PIAW September 2014 Magazine

professional agent september | 2014

What’s Inside?

Boomers & Retirement.....15 New CICs & CISRs........... 19 Become a Paperless.........23 Producer Work Relationships........... 29 Overcome a Bad................ 32 Social Media Review Educate Your Customers..... 34

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

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IN

From the

President LouAnn Herriges, CIC, CISR — President, PIA of Wisconsin

What A Send Off! If you missed the 65th Annual Convention in Lake Geneva, you missed an amazing experience. Jeff Glass and the convention committee along with the PIA staff outdid themselves. The Grand Geneva provided an incredible venue. Our conventions are truly an awesome experience.

Thanks again to all the volunteers that helped to make the convention a success. Mark your calendars now for next year’s convention to be held at The Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells on August 5-7, 2015.

If you attended the convention and I did not have the opportunity to meet you, I am sorry. Hopefully, throughout my term as President the opportunity will present itself.

I look forward to meeting as many members as possible.

My theme for this year is INSPIRATION. The definition of inspire is to fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. To stimulate, motivate, encourage, influence, rouse, move, stir, energize, incite.

she lived through a lot. When she was 12, her mother was killed in an accident leaving her to raise her 4 siblings. My Great Grandfather was a logger in the Laona area and away from the family homestead making a living. Grandma had to grow up fast. She had to quit school to help provide a good home for her brother and sisters, the youngest one being only 6 months old. From the stories she told I realized she was the most hardworking woman I’d ever met. She was independent, self-educated and kind. Throughout her life her door was always open. I can recall that Grandma’s house was always full of people. She believed that there was good in everyone and they deserved to be treated with kindness and respect. I always wanted to be just like her.

She inspired me to do whatever I needed to do to, be what I wanted to be, but to always remember others along the way.

In her 80’s she came to live with me and I was fortunate to have her sharing her stories and setting examples for our family until she passed at age 93.

What inspires you? How can we inspire others? Each month, in my magazine article, I will share with you a story about an individual or something that inspired me.

In return, it would be great if you have an inspirational story to share with me. Just email them to me at louannherriges@me.com.

How does that story relate to insurance you might ask?

Since this year is about inspiration, as President I will be working on what we as an association can do to inspire the next generation to seek a career in insurance. To evolve to improve the profession and attempt to make sure the next generation in our profession has all that is need to be successful.

For most, we draw inspiration from people we know. For me it all started when I was a young girl. The person who inspired me the most was my Grandmother. Born in 1901

Here is this month’s inspirational thought: “Imagine with all your mind, Believe with all your heart, Achieve with all your might” Author: Unknown

SEPTEMBER 14 3

Memos from

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

It's not too late to give something back to your industry.

ADVERTISING CAN BE very beneficial to build brand awareness and to get your message out to prospects and customers. But how much to spend on advertising is always a huge question. It seems the folks at GEICO have determined that their lizard was worth $935.1 million in advertising expenditures during 2013 (1st place). No wonder the little fella shows up on every TV station, bill board and web site. The gurus at Allstate dropped only $654.8 million (2nd place) while State Farm (3rd) and Progressive (4th) spent a paltry $608.1 million and $604.2 million respectively.

Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, United Health Group, Farmers Insurance, American Family and USAA rounded out the top ten spenders for the year.

To give some perspective as to the enormity of the GEICO budget, they spent more on advertising in 2013 than the total direct earned premium from Wisconsin operations of any single P&C company in 2012, according to the Wisconsin Insurance Report for Business of 2012, published by the Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance. Their number is also much greater than the total combined earned premium of all Wisconsin Town Mutual insurers during 2012.

So, what did all those dollars get for GEICO? Name recognition…sure. A few chuckles from the antics of the lizard….certainly. And maybe the lizard gets satisfaction out of thumbing its green nose at the ubiquitous Flo from Progressive. But the bottom line is that the insurance business is a relationship business. A relationship with

a lizard is simply not as strong as a relationship with a professional agent who takes the time to understand the needs of a client, proposes coverage to meet those needs and stands by them when a claim occurs.

By the way, I’m old enough to remember many years ago when Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) was focused on insuring U.S. soldiers. They were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and were bailed out by the insurance industry, who was not too excited about insuring active duty military personnel. Somehow the decision to rescue a relatively small, failing company does not seem too good now, does it?

IT’S NOT TOO LATE to give something back to your industry by joining a PIAW committee. I know how busy everyone is but a couple one-half day meetings per year is not a great commitment. I can guarantee you will meet great people, get a sense of satisfaction out of guiding your association and have the opportunity to spend some with other agents and company folks who share your interests and concerns.

The annual committee kick-off meeting is September 10 at Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells. If you miss it, you can still join in the fun by going to www.piaw.org , click on Committees to watch a short video, pick a committee that interests you and sign up. We will let you know when the next meeting will be and will welcome you to the group.

AND REMEMBER ….I’ve learned that the less time I have to work with, the more things get done.

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From the

Boardroom Dennis Kuhnke, CIC, CPIA — National Director, PIA of Wisconsin

Legislative Committee Update.

PIAW’s Legislative Committee has had an active year with much more action coming up due to the fall elections. I think it is a good idea to restate for you the major objectives of our legislative program. #1 – Protect and expand the role of the insurance agent in Wisconsin’s Property, Casualty, Life and Health industries. #2 – Support initiatives that protect the underwriters of the products PIA members sell (Wisconsin domiciled P & C insurance companies) but not at the expense of the agent. #3 – Support insurance law and civil justice (i.e. tort reform) initiatives that insure fair treatment of our customers and companies. #4 – (In the last five years) Support state fiscal and regulatory reform initiatives that will help our state government and our PIA member insurance customers prosper.

To those ends we supported 27 bills that were proposed and opposed one, with additional bills on which we remain neutral, during the past legislative session.

The law firm of Dewitt Ross and Stevens with attorney Ron Kuehn leading the way pay close attention to what is being presented legislatively that would be within our objectives.

They relate how they feel it would affect our membership and ask for input from us to either support, oppose the proposal or remain neutral.

It is a big job but Dewitt has done an excellent job on behalf of PIA members for many years now.

When the idea of PIA putting together a Legislative

Campaign Finance Conduit was proposed they whole heartedly endorsed it. Many other statewide organizations have conduits that work seamlessly.

If you are not already aware, the differences between a Political Action Committee or PAC and a conduit are very significant. With a PAC, donations are made to the PAC and either a Board or Committee decides where that money should be donated. Once you write your check, you are out of the loop.

The conduit idea lets you be part of the decision making process.

First of all you need not write a check to the conduit immediately; you can just make a pledge of an amount. Of course, you can write a check immediately but it isn’t necessary.

So how do you get to decide where your money may go?

Our professional advisors may be aware of a fund raiser for a political candidate who they believe we should support and will make a request for funds from the conduit. The conduit administrator must ask you and get written permission to use your money for this candidate. If for any reason you don’t want your money used for them, it will not be used. The administrator moves on to someone else. You have the final say so. This is why it is such a popular vehicle.

Since we have been and will continue to be an active advocate for our members, I encourage you to participate by making a pledge or donation to our PIAW Legislative Campaign Finance Conduit. After all, we have a very busy fall election cycle ahead and we want to support candidates that favor a pro-business climate here is Wisconsin.

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6 SEPTEMBER 14

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SEPTEMBER 14 7

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 toll-free telephone number: 1-800-236-8517.

Allegations

and

Actions Against Agents

Nicholas Biernat, 3936 W. Dory Ct., Franklin, WI 53132, 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 a criminal background check, and failing to apply for licensure within 30 days of completing an insurance examination.

action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond

Hannelore Bull, 2600 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68131, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI, failing to provide evidence of resident state surplus lines licensure, and failing to provide a resident address on a licensing application.

convictions on a licensing application.

Kristin Carver, 27600 S. Lewis Rd., Freeman, MO 64746, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to provide evidence of resident state surplus lines licensure.

John Couey, 11035 County Hwy. W, Blue River, WI 53518, had his application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to complete prelicensing education before taking an insurance examination.

promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to complete a criminal background check.

John Freeman, 8745 W. Cornell Ave., Apt. 1, Lakewood, CO 80227, had his insurance license revoked. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose criminal Timothy Greguire, 1022 Plumer St., Wausau, WI 54403, 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 Wisconsin on a licensing application and having unpaid civil money judgments and a history of child support payment delinquency.

Chad Haley, 27269 Paula Ln., Conroe, TX 77385, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to provide evidence of resident state surplus lines licensure.

Jessica Humphrey, 166 Brittain Rd., Apt. 2, Akron, OH 44305, had her application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to

Rex Cruz, 1282 Concordia Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55104, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose criminal convictions on a licensing application, failing to provide a complete response to inquiries from OCI, and having unpaid civil money judgments.

respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and having criminal

Katie Fallon, 1131 E. Wausau Ave., Wausau, WI 54403, had her application for an insurance license denied. This

to disclose an administrative action taken by the state of

8 SEPTEMBER 14

convictions that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct.

Jagdeep Kaur, 5611 Crestwood Pl., Madison, WI 53705, had his application for an insurance license denied for 31 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing Wisconsin on a licensing application. [continued on page 10]

SEPTEMBER 14 9

OCI Administrative Actions [continued from page 8] Terra Koupal, 5708 S. Remington Pl., Ste. 300, Sioux Falls, SD 57108, had her 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.

Elia Lobano, 606 E. Washington St., Clinton, IL 61727, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to disclose administrative actions taken by the states of California, Florida, and Virginia on a licensing application; making material misrepresentations on a licensing application; and having a criminal conviction that may be related to insurance marketing type activities.

Jo Ellen Loewenthal, N82W7425 Pine St., Cedarburg, WI 53012, had her application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to complete prelicensing education before taking an insurance examination.

David B. Lupke, 1001 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN

Allegations

and

46802, agreed to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI, agreed to timely report any administrative action taken in any state, and agreed to pay a forfeiture of $1,000.00. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to timely report an administrative action taken by the state of Kentucky and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. David Malin, 1211 Pleasant Hill Rd., Stoughton, WI 53589, had his application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having numerous lawsuits and unpaid civil money judgments.

Jared McDonald, 1000 18th Ave. N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33716, had his application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Joseph Sanchez, 33 Exmoor, Ottawa Hills, OH 42615, had his application for an insurance license denied for 60 days. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to report administrative actions taken by the states of Nevada and New York and a lawsuit related to violations of insurance law on a licensing application.

Actions Against Companies

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, N17W24340 Riverwood Dr., Waukesha, WI 53188, agreed to pay a forfeiture of $1,500.00 and agreed to immediately cease and desist offering insurance coverage without having adequate system functionality related to service area availability. These actions were taken based on allegations that the company violated a previous OCI stipulation and order and that the company’s enrollment and billing system was not correctly updated to reflect the coverage availability of a stand-alone dental product, resulting in consumer applications for the product that were neither activated nor billed.

Cd Funding Securities, LLC, 425 Walnut St., Fl. 11, Cincinnati, OH 45202, had its application for an insurance license denied.

This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI, failing to provide evidence of resident state Managing General Agent (MGA) licensure, and failing to provide evidence of both resident and nonresident MGA business entity licensure for the designated responsible producer.

East and Ocean Associates, Inc., 11 E. Broadway, Ste. 8C, New York, NY 10038, had its application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and failing to provide evidence of resident state MGA business entity licensure.

J. J. Best Insurance Agency, Inc., 60 N. Water St., New Bedford, MA 02740, had its 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 Massachusetts on a licensing application.

Reserve National Insurance Company, 601 E. Britton Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73114, agreed to the denial of its application for an insurance license. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to provide required information on a licensing application and unnecessarily applying for licensure.

State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, One State Farm Plz., Bloomington, IL 61710, agreed to consolidate and resolve three separate OCI legal files by paying a forfeiture of $500.00, agreeing to comply with Wisconsin insurance laws related to notices of policy nonrenewal and cancellation, and agreeing not to employ agents having expired insurance licenses. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to provide proper notification of policy nonrenewals and cancellations and employing an unlicensed insurance agent.

Valley Title Services of the Fox Valley, LLC, 303 S. Bluemound Dr., Appleton, WI 54914, had its application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI and being involved in an administrative proceeding regarding [continued on page 12]

10 SEPTEMBER 14

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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.

10/13/15 Advanced Insurance Success Seminar: “Prospecting” with Steve Anderson, CIC. Steve is the leading authority on Insurance Technology, Productivity & Profitability.

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The AIMS Society is a national organization dedicated to providing interactive 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, endorse-ments, claimsprocessing, and handling of client complaints. This course includes a review of the Professional Expectations; the Law of Agency; and Legal and Ethical Standards.

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Registration Fee Per Seminar: Includes Seminar Materials, Coffee a.m. & Soda p.m.  PIAW Member $155.00  Non Member $190.00 Register at www.piaw.org or call PIA at 1-800-261-7429 SEPTEMBER 14 11

OCI Administrative Actions [continued from page 10] professional licensure or registration.

WEA Insurance Corporation, 45 Nob Hill Rd., Madison, WI 53707, agreed to cease and desist from marketing small employer group health insurance products before submitting

12 SEPTEMBER 14

the proper rate filing to OCI, and agreed to submit a signed affidavit affirming that it has not issued any new coverage to small employers in the current calendar year. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to timely submit a required rate filing.

2014 Ethics & Hot Topics Seminars Anyone Can Attend!

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4 Credit CE Day: $65 PIA Member / $90 Non Member 7 Credit CE Day: $155 (includes lunch) The full days, also known as William T. Hold Seminars, are an approved CISR update option. No dues required.

John Dismukes CIC, CPCU, AAI, AIS

Todd Davis CIC

September 9 Holiday Inn – Fond du Lac Ethical Standards (Todd Davis) 4 WI Ethics CE, course # 65902

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November 11

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SEPTEMBER 14 13

14 SEPTEMBER 14

The Baby

Boomer Business Owner IS RETIREMENT A REQUIREMENT? When FDR linked social security with retirement in the U.S. he adopted the retirement age used by Germany, 65 years old. The average length of life in the U.S. at that time was 63 (When Germany adopted the 65 year old retirement age, their average life span was 46). Today our average life span is more than a decade longer than it was in FDR’s time and is still going up.

T

The question before us is, “How will our business lives change due to the extension of productive lives of our insurance agency owners, most of whom are baby boomers?”

First, we must cover the crass truth. For those of us who come from genetic stock that tend to die in their sixties and seventies, the question of retirement is actually easier. If we have done well in our business and wish to spend quality time with family and doing other things, retirement is still a viable option. Inter-generational transfer of agencies, mergers and sales is still an option that will be exercised by many agents.

However, we encounter a larger and larger number of agents each year who very reluctantly enter the retirement pool.

They may have promised children, employees, and others that they would turn their companies over to new owners.

Agency Consulting Group, Inc. is called in to value the agency and structure the change of management along with ownership.

But a growing number of agents express reluctance and resistance when the transition is about to occur. They have planned for retirement but when retirement faces them, they don’t really want to leave.

It’s Really Not the Money!

If you are an agent of retirement age and find that you don’t have the assets to support yourself in retirement – even with the value of the agency earning you interest in an investment -- then you may not be financially able to retire. This is a simple analysis of assets vs. long term living expenses and we all should do this exercise. Call us (800-779-2430) if such an analysis is needed in your Perpetuation Plan.

Most agents are aware that Agency Consulting Group, Inc. is a primary valuer of insurance agencies in the U.S. What you may not realize is that we actually counsel agents away from

agency sales and transitions when their financial conditions prohibit their retirement.

Most independent agents in the U.S. fall into two categories, those whose agencies provide them basic support for their families (it’s a job and a working income) and those whose agencies provide sufficient income to both support their lifestyle and sponsor investments for retirement plans.

You don’t have to be a liberal spender to fall into the basic support category. A large number of insurance agents earn substantially less than a six figure income during their productive careers. Although their annual compensation may provide them sufficient income to support a family, few agents in this category can invest sufficient income in retirement vehicles to continue their lifestyles past their productive agency careers. If their agencies, themselves, cannot provide sufficient value to provide equivalent income streams after their retirement, they may find that retirement is simply not accessible to them.

These agents can still perpetuate, sell or merge their businesses, but they have to continue to work simply to maintain their lifestyle.

On the other hand, many agents have done an excellent job in their money management and, as a result, are certain that they can support themselves as long as their agency’s value provides sufficient additional investment returns in the future. But what happens if you CAN retire, but don’t want to??

If you are fifty or fifty-five, sixty or sixty-five or even 70 and still have the energy and stamina to pursue the insurance business, you should have the option to sell and leave the business, but you should not be forced to leave it.

If we look at the number and quality of the people entering the insurance business in the last twenty years (our agency successors) we find that we haven’t enrolled the same quality [continued on page 16] SEPTEMBER 14 15

Baby Boomer . . . [continued from page 15] or quantity of insurance professionals into the insurance industry than we did in the 1960’s through the 1980’s (the Baby Boomers). That is not an accusation. That is a reality because those subsequent generations simply had fewer members and those people had many more options in career development than we did when we went to college.

How can we enjoy the benefits of our agency’s value but not leave it?

The answer is a mindset change that will permit senior agents to sell down their interest in their agencies but still stay active in the business. Most buyers (except, in some cases, long term participants in the agencies) desire the old owner to stay for some period to transition the customer and carrier relationships to the new owners. Many new owners would even welcome the continuing participation of the old owners in service and relationship maintenance roles to maximize retention and earnings capacity. However, the keys to the retention of the old owners are the transition of decision-making roles, the level of activity of the old owners and the compensation expectations of the selling owners.

Make no mistake about this—the main block for having old owners stay with their agencies after a sale is EGO. The old owner has been in control for decades. If his ego cannot stand the transition of decision-making to a new owner, he must either continue in an ownership role or he must leave the agency. And this means that those high-ego owners may never personally realize the value of their agencies. Selling the agency and still retaining decision-making authority in the old owner is a recipe for disaster.

If, on the other hand, you can assume an “emeritus” position and continue maintaining relationships with your clients while the new owner makes the decisions and operates the agency then you may have an on-going role in the agency that is both productive and rewarding. Identify a specific book of business that needs your participation and the value of that role to the agency. The agency’s new owner will probably enjoy your active participation in retention (and in growth) of the agency’s book of business. Identify the appropriate value to the role and don’t expect a compensation level (and perks) equivalent to that earned while you were an owner. Your value should be equivalent to what you would pay to hire an experienced person to fulfill the role assigned to the selling owner – no more, no less.

Be Wary of the R.I.P. Many agency principals feel that they have “paid their dues” and have earned more time off, additional perks, and leeway in their business dealings. While they are business owners, they are right. After they sell their businesses, they are described as R. I. P., Retired In Place. In the armed services 16 SEPTEMBER 14

we described short-timers who no longer adhered to the rigid rules of behavior as R.O.A.D., Retired on Active Duty.

Neither the armed forces, nor the independent businesses in the U.S. can afford participants who are R.I.P. or R.O.A.D. If your desire to remain in the business stems from the desire to remain active, to continue to serve your clients and to support the next generation of agency owners, it is commendable and should be pursued. Financial issues should be considered because value received is equivalent to value paid. But if you seek a continuation of your compensation (or its equivalent) without your active commitment of time and effort to the company, please reconsider your position.

No, Retirement is not a Requirement. It remains an option for agents who are tired of the “grind” or can no longer abide with the clients, the carriers, the employees or the vagaries of the industry. If they are still energetic enough to be active in the community, they should sell, retire and seek other avenues for their continued activity and mental well-being.

A new career and community service are examples of fulfilling directions that take agents out of the insurance industry but doesn’t put them in a rocking chair.

If you feel that you’ve just “hit your stride” and are finally at the point that you no longer worry about the next sale, you may be better served (and live longer) by remaining active in the insurance agency – as long as you don’t get in the way of the new owner’s direction for the agency.

If you can neither afford to retire or have no potential successors, you MUST continue working through your later years, but you don’t have to concentrate on growth. Many agents have taken the decade after they should have retired to reduce expenses and time in the agency and wean the agency down, enjoying greater returns during those years than when they were forced to fund personnel, systems and business growth. It can easily take ten to fifteen years to wear an agency down to a pure service level for the existing client base. This may be considered for agents in circumstances in which the sale of their agencies would not return sufficient funds to sponsor their lifestyles for their expected lifetime.

Call Agency Consulting Group, Inc., for our Succession Planning and Perpetuation Planning needs (800-779-2430).

Reprinted from The PIPELINE, the national newsletter for agency principals. The PIPELINE is published by Agency Consulting Group, Inc., a leading consulting firm for independent agents in the U.S. since 1980. Call (800) 779-2430, E-mail info@ agencyconsulting.com or visit www.agencyconsulting.com for information about the content of this article or PIPELINE subscription information.

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Become a Paperless

Producer

What to Look for in a Tablet

T

Tablet devices like the Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom change how insurance producers interact with client and prospect information; present insurance coverage proposals; and consume and share information dramatically. This trend will continue to accelerate and it is likely that many producers will see tablet devices as a “must-have” sales tool.

My first tablet device was a Motorola Xoom, purchased as soon as it became available. I began to see an increasing number of insurance agency personnel who brought tablets (mostly Apple iPads) to presentations. And, my personal experience with the Motorola Xoom showed the tablet could be a great device for consuming information. I left my laptop at the office more and began to bring my tablet home with me.

One key to the success of tablets is the form factor and the ability to consume electronic content easily and have rapid access to key information when you need it. The latest iPad is about the size and weight of a small magazine, yet it can hold hundreds of thousands of books. Unlike a bulky notebook computer, which typically weighs three-to-five times as much, it is easy to carry with you.

Many different types of businesses utilize the iPad effectively. Yale Medical School has its entire curriculum available on the iPad. Many, if not most, airlines are in the process of converting their 40 pounds of paper flight manuals carried by each pilot to iPad equivalents. There is no question that many schools will switch to tablets and away from textbooks.

A tablet computer is designed primarily as a consumption device to read and consume information. Currently, it is not well-suited to write large amounts of text. For writing, I continue to use a laptop with a standard keyboard. If you plan to substitute a tablet for a notebook computer you likely will be disappointed, since it is not easy to enter long streams of text unless you have an external keyboard.

Even though keyboards are available, most people don’t use them frequently. It certainly is easier than typing on a smartphone, but, in my opinion, anything beyond a sentence or two can be cumbersome and inefficient. For extended writing, I think most people continue to use their notebook.

By Steve Anderson, CIC

Choose an iPad Last month, Apple announced the availability of “The new iPad,” the latest third-generation iPad. Several improvements in this version include a new high-resolution screen called Retina, a faster processing chip called A5X, an updated camera and the availability of the faster 4G LTE cellular Internet network. At the same time, Apple dropped the price of the iPad 2 by $100.

There is no question that for the foreseeable future the iPad will dominate the tablet market. Hopefully, Android tablets will provide some competition in the future, but for now the iPad rules. If you haven’t purchased one, here are some suggestions for which model to buy.

Wireless Internet. One key to make the iPad a great tool is the speed of your connection, as many of the useful apps may be slow for some people to use at typical 3G speeds.

You will have the option of Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and Cellular 3G (iPad 2) or 4G on the new iPad. I suggest you consider not purchasing the cellular model. It will cost $100 more and you also will need to pay a monthly access fees to Verizon, AT&T or Sprint for a wireless Internet connection that will work only on the tablet. I purchased the Wi-Fi only version.

I also purchased a MiFi 4G wireless data card to allow me to connect up to five devices through its Wi-Fi hotspot capability. My cost is $50 per month, the same price as the iPad-only wireless data plan. This device provides the flexibility of connecting other devices like my iPhone and laptop to the same wireless connection. By the way, the 4G wireless network is significantly faster than the current 3G network.

A potential downside of not purchasing the 3G option is the lack of GPS. Several navigation applications use the GPS signal contained in the iPad to allow you to have turn-byturn directions. These applications will not work on a Wi-Fi only model. For me this was a reasonable trade-off because my iPhone is my GPS navigation tool.

Storage space. The options for the amount of storage you are able to put on the device is 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Each step up adds $100 to the total cost of the tablet. How much [continued on page 24] SEPTEMBER 14 23

Paperless Producer [continued from page 23]

space you need will depend on what kind of information you plan to put on the device. Text and photos typically take up a smaller amount of storage space. Music and videos eat up space rapidly. If you’re using the tablet primarily as a sales tool then you may be able to get by with the 16 GB model. If you can afford it, the 32 GB model would likely meet your needs.

a PDF document (including signatures) and have the notes become part of the document.

DropBox. Another free app that allows you to transfer and share files between your computers and your iPad easily. Two gigabytes of storage is available for free, which is more than enough for most users, but if you need more you always can purchase additional space.

Must-have apps

Google Maps. Google Maps is an amazing tool that doesn’t

While the iPad device is nice, it really is the applications that you can download that make it effective sales tool. There are more than 400,000 different applications in the iTunes App store that you can install. The applications that will work best for you often are based on personal preference. Following are some apps that I think should be installed on your device to help you sell insurance.

cost anything and is a great way to navigate to a location

I have scanned thousands of articles and downloaded different applications, and these are some of my favorites.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, since each independent agency has its own interests or specific needs, but this is a good place to start.

you want to read later, you click the icon in your toolbar and

Evernote. This service allows you to store all kinds of random information on different platforms. Evernote is intended for all the random (unstructured) data in your life. And, “data” means “information,” not necessarily just “words.” For example, you can store whole websites; a photo of a prospect building; an audio recording of your initial interview; as well as handwritten notes. Evernote allows you to quickly store and retrieve information and includes full-text searching (meaning it is fully indexed).

Notetaking and PDF annotation. Several popular notetaking apps include: Penultimate, Ghostwriter Notes, iAnnotate and GoodNotes. In addition to taking notes Ghostwriter Notes allows you to annotate PDF files. This allows you to write on

while not only driving, but walking.

Instapaper. Instapaper allows you to maximize the use of your iPad as a reading tool. You can use this to transfer articles you find on your computer to your iPad easily. You install the web version on your desktop or notebook by dragging the icon to your toolbar. When you find an article like magic the article appears on your iPad ready to read with all the ads stripped out, which makes it easy to read.

AppStart for iPad. For those who are just learning how to use the iPad, AppStart is one of the best apps. It is a tutorial inside of a guide inside of an ... iPad! It has a great user interface that simplifies the process of learning about Apple’s iPad. These are a few of the applications I suggest you explore to see how they might work for you.

Anderson is a nationally recognized expert on agency-company technology. A prolific writer, his knack is translating between “geek speak” and the language of agency managers. Anderson’s ability to fine-tune his ideas for the real world has made him one of the industry’s top technology consultants and speakers. For more information, visit www.steveanderson.com.

—Reprinted with permission from PIA Management Services Inc.—

2015 CISR, Hot Topics, cpia

Please visit www.piaw.org for dates and registration.

24 SEPTEMBER 14

Each approved for 3 WI CE Credits. Live. No Test. No proctor.

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National Health Care Reform Ethics for Insurance Professionals (Ethics CE and Utica approved) BIP(idy) BOP(idy) BOO(ze): Turning Three Mundane Coverages Into Magic CHAOS: Contracts, Hold Harmless, Additional Insureds and Other Stuff Cybertech: Recognizing and Insuring Electronic Risk It’s Personal: Home and Auto Exposures Your Insured Won’t Tell You Social Networking: OMG or E&O? (Utica approved) september (a) 4th 8 – 11 (b) 25th 8 – 11 12 – 3 (g) 25th th (f) 26 8 – 11

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Fee per Webinar: $50 PIAW Member / $60 Non Member All times CST If you need WI CE from a webinar that takes place the last week of your deadline please contact PIA. Register at www.piaw.org or call PIA at 1-800-261-7429

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Correction, in the July issue, page 23, WAPC published an aritcle by Alice O'Connor. The article incorrectly stated that "Businesses subject to the ACA's Employer Mandate are required to only provide health insurance to employees who work 40 hours or more a week". The sentence should have said "30 hours or more a week".

SEPTEMBER 14 25

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28 SEPTEMBER 14

Healing a Broken

Relationship at Work

By Erick Lauber, Ph.D.

Maybe you have a broken leg at work. I don’t mean the physical kind; the type where you see a doctor and try to stay off of it for a while. That kind will heal in a few weeks all by itself. I mean the broken relationship kind; the type that’s much harder to heal, keeps you awake at night and can end up making you unproductive for years if it isn’t fixed.

B

But a broken relationship at work is a lot like a broken leg.

It can make you avoid certain places or take a different route in and out of your office. It can dominate your conversations with friends and make your spouse wish you would just shut up about it. Broken work relationships make you less productive and tempt you to overdo the “pain medication,” despite how dangerous you know that is.

Unfortunately, the risks of not treating your broken relationship are also like having a broken leg. It can become an ever-increasing problem or infection. It might change how you act in the future, making you a bit gun-shy and eager to avoid another broken leg. The broken relationship might even wear you out emotionally and physically, so much so that you just want to escape and maybe accept any offer to change jobs – even for less pay!

You might think that it makes sense to go back and examine how your leg or relationship became so broken. Thoughts like “What did I do so wrong?” and “How could this happen to me?” might float through your head. But how it broke isn’t nearly as important as how you respond.

Healing a Broken Relationship So, what can you do about your broken relationship at work?

Is there a way to avoid being one of those martyrs who in some weird way seems to enjoy having a broken relationship?

Fortunately, there is. But, like a broken leg, it will take some uncomfortable work.

1. Choose to Heal The first thing that must be done is to approach the situation correctly. You have to make a choice: is this thing going to heal and get better or is it going to be a pain forever? This choice is completely under your control and it really matters which option you choose.

For example, martyrs won’t listen to any advice, even from professionals. They don’t believe the relationship will get any

better so they won’t try anything. They stick to complaining as their only “therapy.”

But healers work toward a solution. They try things, they ask for advice. They refuse to accept that the future has to look like the present. They believe.

2. Avoid “Compensatory” Behaviors or Work-arounds For example, those who don’t believe a relationship will get any better start to work around it. In medicine, such activities are called “compensatory behaviors” because the patient is “compensating” for the deficient limb or process. This can be a problem; first, because it puts extra strain on the other parts of someone’s life. Long-term problems can develop in those relationships that have to bear the extra weight. Second, compensating behaviors don’t allow the original broken relationship to fully heal. They simply hide it.

3. Use Crutches and Other Aids Temporarily On the other hand, doctors do prescribe crutches and other aids when damage initially occurs. It is not unreasonable to keep weight off a relationship for a bit while the anger subsides. But importantly, doctors prescribe crutches so you can still function normally – not so you can avoid putting any and all weight on the foot. In real life, we still have to function even with a broken relationship. The proper temporary aids, like having a third co-worker present, or alerting a boss to keep things operating smoothly, is allowable - but only temporarily, and only in extreme situations.

Other temporary aids might include compliments and extra “Thank Yous.” Think of these as adding ointments or icy-hot to a broken leg. They don’t really heal it from the inside, but they do ease the pain and make it more bearable while the real work of healing is being done.

4. Put It Up At Night Everyone knows that a medical doctor will recommend putting a broken leg up at night. This helps it heal and can [continued on page 30] SEPTEMBER 14 29

Relationship . . . [continued from page 29]

be thought of as “draining the blood out of it.” The same thing applies to broken relationships - you need to drain the blood out of them occasionally. Many a close friend and spouse have wished a loved one would put a broken relationship out of mind. Stop picking at the wound. If you wish, think of it as allowing your subconscious to work on the problem while your conscious self gets some time off. Either way, put it up at night. It will actually heal better if you don’t obsess and worry it constantly.

5. Exercise It As Soon As You Can Eventually, every broken relationship, like a broken leg, demands exercise and real use. This is the part that most people are afraid of. What if it hurts? What if it doesn’t feel exactly like it did before it was broken?

One piece of advice is to go slow and gentle at first, listening for when you might be pushing too hard and then easing up a little. But every doctor knows waiting too long is a much more common mistake than jumping in too early. Avoiding pain is a built-in characteristic of all humans. But there’s a reason going “outside our comfort zone” is such a common expression in management and business. The difference between success and failure is sometimes just the difference between those who succumb to our natural human tendencies and those who climb above them.

demonstrate that our actions are understandable and normal.

They can be predicted - even when we might have a “right” to act out. These two things help people trust us. And a healed relationship is one where there is trust.

Healing a broken relationship at work is perhaps harder than healing a broken leg, but it can be done. In most places we don’t have the benefit of a doctor to diagnose and prescribe treatment, but we can do these six things to help heal the relationship ourselves. The bad news is that all broken relationships will require us to go outside our comfort zone and “put some weight” on the relationship, perhaps while we are still afraid - even when we know it might be painful. But in the end, a healed relationship, perhaps one so healed it is even stronger than before, is better than a broken relationship.

Erick Lauber, Ph.D., is an applied psychologist and faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He speaks and consults on leadership, personal growth and development, and taking charge of our own life stories. He has won 19 educational TV/film awards and has published in numerous psychology journals and book chapters. His video log is located at www.LifeFraming.org <http://www.LifeFraming.org> .

Contact: www.ErickLauber.com or call 724-464-7460.

6. The Most Important Ingredient: Trust Did you know that a healed broken bone is often stronger than the original bone? It’s true! The biological processes that stitch bone back together produce stronger bones than the originals.

Is that possible with your broken relationship? Actually, it is.

Consider: in our life, accidents happen; miscommunications, misinterpretations. Sometimes people will misbehave around us for reasons we could not possibly fathom because we are truly not inside their heads, so bumped and bruised relationships are inevitable.

But fundamentally, people are to some degree a little bit scared and insecure. They are worried other people won’t like them or will somehow “be out to get them.” They are also very, very worried that they can’t predict what other people will do.

Somehow bad things will come their way, unexpectedly.

The best human relationships eliminate these two fears. A good friend is fundamentally (a) someone you know will not purposefully do things that damage you and (b) will act in ways that you can predict. We call this “trust” in our normal, social lives.

Our relationships at work require the same thing. We need to do things to communicate to people that they can trust us – that we won’t “act out” and purposefully hurt them, even when we feel bumped or bruised. We also need to 30 SEPTEMBER 14

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F l oWilliam o d – T.4 Hold W I Seminars CE – 4 WI CE • Variety of Topics Ethics – 4 WI CE Flood CIS R O– 4nWI L iCEn e – 8 W I C E

•• CNFIP o m mApproved ercial Casualty I •Ethics Comm r c iCE al Casualty II – 4e WI • Elements of Risk Management • Life & Health Essentials CISR•OnLine I n s u r–i n8 gWICCE ommercial Property • I n s uPersonal r a n c e P eResidential r s o n a l R e sProperty idential Property • Insuring •

I n s u r i n g P e r s o n a l A u t o Exposures • Insuring Personal Auto Exposures •

P e r s o n a l L i n e s M i s c e l l a • Insuring Commercial Property n e o u s • Agency Operations • Insuring Commercial Casualty Exposures e b i nOperations ars • W Agency • 3 WI CE, No Exam, No Proctor

new!

For more information and registration visit www.piaw.org or call (800) 261•7429.

MARCH 12 21

SEPTEMBER 14 31

My Business Received a

Negative Review: What Do I Do?

D

By Andrew J. Clarkowski, Co-Author: Katie Shaw

Due to the rise of customer-review websites and social media, it is unfortunately likely that every business receives a bad customer review online. Negative reviews can be difficult to swallow for business owners, as they have the potential to affect customer perceptions and future business.

However, there are several smart steps business owners can take to avoid the consequences of a bad review.

Avoid the "Streisand Effect" Of course, you are understandably upset and angry.

Although you may want to act immediately to remove the review, defend your business, or even sue the reviewer, a rash response may make matters even worse. Attempting to remove, alter, or censor the review may lead to unwanted consequences of the "Streisand Effect,'' a phenomenon coined when pop-star Barbara Streisand brought suit against a photographer after he published a photograph of Streisand's ocean-front mansion on his website. Once the press caught wind of the suit, views of the website jumped from six to over 420,000 (http://en.wikipedia.orglwikiiStreisand_effect).

Although an extreme example, Streisand's experience shows how mismanaging bad press can grow into even worse press.

Analyze the Review & Stay Positive Sit back for a moment and analyze the customer's feedback.

If your business has made a genuine mistake, admit it and work for positive change. You may want to politely approach the reviewer and ask what you can do to improve their experience in the future. Sustaining businesses leverage customer feedback, whether positive or negative, as a tool for growth. Take the time to listen to feedback and determine whether there is room to improve your customers' experiences. At the same time, encourage your customers to post positive, honest reviews of your business. One bad review will not take away from a multitude of great reviews.

Know When Legal Action May be Appropriate If the reviewer is making false statements about your business, then steps should and can be taken to correct those mistruths. As a first step, send a letter to the reviewer asking for retraction of the statements. If the reviewer is anonymous, consumer-review websites typically provide ways to flag reviews as problematic or "report" the reviewer.

32 SEPTEMBER 14

If the false statements persist, legal action may be appropriate. Depending on the particular scenario, you may have a claim for "injury to business" under Wis. Slats. Sec. 134.01. To succeed on the claim, you must prove that two or more persons acted together to willfully or maliciously injure your business. However, the challenge to a successful claim under Wis. Slats. Sec. 134.01 is proving that the conspirators acted with actual malice, a personal state of mind that may be hard to prove.

If the reviewer is a competitor posing to be a member of the public, then other claims may be pursued. For instance, if a competitor is making false statements about your business or the products or services it offers, and those falsehoods result in a loss of business to your company, you may be able to pursue the tort of unfair competition. Again, the success of this claim would depend on the particular facts at hand.

Continue to Build Your Customer Base Absent circumstances where legal action is appropriate, the best remedy is often to continue building a supportive customer base. With time, as you continue serving your customers' needs, the positive customer experiences will outweigh and overshadow any negative feedback. However, keep in mind that if the reviewer continues to step over boundaries, legal action may be appropriate.

Special thanks to Summer Associate Katie Shaw for her assistance with this article. To subscribe to email alerts from Axley Law Firm, go to www.axley.com.

For more information about My Business Received a Negative Review: What Do I Do?, contact Attorney Andrew J. Clarkowski at aclarkowski@axley.com or 608.283.6705.

Axley Brynelson is pleased to provide articles, legal alerts, and videos for informational purposes, but we are not giving legal advice or creating an attorney/client relationship by providing this information. The law constantly changes, and our publications may not be currently updated. Before relying on any legal information of a general nature, please consult legal counsel as to your particular situation. While our attorneys welcome your comments and questions, keep in mind that any information you provide us, unless you are now a client, will not be confidential.

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SEPTEMBER 14 33

How

Educated do you want your clients to be?

by Curtis M. Pearsall

Imagine this scenario: a customer calls your agency in a heightened state of anxiety to advise you that he is on vacation and, upon getting back to the room, discovers that the diamond in his wife’s ring appears to have fallen out of the setting and is gone.

“At least we have insurance on it” are his next words.

34 SEPTEMBER 14

F

Fortunately, this story has somewhat of a happy ending as your agency representative tells the customer that “yes, it was insured and we will go ahead and file the claim.”

Unfortunately, not all calls like this have a positive outcome.

What’s the common difference? Typically, the positive outcomes involve agencies that made a conscious effort to educate their customers on what the customers’ insurance covered and what it didn’t.

So, how educated do you want your clients to be? If you are an agency like the one above, the advantages are clear. The agency sold a jewelry floater to this customer, thus realizing some commission. It also has a customer that will now benefit from the insurance that was purchased. It is not hard to imagine that this customer will tell friends and associates how fortunate he and his wife are to have their insurance with you. Now, turn this story around. You would have a husband and wife who are customers that have lost a precious piece of their love only to find out that they had no coverage for their loss. This is when errors-and-omissions claims can rear their ugly heads.

Start with Your Staff A key aspect of customer education starts with the staff.

Ensuring educated customers requires an educated staff. The staff, usually the producers and account managers/CSRs, is who interacts with customers on various coverage issues. The staff must be educated on the products they are selling to be able to provide quality coverage information.

On-the-job training and coursework will play a central role in achieving the desired technical knowledge for the staff. Since it is fundamental to your organization to have competent, highly skilled people, agencies should establish a budget earmarked strictly for education. This is important as an educated staff should serve your agency well. Building into each employee’s annual goals an objective focused on enhancing technical competence helps ensure a keen focus on education. Determining the appropriate coursework should be a collaborative effort so the staff has “skin in the game.”

Agency staff meetings provide a great opportunity to educate the staff on technical issues. Each time you meet with the staff, review a technical issue. It could be a topic they are less than comfortable with or a question your customers frequently ask. The various exposure analysis checklists are also valuable in providing extensive technical and underwriting information on hundreds of different SIC classes of business. These checklists enhance the staff’s knowledge and are more than just a tool to identify prospects’ or clients’ exposures. They will assist greatly in helping your producers/ account executives become authorities on the various classes of business and the exposures they present.

Effective Education How confident are you that you know the exposures of each of your customers? This can change fairly often, so even if you knew the information last year, there is the possibility that exposures have changed since then. Ideally, it would be great to sit down with each customer for a face-to-face account review or to discuss the customer’s insurance portfolio over the phone. This would enable you to ask all of the key questions and provide the customer with further insight on vital coverage issues.

This would have been extremely beneficial, for example, prior to Super Storm Sandy, enabling agencies to educate customers on the various nuances of flood coverage. Unfortunately, this face-to-face meeting may not be possible with many of your customers unless you have Saturday hours. One option to consider is to either use one of the personal lines questionnaires found in some of the various exposure analysis checklists (Rough Notes has a useful questionnaire in its Producer Online product) or develop a questionnaire yourself.

The goal would be to send out this questionnaire, in paper form or electronically, to each customer and request that the customer reviews it and then provides his or her responses.

Plus, developing a section on your agency website addressing each of these issues can provide customers with information on crucial coverage issues and considerations for each of the questions in the questionnaire.

A paper or electronic newsletter is another means to educate customers. In terms of content, address issues unique to that time of year. These could be weather-related or may involve the insurance implications of kids going off to college. Social media postings are also a great way to educate customers.

What’s more, including definitions and claims examples on your insurance proposals has shown to be effective in educating customers and prospects.

A Win-Win Look for cross-selling opportunities when your agency interacts with customers. Many agencies provide a new business incentive for the CSR’s in rounding out the insurance for their customers. This really can be a win-win for everyone.

Positioning your agency as one that wants its customers to understand coverages and insurance-related terms will reap huge benefits. Through the solid education of your staff and customers, your agency’s reputation will be further solidified in your community. Consequently, the next time a customer calls to report a loss, you can reply that “yes, that loss is covered.”

Curtis M. Pearsall, CPCU, AIAF, CPIA President, Pearsall Associates Inc. and Special Consultant to the Utica National E&O Program

SEPTEMBER 14 35

Certified Insurance Service Representative Open to Anyone!

7 WI CE Credits (1 is Ethics) New Course #69356 Utica Approved

AGENCY OPERATIONS

This course will help you become an indispensable team player. 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. How agencies operate is essential training for both insurance agency and company personnel.

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

October 16

•

Green Bay

CLASS SCHEDULE Course Instructor

John Dismukes CIC, CPCU, AAI, AIS

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.

$155 Per Course Includes Lunch

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

Certified Insurance Service Representative Open to Anyone!

7 WI CE Credits Course #69332

INSURING COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Commercial property insurance is one of your business customers’ greatest concerns. You’ll improve your cross-selling abilities with up-to-date knowledge of commercial property coverage, and reduce E&O exposures. This course gives you the skills to address these issues with greater ease and confidence.

• Fundamentals of Commercial Property Insurance • Building and Personal Property Coverage Form • Causes of Loss Forms • Basics of Time Element Insurance

Oct 22 • Rothschild Oct 23 • Madison

• Basics of Commercial Inland Marine Insurance

CLASS SCHEDULE Course Instructor Patti Gardner CIC, CRM, CPCU ACUITY

36 SEPTEMBER 14

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.

$155 Per Course Includes Lunch

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

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

www.piaw.org 1-800-261-7429 SEPTEMBER 14 37

PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS OF WISCONSIN, INC. OFFICERS Ms. LouAnn Herriges, CIC, CISR President Anderson's Insurance Associates 17500 W. Liberty Lane New Berlin, WI 53151 Phone 262-789-8500 Fax 262-754-6038 louannh@iaanetwork.com Mr. Rick Clements, LUTCF, MDRT Vice President Clements Ins. Agency, Inc. 317 N. 6th St. Wausau, WI 54402 Phone 715-842-1664 Fax 715-848-3337 rick@clementsagency.com

38 SEPTEMBER 14

September 2014 October 2014 November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

Coming Events

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. Dennis Kuhnke, CIC, CPIA PIAW National Director Jack C. Loyda & Associates, Ltd. 4414 N. Oakland Ave. Shorewood, WI 53211 Phone 414-332-5150 Fax 414-332-7267 dkuhnke@loyda.com

Mr. Jeff J. Glass A.F. Glass Insurance Agency PO Box 1149 Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Phone 262-248-5555 Fax 262-248-5544 jglass@glassinsurancecenter.com

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

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

Mr. Brian MacGillis, CPIA Treasurer 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

DIRECTORS 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

Ms. Kathy M. Mulder Nolan Insurance Agency LLC PO Box 238 Brandon, WI 53919 Phone 920-346-2241 Fax 920-346-5600 kmulder@nolanins.com Mr. Trey Neher, CIC, CISR THZ Insurance Group 420 E. Northland Ave. Appleton, WI 54911 Phone 920-730-0123 Fax 920-833-6870 tneher@thzins.com

15

CISR COMMERCIAL CASUALTY 1 Eau Claire (7 WI CE)

16-18

CIC PERSONAL LINES INSTITUTE Eau Claire (20 WI CE)

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 Administrative Assistant mpenn@piaw.org Becca Prestbroten Special Project Coordinator bprestbroten@piaw.org Brenda Steinbach Education & Convention Director bsteinbach@piaw.org

9

CPIA 3 SUSTAIN SUCCESS Wauwatosa (7 WI CE)

14-15

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

16

CISR AGENCY OPERATIONS Green Bay (7 WI CE, 1 of 7 Ethics)

22, 23

CISR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Rothschild, Madison (7 WI CE)

11

HOT TOPIC/WILLIAM T. HOLD SEMINAR Brookfield (7 WI CE, 3 of 7 Ethics)

12-14

CIC COMMERCIAL CASUALTY INSTITUTE Milwaukee (20 WI CE)

3, 4

CISR PERSONAL AUTO Fond du Lac, Madison (7 WI CE)

9-11

CIC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY INSTITUTE Middelton (20 WI CE)

21-23

CIC COMMERCIAL PROPERTY INSTITUTE Green Bay (20 WI CE)

11

CISR PERSONAL LINES MISCELLANEOUS Brookfield (7 WI CE)

12

CISR PERSONAL LINES MISCELLANEOUS Green Bay (7 WI CE)

18

HOT TOPIC/WILLIAM T. HOLD SEMINAR Green Bay (7 WI CE, 3 are Ethics)

19-20

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

A C U I T Y

U N I V E R S I T Y

P R E S E N T S

ARE YOU READY FOR ONE?

THE FIRST IN A NEW SERIES OF CE CREDIT COURSES For All That Matters

W W W . A C U I T Y . C O M / U

ACUITY

SEPTEMBER 14 39

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 will have voting privileges at both PIA State and National.

Name & Designation

DOB

Gender

Employment Status

Part-time

Magazine

Nat’l Voting

Privilege

o o

Male Female

o o

o

Corporation

Licensed Owner Licensed Producer

INCL INCL

o

Agency Information: Agency Type:o Sole Owner

o

Top 3 P&C Companies (list in order)

Partnership

Other Association affiliated with_____________________________

1)__________________________ 2)__________________________ 3)____________________________

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.

Signed_______________________________ Dated_______________________

Total Amount from Dues Schedule $_______________ Send:

o

Check

o

MC

o

VISA

o

DIS

o

AMEX

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.