3 minute read
From the Boardroom
FROM THE BOARDROOM
BRIAN P. MACGILLIS, CPIA MacGillis Agency, Inc.
RELATIONSHIPS, PIA AND YOU
It has truly been an honor to serve on the Board of Directors as Past President Liaison this past year. Having been off the board for a number of years, serving from 2011-2018, it was great to meet the new people who are leading PIA in an excellent direction. You, as members of PIA, should rest easy knowing our organization is in great hands for many years to come. The foundation of our agency association was laid by people who served as the head of our organization, served as employees for the organization, and volunteers on PIA committees. But the cornerstone is the relationships that are fostered between PIA and you, our members. Without agency members, our organization would not be needed and would cease to exist.
As an agency owner, there is nothing more important than the people that you work with on a daily basis and the relationships that we have with those co-workers, customers and carriers. I’d like to share with you a few relationship tips that I have picked up along the way: It makes a difference how you treat your company field representatives. • Not only should they be treated with respect, but they can be the difference between you keeping your contract in a bad year or having to spend thousands of hours moving all those customers to another company. • With many companies moving to the field underwriter system, they can be the difference between you landing that large account...or losing that large account. It makes a difference how you treat your underwriters. • This can often be an adversarial relationship for agents, but it should not be that way. Your underwriters may have to make a tough and unpopular decision to cancel, reinstate a policy (or not reinstate a policy), and tell you ‘no’. • Keep that relationship professional. If they make an unpopular decision in the morning, you may still need a different favor from them in the afternoon. You never know when you might need a competitor’s help. • If your agency is struggling to grow, or personal situation changes, you need to continue to foster relationships with other agents to ensure continuity of your business into the future. • Unless there are unique circumstances, don’t say ‘no’ when asked by a company field rep if they can appoint another agent in a neighboring town. As a former field rep, I always felt that spoke (negative) volumes about the agency I was asking – in that they probably were not the right partner. Use your agency’s service superiority to win those accounts the right way.
Empathy in tough situations can help you avoid the courtroom. • Our customers need us to be their advocate in difficult claim situations, just as
PIA is for its members. That is one of the many items that separates us from the direct writers. And when something is just not covered, show empathy, and listen. • Stand by those who stand by you. • PIA has been an advocate for their members since 1949. Whether it is advocacy in DC & Madison, competitive errors and omissions coverage, or being the leader in insurance education, PIA is there for you. • Give back to your organization with your time, talents and treasures. This can be as simple as joining a committee, signing up for online or in person education, running for the board of directors, or donating to the PIA Legislative
Conduit or PAC.
Since our agency has been around since 1963, I have the pleasure of working with many long-term customers. I always try to say ‘thank you’ to all of our customers, especially those long-term customers, for their insurance business.
In this case as my one-year term expires, I get to say thank you again. Thank you for trusting me to lead your association and thank you for your support of PIA. I look forward to furthering our relationship at the Engage 2021 Convention in a few short weeks!
