phones, agency management system, service renewals and changes. The companies we represent are: Badger Mutual, Employers Mutual, General Casualty, Guide One, Hartford, Kemper, Progressive, Rockford Mutual, Safeco, State Auto, Travelers and Met Life. Contact:

Nancy Solomon Martini, Miller & Schloss, Inc. (847) 291-1313 Ron@martini-miller.com

SHARED SPACE FOR RENT

99. 6400 SF office located at 127 N. Walnut St., Itasca, has availability for startups, insurance agents, salespeople, consultants, professionals, etc.; who are in need of class A space without the cost. Monthly fees range from $375 and include: Receptionist/Clerical, internet, conference rooms, kitchen, classroom/break room. Printing and clerical services are also available. Short term or long term rentals are available. Wed are in downtown Itasca across from the Metra station. Close to expressways. For information contact:

Dino Gavanes 630-779-0566 or dino_gavanes@advisersinc.com

insight

AGENCY WANTED.

20. Since 2004, Central Illinois Agents Group LLC has been providing independent agents with a variety of markets with contingency opportunities. Agents have availability to several markets that they may not be able to sustain or maintain on their own. We have markets for personal, commercial, agricultural and crop insurance lines. Let us help you get to the next level.

Visit www.ciagonline.com for contact information.

AGENCY/AGENTS/PRODUCERS WANTED.

02. Forest Park/Oak Park agency for over 60 years, will meet your needs by providing space, markets, marketing & sales support, automation, merging with or purchasing your agency. Perpetuation/ Succession Plans, BuySell Agreements also available. We have experienced, educated and dedicated staff for you and your clients. Have access to our numerous companies, office services and many other resources. Retain ownership in your book with contingency. Please look closely at us- we are an agency you want to do business with! Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done it before, we know how- we make it easy! Visit our website at forestagency.com/agents.html, or call for a confidential discussion and a list of Agency benefits. Dan Browne will provide an agency evaluation/appraisal at little cost to you. Please call:

Dan Browne or Cathy Hall Forest Agency (708) 383-9000 dbrowne@forestagency.com

april 2018

Expect big things in workers’ compensation. Most classes approved, nationwide. It pays to get a quote from Applied.® For information call (877) 234-4450 or visit auw.com/us. Follow us at bigdoghq.com.