PIAW 2020 September/October WPA Magazine

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Madison, WI Permit No. 168

September/October 2020

PROFESSIONAL AGENT

From buttons to bread EMC has it covered.

EMC Insurance Companies offers comprehensive coverage tailored to the needs of 98 different types of light manufacturers producing everything from buttons to bread to electronic components. This line offers optional coverage for manufacturers and delivery errors or omissions, plus employment practices liability. Certain coverages are even bundled automatically — meaning whatever your clients make, EMC makes insuring their businesses easier.

www.emcins.com ŠCopyright Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2020. All rights reserved.

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Served e Who tails. s o h T De ing Honor 16 for More e g a P e Se

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OCI Administrative Actions ..................................10 2020 Clay Shoot Event Recap with Photos ..........12 YPC

Sc See holarsh deta i ils o p Golf n pa O ge . uting .. 20

ON CATI EDU IGHT NT L AGE HIGH M&

HR Snapshot Q&A .................................................14 Honoring Those Who Served.................................16 Be an Industry Disruptor.......................................18 2020 YPC Scholarship Golf Outing Photos ... 20-21

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2020 Annual Meeting Notice & Nominations Committee Report...................... 22-23 Boosting Revenues by Bolstering Retention.........24

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WEB ore Detai W M NE r 4 fo age 3 See P

Struggling to Build Your Business...?...................26 Education Section ............................................. 28-34 How Long Should An Agency Maintain Its Documents?........................................................36

We are a community of independent agents and other dedicated insurance professionals, working to promote and improve the independent agency channel. Our mission is to support the advancement and excellence of all independent agencies.

Educate. Advocate. Collaborate.

Educate We are the premier association for insurance education in Wisconsin. Grow your knowledge and your bottom line, at our education sessions. Whether you want to pursue a CIC, CPIA, CISR or CRM designation, or just meet your bi-annual Wisconsin CE requirement, you have come to the right place.

Advocate With lobbyists representing you in Madison and in Washington, D.C., PIA is looking out for your interests and promoting the independent agency channel within state and federal government.

Our goal is a regulatory environment that allows your agency to grow and prosper.

(800) 261-7429

www.piaw.org

Collaborate PIA is a place for you to collaborate with, and learn from, other agents and many other professionals in the industry. Starting an agency? We’ve been there. Growing an agency? We’ve been there. Considering a new agency management system? PIA members have been there. Whether at our PIAW Winter GetAway event in Minocqua, Annual Convention, YPC Scholarship Golf Outing or dozens of other events, you can collaborate with other professionals who have “been there.”

6401 Odana Rd. Madison, WI 53719 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 3

From the

President Sean M. Paterson, CIC — President, PIA of Wisconsin

The Next Chapter “We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” I am not quite sure who this quote is originally attributed to. I was told it was a Native American proverb.

Google tells me that there are at least a half-dozen different people that are given credit. No matter who gets credit for these words, the meaning is what is important. To me, this quote can mean different things at different times. During my time as President of PIAW, it meant that I am one President, in a line of many others that came before me, who all had a common goal of supporting the advancement and excellence of independent agencies. It meant doing my best during my brief time as President and setting up the next President to be successful as they can possibly be.

Despite the unexpected pandemic, I believe we did a great job of just that. Here is a brief recap of a few things we were able to accomplish this year.

Strategic Plan – We assembled a task force and did an in depth analysis of who we are, who we want to be in the future and how we are going to get there. We determined at the PIA of Wisconsin, we are a community of independent agents and other dedicated insurance professionals, working to promote and improve the independent agency channel. We will accomplish this by focusing on 3 areas: Educate, Advocate & Collaborate.

Educate - We are the premier association for insurance education in Wisconsin. The pandemic couldn’t put a stop to that. We adapted where we had to. We went virtual where we needed to, and we now offer CIC & CISR courses virtually.

We are now back to socially-distanced, in-person classes, too.

No matter what happens, you can always count on PIAW for top notch educational opportunities.

Advocate - With lobbyists representing you in Madison and Washington, D.C., PIA is looking out for your interests and promoting the independent agency channel within state and federal government. We now have a Political Action Committee to help us to have a bigger impact on state government. We have a few things in the pipeline that we will announce in the coming months that will even further our Advocacy efforts.

Collaborate - PIA is a place for you to collaborate with, and learn from, other agents and many other professionals in the industry. Have you attended any of our events? While our annual Convention is on hold this year, we are still having our annual meeting in October. What about our Winter Get-Away

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event in Minocqua or the YPC Scholarship Golf Outing that we held at the Grand Geneva Resort in August? During this crazy year we were even able to kick off a new event, our Sporting Clays PAC fundraiser at Milford Hills. There are many different events you can attend to collaborate with other professionals who have “been there, done that.”

Website – The implementation of our new website has been completed. Thanks to the hard work of many committee members, our Executive Director, Pete Hanson and our website vendor, Mike Peterson and his company, Insurance Marketing Partners, the transition to the new website was seamless. There is a new look and a new feel but most importantly new technology that will allow the PIAW to better communicate with you, our members.

There is a lot more that went on behind the scenes and these are just a few of the highlights.

As my time as President of PIAW is winding down, I can confidently look back at what we accomplished in our year of “Covid” knowing that I had a small part of moving PIAW forward. However, I could not have accomplished it without a team. I’d like to take a moment to say a big “THANK YOU” to all those who helped make this a successful year. From the PIAW Member Agencies, Associate Members, Company Members, committee members, the Agency Principals who see the value in their employees getting involved, Board members, PIAW staff and especially you, the reader of this article. We are all in this together and together we all make a very strong team.

It is now time to elect a new President and start the next chapter...

Humbly yours, Sean M. Paterson, CIC

The Silver Lining® shines through on claims survey West Bend is Number 12 and earns B+ on Crash Network’s 2020 Insurer Report Card

When more than 1,000 collision repair shops around the country graded auto insurers on how they handle claims, West Bend ranked Number 12 of 79 and earned a B+ rating!

This ranking highlights West Bend’s exemplary claims service, not just price and brand recognition. We’re proud to be included on this list as it shows repair shops how we take care of our customers.

Crash Network is an independent source of news, views, and information vital to the collision industry. Find out more at https://www.crashnetwork.com/irc.php.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 5

Memos from

Madison Pete Hanson, CAE — Executive Director, PIA of Wisconsin

Insureds don’t have to file a claim – or even drive their vehicles – to get what they paid for with their auto premiums.

Here come the wacky coronavirus lawsuits

Handheld phones and driving don’t mix

With the economy slowed down and people spending more time at home, trial attorneys must be getting bored. There are fewer car accidents, fewer work injuries and it’s basically just a tougher environment for trial attorneys to make a buck.

In the insurance industry, we get regular reminders of the dangers of distracted driving. The National Safety Council estimates that 1 in 4 motor vehicle crashes are attributable to mobile phone usage.

With an average 37,000 annual deaths on U.S. roads in recent years, that means about 9000 deaths per year are preventable.

Unfortunately, they have also had plenty of time on their hands to think up creative ways to file lawsuits that could get themselves a payday from coronavirus. For example, take the fledgling class-action suit against GEICO for giving their auto insureds too small of a refund. As reported by Insurance Journal, the suit claims that the GEICO Giveback (15 percent of premium) was “woefully inadequate to compensate for the excessive premiums that customers have paid as a result of COVID-19.”

I was under the impression that GEICO had accepted the risk of any number of disasters happening that could have caused catastrophic losses. If a hurricane and tsunami had hit the eastern seaboard during that policy period, rather than a viral pandemic, GEICO would have paid for thousands of destroyed vehicles and lost a lot of money.

Insureds don’t have to file a claim – or even drive their vehicles – to get what they paid for with their auto premiums. They are not owed any refund from their insurer because they drove their car less than they expected to. Yet, when an insurer voluntarily sends out refunds, that apparently says to some trial attorneys that the payments had better be enough. The GEICO suit accuses the company of receiving a “substantial windfall in profits” that they did not adequately share.

There will be plenty more wacky lawsuits that come out of the coronavirus shutdowns, because for every pot of money that exists in the world, there are a dozen trial attorneys that believe 33 percent of it should be theirs.

Most cars made in the last decade, and just about all being made today, offer drivers Bluetooth connectivity to make their phones hands free. If drivers take a moment to turn on Bluetooth when they get in their cars, they will not need to look down at their phones to place calls or send text messages while driving.

I try to keep up with news stories from neighboring states that relate to the insurance industry, so I have noticed other states banning handheld phone usage by drivers. Indiana just did so.

Illinois and Minnesota had already banned drivers from picking up their phones while driving.

With the addition of Indiana to this list, it is not just “blue states” in the Midwest that are enacting these bans. Indiana is a solid-red, conservative-voting state. Other “red states” around the nation that have banned handheld phone usage (not just texting) are Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Clearly, this is not an issue of “conservative” versus “liberal.” It is an issue of saving lives or not saving lives. It is also an issue, from an industry perspective, of reducing claims and keeping insurance policies affordable.

A study done by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that drivers who used a hand-held phone while driving tripled their crash risk, compared to undistracted drivers. The VTTI study also found that hands-free phone conversations did not increase crash risk. In fact, they said that drivers in a hands-free phone conversation were slightly less likely than control-group drivers to be in a crash because they were less likely to look down at their radio, navigation system or phone during that conversation.

STAY 6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

www.piaw.org

What Has PIA National Done for Me… Lately?

As we begin 2020, let’s look back at last year’s newest member benefits and federal government victories.

ACORD End User License for PIA Members Thanks to an agreement with ACORD negotiated by PIA National, the majority of PIA members won’t have to pay the new ACORD license fee.

Agency Journey Mapping Brand new perpetuation program from PIA National and The PIA Partnership.

PIA DMV: PIA’s Direct Marketing Vault PIA members can now combine the best of traditional and digital marketing to get more clients.

Winning @ Talent New ways for agencies to attract, recruit and retain the best talent.

2019 PIA FEDERAL GOVERNMENT VICTORIES Tax Relief for Agencies PIA National ensured tax relief for agency owners that has resulted in millions of dollars benefitting passthrough entities, including independent insurance agencies. [A PIA Priority Issue]

TRIA extended The terrorism risk insurance program (referred to as TRIA) was extended by Congress through the end of 2027.

[A PIA Priority Issue]

Efforts to Repeal the Federal Insurance Office Legislation was introduced in both the House and Senate for the first time as a result of PIA National advocating to repeal the Federal Insurance Office (FIO). [A PIA Priority Issue]

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) extended.

PIA National has successfully kept cuts to agent commissions out of legislation to reauthorize the NFIP. PIA also advocated for the extension of the NFIP to September 30, 2020.

[A PIA Priority Issue]

Permanent Repeal of the Cadillac Tax In December 2019, PIA’s multi-year advocacy campaign secured the total repeal of the healthcare 40 percent excise tax, known as the Cadillac Tax! [A PIA Priority Issue]

TAX

Membership in PIA just keeps growing in value! Lots more is on the way!

www.pianet.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 7

From the

Boardroom Jeremy Cordova, CIC — Director, PIA of Wisconsin

“Change – the Bonus Edition” At my first full PIAW Board Meeting in 2014 Ron Von Haden handed me a schedule that listed the months and years I would be writing an article for this magazine. I noted that I was on the schedule three times in my first term but only twice if I was elected to a second term. I quietly made a mental note of this to myself while hoping all my fellow board members and more specifically Ron did not catch this lucky break. No one noticed, or at least they did not make a fuss if they did. I even wrote my last article with a subtle hint of it being my last. As you can clearly read that was not to be.

So, with another opportunity at my fingers let’s talk about a word we hear far too often these days, change. In my life I have generally embraced change, and the vast majority of which has been good or even great. Personal changes such as marriage, having children, career moves, are all great things that have placed me upon the path I travel today. Then there are the tremendous technological changes during my lifetime. I used my first computer at age 10, sent my first email about age 20. Next came the internet, handheld cell phones, and social media. All these things are enormous drivers of change and arguably most of that change is good.

Why then with all the positives that come from change do I grow less fond and more suspicious of it daily? I have not yet taken to yelling at kids to get off the lawn at my office, so I am relatively certain it is not due to old age. Is it from the ever-morphing barrage of COVID recommendations, mandates, guidelines, et cetera, et cetera, that we get bombarded with daily? No, that has minimal effect in rural areas like mine. After some pensiveness I have come to the conclusion that I both distrust and dislike change when it is camouflaged and sold as something else. As a veteran on the sales side of our industry you would think I would have no trouble recognizing when I am being sold a bill of goods. Believe me when I tell you that is not always true. It is my opinion that most people are like me. They struggle to peel back enough of

8 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

the layers to reveal the true change and eventual outcome of that change that is so cleverly disguised beneath.

While the internet has been the greatest catalyst for change in the world for the last 20 plus years it is also the best tool against unnecessary and unwanted change. I have found a healthy sense of skepticism occasionally bordering on paranoia, can, when unleashed on Google searches, eventually allow you to glean concise, accurate, and corroborated information on a regular basis.

The tremendous amount of information we have at our fingertips is our greatest asset and the tremendous amount of misinformation we have at our fingertips is potentially our greatest liability. Be the agent for your own brand of change by taking the time to do the research and educate yourself. Peel back the layers and make sure you want to buy what it is you are being sold.

It would not be a signature column if I didn’t at least mention how crucially important it is for all of you to do your own research then exercise your hardest won freedom at the ballot box this November 3rd.

It has been my great privilege to serve the PIAW, our member agents, company partners, and associates these last 6 years. My time on the board was one of great change and due to the efforts of the talented and dedicated people I have had the chance to serve with as well as the amazing PIAW staff it was all positive change for all our stakeholders. I would also like to take this chance to especially thank Ron albeit posthumously for getting me involved in the PIAW those many years ago when I was awarded the now appropriately named Ron Von Haden Legislative Scholarship. I am certain he is quite pleased to see that I did write the correct number of articles after all.

God bless the USA.

doesn’t just tell partner agencies what the path looks like, we walk it with them. We understand the challenges independent agencies face and what it takes to propel them towards growth. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with partner agencies to enable them to reach greater levels of success.

Because independence works better together.

Contact JoAnn Hartung: 570.473.4340 | jhartung@keystoneinsgrp.com keystoneinsgrp.com

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 9

OCI Administrative

Actions Mark V. Afable - 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.

June 2020

Allegations and Actions Against Agents

Steven Ballina, 3200 Moraine Dr., Aurora, IL 60506, agreed to the issuance of a one-year probationary insurance license. This action was taken based on allegations of having an administrative action taken by the State of Ohio and an employment termination for cause.

Frank Guarascio, Jr., 1700 Arabian Dr., Green Bay, WI 54313, agreed to cease all conduct violating insurance laws related to soliciting and selling final expense life insurance policies. This action was taken based on allegations of incorrectly classifying insurance policies, using advertising that did not contain required disclosures, and misrepresenting the cost of replacement policies.

Stephen B. Kundert, 1218 Sausalito Dr., Waunakee, WI 53597, agreed to the issuance of a one-year probationary insurance license with a continuing education requirement. These actions were taken based on allegations of failing to disclose a criminal conviction and administrative actions taken by the State of Wisconsin on a licensing application.

Michael P. Litwin, 3124 Canvasback Ln., Appleton, WI 54915, agreed to the two-year suspension of his insurance license and agreed to timely satisfy all conditions of an order issued by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. These actions were taken based on allegations of selling unregistered securities to insurance consumers.

Raimi Rundle, E3115 County Rd. P, Menomonie, WI 54751, agreed to the revocation of her Wisconsin insurance license and agreed to pay a forfeiture of $5,000.00 before reapplication. These actions were taken based on allegations of misappropriating money from an insurance agency and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Christian Schmitz, 11221 Synergy Dr., Wauwatosa, WI 53222, had his applications for a federal crime waiver and an insurance license denied. These actions were taken based on allegations of having a criminal conviction that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct and failing to complete the terms of sentencing.

10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

James T. Smith, 1820 W Wells St., Milwaukee, WI 53233, 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 and failing to respond promptly to inquiries from OCI. Sadreca A. Williams, 2404 W Morgan Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53221, had her application for an insurance license denied. This action was taken based on allegations of having a criminal conviction that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct, owing an unpaid civil money judgment to an insurer, and having other unpaid civil money judgments.

August 2020 Chris D. Abeyta, c/o Accelerated Wealth, 13570 Meadowgrass Dr., Ste 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, agreed to the issuance of a 2-year conditional insurance license having certain reporting requirements. This action was taken based on allegations of having an administrative action taken by the State of Colorado and failing to timely respond to inquiries from OCI. Jonathan Becerra, 9457 Las Vegas Blvd., Unit 324, Las Vegas, NV 89123, agreed to the issuance of a one-year conditional license having certain reporting requirements. This action was taken based on allegations of having a criminal conviction that may be substantially related to insurance marketing type conduct and failing to disclose administrative actions taken by other states on a licensing application.

Robert Campbell, 19502 Stanton Lake Dr., Cypress, TX 77433, agreed to the issuance of a one-year conditional license having a home solicitation prohibition. This action was taken based on allegations of having criminal convictions and administrative actions taken by other states.

Todd Cour, 1490 Silver Canoe Trl., Nekoosa, WI 54457, agreed to the issuance of a conditional insurance license having certain reporting requirements. This action was taken based on allegations of having a pending FINRA arbitration.

Antonio Gause, 17 Harvard Ave., Hyde Park, MA 02136, was ordered

to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Jose L. Gomez, 966 Dartmouth Dr., Wheaton, IL 60189, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Louisiana, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington.

Tendai Gopito, 1521 Royal Ln., Apt. 3312, Farmers Branch, TX 75229, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Michigan, Virginia, South Dakota, and Washington.

Travis Johnson, 1316 Magnolia Pointe Blvd., Glen Allen, VA 23059, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Louisiana, California, and South Dakota.

John Lord, c/o Dialamerica, 8085 Rivers Ave., N Charleston, SC 29406, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of North Dakota, Washington, Delaware, and New Hampshire.

Benjamin J. Meek, 11916 W 82nd Terr., Lenexa, KS 66215, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations

of failing to timely report to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Delaware, Louisiana, Washington, and Florida.

Latifah L. Parker, 4825 Burnt Oak Dr., Apt. 402, North Chesterfield, VA 23234 was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of South Dakota, Louisiana, and Delaware.

Anthony L. Razzaghi, c/o 1000 AAA Dr., Ste. 150, Heathrow, FL 32746, was ordered to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely disclose to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Louisiana and Washington.

Timothy W. Sackett, 829 Heritage Dr., Weston, FL 33326, agreed to pay a forfeiture of $500.00. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to properly consider suitability when conducting annuity sales.

Jonathan Schlue, 4303 Wittman Dr., Davenport, IA 52806, agreed to the revocation of his insurance license. This action was taken based on allegations of failing to timely report to OCI administrative actions taken by the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Virginia and providing false information to an insurer.

Russell D. Stoeckler, 2251 N 72nd St., Milwaukee, WI 53213, agreed to cease and desist selling variable annuity products. This action was taken based on allegations of selling annuities without holding the requisite line of insurance authority.

AmGUARD • EastGUARD • NorGUARD • WestGUARD

Homeowners Insurance Recognizing that the typical insurance needs of homeowners have changed over the years, our Homeowners products have been designed for all kinds of circumstances. We cover: Single-family homes & multi-family dwellings Condominium units Renters and lessors/landlords Home-sharing services Our Homeowners Insurance is not available in all states.

Please refer to www.guard.com/states for state availability.

APPLY TO BE AN AGENT: WWW.GUARD.COM/APPLY/ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 11

The 1st Annual PIA-PAC Clay Shoot was a Blast!

Delayed by coronavirus, but not deterred, PIA of Wisconsin member sportsmen and sportswomen got together for a sporting clays outing on July 15th and had a great time.

The team from Mayville Insurance took home the trophies, but all the teams had fun shooting sporting clays at Milford Hills Hunt Club. The lunch was spectacular and so was the camaraderie among the insurance professionals who attended.

Besides fun, the goal of the Clay Shoot was to raise money for the Professional Insurance Agents Political Action Committee. The goal of the PIAW-PAC is to help elect state lawmakers who understand the importance of the insurance industry to Wisconsin’s economy, businesses and citizens.

The 2nd Annual PIA-PAC Clay Shoot will be held in May of 2021. The date will be announced in all of PIAW’s publications and social media channels and we hope to see you there!

Thanks are due to the PIA member volunteers who helped organize this successful event and to our event-level sponsors:

Badger Mutual

12 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 13

Question: The next couple weeks are going to be busier than usual for us. Can I require my exempt employees to work weekends? If so, do I need to pay them for the extra hours?

Answer from Marisa, SPHR: Yes, you can require an exempt employee to work weekends and not pay them extra, assuming they are properly classified this way. It’s pretty standard for exempt employees to be asked to work late or put in additional time on occasion, and in most cases, there is no expectation of extra pay. Although there are some exceptions, exempt employees are generally entitled to their full salary regardless of how many hours they work during the week—in other words, taking a long lunch, leaving early, or working extra hours in the evening or on a weekend doesn’t change their pay.

Question: An employee has been called up to the National Guard. How do we handle their leave?

Answer from Monica, SPHR, SHRM-CP: Under the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the employee has leave and job reinstatement rights, meaning you’ll need to rehire them following their service. The employee will also be entitled to both seniority-based benefits (as if they had not been on leave) and to non-seniority benefits (e.g., continuation of life insurance) that employees receive when on non-military leaves of absence.

USERRA also grants returning service members some protection from termination without cause and prohibits employers from retaliating against anyone who exercises their USERRA rights.

The Department of Justice has created an extensive guide on this topic, which you may find useful, here: https://www.justice.gov/sites/ default/files/usao-ednc/legacy/2011/04/29/EmploymentRights.pdf

Are depression and anxiety considered disabilities?

Question:

Answer from Kyle, PHR: They can be, yes. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an individual with a disability is a person who: • • •

Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; Has a record of such an impairment; or Is regarded as having such an impairment.

The ADA prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

If an employee informs you that they have anxiety or depression and requests an accommodation, you should begin the interactive process. Basically, you and the employee determine what, if anything, can be done to accommodate them so that the essential functions of the job get done to your standards and the employee is able to continue to have the equal benefits and privileges of employment. As part of this conversation, you may request a doctor's note to substantiate the disability.

14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 15

Honoring

Those Who Served

PIAW and 1752 Club Thank Pat MacGillis

Featured Veteran in the Industry: Pat MacGillis, MacGillis Agency The Wisconsin 1752 Club, in conjunction with the PIA of Wisconsin, are sponsoring a Badger Honor Flight for a veteran to visit their war memorial. Additionally, throughout the year we will be highlighting current PIA members who have served our nation in the military.

The MacGillis family has a steeped tradition in the military and insurance. the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1972 with a Business Administration degree; he didn’t get assigned to serve in the war.

I recently sat down with Pat MacGillis to learn more about his successful career in both the military and insurance industry and found out the rich history behind the MacGillis family’s love of service.

Pat’s interest in the military began at an early age, and he credits his grandfather and father with igniting this spark. The MacGillis family has deep ties to the military going back generations. Pat’s grandfather, Cresent (C.J.) MacGillis, served as a Communications Corporal during World War I and Pat’s father, James (J.J.) MacGillis served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. J.J. retired as a Colonel with over 40 years of service!

Where it all began, Pat’s military career started when he joined The University of Wisconsin – Madison ROTC program in 1968 during his freshman year of college. The Vietnam War had reached its height with U.S. troop numbers, and the protests on the campus were rising. Pat did his Basic Combat Training between his sophomore and junior year of college, which happened to be the same year as the Kent State Shootings and the bombing of Sterling Hall on the U.W. Campus. With mounting tensions all around, Pat was confident that his first commission would be fighting in the Vietnam War upon graduation. As it turned out, the Vietnam War was winding down when he graduated from 16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

Pat followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, earning an impressive career in the military. On his college graduation day, Pat received his first commission to Fort Sill Oklahoma as a Field Artillery Instructor. Pat was active duty at Fort Sill for two years. In addition to his ROTC training (4 years), Pat’s inactive service included time in the National Guard (10 years), U.S. Army Reserve (10 years), Retired Reserve (15 years) and a Liaison Officer/ Blue and Gold Officer for the U.S. Naval Academy (9 years). In total, Pat served over 37 years in the military and achieved the prestigious rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Family also influenced Pat’s decision to pursue a career in insurance, and he credits both his father and grandfather for being outstanding role models in the insurance industry. Pat began his insurance career while attending UW Madison and his primary field of study was Risk Management. After his two years of active military duty were complete, Pat accepted a position with Wausau Insurance, where he worked for four years before joining the agency that his father started. JJ MacGillis had established an insurance career working as a marketing representative for Kemper Insurance and then moved on to Vice President of Marketing for Milwaukee Insurance. It was here when he was called to duty in 1962 for the Berlin Crisis. When he returned, J.J. started MacGillis Agency in 1963. Pat joined the firm and worked hard to develop a book of business from scratch and later purchased the agency from J.J. in 1994. C.J. MacGillis worked for Prudential Insurance after World War I. He then became a Health Inspector for the city of Milwaukee during the great depression. Ironically, Pat has performed risk management inspections for his clients on some of the same buildings that his grandfather inspected many years before.

[Continued on page 17]

[Continued from page 16 - Honoring Those Who Served...]

Pat continues the family legacy and has passed his enthusiasm for the military and insurance to his children. His three children represent the fourth generation of MacGillis’ to serve in these two fields! Two of his children graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. His daughter, Anne, served 13 years and attained master’s degrees in Oceanography and Nursing. Currently, she is a Certified Nurse Midwife at a local hospital. Pat’s son, Steven, is a Lieutenant Commander & Naval Aviator with over 15 years of service. He has been deployed overseas multiple times and has flown countless sorties to defend our nation and freedom. His son, Brian, has been in the insurance business since graduating from the University of Minnesota. Brian is a past president of the PIAW and is the current president/owner of MacGillis Agency.

When I interviewed Pat for this article, he was more interested in talking about his family and their service to the military and insurance industry than his own. His humility and ability to focus on others make him a perfect fit for both fields. His real joy truly is service to others. When I asked Pat what were the most significant lessons he

learned from his military service, he replied, “Always treat people well and take care of them.” He went on to say that learning when to be silent is another trait that has served him well. From a family perspective, Pat and his wife, Jan, have been married for 48 years and have continued the MacGillis family tradition of servicing others. Both of them are active in the agency and the Professional Insurance Agents (PIA). Pat currently serves on PIA’s Legislative Committee, and both are regular attendees of the PIA Convention.

On behalf of the PIA and 1752 Club, I would personally like to say thank you, Pat, for your service to our country and the insurance industry! You have made a positive and lasting impact on both. And to the MacGillis family, four generations of service in these excellent institutions is not only impressive but very much appreciated. A special thank you to the entire MacGillis family for your service to both our country and your valued clients.

By: Mike Haeger - Badger Mutual Insurance

THANK YOU VETERANS

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 17

By: Shelley Armato

Be an Industry Disruptor: 5 Keys to Making Positive Change Everyone has the potential to be an industry leader. These leaders are the ones who transform the world—who disrupt their industry and launch massive and positive change.

The challenge is that too many people are comfortable and complacent with where they are. They’ve settled into the pattern of reacting to disruptions rather than causing them. Think about your own industry and how it’s changed over the years. Who initiated the biggest changes? Who were the disruptors? Were they the people who sat on the sidelines? Or the ones who took bold action?

Contrary to popular belief, having access to large amounts of money isn’t what makes someone a disruptor. Money alone isn’t what makes change happen. In reality, tenacity and courage are all you need. So stop blaming others or outside circumstances for limiting your ability to enact change. By using the internal resources you already have, you can take action today.

If you’re ready to lead your industry to new heights, here are the five keys that will help shift your mindset so you can be the disruptor others react to.

1. Get comfortable with change.

Disruption is all about change. Any company that survives long-term has changed over the years. Whether they added new products or services, catered to a different market, or totally reinvented themselves, they had the courage to morph in some way.

Unfortunately, many people get stuck in the vision of what their company was in the past, rather than what it could be in the future.

This mindset forces them to always be reactive to the disruptions others make—they are never the disruptors themselves because they 18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

are too tied to the past. To transform your industry, you have to be future-oriented and ready to make a change at a moment’s notice.

If you’re not nimble, you’ll never be the leader. Remember that everything is different today than it was just a few years ago, and that has to include you and your company.

2. Look for the common challenges in your industry.

If you want to be an industry disruptor, you need to always be looking to solve challenges—at work as well as at home. In other words, problem-solving must become a way of life, not just something you do when times are tough. Look around and ask yourself, “What can I do differently and better?” Realize that if you think something is challenging or in need of change, chances are that others think that too. Ask your customers and employees what changes they wish would transpire. Then really listen to their answers. Insight leads to change.

3. Research everything.

In order to find the problems and the solutions, you need to know what’s going on in your industry at all times. Research solutions that others have tried to introduce. Sometimes disruption isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about making the existing solutions better.

Often, even a tenth of a degree improvement can make massive progress. Additionally, do research for your emotional wellness, because when you’re emotionally healthy, you can take on anything.

Broaden your research to encompass all aspects of yourself, your business, and your industry.

4. Be resilient in your ability to solve problems.

Being a disruptor means being resilient. To build your resilience, refrain from asking disempowering questions like “How am I going [Continued on page 19]

[Continued from page 18 - Be an Industry Disruptor:...] to do this?” A better question is “Why am I going to do this?” “Why” leads to “When,” and then “When” becomes “How.” With your “why” and “when” already mapped out, the “how” becomes much easier and you’re more apt to take that first step. Along the way, you’ll run into roadblocks and rejection. That’s okay. Learn from any setbacks and then harness your resilience to bounce back and keep going. One important step is to decide ahead of time what type of challenges you will allow to disrupt you emotionally. This way, when you face a challenge, you can determine if you’re making decisions emotionally or if you simply need to look at a situation differently.

From that capacity you can take massive action.

5. Find the eagles in your life.

The people in your life can either lift you up or pull you down. We all have people in our life who love hearing our problems and then telling us all the things we shouldn’t do. But if you let these people dictate your decisions, you’ll never be a disruptor. Instead, you have to find the eagles. During storms, eagles soar higher because they know the crosswinds will help them gain altitude. In other words, during challenges they rise. Those are the kind of people you want in your inner circle. Realize that the eagles in your life don’t have to be your friends. They can be coaches or mentors you hire or only see in a professional capacity. Ultimately, their goal is to help you soar higher, not encourage you to cower when things get tough. When you rely on your eagles for support and advice, you can see problems in a new light and come up with solutions that will transform your world.

Be the Change Regardless of your past successes or failures, you can initiate massive industry change. So why settle for always reacting to the disruptions that others enact? Have the courage to take action. Be the disruptor that leads your industry to new heights … and your company to even greater success.

About the Author: Shelley Armato is CEO at MySmartPlans, a provider of best-inclass, SaaS construction technology that eliminates risk, creates transparency and protects the budget. She provides professional construction services to some of the most prestigious business owners in the healthcare, scholastic, government, and commercial market sectors throughout the United States. Contact her at www. mysmartplans.com.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 19

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS CLUB

SCHOLARSHIP

17TH ANNUAL

GOLF OUTING

A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR

2020 SUPPORTING SPONSORS YPC MAJOR SPONSORSHIP

EAGLE

POST-RECEPTION PARTY

BIRDIE

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER Badger Mutual Insurance • EMC Insurance Companies Encova Insurance • Pekin Insurance Rockford Mutual Insurance Company West Bend Mutual Insurance Company

20 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

It was a banner day for the 17th Annual YPC Scholarship Golf Outing on August 6th at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva. PIAW members and sponsors had a great time and gave away $23,000 in sponsorships to Wisconsin college students pursuing careers in the insurance industry!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 21

2020 ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE AND NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT The Annual Meeting of the Professional Insurance Agents of Wisconsin, Inc. will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2020 at The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee, WI. At that meeting, the Nominations Committee will place the following names in nomination for election to the Board of Directors. Nominations are also accepted from the floor and each nominee will speak briefly on their own behalf prior to the election. Each director elected will serve a three-year term.

**************************************************************************** JON STROM, JMS Insurance Services. Jon has been in insurance for 39 years. He owns JMS Insurance Services in St. Germain, and is also COO at Image of Wisconsin. Jon is a member of the St. Germain Zoning Commission and on the Board of Directors for the Bo-Boen Snowmobile Club. He is a member of the Convention Committee for PIAW. Principal Companies: AutoOwners, SECURA, Integrity.

MITCHELL TARRAS, Nett Insurance Agency LLC. Mitch has been in the insurance industry for 9 years and owns Nett Insurance Agency in Plymouth. He currently serves on the PIAW Board of Directors and is running for a second term. Mitch also chairs the Young Professionals’ Club Committee. Principal Companies: Germantown Mutual, Safeco, IMT.

MICHAEL WINSTANLEY, Winstanley Insurance Agency, Inc. Michael has been in the insurance industry for 12 years and owns Winstanley Insurance Agency, in West Allis. He volunteers at St. Ben’s Meal Program. Michael has served PIAW on the Convention for many years, and on the Legislative Committee prior to that. Principal Companies: Progressive, Acuity, Integrity.

ROBERT WOLFGRAM, SR., Wolfgram Insurance Agency, Waukesha, WI. Bob owns Wolfgram Insurance Agency and has been in the insurance industry for 38 years. He volunteers for the VA Hospital in Milwaukee, the Women’s Shelter in Waukesha and at Red Cross Disaster Assistance.

Principal Companies: Progressive, West Bend, Germantown Mutual.

22

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

PIAW Annual Business Meeting Thursday, October 8, 2020 The Ingleside Hotel – Pewaukee, WI 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Out of concern for the well-being of PIAW members, staff, and the community, the Board of Directors has canceled our 2020 Annual Convention.

The Annual Meeting of members will still be held on Thursday, October 8th, at the Ingleside Hotel, in Pewaukee.

Members present at the Annual Meeting will be able to vote on new directors and proposed bylaws changes. The meeting will be streamed live for members who prefer to attend virtually.

To our Convention Committee members who worked so hard to reimagine our annual convention into a shorter format and move it to October, thank you so much and we can’t wait to present your Engage 2020 format in 2021, instead. That event is planned for September 29 & 30, at the Hyatt Regency in Green Bay. Proposed Bylaws Changes: 1.

2.

Allow independent agents who only handle life and health insurance to join PIA of Wisconsin.

Create one new voting member of the Board of Directors that would be the Board Liaison to the Past Presidents Committee. This director would be required to be a past president of PIA of Wisconsin, would be appointed by the President and would serve at the pleasure of the President.

Thank You Convention Sponsors Elite

Champion Germantown Mutual Insurance Company Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company SECURA Insurance Western National Insurance Group

Platinum

Gold

Silver Badger Mutual Insurance / EMC Insurance Companies Encova Insurance / Pekin Insurance Rockford Mutual Insurance Company / West Bend - A Mutual Insurance Company

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 23

The Magic of 85% Boosting Revenues by Bolstering Retention Care to hear an interesting bit of data or two? If you have an 85% retention ratio, that means you are, in effect, turning over your entire book of business in less than seven years. To grow that book 8% a year—not an entirely lofty goal—you need to write new business at a minimum of 23% over the prior year. Just reading those stats is tiring.

In addition to the extra work required to rebuild a book of business by replacing lost customers, there’s a solid fiscal reason to focus on keeping existing clients: For every point of retention improvement an agency achieves, there is a corresponding profit boost of between five and ten percent.

One key retention driver is the number of policies per client you write. The five-year retention rate for clients with one policy is 27%. For clients with two or three policies, five-year retention doubles to 55%. And 92% of clients with four or more policies per client are likely to stay around at least five years.

If all this information sounds familiar, you were paying attention at your CPIA 3, Sustain Success, workshop. (If it didn’t ring a bell, perhaps it’s time for a refresher!)

Another important element of client retention is a meaningful and productive client account review process. Sustain Success outlines four steps to achieve this successful account review: Step 1: Identify opportunities.

• • •

Use your management system to run cross-sell and account-rounding reports.

Use a physical inventory or account development questionnaire to look at accounts during renewal.

Review company production and account development reports.

Step 2: Review company products.

• • •

24

Compare coverages, pricing advantages and underwriting guidelines.

Meet with company reps to see if there are significant changes coming or if the agency might be able to negotiate some incentives.

Discuss "roll on" opportunities of key coverages.

[Continued on page 25]

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

[Continued from page 24 - Boosting Revenues...]

Step 3: Sell the client.

•

Stress the value and importance of a total relationship and the elimination of risks they face as part of the agency's ongoing client education program.

Step 4: Keep good records.

• •

Use these to determine what works for the agency and what does not.

Also, use them to document recommendations you've made to the client, as well as any declinations of coverage.

Take time to be proactive in crafting a retention strategy. As Marketing Guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, observes, "Most businesses are not playing the marathon. They're playing the sprint. They're not worried about lifetime value and retention. They're worried about short-term goals."

It makes dollars and sense to focus on retention!

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 25

By: John Chapin

Struggling to Build Your Business and Increase Sales?

Are you struggling to increase sales? Struggling to build your business? If so, what are you doing about it? Being successful in sales is pretty easy. You know the roadmap. Assuming you have the basic foundation of liking people and having people skills, now you simply need to learn sales skills, some marketing skills, communication skills, your product, your industry, and about the prospects and clients in your industry. While working on that, you have to talk to enough people to find out who has a problem you can solve and then solve it by having them invest in your product or service. From there deliver, go above and beyond, and build solid long-term relationships. Simple formula.

Then why is it that so many salespeople constantly struggle to hit their numbers? When I refer to struggle, I’m not referring to the type of struggle a brand-new salesperson has. Struggle in the beginning of a sales career or new job is common. What I’m referring to is the sales rep that’s been around for years and is still on the rollercoaster. A good quarter followed by a bad quarter, then a great quarter followed by an awful quarter. Their sales career over the course of years and decades is like the movie Groundhog Day. The definition of insanity. They sweat out every month, are inconsistent, are let go from a company every few years due to their inconsistency, and bounce from job to job their entire career.

To find out why roughly 80% of salespeople are on this constant rollercoaster for decades, let’s pull a random salesperson off the street and ask them some questions.

First: Why should I do business with you versus the competition?

Can you answer these objections for me? Then proceed to give them some of the most common objections they hear currently and that they’ve probably been getting for years.

26

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

Second: Can you show me your schedule? Their schedule should be full of prospect and client appointments and follow-up calls.

Third: How many phone calls and/or in-person calls do you need to make to hit your annual sales goal? How many is that per day?

How many calls did you make last week?

Fourth: What is the name of the last sales book you read, sales video or audio series you watched or listened to, or last sales course or class you took and how long ago was that?

Most salespeople will fail the above test miserably. They continue to struggle year after year because their answers to the above questions will be the same year after year. Groundhog Day insanity.

In my experience, the salespeople who continue to struggle, like the ones I referred to above, do so because they either don’t put in the necessary hours and/or, they spend their time working on the wrong things. There are two causes for this, one: the fear and discomfort of hard work, and two: the fear and discomfort of rejection.

For many people, any task that is even slightly unpleasant or uncomfortable, like most ‘work’ tasks, translates into hard work.

So, any time they are working, they feel weighed down mentally.

This negatively affects their attitude and their energy level. That said, I know plenty of salespeople who are willing to put in the hours, but they avoid tasks that potentially lead to rejection. In other words, they have no problem with paperwork, checking e-mail one thousand times a day, spending three hours on social media, or working on their call, but making phone calls or knocking on doors to talk to people about their product or service is a Herculean [Continued on page 27]

[Continued from page 26 - Build Your Business...] feat of strength for them. If they are going to overcome this they need to come up with a compelling reason to endure the pain and discomfort, and they need to resolve to take the tried-and-true path to success.

Let’s talk about the tried-and-true path to success first. We already talked about what it takes to be successful in the first paragraph: doing the work necessary to acquire the proper skills followed by talking to enough people about that you have to offer. The people who struggle throughout their sales career are super-creative when it comes to avoiding both of these. They are constantly looking for the magic bullet, the shortcut to avoid hard work and rejection.

They grab ahold of the latest fad, the latest get-successful-quick scheme, or the latest book that promises fewer hours, less work, and no more cold calling. These same people spam e-mail people, spend hours daily on social media, and go to the same networking events and talk to the same people week after week, month after month, and year after year. Even after years of chasing the shortcut and continuing to struggle, most still haven’t learned the lesson: The shortcut isn’t the shortcut, it’s the long, hard way where you continue to struggle. Even the author of the book touting the fourhour work week put in 16-hour days promoting the book. Solution: Resolve to follow the tried-and-true path.

Next, find a compelling reason to go through the pain and discomfort necessary for success. In my mental toughness training we look for what is most meaningful to an individual. We look for what they will fight for and what they will die for. It may be

for your kids, your parents, to prove yourself, or whatever reasons motivate you at a deep level. Whatever it is, you have to find purpose and meaning behind the pain. Something that will sustain you when times are tough. As Zig Ziglar used to say, the harder you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you. That said, the opposite is also true. If life senses a weakness in you, a lack of resolve to do the necessary work for success, it will exploit the hell out of that weakness and keep you down so it’s imperative that you find your WHY. Many times people who try to cheat the system and shortcut success hide behind the guise of working smart. Of course you want to work smart, but smart work is built on a foundation of hard work. The hard work, pain, and discomfort required to acquire the skills and make the calls, is the foundation. Without the foundation, there is no successful career. So, commit to pay the price. Commit to the process of doing the hard work, overcoming the fear and discomfort, acquiring the skills, and talking to lots of people.

About the author: John Chapin is a motivational sales speaker, coach, and trainer. For his free eBook: 30 Ideas to Double Sales and monthly article, or to have him speak at your next event, go to: www.completeselling. com. John has over 32 years of sales experience as a number one sales rep and is the author of the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia (Axiom Book Awards). You can reprint provided you keep contact information in place. E-mail: johnchapin@ completeselling.com.

Save the Date!

12th Annual PIAW Winter Get-Away February 3-5, 2021 The Waters of Minocqua Minocqua, WI 10 WI CE Presented by Todd Davis, CIC

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 27

education

STAND OUT! Set yourself apart with the CPIA designation.

CPIA 3 Live Webinar – October 7, 2020 7 WI CE – No Exam The PIA of Wisconsin is a proud sponsor of the Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) professional designation program. These three, oneday workshops teach practical "before", "during", and "after" 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, they 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!

The CPIA designation is maintained with a bi-annual attendance at one CPIA course or membership in the AIMS Society.

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 No Test. Approved for 7 Wisconsin CE credits. Utica approved.

CPIA 3 - Sustain Success WI CE Course # 65339

Sam Bennett, CIC, AFIS, CRIS, CPIA Harrison Agency, Inc. Columbia, MO

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.

Course Schedule 8:30 – 4:00 Lunch Break 12:00 – 12:45 Registration Fee PIAW Member $172.00 Non-Member $207.00

Watch for the 2021 PIA Education Calendar for CPIA 1, CPIA 2 and CPIA 3 dates.

Register and learn more at piaw.org.

CIC RUBLE SEMINARS

Exciting update options for CICs, CRMs & now CISRs! 16 WI CE (Includes 4 optional Ethics) February 11 & 12, 2021 Graduate Ruble Hilton Garden Inn – Sun Prairie

May 19 & 20, 2021 Graduate Ruble Acuity Insurance - Sheboygan

These seminars fill up quickly!

Register at piaw.org or call PIA at 800-261-7429 28

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Certified Insurance Counselor Institutes 16 WI CE Credits

This CIC is Full. Call PIA 800-261-7429 for Wait List COMPANY OPERATIONS - NEW

PERSONAL LINES December 2-4, 2020 Hilton Garden Inn Sun Prairie, WI $149 PIA room rate through 11/2/20 608-856-4500 •

PERSONAL RESIDENTIAL COVERAGES Kathleen Silvia, CIC, CPCU, CPIW

• •

PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE COVERAGES PERSONAL UMBRELLA/EXCESS COVERAGES Elizabeth Rise, CIC

Day One 8:00 – 5:15 Day Two 8:00 – 5:00 Day Three Optional Exam 8:00 – 10:00 WI COURSE # 6000038749 16 WI CE

education

Due to the uncertainty, it is possible some classroom options will be canceled.

Please check the Education tab at piaw.org for updates and webinar options.

December 14-16, 2020 Conducted at West Bend Mutual Insurance Company Open to Anyone!

Hampton Inn & Suites - West Bend, WI $93.00, includes breakfast.

Please mention PIA when making reservations.

262-438-1500 •

EXECUTIVE STRATEGIES

•

ACTUARIAL PRACTICES & ACCOUNTING John Neal, CRM

• • •

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY/POLICYHOLDER SERVICES UNDERWRITING Becky Lathrop, CIC, CPIA

WI COURSE # 6000030061 16 WI CE

NEW! CIC Live Webinars Approved for 16 Wisconsin CE Credits Each

• Anyone Can Attend • No Exam or Proctor Required for CE • Instructor Led

Visit the education tab at PIAW.org for schedules and registration.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 29

education

WHY CISR? Earning the CISR distinction is tangible proof of your commitment to a superior level of techical expertise and exceptional account management for your clients, as well as for your organization.

Be Great At What You Do!

WHERE EXPERTS BECOME EXPERTS

Register at www.piaw.org or call 1-800-261-7429

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 E&O Seminars (classroom or in house) To register online and view upcoming CE courses visit www.piaw.org Please contact Heidi Hodel, CIC, Member Benefits Coordinator hhodel@piaw.org or 1-800-261-7429 to find out how you can benefit from Utica’s E&O Loss Control Program.

30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

CERTIFIED INSURANCE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

Open to Anyone!

OCTOBER

education

Due to the uncertainty, it is possible some classroom options will be canceled.

Please check the Education tab at piaw.org for updates and webinar options.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

28 – Rothschild 29 – Tomah

Commercial Casualty II – 28th 7 WI CE Credits / Course # 69338

• • •

Commercial Property – 29th

Patti Gardner, CPCU

NOVEMBER 11 – Waukesha 12 – Madison

Business Auto Exposures and Coverages Workers Compensation & Employers Liability Commercial Umbrella and Excess Liability

7 WI CE Credits / Course # 69332

• • •

Fundamentals of CP Insurance Building and Personal Property Coverage Form / Causes of Loss Forms Basics of Time Element / Basics of Commercial Inland Marine

Commercial Casualty I – 11th 7 WI CE Credits / Course # 69334 • • •

Tom Franzen, CIC, AMR, ARM-P

Essentials of Legal Liability Commercial General Liability Additional Insureds

Elements of Risk Management – 12th 7 WI CE Credits / Course # 6000051720

• • •

The Risk Management Process & Risk Terms Risk Identification / Risk Analysis Risk Control / Risk Finance /Risk Administration

NEW! CISR Live Webinars • • •

Anyone Can Attend 7 WI CE Each – No Exam or Proctor Required for CE Instructor Led Visit the education tab at PIAW.org for schedules and registration.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 31

education

New Topics Added! 1 and 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 registration.

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

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

September 2020 Webinar Schedule TITLE & WI CE

DATE

TIME (CST)

INSTRUCTOR

An Hour with Kevin: The S.T.O.R.M. Webinar (Coverage Concerns for Serious Storm Events) 1 WI CE # 6000060209

9/9

1-2p

Kevin Amrhein, CIC

An Hour with Kevin: S.T.O.R.M…the Sequel!

(More Coverage Concerns for Serious Storm Events) 1 WI CE # 6000060204

9/10

10-11a

Kevin Amrhein, CIC

Additional Insureds and Certificates: Issues, Answers and When to Say No 3 WI CE # 6000059680

9/10

12-3p

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

Ethics and E&O: Synergy Not Rivalry 3 WI ETHICS CE # 6000042406 Utica Approved

9/15

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, CIC

Alphabet Soup: The Mistakes and Coverage Behind D&O, EPLI, FLI, and EBL 3 WI CE # 6000039321

9/17

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, CIC

Dead or Alive: The Many Functions of Life Insurance 3 WI CE # 6000058105

9/22

8-11a

Corey Wilkins

Everything’s Soaked and My Stuff Stinks: The Water Damage Webinar 3 WI CE # 6000039309

9/22

12-3p

Nicole Broch, CC, CISR, PLCS

The Small or Hobby Farm: Properly Identifying & Insuring the Risk 3 WI CE # 6000060208

9/23

12-3p

Sam Bennett, CIC, AFIS, CRIS, CPIA

Welcome to the Future Where Everyone Shares and Your Car Drives Itself 3 WI CE # 6000039286

9/24

12-3p

Kym Martell, CRM, CIC, CRIS, AAI

Coverage Problems Your Contractors Hate (and How to Solve Them) 3 WI CE # 6000060207

9/30

8-11a

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

Commercial Property Claims that Stink and How to Handle Them 3 WI CE # 6000045493

9/30

12-3p

Terry Tadlock, CIC, CPCU, CRIS

Register online at piaw.org or call 1-800-261-7429. Contact Brenda for in-house webinar opportunities. bsteinbach@piaw.org 32 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

education

New Topics Added! 1 and 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 registration.

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

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

October 2020 Webinar Schedule TITLE & WI CE

DATE

TIME (CST)

INSTRUCTOR

Flood Insurance and the NFIP 3 WI CE # 6000059679 FEMA Approved

10/8

12-3p

Robin Federici, CIC, AAI, ARM, AINS, AIS, CPIW

An Hour with Kevin: Drones – Insuring Innovators, Enthusiasts and Idiots 1 WI CE # 6000058123

10/13

10-11a

Kevin Amrhein, CIC

Homeowner’s Policy Coverage Concerns for the Modern Family 3 WI CE # 6000039288

10/13

12-3p

Nicole Broch, CIC, CISR, PLCS

An Hour with Kevin: Annoying Personal Auto Problems and Their Solutions 1 WI CE # 6000058107

10/14

8-9a

Kevin Amrhein, CIC

Chris Amrhein’s “Adventures in Aging” Understanding Social Security & Medicare 3 WI CE # 6000059682

10/15

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, CIC

Exposures that Prove Why ALL Employers Need EPL Coverage 3 WI CE # 6000060206

10/20

8-11a

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

How Savvy Businesses Use Life Insurance to Hedge Against Financial Losses 3 WI CE # 6000039287

10/27

8-11a

Karin Klaassen, CLU, LUTCF

Insurance Issues for Today’s World 3 WI CE # 6000042042

10/27

12-3p

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

Chris Amrhein’s “Adventures in Aging” Financially Surviving Retirement 3 WI CE # 6000061267

10/28

12-3p

Chris Amrhein, CIC

Culture, Ethics and E&O: The Right Way to Run an Agency 3 WI ETHICS CE # 6000059631 Utica Approved

10/29

12-3p

Terry Tadlock, CIC, CPCU, CRIS

Register online at piaw.org or call 1-800-261-7429. Contact Brenda for in-house webinar opportunities. bsteinbach@piaw.org SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 33

education

FARM & RURAL AGENT

LIVE WEBINAR

OCTOBER 20, 2020 7 WI CE – 3 of 7 Ethics TOPICS

• Farm Property: The “Family Farm” Market Focuses on individual/families involved and the often-used ISO Farm Property Coverage Forms with emphasis on intent of coverages Coverages for Dwellings, Appurtenant Structures, Household Personal Property

Sam Bennett, CIC, CPIA • Enhancing Your Value to the Agribusiness Insurance Buyer

Vital endorsements that must be discussed and to access your client’s risk

• Raising the Ethical Bar

$79 PIAW Member / $99 Non-Member 8:00 – 3:45 / noon – 12:45 lunch break

Register online at PIAW.org 800-274-8188

34 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

Don’t just join a company, join a club.

AAA is a membership-based organization; we’re a club, not just a company. This means we have an entirely different level of commitment to customers. All with an unbeatable combination of savings and security for customers.

And the potential for success for you.

Learn more, contact me.

Leo Plese (630) 328-7076 lmplese@autoclubgroup.aaa.com Insurance • Membership • Travel • Banking AAA Independent Agents are not employees of AAA The Auto Club Group; but, rather are independent contractors. Insurance underwritten by one of the following companies: Auto Club Insurance Association, MemberSelect Insurance Company, Auto Club Group Insurance Company, Auto Club Property-Casualty Insurance Company, Auto Club South Insurance Company, Auto Club Insurance Company of Florida, or non-affiliated insurance companies. ©2019 The Auto Club Group.

All rights reserved. 19-IN-0147

Protect the Reputation and Assets You’ve Worked Hard to Build: Choose the Right Agents’ Errors and Omissions Program!

Utica National and Agents Service Corporation can help. More than 10,000 agencies have placed their trust in Utica National over the last 50 years because they offer:

› › › ›

Access to staff, including a claims team, who is dedicated 100% to Agents’ E&O Tailored levels of coverage based on your needs Risk management services that stay ahead of emerging issues to help you prevent claims A variety of ways to pay your premium without premium financing or interest charges

Invest a few minutes in the future security of your agency. Go to www.uticanational.com/eo to get started on an Easy Estimate, and then add and subtract coverages to get the

combination of protection and premium you need!

Contact Heidi Hodel at PIA Wisconsin by phone at 608-274-8188 or via email at hhodel@piaw.org for more information.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 35

How Long Should An Agency Maintain Its Documents?

by Thomas Casella, JD, MBA, SCLA Senior Risk Management Specialist, Utica National Insurance Group

We see this question often and, unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all response. An agency’s archive, whether it’s paper or digital, can be a risk exposure, e.g., loss or theft of personally identifiable information (“PII”); or a source of protection, e.g., a customer’s signature on a rejection of umbrella coverage or election of policy limits. Therefore, the decision to maintain agency records should be considered carefully.

Some of the issues that you will need to consider when preparing a document retention policy, which every agency should have, are:

• What are the Federal, State or local laws regarding retention of the documents maintained by the agency, e.g., IRS, CMS, Department of Insurance, etc., and how long are those documents required to be maintained?

(A recommended source for this information is local legal counsel.)

• What does the Insurance Agency Agreement with each carrier that the agency represents contain regarding document retention? (The agreement may not speak to this issue, but it is necessary to verify.)

• What is the complexity of the agency’s book of business, e.g., commercial construction (long tail for claims) vs. personal auto (shorter tail for claims)?

• Is the agency an ongoing concern?

- If so, how long will the agency maintain records for its current clients?

- If not, how long of an E&O tail has the agent purchased? (e.g., If a 10-year tail was purchased, it may not make sense to destroy the documents prior to the exhaustion of the tail, in the event a claim is filed.)

• Will the documents have some benefit in the event an E&O claim is filed, e.g., declination of coverages signed by the client, communications from the client requesting specific coverages/limits, etc.?

• Is there a sufficiently secure manner in which the documents can be stored to protect any PII that the documents may contain?

• What is the cost to maintain documents vs. the benefit of maintaining them?

Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of considerations, but is meant to be a starting point for thinking about the issue of document retention. While it may not be a violation of a particular regulation or contract term to properly dispose of certain documents after a prescribed amount of time, it may be more beneficial to retain those documents in certain circumstances. As the decision to retain or destroy agency documents may effect the agent’s legal rights and responsibilities, the best source for advice on this is legal counsel in the state that would have jurisdiction over the agency’s business.

This information is provided solely as an insurance risk management tool. Utica Mutual Insurance Company and the other member insurance companies of the Utica National Insurance Group (“Utica National”) are not providing legal advice, or any other professional services. Utica National shall have no liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the use of the information provided. You are encouraged to consult an attorney or other professional for advice on these issues.

© 2020 Utica Mutual Insurance Company 5-R-1314 Ed. 3-20

Why salespeople underperform

We can dismiss poor sales performance as the result of inadequate training, a lack of product knowledge, poor time-management, unrealistic expectations, a poor attitude, and more than a dozen other reasons.

Yet, even if we could reprogram salespeople, they may become more efficient but still be underperformers. Here’s why: They misunderstand the sales mission. Contrary to the usual sales wisdom, the primary task of salespeople isn’t making sales. It’s creating customers, those who decide that it’s in their best interest to do business with a particular salesperson. In other words, closing sales is the by-product of this relationship.

They think closing sales follows their presentation. Whether it’s two minutes or two hours, it doesn’t. In fact, the sale must be made before the presentation is given. Unless customers come to trust a salesperson, the chances are the sale will be lost. This is what is happening when customers say, “Thanks, but I need to think about it….” or “I’ll get back to you if we decide to move forward.” Actions, not words, build confidence. While this has always been true, it’s absolutely critical today when customers are far more cautious than ever.

They have an ambivalent relationship with being in business for themselves. While coveting their independence, they also are quick to make excuses for their poor performance if they don’t make the numbers. It’s either one or the other, but not both.

Takeway: It’s difficult to get the results you want and others expect if you’re weighed down with basic misconceptions about what selling is all about.

[Source: GrahamComm Newsline]

“Why Can’t I Grow My Business?”

BWO = Independence AND Opportunity.

Tired of losing sales because you don’t have access to carriers? Become an independent BWO agent and you won’t be chasing the competition, you become the competition. You’ll be able to offer the best names in the business, no matter where you’re located throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. And because we deal with the carriers, commissions, database, etc., you can focus on what you do best: Sell! With BWO, you’ll have the tools, products and support that give you greater opportunity to compete – and a partner dedicated to your success.

BWO agents enjoy… 100% ownership · Contingency participation · Generous commissions Agency perpetuation · No joining or membership fees · No non-compete

Companies we represent: Acuity, Auto-Owners Insurance, Badger Mutual, GMIC, Hanover, Integrity, Penn National, Pekin, Progressive, Secura, Society, West Bend Mutual…and more.

Contact Tom Budzisz to join at 414-768-8100!



BWOInsurance.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 37

PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE AGENTS 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

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

Mr. Sean M. Paterson, CIC President Robertson Ryan & Associates 20975 Swenson Drive, Suite 175 Waukesha, WI 53186 Phone: (262) 782-5373 Fax: (262) 782-6327 spaterson@robertsonryan.com Ms. Julie Ulset, CPIA Vice President Grams Insurance Agency LLC PO Box 336 Edgerton, WI 53534 Phone: (608) 884-3304 julset@gramsinsurance.com Mr. Tom Budzisz, CPIA Treasurer BWO Insurance Group, LLC 7472 S. 6th St. Oak Creek, WI 53154 Phone: (414) 768-8100 Fax: (414) 768-8100 tom@bwoinsurance.com Mr. Ryan Butzke, CIC, CISR Secretary Northbrook Insurance Associates, Inc. PO Box 780 Menomonee Falls, WI 53052 Phone: (262) 644-6027 Fax: (262) 783-4075 ryanb@northbrook-ins.com

Mr. Steve Clements, CPIA Clements Insurance Agency 317 6th St. Wausau, WI 54403 Phone: (715) 842-1664 Fax: (715) 848-3337 steve@clementsagency.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. Matt Cranney, CIC, CRM Past President M3 Insurance, Inc. 3133 W. Beltline Hwy Madison, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 273-0655 Fax: (608) 273-7783 matt.cranney@m3ins.com Ms. Lacey Endres, CIC M3 Insurance, Inc. 828 John Nolan Dr. Madison, WI 53713 Phone: (608) 288-2874 Fax: (608) 273-8873 lacey.endres@m3ins.com Ms. Sandy L. Hardrath, CIC, CPIA Ansay & Associates 4712 Expo Dr. Manitowoc, WI 54220

STAFF

Phone: (920) 370-4283 Fax: (920) 682-7799 Sandy.Hardrath@Ansay.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. Ann Linstroth, CISR, PWCAM Fidelis Insurance Services 840 Lake Avenue, Ste. 101 Racine, WI 53403 Phone: (262) 456-0463 Fax: (262) 583-0729 annl@trustfidelis.com Ms. Tracy Oestreich, CIC, CPIA, CA, AU, CPIW PIAW National Director T4 Insurance Solutions PO Box 408 Jackson, WI 53037 Phone: (262) 423-4949 Fax: (262) 423-4959 tracyo@t4ins.com Mr. Mitchell Tarras Nett Insurance Agency LLC 607C Eastern Ave. Plymouth, WI 53073 Phone: (920) 893-3252 Fax: (920) 893-3250 mitch@bwoinsurance.com

Pete Hanson, CAE Executive Director phanson@piaw.org Becca Bredeson Administrative Assistant bbredeson@piaw.org Heather Falk, CISR Bookkeeping hfalk@piaw.org Heidi Hodel, CIC Member Benefits Coordinator hhodel@piaw.org Brenda Steinbach Education & Convention Director bsteinbach@piaw.org Tiffanie Yocum Administrative Assistant tyocum@piaw.org PIA National President Mr. Dennis Kuhnke, CIC, CPIA Robertson Ryan & Associates, Inc. 330 E. Kilbourn Ave. Ste. 650 Milwaukee, WI 53202 Phone: (414) 271-1561 Fax: (414) 271-3012 dkunke@robertsonryan.com

Coming Events

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2020 SEPT - 9

CISR Personal Auto Webinar (7 WI CE)

SEPT - 15

CISR Agency Operations Pewaukee-Milwaukee West (7 WI CE)

SEPT - 16

CIC Com Property Institute West Bend (16 WI CE)

SEPT - 24

CISR Com Property Webinar (7 WI CE)

OCT - 6

CISR Elements of Risk Mgt Webinar (7 WI CE)

38 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20

OCTOBER 2020 7 CPIA 3 Sustain Success Webinar (7 WI CE) 8 PIAW Annual Meeting Waukesha 14 & 15 CIC Agency Mgt Webinar (16 WI CE, 4 of 16 Ethics) 20 Farm & Rural Agent Webinar (7 WI CE, 3 of 7 Ethics) 21-22 CIC Ruble Graduate Appleton (16 WI CE) 28 CISR Com Casualty II Wausau (7 WI CE) 29 CISR Commercial Property Tomah (7 WI CE)

NOVEMBER 2020 11

CISR Com Casualty I Pewaukee (7 WI CE)

12

Elements of Risk Mgt Madison (7 WI CE) 17 & 18 CIC Com Multiline Webinar (16 WI CE)

DECEMBER 2020 1

CISR Com Casualty I Madison (7 WI CE)

2-4

CIC Personal Lines Sun Prairie (16 WI CE)

14-16

CIC Company Operations West Bend (16 WI CE)

Solving Problems Makes Us Attorneys; Anticipating Them, Makes Us a Partner.

Our attorneys have extensive experience in the unique legal needs of insurance agencies. We have represented hundreds of agencies, agents and brokers in all aspects of their business.

Agency Ownership & Operations • CSR & Producer Employment • Appearances Before OCI • Drafting Contracts • Mergers & Acquisitions • Perpetuation & Succession • E&O Consultations

MAD ISON • WAUKE SHA • 608.455.67 13 ATTORNEYS: TIM FENNER, JUDD GENDA, & ROBE RT P RO C T E R

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 20 39

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

©2020 Applied Underwriters, Inc. Rated A (Excellent) by AM Best. Insurance plans protected U.S. Patent No. 7,908,157.