RISKY BUSINESS

WHEN IT ISN'T FUN, IT'S CALLED WORK.

"There is little success where there is little laughter." Andrew Carnegie

Exhale and smile. You’re doing it right. As I reminisce about a wonderful InsurCon event last month, I am energized by the conversations I overhead and those I was able to be a part of. Wisconsin is the place to be, and the insurance industry is doing it right.

Every day we are presented with personal and professional challenges, but what I see in our company and agency members is an excitement and passion for the work they do. I also see this passion among the diverse team at the IIAW. The ideas and plans for collaboration that have flooded our conversations, inboxes and social media platforms all have one thing in common: support and grow the independent agency channel. What tools do we need? Where is there a gap in education? How do we succeed in a difficult market and leverage relationships in creative ways?

While many of our individual opportunities are unique to situations, many are common goals or needs that are shared among us. For this reason, I thought I would highlight the most common conversation I have. Sound familiar?

“Do you have any resources for finding good talent?” While we don’t have a list of Wisconsinbased insurance professionals out looking for a new employer, we do have a few options to start thinking outside the box. We have heard great stories from employers who have casted a broader net on the type of employee they are looking for. Specific insurance experience may not be at the top of your list. Identify a few industries that require the skills you need. We can teach insurance (IIAW has pre-licensing classes!) but it is more difficult to teach good customer service and strong work ethics. consider a remote employee through an organization like WAHVE (Work At Home Vintage Experts). Check out the great article by Rick Morgan in this month’s magazine! Just in the last month, we have had several requests for this service and the response has been energizing and positive. It is definitely not a siloed decision, however. It also requires and employee to feel comfortable and confident in their agency workflows and procedures so that the process is positive for everyone involved.

I also enjoyed a conversation with an individual who was focused on building his personal brand as well as that of his agency. Just as he relied on references from his clients to grow his business, he was also emphasizing the importance of references from his employees to attract strong talent.

Conversations like this are what drive the IIAW staff to ask “what else can we do?”. We want to do more because it is our passion, and these conversations are our definition of “fun”. Our team is comprised of a variety of backgrounds: commercial lines, personal lines, agency accounting, agency operations, risk management, policy making, technology, marketing and more. When we can “work” on your behalf, it is not a job…it is fun. Our goal is to be the goto resource in Wisconsin for agency support, brainstorming and solutions.

Want to have some fun with us? Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and make sure you subscribe to our email list. We have some great events in the pipeline, and we want you all to be there.

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." Dale Carnegie

> Mallory Cornell,