May 2016 Wisconsin Professional Agent

professional agent MAY | 2016

What’s Inside?

Think Before You Act........ 12 Ryan Von Haden Is............ 16 PIA National Young Agent Of The Year Legislative Conduit............ 17 Pledge Form Protect Your Online........... 18 Reputation Under Performing.............. 20 Employees Education Section.............. 22 YPC And Madison.............. 29 Mallards!

Thank You To...................... 30 Company & Associate Members

Digital Editions of PIAW Magazine Available at www.piaw.org

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From the

President Rick Clements, LUTCF, MDRT — President, PIA of Wisconsin

Why Should you Contribute to the PIA Conduit?

(Rather than Contribute Directly to Candidates on Your Own) Question: What do Ron Johnson, Tammy Baldwin, Sean Duffy and Russ Feingold have in common (other than the obvious)?

Answer: None of them can accept a contribution from the PIA Conduit. The PIA Conduit is an exceptionally important component of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin state governmental relations program. However, it is important for contributing members to know that contributions to the conduit can only be received by candidates for state office, that is, not federal office. So, state representatives (the assembly) and state senators, can receive contributions but persons such as the above, who are either U.S. Congressmen, U.S. Senators, or running for federal office cannot receive contributions from this conduit.

In this important election year PIA members are encouraged to support their candidates. The PIA of Wisconsin's government relations program has two very distinct focuses, one of them being on the State Legislature upon which the PIA Conduit is exclusively focused.

Many members are inclined to contribute to candidates that they have personally selected, friends of theirs who are running for office, etc. That's fine, but remember, there’s power in numbers. As Ron Kuehn, PIAW's Legislative Attorney stated, 'By “bundling” our PIA member contributions together through the Conduit, the PIA can create a virtual “multiplier” effect by having you participate with the other PIA members in making a contribution. Trust me that is noticed by the candidates'.

How does the PIA Conduit make contributions to candidates?

1. The conduit makes a determination as to which candidates to contribute.

2. Periodically, the conduit will contact those who have contributed to it and, by email, request their approval to draw funds from their contributions held at the conduit.

You can refuse to allow your contribution to be contributed to a particular candidate. You have the final say.

Here's how you make a contribution to the conduit: 1. You write a personal check (Note: You cannot use a corporate check).

2. The check is simply made out to the PIA Legislative Conduit.

3. Checks can be sent to: Ron Von Haden, PIAW, 6401 Odana Road, Madison, WI 53719.

4. OR personal credit card information including name, number, expiration date and amount to: rvonhaden@piaw.org Fax number: 608-274-8195.

For any questions contact Ron Von Haden at the email address above or phone 608-274-8188 or toll free 800-261-7429.

In summary, contributing to the PIA Conduit is the best way to assure that your annual giving to elect pro-business candidates will be most effectively invested for the advancement of your profession.

The PIA is in the State Capitol every day during the legislative session promoting your professional interests. You simply do not have time to do that, nor do you have time to try to make a determination as to which candidates for public office are most likely to be supportive of PIA issues and equally important, which of those candidates are likely to be elected to office. Candidates from both political parties have benefited from the PIAW Conduit.

The PIA, with its consultants, is very well-informed as to which candidates are most likely to succeed in their elections, and be inclined to be supportive of positions of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin after they are elected. Investing your funds in the PIA Conduit is therefore the most efficient way to best assure that your funds are going to be spent in a manner that will actually advance the interests of the PIA, your profession and you.

MAY 16 3

Memos from

Madison Ron Von Haden, CIC — Executive Vice President, PIA of Wisconsin

Federal Legislative Summit FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT is the appropriate tile for the annual visit to Washington D.C. by PIA members from across the country. Each year, the PIA of Wisconsin Executive Committee and one scholarship winner travel to our nations’ Capitol to promote our industry and voice our thoughts on issues that affect all of us. We made the trip on April 6-9, 2016.

So, why is this important to you? First, we take on the responsibility and expense of representing you to our Federal legislators. We visit every congressional office, all eight Wisconsin members of the House of Representatives and both of our U.S. Senators. Second, we spend advance time studying the issues and in briefings during the trip to be certain we are “on message” as we meet with congressional staff. Third, we present a formidable force as hundreds of PIA members converge on Capitol Hill. The legislators know that independent agents are there to promote and protect this vital industry and the clients we serve.

An important function of your association is to accomplish things that you alone could not accomplish with a reasonable cost and commitment. Could you afford to take several days out of your busy schedule, spend thousands of dollars to sit down with legislators in their environment and give them insight into pending and upcoming legislation that affects your business? Probably not.

State regulation of insurance, flood insurance, crop insurance, health insurance commissions, consumer assistance and the voice of local business people are all important topics we discussed.

All of us should publically thank Rick Clements, Dennis

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Kuhnke, Brian MacGillis, Jodi Cordes and Matt Cranney for their dedication to your association. They took the time out of their schedules to represent PIA and you at this year’s summit. Kudos to all of you.

GET TO KNOW your local and state legislators. This fall, all even numbered State Senate seats and all State Assembly seats will be up for election. Call your representatives or your favored candidates and volunteer to spend some time helping them with their campaign efforts. They will appreciate your help, even if it is just a few hours making phone calls, handing out literature to homes or in parades. These people represent you and they value your input on issues.

Most are not well versed on insurance topics and they need knowledgeable professionals to guide them as they deliberate and vote. If you don’t give them your counsel, someone less qualified may give them advice that is not as accurate as your input. Or even worse, they will have to make decisions without fully understanding the ramifications. They can’t simply say “I pass” and move on to a topic they are comfortable with. They have to vote.

WRITE A CHECK to the PIAW Legislative Conduit. The legislative committee and our advisors will make contributions from the conduit to deserving candidates, only with your permission. We will contact you for permission before we contribute your funds so you and PIAW will receive acclimation for the donation. It’s a great way to leverage the power of your association and your individual contributions.

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info@siaa.net | www.siaa.net MAY 16 5

From the

Boardroom Sandy Hardrath, CIC, CISR – Director, PIA of Wisconsin

Oh the Places You'll Go (Dr. Suess) Many times we sit on the sidelines and look at other people and wonder how they have become successful; what is their secret?

Successful people embrace change and the challenges that are part of change. Their attitude looks beyond the immediate challenges but can vision a better future because of the change. Perhaps one of the ways we can embrace change is by getting involved.

A quality of successful people is being involved with their community and their profession. A great way to get involved with your profession as a Professional Insurance Agent is get involved in your association. The opportunity to meet many talented people that become friends and not just competitors allows you to have a network with lots of expertise at your fingertips (phone, text, email, facebook the list goes on).

During the summer months you will receive an invitation to become involved with your association on a committee.

Pick one that you are interested in and be part of the action.

Some of the committees are Education, Automation, Agent Services Young Professional Club, Membership, Legislative, Nominations and Awards and the Convention Committee.

An overview of each committee as follows: Education—Help set agendas, locations and the quality of the education programs that are offered by PIA. Automation—Keeps members aware of what's new in technology for agencies, collaborate with other agencies that are using products to share what works and what doesn't and also share

expertise in certain areas.

Agent Services— Researches additional benefits our members are looking for and also how can we make members aware of the benefits already in place.

Young Professional Club—Assists new members to the industry to meet peers through networking, professional development and socializing. They also share ideas on improving industry image to attract more young people into a very rewarding career.

Membership—provides information on dues structure, creating membership campaigns and integrating membership issues into ongoing association programs that could have an impact on our future.

Legislative—works closely with legislators on issues affecting our business and works with lobbyist Ron Kuhn on current bills that may have an impact on the future of our agencies/companies.

Nominations and Awards—Facilitate the awards presentation at the convention and select a slate of candidates to serve their association by running for Board of Directors.

Convention Committee—Plans both the PIAW Winter Getaway and also the PIAW Annual Convention that will take place in Green Bay this year from August 3-5, 2016 with several events being held at Lambeau Field. Who doesn’t like to plan a party!?

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OCI Administrative

Actions Ted Nickel — Commissioner of the Office of Insurance

Madison, WI—OCI has taken the following administrative actions. In many of these cases the respondent denied the allegations but consented to the action taken. Any forfeitures paid in these administrative actions are deposited in the Common School Fund which is administered by the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. The earnings from this fund are distributed to all public K-12 schools in Wisconsin and are used by school libraries to purchase books. Copies of the administrative action orders may be viewed online at https://ociaccess.oci.wi.gov/OrderInfo/OrdInfo.oci.

OCI is responsible for overseeing the operations and marketing of insurance companies and agents in Wisconsin. OCI encourages anyone with a question or a complaint regarding an insurance company or agent to contact the office at this tollfree telephone number: 1-800-236-8517.

Allegations

and

Actions Against Agents

William P. Allen, 3328 N. 39th St., Milwaukee, WI 53216, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI, failing to complete prelicensing education and a fingerprinting/criminal background check, and failing to retake an examination.

Edward A. Alvey, 5877 N. South Great Northern, Mercer, WI 54547, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Eric G. Butt, W68N1038 Kensington Ave., Cedarburg, WI 53012, had his application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose a criminal conviction on a licensing application.

Jodi S. Campbell, 2402 Wildwood Ave., Ste. 200, Sherwood, AR 72120, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of Wisconsin on a licensing application, owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes, and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Richard P. Caputo, 2615 Barnes Dr., Coraopolis, PA 15108, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose all administrative actions taken by other states on a licensing application and having administrative actions taken by the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, and Delaware.

Susan L. Davies, E3729 Hwy. 14 & 60, Spring Green, WI 53588, had her application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose a criminal conviction on a licensing application.

Vincent Del Franco, 4541 E. Chuckwalla Cyn, Phoenix, AZ 85044, had his application for an insurance license denied for

31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and having an incomplete licensing application.

Kathleen M. Dermody, 222 Golden Lakes Ln., Oconomowoc, WI 53066, had her insurance license revoked and was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $6,000.00. These actions were taken based on allegations of making misrepresentations and affiliating with a disciplined agent.

Davis J. DeWolfe, 2036 Wintercress Dr., Green Bay, WI 54313, had his application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Kristin Dow, S77W19283 Lakewood Dr., Muskego, WI 53150, had her application for an insurance license denied for 180 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose a criminal conviction on a licensing application and having a criminal conviction that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct.

Shannon E. Dwyer, 320 Forest Grove Dr., Pewaukee, WI 53072, agreed to the denial of her licensing application for 60 days and agreed to respond promptly to all requests for information from OCI. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to timely complete a criminal background check and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Nathan E. Erickson, 6942 Old Amsterdam Way, De Forest, WI 53532, had his application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of Wisconsin on a licensing application.

Lisa M. Ermi, 272 Field Club Cir., McKees Rocks, PA 15136, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to provide (continued on page 10)

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OCI Administrative Actions (continued from page 8) evidence of equivalent resident state licensure and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Jennifer M. Flicker, 1431 Wildcat Ct., Apt. 208, River Falls, WI 54022, had her application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to complete a criminal background check and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. John T. Foster, 615 N. Capitol Ave., Ste. 1, Lansing, MI 48933, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of Michigan on a licensing application, having an administrative action involving fiduciary violations, and being the subject of a current Wisconsin consumer complaint alleging agent misconduct.

Christopher C. Gack, 214 N. Grove St., Blue Earth, MN 56013, had his application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of Minnesota on a licensing application.

William J. Gigstead, 22 Adams Way, Little Chute, WI 54140, agreed to the denial of his licensing application for 31 days and agreed to report to OCI in writing within 30 days of any administrative action taken in any state and any criminal charges or convictions. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of California on a licensing application.

Kathy D. Habron, 11267 Linderwood Dr., Mechanicsville, VA 23116, had her application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose administrative actions taken by the state of Wisconsin on a licensing application and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Tamira S. Hamilton, 3839 N. Humboldt Blvd., Apt. 210, Milwaukee, WI 53212, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to pay delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Deveron T. Harris, 3720 McLarty Dr., Dallas, TX 75241, had his application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and having an incomplete licensing application.

Joseph D. Hofstetter, 1726 E. Racine Ave., Apt. 302, Waukesha, WI 53186, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Scott D. Hubbell, 8716 Tall Grass Pl., Lone Tree, CO 80124, was ordered to fully disclose all matters as required by statutory and regulatory provisions and was ordered to fully and correctly respond to all requests from OCI. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to disclose a criminal conviction on a licensing application.

10 MAY 16

Joseph E. Huston, 3438 Hargrove St., Madison, WI 53714, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having criminal convictions that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct.

Katlyn N. Kershaw, P.O. Box 248, Chetek, WI 54728, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to complete a criminal background check and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Royce E. Kershaw, 1400 Union Meeting Rd., Ste. 202, Blue Bell, PA 19422, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having a criminal conviction which may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Erin Klein, 415 Priscilla Ln., Bloomington, IL 61704, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose administrative actions taken by the state of Wisconsin on a licensing application and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Timothy G. Perkowski, 4240 County Rd. Q, Unit A, Colgate, WI 53017, had his application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of having criminal convictions that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct, providing false information on a licensing application, owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes, having unpaid civil money judgments, and failing to pay restitution and complete terms of probation.

Ericka L. Puzia, 28828 Golden Cir., Waterford, WI 53185, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent child support and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Nancy Schomburg, 506 Pleasant Valley Pkwy., Waunakee, WI 53597, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Ashley I. Schwem, 1022 5th Ave., Eau Claire, WI 54703, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Keven A. Walter, 408 S. 6th St., La Crosse, WI 54601, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of providing materially untrue information on a licensing application, having unpaid civil money judgments, and having multiple criminal convictions that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct.

Shelita S. Wilder, 4426 W. North Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53208, had her insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of owing delinquent Wisconsin taxes.

Allegations

and

Actions Against Companies

Allegations and Actions Against Companies Energy Insurance Agency, Inc., 3008 Atkinson Ave., Lexington, KY 40509, had its application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose administrative actions taken by the state of Kentucky on a licensing application, having a history of administrative actions substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct, and having a poor regulatory compliance history in its resident state.

Health Exchange Resources, Inc., 500 W. Silver Spring Dr., Ste. 200, Glendale, WI 53217, had its application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having a firm name that may cause consumer confusion.

Allegations and Actions Against Other Entities Lori A. Patoka, 5325 County Rd. J, Plover, WI 54467, had her application for a federal crime waiver denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having a felony conviction involving dishonesty or breach of trust.

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MAY 16 11

The world's best business tool . . .

"What do you mean, think?"

I have work to do."

by John Graham

If you want your associates to roll their eyes, look at you as if you’ve lost your marbles, or walk away shaking their heads, tell them that thinking is the best business tool ever made.

Like oil and water, Brady and Goodell, and culture and the Kardashians, thinking and business are usually at odds with each other. Taking action is the key to success in business, not sitting around thinking.

“I will act now,” Og Mandino, the venerated sales guru urged in his bestseller The Greatest Salesman in the World. To make his point, he repeated, “I will act now” 18 times in one of his “scrolls.” In other words, “Just do it!”

Hold on! In life and business “just doing it“ can have disastrous consequences. How many times have you heard these words: “I didn’t think that would happen,” “I didn’t mean to,” or “Gee, I hadn’t thought of that.” If that’s not enough, “I’m sorry” are code words for “I didn’t think….” It’s the story of acting without thinking. Here’s how thinking changes things:

12 MAY 16

1. Don’t ape the competition. The pull of a competitor is so powerful and compelling, it creates near hysterical turmoil: “If we don’t do that now, they’ll get ahead of us” and “We’ll lose out if we don’t…..”

combo print and digital subscribers (not just print subscribers), who had paid the regular price! Unbridled enthusiasm for “great ideas” short-circuits the thinking process and results in unintended consequences.

The latest race is seeing which auto manufacturer will be the first to load up its vehicles with the most technology. But that’s small potatoes compared to which one will produce the first driverless car.

But not so fast. While most other auto manufacturers are racing to win the driverless vehicle race, Porsche is idling its engine says CEO Oliver Blume. Why? He recently explained his reasoning when speaking to a German newspaper. His customers want “to drive a Porsche by oneself.” They buy a Porsche to drive it, not just sit in it. Blume thought it through and let the bandwagon drive by without Porsche.

All too often, competition is an 800-pound gorilla goading us into doing something counter-productive, useless, or just plain stupid.

Google Compare is an example. An online auto insurance comparison-shopping service, it was touted as a disruptor and a “game changer,” but it was gone it only a year. Why? It didn’t understand that selling what customers need is quite different from selling what customers want.

2. Doubt your customer satisfaction scores. If a company measures its customer satisfaction performance against that of its direct competitors, it’s a huge mistake. And here’s why.

Direct competitors aren’t today’s competition. Think about it. Today’s customer satisfaction competition is Amazon, Nordstrom, Apple, Trader Joe’s, and others that get stellar ratings from their customers.

4. Question canned answers. The air inside every business is polluted with pat answers, which are treated as if they’re factually true, even if they’re unsubstantiated. Here’s just one example:

Here’s the challenge: every time Amazon, for example, makes even a tiny customer service improvement, everyone else looks worse. It’s worth thinking about.

3. Vet every idea before taking action. It may seem so obvious that it doesn’t deserve attention. But think about almost any meeting you’ve attended at work in the last week where a new, exciting idea was presented, gained momentum, and was a done deal. Chances are no one spoke up and said, “Are we sure this will work?”

Misplaced enthusiasm in business wastes enormous amounts of time, energy, and money. Acting before thinking spells trouble. Here’s an example. The Boston Globe had a “Valentine’s Day Crazy 8 Sale,” offering an eight-week digital subscription for eight bucks.

That was a great offer, but it was apparently sent to current

“Research has shown that the best time to contact a prospect is between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Calling at these times catches the prospect first thing in the morning when his [sic] mind is fresh….

Likewise, at the end of the day, he [sic] is winding down and preparing to relax and therefore may be more receptive to a call that could help him [sic] with tomorrow’s work.”

This is nonsense because simplistic, pat answers squash creativity, inhibit learning, and keep us from coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things. They cause us to act without thinking.

5. Figure out what you’re known for. If you ask them, most everyone likes to talk about what they do. It’s often their favorite subject, the one that gets their juices flowing.

While it may be fun, it’s also irrelevant.

No one cares about what we do. What prospects, for example, try to figure out is quite different: “Why should we do business with you?” An insurance agent won a company’s business because he reviewed a company’s existing policies and found that critical coverages were missing, and others were inadequate. “He pays attention to the details,” his customer says. That’s that’s what he’s known for. And it’s the details that make the difference.

What do your customers think about when they think about you? Could they tell you if you asked? More importantly, does everyone in your company understand what you’re known for, what makes you unique and valuable to customers? That takes thinking, not just doing. It brings a business into sharper focus and customers into a closer relationship.

Many of the problems businesses experience aren’t caused by a failure to act, but a failure to think.

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, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com .

MAY 16 13

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MAY 16 15

National Young Agent of the Year Ryan Von Haden

RYAN VON HADEN SELECTED AS PIA NATIONAL YOUNG AGENT OF THE YEAR PIA National Names Ryan Von Haden 2016 YIP of the Year: Ryan Von Haden, Partner and Vice President of Business Accounts with TRICOR insurance in Madison, Wisconsin, has been named the 2016 PIA National Young Insurance Professional of the Year.

The award was presented April 8, 2016, by the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) and was sponsored by The Rough Notes Company.

The winner makes his acceptance speech

“You know that a young agent is destined to make his mark on our industry when he has achieved so much, and he’s still just 34 years old,” said PIA National Vice President/Treasurer Tim Russell, in presenting the award. “He started with the agency in commercial sales in 2006. In 10 years, he grew his own personal book of business from scratch—zero dollars—to $8 million in gross premiums.

He became a partner in 2014.”

Ryan Von Haden has been heavily involved in PIA of Wisconsin (PIAW) and was Chairman of the PIAW Young Professionals Club for six years. During that time, he and his fellow young professionals took a fledgling scholarship program that was happy to award one $500 scholarship to a young student—and turned it into a single day golf outing that provides up to $25,000 annually in scholarships to deserving students who are pursuing a career in the insurance industry.

Ryan's family Ron, Barb, Ryan and Jolene Von Haden

Ryan Von Haden is the son of PIA of Wisconsin Executive Vice President Ron Von Haden, who has dedicated more than four decades of his life to serving PIA. “We are extremely proud of Ryan and his fellow young professionals for the work they have done to provide scholarships as well as his dynamic personal sales and family achievements,” said Ron Von Haden. “He has a commitment to his customers, his association, his industry and his family that is a model for us all.”

At an awards luncheon in conjunction with the PIA National Federal Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., Ryan Von Haden was recognized as the National Young Agent of The Year.

Ryan and his very proud dad

16 MAY 16

The Wisconsin table is enjoying the festivities



I realize the importance of political contributions to the future of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin and our customers. I want to be part of the process leading to success in achieving PIA’s goals in the Wisconsin Legislative arena. Please hold my contribution as a deposit in the PIA Legislative Conduit account to be used at my direction. I understand that I will be contacted in the future, by telephone, email or direct mail, to authorize the use of these contributions. I will be asked to respond with my signature on appropriate authorization forms.

Name:___________________________________________________________________________________ (Please Print)

Primary Employer:________________________________________________________________________ (required to disburse any contributions greater than $100, by Wisconsin Law)

Business Address:_____________________________ City:_____________ State:_______ Zip:__________ Home address:________________________________ City:____________ State:_______ Zip:___________ Business phone:______________________________ Home phone:_________________________________ Email address:_____________________________________ Contribution amount:____________________ Credit Card Payment Name on card:_________________________________ Signature:__________________________________ Amount:______________ Card Number:_________________________________ Exp. Date:____________ Billing address on card:_____________________________________________________________________ City

State

Zip

Contributions are NOT tax deductible for income tax purposes. Donations must be made from Personal accounts only.

NO Corporate or Business Checks or Credit Cards accepted Return to: PIAW Legislative Conduit Account PIA of Wisconsin, Inc. ● 6401 Odana Rd. ● Madison, WI 53719 Fax: 608-274-8195 ● www.piaw.org ● Email: rvonhaden@piaw.org

MAY 16 17

Ten Steps for

Repairing & Protecting Your Online Reputation Being Liked Is Serious Business “The worst customer service experience ever! The bed was dirty, and the bathroom had hair on the toilet seat. My dog refused to enter the room. He slept in the car. I don’t know why I didn’t do the same thing.

Do not EVER stay here!!!!!!!”

“If you are offered a job at this place, run! Do not walk to the nearest exit. This company is an asylum. I have never worked with a more dysfunctional group of people in my life.”

“There are a lot of fake reviews on this site. Anyone who has ever been here knows there is no possible way on earth a real customer would say this place was anything but a pit. Enter at your own risk. You have been warned.”

by Kate Zabriskie

send out an automatic alert letting you know. There are also a variety of free and paid services that will monitor online search terms and any major review sites for mentions, and will quickly notify you if new information about you is posted. If you are serious about managing your online reputation, these services are extremely valuable.

Step Five: Once you have a good picture of your online grade, get ready to roll up your sleeves and start problem solving. If your employees are rude, train them. If your establishment is dirty, clean it. If people hate working for you, investigate. Unless you are the victim of competitor sabotage, what you are reading is probably based in truth. If needed, revisit step two.

Ouch! Those hurt.

Step Six: Involve your team and communicate your improve-

And there it is, right there in black and white for anyone and everyone to see—the naked truth: what someone thinks of your product, your service, or your organization.

ment plan. You will reach your goal faster if everyone in your organization understands what it is and is working toward it.

Bad reviews can bite, wound, and sting. Worst of all, a mountain of them can appear in a matter of seconds. Social media, it’s a wonderful thing, until it turns against you.

So, what’s a person to do when his or her online reputation is suffering at the hands of others? Plenty.

Step One: Take a deep breath. You can fix it. Not overnight, but you can fix it.

Step Two: Get over any hurt feelings or embarrassment, and do it quickly. The people who complain have done you a great favor. It’s now up to you to decide if negative reviews are going to be the kiss of death or a wakeup call.

Step Three: Uncover everything that is being said about you.

Step Seven: When you are interacting with people, ask them what they think. You already know some of them have no problem sharing their opinions with the world, so they will probably be willing to candidly tell you the good, bad, and ugly. Asking your customers or clients for help can prove extremely beneficial.

“We are working hard to improve. Would you be willing to talk to me for a few minutes? Thank you. What two or three things could we have done differently in order to make you experience with us better?”

If at all possible, have these conversations verbally. You may be surprised by the quantity and quality of information you are able to quickly gather.

Step Eight: Once you have a clear sense of what is going on with your business and are on the road to smoothing out the rough spots, get back to the reviews. It’s time to answer them.

If you found a bad review in one place, there are probably others. You will need to spend a few hours researching yourself online. Start Googling, and take a notes of what you find and where. A word of caution: resist the urge to respond to anything.

Be strategic, not impulsive. You will need a game plan before typing a word.

First, thank the reviewer for letting you know about a problem and include something good about yourself, too.

Step Four: Automate. Sign yourself up for Google Alerts at

Second, describe what you have done to prevent the issue from occurring again.

www.google.com/alerts. If new content mentioning your company shows up online and Google sees it, the search engine will 18 MAY 16

“I’m sorry your son’s birthday experience with us wasn’t what you expected. We’ve hosted over a thousand birthday parties for children in our five years of business, and we strive to delight each of our guests.”

“We’ve taken a few steps to prevent what happened to you from happening

to another parent of a birthday boy or birthday girl. Since your visit, our staff has taken several classes to improve their service skills. They’ve focused specifically on techniques for positively engaging with children.”

Third, ask the person to give you a second chance.

“Please celebrate with us again. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. My name is Kate. If you ask for me when you make your reservation, I will take care of you personally.”

reviews you’ve gotten in the past because they’re coming. You simply cannot turn off the social media tap.

Step Ten: As tempting as it may be, do not post fake reviews or go to a service to get others to do the same. Apart from the fact that it’s dishonest, it’s also dangerous. If you get caught, you will look even worse than you did before. Instead, get busy writing more content to post on your site, press release sites, and other

Resist the urge to be snarky, judgmental, or to correct your customers. Yes, some customers are wrong—however, pointing that out will not help. Lots of people are going to be watching how you respond to others. Take advantage of the opportunity to be polite, helpful and solution-focused. People who rely on the reviews can often tell when other customers are being difficult. If you are gracious in your dealings with them, you will win in the long run.

appropriate places. The more that’s out there, the less visible a bad

Step Nine: Ask your happy customers to post reviews. Over time, your average will improve. Obviously this approach only works if you are indeed making changes and removing the causes of bad evaluations. If you are not, prepare for more of the same

Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team help busi-

Since 1878

comments be.

Followed closely, this 10-step plan for a reputation overhaul could earn you five stars. What do you think?

Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a nesses establish customer service strategies and train their people to live up to what’s promised. For more information, visit www.businesstrainingworks.com.

Ellington Mutual Insurance Company

Proudly providing all of Wisconsin with prompt, personal service.

PO Box 356 • Hortonville, WI 54944 920-779-4515 • 800-953-4515

www.ellingtonmutual.com

Homeowners • Farmowners • Commercial • Rental Properties • Seasonal Properties • Umbrella MAY 16 19

Why Your Employees

Aren't Performing

and What You Can Do About It

by Kate Zabriskie

I can’t believe we spent a huge amount on customer-service training, and our staff still doesn’t consistently give great service. What a waste!

We sent out a memo explaining the summer dress code. I thought it was pretty clear, but the intern showed up dressed for a night at the club. In addition to having bad fashion sense, she seems to have problems with reading comprehension.

He does the minimum, and that’s it. Why he doesn’t take more pride in his work and our business, I’ll never know. It’s extremely difficult to have him on my team. The guy’s a real energy drain.

Sound familiar? Probably. At any given moment, there are legions of employees busy “working” but not doing the work their managers expect them to do or, worse yet, doing their work in ways that hurt morale, productivity and the bottom line.

20 MAY 16

Perhaps a few of those frustrating employees have a professional death wish—but most don’t.

In all likelihood, they are as frustrated by their performance as you are. The onus is on you, the manager, to identify and implement the fix.

For starters, you must come to terms with the five core reasons some members of your team aren’t performing to your standard.

Reason One : They can’t.

If you expect people to do something they can’t do, don’t be surprised when they fail. For example, if the receptionist is supposed to greet guests, answer the phone, order office supplies, clean the kitchen, and cure infectious diseases all by himself, is there any wonder he can’t get it done?

The Fix: Take a hard look at what you ask your team members to do. If some of them are not meeting your expectations, be sure that those expectations are realistic and reasonable.

Truth to tell, assigning tasks to people who, for whatever reason, can’t complete them to your standard, means you’ve brought your situation upon yourself. Quit beating yourself up: change the person you task or change the tasks.

Reason T wo : They don’t know how.

All too often people are thrown into a job with little or no training. They learn on the job, bring what they knew from their last job, or teach themselves if you are lucky. In other words, they wing it—and most of the time it shows. If you are holding people accountable for performing tasks for which they’ve had no training, you’re going to frustrate the employees and hurt morale. It’s as simple as that.

The Fix: Train people on systems, processes, and desired behaviors, and do it often. Good organizations teach forward as well as learn from their mistakes. Spend some time thinking about what needs to be completed in a certain way. For example, if everyone is supposed to answer the phone, “Good morning, Fitzsimmons and Patrick, this is __________. How may I help you? Then you’d better tell them—script them if necessary—show them how to do it with a smile, and do it yourself when you answer the phone.

Reason Three : They don’t know they are not doing it.

People are not telepathic. When you fail to make clear your expectations in terms of both quality and quantity of work, and when you fail either to correct substandard performance or praise good performance, you have no cause to complain. Setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback matters.

The Fix: If an employee’s unsatisfactory performance is chronic in spite of training, managerial direction, and on-thespot correction or praise, it is time to schedule a one-on-one meeting to review goals and expectations. Employees should

know where they stand within an organization. A failure to tell people whose sustained job performance is unsatisfactory is cruel, and a failure to document the meeting is derelict.

Your direct reports and your organization deserve better.

Reason Four : They don’t think it’s important.

Sometimes people know the rules, and they ignore them because they don’t think the rules are that essential. How could someone reach that conclusion? It’s easier than you think. If managers don’t model desired behaviors, reward people for demonstrating those actions, and coach their team members to preclude deficiencies, they’re sending the wrong messages. Park in a spot reserved for visitors a couple of times. How long do you think it will take others in your purview to start doing the same thing?

The Fix: Walk the talk. It’s as simple as that. Hold yourself accountable first and foremost. Next recognize and reward what you want to see and address any shortcomings on the spot. Of course, this doesn’t mean becoming a patronizing zealot and thanking people for doing things they should be doing such as wearing clothing to work. Rather, it means having standards and sticking to them. If you’ve talked to the intern about observing the dress code and the next day she shows up looking terrific, acknowledge her effort.

Reason Five : They don’t want to.

On rare occasions you may encounter someone who is capable, trained, and operating in a learning environment but who still fails to meet expectations despite repeated coaching and counseling.

The Fix: Document, document, document, and keep that poison apple away from the others in the barrel. There are times when people are simply not a good fit for a job, and you need either to move them somewhere else in the organization or out of the organization altogether. Be kind, firm, and quick to act. The better your documentation, the easier the process will proceed.

Nobody ever said managing people was easy. It’s not. It requires time, thoughtful planning, hard work, and moral courage; in short, it requires leadership. That said, the payoffs can be huge for the employee, the organization, and for you.

Kate Zabriskie is the president of Business Training Works, Inc., a Maryland-based talent development firm. She and her team help businesses establish customer service strategies and train their people to live up to what’s promised. For more information, visit www. businesstrainingworks.com.

MAY 16 21

education

Certified Insurance Service Representative Open to Anyone!

7 WI CE Credits Course #69351

LIFE AND HEALTH ESSENTIALS

This course will help build a better understanding of what your clients need to know about life and health insurance. Explaining the benefits of having the proper life and health insurance is key to the financial wellbeing of your clients' families and businesses.

• • • • • •

Introduction to Life Insurance Term Insurance Permanent Life Insurance Health Insurance Concepts Regulation Consumer Driven Plans

MAY 16 • WAUKESHA

CLASS SCHEDULE Instruction Jerry Rhinehart CIC, CLU, ChFC, RHU

Group Lunch Optional Exam

8:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

$170 Per Course Includes Lunch

4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Register at www.piaw.org or call 800-261-7429

Certified Insurance Service Representative Open to Anyone!

7 WI CE Credits, 1 of 7 is Ethics, Course #69356

AGENCY OPERATIONS

This course helps make you an indispensable team player in any insurance agency. As you work with colleagues and customers, you will do so with enhanced self-assurance and a greater understanding of the dynamics within insurance organizations. Also, understanding how agencies operate is essential training for both insurance agency and company personnel.

• • • • • •

Legal & Ethical Requirements The Insurance Agency, Industry and Marketplace Communication Agency Workflow MAY 19 • MADISON Account Management Errors & Omissions

CLASS SCHEDULE Instruction Angelynn Heavener CIC, CPIA

Group Lunch Optional Exam

8:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

$170 Per Course Includes Lunch

4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Register at www.piaw.org or call 800-261-7429

22 MAY 16

education

Certified Insurance Service Representative Open to Anyone!

7 WI CE Credits Course #69340

PERSONAL LINES – MISCELLANEOUS This course addresses the exposures created by watercraft, recreational vehicles, and business activities often encountered when working with personal lines clients. Prompting your client to identify these exposures is crucial, because the ISO Homeowners and ISO Personal Auto Programs provide only very limited coverage. You will be better able to design the appropriate coverage for these exposures. The course will also provide an analysis of the important coverage offered through personal umbrella or excess liability policies.

It is recommended that students taking CISR Personal Lines Miscellaneous have already taken CISR Personal Residential or have a working knowledge of the Homeowners Policy Form.

JUNE 22 • Rothschild JUNE 23 • TOMAH

CLASS SCHEDULE Todd Davis CIC

Instruction 8:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Group Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Optional Exam 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

$170 Per Course Includes Lunch

Register at www.piaw.org or call 800-261-7429

O n -L i n e e d u c a t i O n

Open to Anyone & Everyone !

For The New Employee - No CE 6-8 Week Virtual Classroom •

• • •

www.piaw.org

New Agency Employee Orientation Delivering Quality Service Personal Lines Coverage Basics Commercial Lines Coverage Basics

Pre-Licensing Education Webinars: 2-3 WI CE, No Exam, No Proctor •

Over 20 Topics

Hot Topics: 4 WI CE • • •

Variety of Coverage Topics Ethics Flood

All 9 CISR Courses – 8 WI CE All 5 CIC Institutes – 20 WI CE MAY 16 23

education

33 Topics in 2016! Each Approved for 2 or 3 WI CE Credits. Live. No Test. No Proctor.

Visit the Education tab at piaw.org for a complete list of topics, descriptions, webinar demo, and to register.

Several approved for Utica credit. Ethics is offered each month.

Fee per Webinar: $55 PIAW Member, $70 Non Member – Includes WI CE fees.

May & June 2016 Webinar Schedule

May 2016

June 2016

TITLE & WI CE

DATE

TIME (CST)

INSTRUCTOR

Personal Lines Complications: Because “Simple” is Just Too Darn Easy 3 CE # 71017 Weatherstripping the CGL: Drafts, Gaps, Forms and Fixes 3 CE # 1011188 Social Networking: OMG or E&O 3 CE # 6987, 1Utica Approved

5/16

12-3p

Kevin Amrhein, CIC

5/17

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, AAI

5/18

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, AAI

And the CHAOS Continues: The Evolving World of Contracts, Hold Harmless, Add. Insureds and Other Stuff 3 CE # 1011189 Man vs. Machine: Cyber Exposures and Insurance Solutions 3 CE # 1011190 Certificates and Additional Insureds: Navigating the Maze 3 CE # 1011192 Get in the Ring: Property Claims, Fights and Decisions 3 CE # 71014 Contractors: Insuring the Liability Exposures 3 CE # 70757

5/19

12-3p

Jerry Hargrove, J.D., CIC, CPIA, SCLA, FCLA, PICS, LICS

5/20

8-11a

Jerry Hargrove, J.D., CIC, CPIA, SCLA, FCLA, PICS, LICS

5/24

12-3p

Catherine Trischan, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, AU, AAI, CRIS, MLIS

5/25

12-3p

David Viola, CIC

5/26

1-4p

Catherine Trischan, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, AU, AAI, CRIS, MLIS

Time Element for Commercial Risks 3 CE # 1011193

6/13

12-3p

Catherine Trischan, CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, AU, AAI, CRIS, MLIS

Words Mean Things and Insurance is a Foreign Language 3 CE # 71019, Utica Approved Health Insurance: Myths, Truths and Solutions 3 CE # 1011195 Top Twelve Coverage Countdown: Answers, Evaluations & Revelations 3 CE # 1010873 Food Borne Illness and Insurance Coverage 3 CE # 71001

6/14

12-3p

Jerry Hargrove, J.D., CIC, CPIA, SCLA, FCLA, PICS, LICS

6/15

8-11p

Karin Klaassen, CLU, LUTCF

6/15

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, AAI

6/16

12-3p

Jerry Hargrove, J.D., CIC, CPIA, SCLA, FCLA, PICS, LICS

The Ever-Evolving Affordable Care Act (ACA) 3 CE # 71018

6/20

12-3p

Jerry Rhinehart, CIC, CLU, ChFC, RHU

More June courses available View and register online at piaw.org or call 1-800-261-7429.

Contact Brenda for in-house webinar opportunities.

24 MAY 16

Registration materials will be available early May.

Utica

Gives You the Credit You Deserve!

The following PIAW education classes are approved for the Utica premium credit.

• Any CIC Update • CIC Agency Management • CISR Agency Operations • Dynamics of Service • Select PIAW Webinars • PIAW Conducted Ethics and E&O Seminars (classroom or in house) To register online and view upcoming CE courses visit www.piaw.org

Please contact Darcy at PIAW to find out how you can benefit from Utica’s E&O Loss Control Program. dbrown@piaw.org or 1-800-261-7429

MAY 16 25

education

Save the Date!

education

STAND OUT! Set yourself apart with the CPIA designation.

The PIA of Wisconsin is a proud sponsor of the Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) professional designation program. The CPIA designation is comprised of a series of Insurance Success Seminars. These three, one-day workshops teach practical "before", "during", and "after" the sale techniques for insurance producers, sales managers, account managers and company marketing representatives. Completion rule, 3 years from first course. No exams. You do not need to commit to all three to attend one.

Participants leave with ideas that will produce increased sales results immediately. In fact, The Insurance Success Seminars are guaranteed: Implement the principles covered in these sessions and experience a 20% increase in personal production within six months, or your registration fee will be refunded!

To maintain the CPIA designation: fulfill a bi-annual update by attending one of the three core seminars, an Advanced Insurance Success Seminar, a Pro-to-Pro Retreat, or maintain an active Level 2 or Level 3 membership in the AIMS Society. The CPIA designation is approved by Utica Mutual as part of the premium discount program.

The AIMS Society is a national organization dedicated to providing i nteractive marketing and sales training, ongoing resources and networking opportunities to insurance professionals. www.aimssociety.org You can attend the CPIA courses in any order. No Test. Approved for 7 Wisconsin CE credits.

CPIA 1 - Position for Success

CPIA 2 - Implement for Success

CPIA 3 - Sustain Success

During this program, participants are encouraged to focus on internal and external factors affecting the development of effective business development plans.

Factors discussed include a review of the state of the insurance marketplace; analysis of competitive pressures; necessary insurance carrier underwriting criteria; and consumer expectations and understanding.

During this session participants will be provided with specific tools for analyzing consumer needs; will learn to utilize risk identification techniques to gather pertinent prospect information; will develop skills necessary to assimilate information gathered into a customized protection program; and will participate in exercises designed to promote effective delivery of proven solutions.

This program focuses on fulfilling the implied promises contained in the insuring agreement. Students will review methods of providing evidence of insurance coverage; will discuss policies and procedures for controlling E&O including policy review and delivery, endorsements, claimsprocessing, and handling of client complaints. This course includes a review of the Professional Expectations; the Law of Agency; and Legal and Ethical Standards.

WI CE Course # 65338

WI CE Course # 65340

WI CE Course # 65339

Course Schedule 8:30 – 4:00 Lunch On Your Own 12:00 – 12:45 Registration Fee per Seminar: Includes Seminar Materials, coffee a.m. & soda p.m.  PIAW Member $165.00 or $172.00 includes WI CE fee  Non Member $200.00 or $207.00 includes WI CE fee CPIA 1 – April 12, 2016

CPIA 3 – June 16, 2016

CPIA 2 – December 14, 2016

Holiday Inn West Waukesha, WI

Radisson Appleton, WI

Crowne Plaza Madison, WI

26 MAY 16

Register: www.piaw.org 1-800-261-7429

more than one thing

new at piaw.org

PIA of Wisconsin now offers: Certified Risk Manager (CRM) Courses and Ruble Specialty Seminars.

800-261-7429

A PAY CHECK DISPUTE

Choose 5 of 9 to improve your 9 to 5.

CISR EDUCATION FOR INSURANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS

It still takes 5 courses to earn a CISR designation but now you have the flexibility of 9 course options. This allows you to focus on what’s important to you. We understand not everyone learns the same way or even at the same pace, so we offer courses in the classroom, online and in-house.

Find out how CISR can improve your 9 to 5. Call or visit us on the web today.

• Commercial Casualty I • Commercial Casualty II • Insuring Commercial Property • Insuring Personal Auto Exposures • Insuring Personal Residential Property • Personal Lines Miscellaneous • Agency Operations • Elements of Risk Management • Life & Health Essentials

Samantha went down to her employer's bookkeeper. "Hey Joe, my paycheck is short this month! You paid me $100 less than I'm supposed to get!"

"Well, you see," Joe the bookkeeper said, "that's because last month we accidentally gave you $100 too much. And you didn't complain then, did you?"

"Look," said Samantha, "I don't mind an occasional mistake every now and then, but two months in a row is ridiculous!"

www.piaw.org 1-800-261-7429 MAY 16 27

education

There is

education

Certified Insurance Counselor Each Approved for 20 Wisconsin CE Credits

PERSONAL LINES

COMMERCIAL CASUALTY

June 14-16, 2016 Radisson Paper Valley Hotel 920-733-8000 $105 single rate through 5/16/16 includes breakfast

July 19-21, 2016 West Bend, WI Hotel listings under Education/CIC at piaw.org.

Thank you West Bend Mutual Insurance for the use of your training room!

• commercial general liability • additional insured concepts & endorsements Steven Lyon, CIC, CPCU, ARM, AAI, AIS, ARM, CRIS

• PERSONAL RESIDENTIAL COVERAGES Sidney Earl Aycock, Jr. CIC • PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE COVERAGES • RENTAL CAR COVERAGE Samuel Bennett, CIC, CPIA, AFIS, CRIS

• BUSINESS AUTOMOBILE COVERAGES John Dismukes, CIC, CPCU, AAI, AIS • WORKERS COMPENSATION • CYBER LIABILITY • EXCESS LIABILITY/COMMERCIAL UMBRELLA COVERAGES Timothy McClendon, CIC, CWCA

• FLOOD • PERSONAL UMBRELLA / EXCESS COVERAGES Russell Deaton, CIC John Dismukes, CIC, CPCU, AAI, AIS

WI CE Course # 69169

Day One: 8:00 – 5:15

WI CE Course # 69299

Day Two: 8:00 – 5:00

Day Three: 8:00 – noon, Optional Exam 2:00 – 4:00

$405.00 per institute. Register at www.piaw.org or call 800-261-7429.

CIC Ruble seminars Exciting update options, they fill up quickly.

FULL May 17 & 18 | Graduate | Crowne Plaza – Madison, WI* August 25 & 26 | Legal Concepts Ruble|Crowne Plaza – Milwaukee, WI October 26 & 27 | Graduate | Radisson – Green Bay, WI* 16 WI CE (*Includes 4 optional Ethics)

visit www.piaw.org or call PIA at 1-800-261-7429 CUE THE MOOD MUSIC A minister was preoccupied with worry over how to persuade his congregation to donate money for repairs to the church's leaking roof. Just before the service was due to begin, he learned that his regular organist was sick, and he asked his wife to fill in. "Here's a copy of the service," he said. "You'll have to think of something to play after I make my appeal for donations."

About halfway through the service, the minister made his pitch: "Brothers and sisters, we are in great need. The roof repair is going to cost twice as much as we budgeted for, and we need $2,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up."

And right then, the minister's wife began playing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

28 MAY 16

PlAW’s Young Professionals Club Invites YOU and Your Family to a NIGHT AT THE DUCK POND! Friday, June 24th @ 7:05 PM • Gates @ 5:30 PM

=$29 Your ticket will be at Will Call Window #6 - Mallards Group and Company Outings on the day of your event Game Night Promotions:

ZOOperstars Sun Prairie St. Mary's Emergency Center Night

Name:_________________________________ Agency/Company:_______________________ Phone:_________________________________ Email:_________________________________ Method of Payment: Total tickets:______ Check: ____ CC:____ Card#:_________________________________ Ex Date:________

Please Mail, E-mail or Fax Back to: PIA of Wisconsin, Inc. 6401 Odana Rd. Madison, WI 53719 E-mail: mpenn@piaw.org Fax: (866) 203-7461 Cancelation Policy: No cancelations, only substitutions.

MAY 16 29

Thank You To The

C OM P AN y A N D A S S O C IA T E MEMBERS OF PIAW! The companies and associates listed below support your association as dues paying members of PIAW. These are the companies and associates that deserve your business and recognition. Show them that you appreciate their commitment by saying THANKS the next time you have contact with them. A partnership affiliation is vital to the continued success of the independent agent system and those organizations listed below are committed to that partnership.

COMPANY MEMBERS 1st Auto & Casualty Ins. Co.

ICW Group Insurance Companies

Rockford Mutual Insurance Company

AAA Wisconsin

Integrity Insurance

Safeco Insurance

ACUITY

Kemper Personal and Commercial Lines

SECURA Insurance Companies

Little Black Mutual Ins. Co.

Selective Insurance Co. of America

Maple Valley Mutual Ins. Co.

Sentry Insurance

Markel Specialty

Sheboygan Falls Insurance Company

Allstate Insurance Company ASI Badger Mutual Insurance Company Calumet Equity Mutual Ins. Co. CapSpecialty Continental Western GroupA Berkley Co Electric Insurance Company Ellington Mutual Insurance Company EMC Insurance Companies Erie Insurance Frankenmuth Insurance Germantown Mutual Insurance Company Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company

McMillan Warner Mutual Insurance Co. Society Insurance Merrimac Lodi Mutual Ins. Company

State Auto Insurance Companies

MetLife Auto & Home

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

Mt. Morris Mutual Insurance Company

The Hanover Insurance Group

Nationwide Insurance Partners Mutual Insurance Company Pekin InsuranceÂŽ Pennsylvania & Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Ins. Co Progressive Insurance

The IMT Group United Fire Group West Bend – A Mutual Insurance Company Western National Insurance Group Wilson Mutual Insurance Company Wisconsin Mutual Insurance Company

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS A Branovan Company

Emergency Fire & Water Restoration

AFCO Credit Corporation

Employers Benefit Group

Midwest Restoration-Fire & Water Damage Spec.

Apogee Insurance Group

Erickson-Larsen, Inc.

North American Software Associates

Aquire Restoration, Inc.

Image of Wisconsin

Premium Assignment Corporation

Arlington/Roe

Imperial PFS

RPS

Axley Brynelson, LLP

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SIA of the Great Lakes, LLC

Bedford Underwriters

J.M. Wilson

Transcom General Agency, Inc.

Capital Premium Financing, Inc.

30 MAY 16

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MAY 16 31

The 2015 Claim Trend of Most Concern

by Curtis M. Pearsall, CPCU, AIAF, CPIA President – Pearsall Associates, Inc., and Special Consultant to the Utica National E&O Program With 2015 firmly in the books, it is interesting to review the Agents’ Errors and Omissions (E&O) claim trends. Claim severity, the ultimate cost of an E&O claim, is rising. Claims frequency, the number of E&O claims per 100 agencies, remains in excellent shape. However, failure to mirror the coverage of the previous policy continues to generate more than its share of E&O claims.

An E&O claim example The claimant’s initial homeowner’s policy included an endorsement extending liability coverage for the client’s rental dwelling.

When the client bought a new house, the initial policy was canceled and rewritten with a different carrier and did not include the extended liability coverage for the rental dwelling.

The underlying claim involved a two-year-old who fell down the basement steps at the rental dwelling and subsequently died.

The child’s estate pursued a wrongful death action against the agency’s client, alleging negligence for failure to have railings on the stairway. When the claim was submitted to the homeowner’s carrier, it was denied due to the lack of the extended liability endorsement. This prompted an E&O action against the agency with the allegation of failure to mirror the coverage of the previous policy.

Point out the differences Ask most agents when was the last time they moved an account to a new carrier and more often than not, the answer will be “yesterday.” As accounts are moved to a new carrier, it is definitely possible that the coverage with Company B is not as broad as Company A. How do you minimize the chance of being sued when coverage is not equivalent? Bring the differences, especially the reductions, to the client’s attention and secure their sign-off. This documentation will be key if a claim occurs and the client finds out they didn’t have the coverage they thought they did.

More common areas in which there can be coverage differences include: sub-limits; who is an insured; coverage grant; what is excluded; and specific endorsements; the carrier’s financial rating.

› › ›

› › ›

On E&O policies, the covered professional services can vary greatly from one carrier to another.

Perform the “mirror test” Having an agency staff member give the policies a quick “once-over” is not comprehensive enough to identify any gaps or problems with policy issuance. It is best for agencies to use a checklist that is completed and saved in the system. The checklist should be broken down by overall issues, (e.g., named insured, additional insureds, address, effective and expiration dates, policy number, etc.) and by line of business. For whatever reasons an account is switched to a new carrier, agents should perform the “mirror test” to see whether replacement coverage is equivalent to the previous policy and, if not, should point out the differences in writing to the customer. It could just save the agency from a big E&O headache down the road.

32 MAY 16

My fake plants died, because I did not pretend to water them. — Mitch Hedberg

MAY 16 33

Say Yes to Success!

How the New Millennial Leaders Embrace Mindfulness

by Jon Mertz

Millennials are about to take over the role of leader in the 21st Century.

The leaders of successful businesses and organizations will be Millennials who master and practice mindfulness in everything they do.

Jon Mertz, author of the book Activate Leadership, explains how mindfulness has become the most important unifying principle in the stability and sustainability of the future.

“Mindfulness allows people to balance the tensions and forces at play in the world, live with the right tempo and to lead with purpose”, he says.

Mertz explains that being mindful requires the upcoming leaders to become adept and intimately familiar with several key factors that together represent a whole new paradigm in leadership and management. These include:

1. Work hard to build, create, survive, and excel (in purpose).

Personal Action: Each morning, contemplate the day ahead. Fast forward to the end of the day and identify what completed actions will make your soul smile. Write down those completed items and then identify the activities to do and schedule them into your calendar.

Leadership Practice: Create space for team members to do their work, including think space, heart space, and technology space. Each space empowers team members to solve problems, align on organization purpose, and collaborate effectively with team members.

2. Engage in tough conversations with empathy and action (don’t put them off).

Personal Action: Notice your breathing patterns to keep focused on what matters most in conversations. Rather than reacting, mindful leaders respond with thoughtful questions and calm interactions. Many tough conversations will happen between generations and within your own generation. Focus on your breathing to respond in thoughtful ways and resolve challenging situations in a productive manner.

Leadership Practice: Encourage team members to discuss mistakes made. Discussing mistakes openly enables team 34

MAY 16

members to be more empathetic – listening to what did not work, lessons learned, and emotions expressed. Learning organizations gain strength, and strength is gained by approaching tough situations with open empathy and resolution.

3. Nurture relationships that matter through

good and challenging times (staying power, the power of love).

Personal Action: Carve out time each month to contribute to a community organization. By doing community work, new relationships are developed to keep you centered in your local community. This is not about networking; it is about practicing your relationship skill set in extraordinary ways.

Leadership Practice: Encourage team members to find a local social good organization to get involved with and have them spend at least 4 hours a month doing work in their community. We can get stuck in our relationship skills.

Community work serves to enhance your relationship building skills while keeping teams focused on what matters most in good and challenging times.

4. Be nice when everything tempts you not to be nice.

Personal Action: Take time to contemplate. Some may meditate. Some may pray. Some may get lost in thoughts while running. Whatever works, take the time to re-center, and use these practices at least five times per week. From within selfcompassion springs. From self-compassion, compassion for others rises. A strength in our presence develops this way.

Leadership Practice: A quiet strength of character exists in being humble and nice. Encourage these behaviors.

Highlight them. In humility, work is done that is helpful to move your business forward in productive ways. Being nice doesn’t mean low expectations. Too often, we want to play to the crowd and say outrageous things to incite. Instead, we need to stand out by saying and doing things that are helpful. Our hands are meant to be extended in a helpful way; it

is why we have arms and elbows. We are designed to do the work, hug each other, and extend a helpful hand.

5. Always get up, no matter what, to create something better than the day before.

Personal Action: Resiliency comes from within, along with our community support. With practices of contemplation, we build resiliency to survive the challenging times and navigate the good times with a stronger sense of purpose and direction.

Leaders and entrepreneurs who thrive find their inner resiliency. To build this resiliency, go to nature. Take a hike. Go river rafting. Ski. Snowshoe. Bike through the mountains. Nature is resilient. From your interaction with nature, you will refresh and strengthen.

them through the successes and lessons learned.

7. Align your wisdom through trust.

Personal Action: Identify what things make your soul, heart, and mind be at home. When all three align, trust and confidence develops. Move forward fully with these things. No matter in work or outside of work, do the aligned things. Selftrust blooms here.

Leadership Practice: Knowing whether a strategic choice may be a good one happens when our heart, mind, and soul are aligned around it. Motivating a company around a strategic choice requires appealing to all three, too. When it comes to leading strategy, discern these connection points. Close the stra-

Leadership Practice: Communicate with clarity and

tegic gaps:

transparency. Talking about the good times is easy. Being open about the challenges, dips, and misses is difficult but necessary.

To build a resilient culture, be transparent in what is good and what isn’t. Be clear in what problems need to be solved and how each person’s talents are needed to move the company forward in achieving its mission.

Heart: Our heart is into the change, yet many questions remain unanswered. We need to tap into the minds of different team members and think through the scenarios more deeply.

Mind: Our mind has come to a logical conclusion. However,

6. Strive less, enable more.

our heart is not into the path forward. We need to

Personal Action: Be actively present for others. Practice

organizational culture. If passion about a direction is

being present in your home by listening closely to your spouse, partner, kids, and friends. Turn off all devices and have a conversation. Take the same practice into your workplace by not being distracted during one-to-one conversations. Practice being undistracted.

missing, we need to identify the motivating forces.

explore what is missing to tap into the passion of our

Soul: An inner confidence and comfort level needs to be present in what we are about to embark upon. There will be a certain nervousness, and that is normal when something new is being done. We need to be present in

Leadership Practice: Set the tone for the culture by communicating why the company needs to move from Point A to Point B. Do your part but do all the parts. Hire great talent, and let them use their talent to enable the strategic direction.

Support your teams with encouragement, tools, plans, measurements, and celebrations. Work to ensure others know you trust

im

Insurance Marketing Partners

InsuranceMarketingPartners.com

that moment, using our heart and mind to re-center.

Mindful leadership will keep Millennial leaders and entrepreneurs advancing, creating, innovating, and building the technologies, cultures, and economies of the future. http://www.thindifference.com/ <http://www.thindifference.com/>

A partnership to help build your agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book of business Call: 715-797-2432

Branding | Marketing Strategy Client Communication | Custom Content Training and Analysis MAY 16 35

Pictured (l to r); Deb Clements, Rick Clements, Katie Donnell (Legislative Director for House Speaker Paul Ryan), Jodi Cordes and Ron Von Haden

PIA brings Main Street to Capitol Hill In early April, hundreds of PIA members from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. at the Federal Legislative Summit. The attendees met with their legislators to advocate our positions on issues important to PIA and our members. Among the topics discussed were protecting state regulation of insurance versus federal intervention in a system that works very well as it is; opposing further cuts to the crop insurance program that has already slashed agent commissions; stressing the need for a long term reauthorization of the federal flood insurance program and finally, to reinstate fair and just commissions in healthcare.

“PIA closed out last year with a string of legislative successes that we are looking to build on in 2016,” said Robert Hansen, Jr., National President of PIA. The steadfast advocacy of PIA is well known and respected on Capitol Hill. Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate eagerly opened their doors to meet with our leaders. Two Wisconsin “teams” visited every congressional office to have face-to-face conversations with lawmakers and their staff. The Wisconsin representatives were; President Rick Clements, Deb Clements, Vice President Brian Mac Gillis, Treasurer Jodi Cordes, Secretary Matt Cranney, National Director Dennis Kuhnke, scholarship winner Jordan Karweik and Executive Vice President Ron Von Haden.

Pictured (l to r); Ron Von Haden, Jodi Cordes, Deb Clements, Alex Sarnowski (Legislative Director for Representative Sean Duffy), Rick Clements 36 MAY 16

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For information about becoming a Partners Mutual Insurance Agent please contact Brian Martin at 262.432.3439; Martin.Brian@PartnersMutual.com or Mike Ottman at 262.432.3418; Ottman.Michael@PartnersMutual.com

www.pia-eservices.com MAY 16 37 PMIC_3-625x5_PIA_FINAL.indd 1

1/27/2016 12:34:59 PM

PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS OF WISCONSIN, INC. OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

Mr. Rick Clements, LUTCF, MDRT President Clements Ins. Agency, Inc. 317 N. 6th St. Wausau, WI 54402 Phone 715-842-1664 Fax 715-848-3337 rick@clementsagency.com

Mr. Thomas Budzisz BWO Insurance Group, LLC 2111 E Rawson Ave. Oak Creek, WI 53154 Phone 414-768-8100 Fax 414-768-8110 tom@bwoinsurance.com

Mr. Michael Keener, CIC Keener Insurance Solutions, LLC W 175 N11081 Stonewood Dr Ste 105 Germantown, WI Phone 262-293-9144 Fax 262-293-9254 michael@keenersolutions.com

Mr. Brian MacGillis, CPIA Vice President MacGillis Agency, Inc. W3934 County Highway H PO Box 100 Fredonia, WI 53021-0100 Phone 262-790-0000 Fax 262-790-0004 brian@macgillisinsurance.com

Mr. Jeremy Cordova, CIC Cordova Agency, Inc. 716 E 2nd St. Merrill, WI Phone 715-536-9576 Fax 715-539-3349 jeremy.cordova@cordovaagency.com

Mr. John W. Klinzing, CIC Affiliated Ins. Agencies of WI, LLC 3830 Atwood Ave. Madison, WI 53714 Phone 608-310-3924 Fax 608-441-8787 johnk@affiliatedllc.com

Ms. Sandy L. Hardrath, CIC, CPIA Ansay & Associates 4712 Expo Dr. Manitowoc, WI 54220 Phone 920-370-4283 Fax 920-682-7799 Sandy.Hardrath@Ansay.com

Mr. Dennis Kuhnke, CIC, CPIA PIAW National Director Robertson Ryan & Associates Inc. 330 E Kilbourn Ave. Suite 650 Milwaukee, WI 53202 414-271-1561 Fax 414-271-3012 dkuhnke@robertsonryan.com

Ms. Jodi Cordes, CIC, CRM Treasurer A.F. Glass Insurance Center P.O. Box 1149 Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Phone 262-248-5555 Fax 262-248-5544 jcordes@glassinsurancecenter.com

Ms. LouAnn Herriges, CIC, CISR Anderson's Insurance Associates 17500 W. Liberty Lane New Berlin, WI 53151 Phone 262-789-8500 Fax 262-754-6038 louannh@iaanetwork.com

38 MAY 16

June 2016

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

Coming Events

October 2016

May 2016

Mr. Matt Cranney, CIC, CRM Secretary M3 Insurance Solutions, Inc. 3133 W Beltline Hwy Madison, WI 53713 Phone 608-273-0655 Fax 608-273-7783 matt.cranney@m3ins.com

Mr. Sean M. Paterson, CIC Allied Insurance Centers, Inc. 12750 W. North Ave. Brookfield, WI 53005 Phone 262-782-5373 Fax 262-782-6327 spaterson@alliedinsurancecenters.com

STAFF PIA of Wisconsin, Inc. 6401 Odana Road Madison WI 53719 Phone: 608-274-8188 Toll Free: 800-261-7429 Fax: 608-274-8195 Toll Free Fax: 866-203-7461 www.piaw.org Ronald Von Haden, CIC Executive Vice President rvonhaden@piaw.org Darcy Brown, CPIA Member Benefits Coordinator dbrown@piaw.org Heather Falk, CISR Bookkeeping hfalk@piaw.org Mandy Penn Executive Assistant mpenn@piaw.org Becca Prestbroten Administrative Assistant bprestbroten@piaw.org Brenda Steinbach Education & Convention Director bsteinbach@piaw.org

16

CISR LIFE & HEALTH ESSENTIALS Waukesha (7 WI CE)

17-18

CIC JAMES K. RUBLE GRADUATE SEMINAR Madison (16 WI CE, 4 of 16 are optional Ethics)

19

CISR AGENCY OPERATIONS Madison (7 WI CE)

14-16

CIC PERSONAL LINES Appleton (20 WI CE)

16

CPIA 3 SUSTAIN SUCCESS Appleton (7 WI CE)

22, 23

cisr personal lines miscellaneous Rothschild, Tomah (7 WI CE)

19-21

CIC COMMERCIAL CASUALTY West Bend (20 WI CE)

3

YPC GOLF OUTING Green Bay

FULL

3-5

PIAW Annual Convention Green Bay

16

CISR COMMERCIAL CASUALTY Waukesha (7 WI CE)

25-26

RUBLE LEGAL CONCEPTS to be determined (16 WI CE)

14-15

CISR PERSONAL AUTO Rothschild, Madison (7 WI CE)

20

CISR PERSONAL RESIDENTIAL Waukesha (7 WI CE)

21-23

CIC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Milwaukee (20 WI CE)

26-27

CIC James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar Green Bay (16 WI CE, 4 of 16 are optional Ethics)

27

CISR Elements of Risk Management Green Bay (7 WI CE)

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BUSINESS West Bend’s insurance professionals know a lot about business.

And not-for-profit organizations are one of our specialties.

As an Official Supplier of the Silver Lining®, our products are backed by your knowledge and expertise.

Let’s work together to provide the best coverages for your client’s operations.

6401 Odana Road Madison, WI 53719 Change Service Requested

Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin, Inc. 6401 Odana Road • Madison, WI 53719 (608) 274-8188 • (800) 261-PIAW • FAX (608) 274-8195 • TOLL FREE FAX: (866) 203-7461 www.piaw.org

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Agency Name_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address_______________________________________________ PO Box_______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip_______________________________________________ County_______________________________________________________ Phone_______________________________________________________ FAX_________________________________________________________ E-mail Address_______________________________________________ Website Address______________________________________________

Primary Contact Information:

The Primary Contact will receive a copy of the Wisconsin Professional Agent magazine and all mailings from PIA State and National. The Primary Contact has voting rights at PIA national meetings. Primary Contact and all agency staff have voting rights at PIA of Wisconsin meetings.

Name & Designation

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Corporation

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Part-time

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Licensed Producer

Magazine

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Agency Information: Agency Type:o Sole Owner

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Top 3 P&C Companies (list in order)

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Which Agency Management System are you using____________________ E&O Carrier_______________________________________Exp. Date______________ Annual P&C Prem. Vol._____________________________

Calculate Membership Amount Due:

Part-time employees count as one-half. If count ends in half, drop half. # Owners_________+ # Producers_________+ # Licensed staff_________+ # Unlicensed staff_________= Total Agency Size_______________ DUES SCHEDULE

Total Agency Size $Amount Total Agency Size $ Amount 1 385 16 1025 2 430 17 1070 3 475 18 1110 4 520 19 1155 5 565 20 1185 6 605 21 1230 7 655 22 1270 8 695 23 1320 9 735 24 1360 10 775 25 1405 11 820 26 1445 12 865 27 1490 13 900 28 1530 14 940 29 1575

15 985 30 & Over 1610 I certify that the information on this application is true and correct.

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Card No._________________________________________________________ Exp. Date_________________________________________________________ Name as it appears on card:__________________________________________________ Billing address if different from above: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Payments to PIA are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. However, they may be deductible under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code as a business expense.