T H U R S D A Y ,   A P R I L  9 ,   2 0 0 9

 Industry News

Trusted Choice^®
Trusted Choice^® Sponsors Public Radio Programming

Trusted Choice^® recently announced that it is a sponsor of the morning and afternoon radio broadcasts of American Public Media’s (APM) Marketplace Morning Report and Marketplace, airing on APM and National Public Radio (NPR) from April 8 to June 12.

“Just as consumers turn to Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report for insightful information about our nation's economy, Trusted Choice^® independent insurance agents provide consumers with a choice of companies, customization of policies and advocacy with their claims,” says Tom Ahart, chairman of the Trusted Choice^® board. “We are pleased to help sponsor this nationally recognized source of business news."

The sponsorship reads:
"Marketplace is supported by Trusted Choice^®, over 10,000 independent insurance agencies across America, committed to treating customers as people, not policies. Online at trustedchoice.com."

The sponsorship spans a 10-week period and includes at least one spot a week or more in Marketplace Morning Report and in Marketplace, which airs in the afternoon. These programs have the third largest audience of any public radio program and the largest weekly audience of any business news show on radio or TV.

“Trusted Choice^® agents are the only insurance agents that agree to adhere to a Pledge of Performance,” says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “This sponsorship showcases the Trusted Choice^® commitment to consumers across the country on one of the most popular and credible business news programs.”

Trusted Choice^® is promoted through a combination of national, state-level and local-agency advertising, promotional and marketing activities; insurance company branding; public relations campaigns and online initiatives.

Launched in October 2001 by the Big “I” and several agency companies, Trusted Choice^® educates consumers about the benefits of using independent agents and brokers for their insurance needs: choice of companies, customized policies and advocacy support. Trusted Choice^® is the consumer marketing identity for more than 10,400 independent insurance agencies, brokerage firms, their branch locations and 53 leading insurance companies. 


Best Practices 
Agency Management Resources Now Available by E-Book Delivery

Join the growing list of agencies implementing Best Practices to help build success by understanding the past, analyzing the present and formulating a strategy for the future. The resources you need to get started are now available by e-book delivery. E-book delivery will save you time, money and provide immediate access. Just point, click, purchase and download to your computer. For more information on Best Practices, click here or e-mail BestPractices@iiaba.net.


InVEST
Registration Now Open for State Champion’s Workshop

Attend InVEST’s third annual State Champion’s Workshop and learn how to implement a high school and/or community college InVEST program from start to finish. InVEST staff, volunteers and educators will provide insightful information about how other programs across the nation began, and their lesson plans and activities. You will leave the workshop prepared to implement your first InVEST program at the high school or college level.

Association staff, carriers, independent agents and teachers are encouraged to attend this workshop focused on a stellar insurance literacy program. For more information, go to www.investprogram.org and click on the chair icon on the left-hand side of the page; or contact InVEST Program Manager Jennifer Robinson at 1-800-221-7917; jennifer.robinson@iiaba.net.


Best Practices
Prospecting in the New Century

With more work in the day and seemingly fewer hours to accomplish each task, it is important to make every prospect to count, making the best use of your time and energy. You want to accommodate requests, but how can you tell if it’s a legitimate opportunity before spending too much effort on it? You don’t want to devote hours of precious time to providing materials to prospects or conducting research, only to have them fall through. 

Best Practices knows finding customers isn’t what it used to be. So how do you find the right prospects for your agency? How do you sort out the suspects from the buyers with real potential? How do you prioritize your day so you can connect with the most people possible? In a brave new world, sometimes even the old fashion methods still work.

The Big “I” will present the “A New Look At Classic Insurance Sales Models” webinar series, beginning with “Prospecting In the New Century” at 2 p.m. EST, May 13. Two other sessions, “How Objections Help You Close The Deal” and “The Closing Toolkit” will follow in June and July. All three sessions will last 90 minutes and are based on skills taught in the highly successful Elite Force Sales Training class, which bestows graduates with the Associate in Insurance Production (AIP) designation. As an added value, each session purchase can be presented conference- style so others in the agency can participate. Click here to learn more about each session, the speaker and the Elite Force Sales Training class. For registration links and information on other webinar opportunities, click here.


Big “I” Markets 
New Function Available

Agents can now edit the consumer contact information for any quote detail already created in Big “I” Markets. Once you have logged on to Big “I” Markets, you will see “Update Consumer” in the administrative tools section located in the blue menu bar to the left. You will be taken to a screen where you can scroll through the first 15 personal and commercial customers, or click “search” to find more. Once you enter the updated information, simply click “save.” Contact Big “I” Markets at bigimarkets@iiaba.net if you have questions or need assistance.


Big “I” Markets
Student Housing Market Available

Student housing has traditionally been a difficult class to place in the standard market. Big “I” Market’s target market, whether located in an urban, rural or coastal location, includes accounts that are well-managed, well-maintained and controlled by experienced owners and management personnel. Any property with updates in the last 30 years is eligible.

Management 
The property owner/manager must have a minimum five years experience in renting to students and should be located in close proximity to the property. Property owners and management personnel should exercise a high level of supervision and security to provide students a safe place to live. The depth of the property owner’s management skills and experience is reflected in the pricing of the overall risk.

Security
Security is one of the most important issues in student housing. All exterior doors must be locked as well as the individual unit. The immediate grounds should contain adequate lighting inside and outside of the building to minimize the potential of criminal behavior and unnecessary loitering. Experienced property owners will not allow roof access by students and will visit the property regularly to monitor daily activity.

Limit of Liability Restrictions and Deductible Requirements
Student occupancy has a higher rate of building vandalism and “hard living” damage to structures. Big “I” Markets requires a separate $2,500 tenant vandalism deductible to limit its participation in a loss situation involving tenant vandalism. It restricts its business owners liability limit to $1,000,000/$2,000,000.

Restrictions:

• No porches or balconies more than 20 feet from the ground
• No fraternities or sororities
• No roof access by students
• Must have locked exterior and interior doors
• No working fireplaces or wood-burning stoves
• Must be well-lit inside and outside
• Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont agents please see state-specific requirements on Big “I” Markets. 

To access this market, log in to www.bigimarkets.com. Contact Aimee Fawns with questions at aimee.fawns@iiaba.net.


Big “I” Flood Program
National Flood Conference Date Set

The 26th annual National Flood Conference (NFC) is scheduled for April 19-22 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston.

Hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the NFC educates attendees about the benefits of flood insurance and motivates them to provide the public with critical information about preventing flood loss.

The NFC’s FloodSmart campaign is an integrated marketing campaign designed to educate and inform insurance agents, stakeholders, property owners and renters about financially protecting their homes and businesses from flood damage. Please visit the FloodSmart booth during exhibition hours for important information about promoting flood insurance to your customers and sign up to attend the FloodSmart workshops during the conference. The workshops cover various related topics, including: promoting preferred risk policies, a roundtable on communicating risk and retention in a down economy and an NFIP marketing update. The workshop schedule is as follows:

April 20, 2:45 – 4:15 p.m. - Promoting Preferred Risk Policies
April 21, 9 – 10:30 a.m. - Risk and Retention in a Down Economy
April 21, 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. - NFIP Marketing Update

For more information, visit the conference Web site. To learn about the Big “I” Flood Program, visit www.iiaba.com/Flood.


Big “I” Professional Liability
Agency Shield Program Offered

Swiss Re’s commercial insurance (underwritten by Westport Insurance) has developed an insurance agency E&O claims prevention consulting program exclusively for Swiss Re clients.

The Agency Shield Program™ (ASP™) was designed with all the tools you need to reduce E&O exposure, improve client service and build sustainable, profitable processes. In addition, upon completion of the ASP™, your agency is eligible for a 10% credit at your next insurance agency E&O renewal.

The program starts with an easy, yet comprehensive online survey about your agency’s processes and current risk exposures. After completion, Swiss Re’s ASP™ coordinators will assess your survey and develop a detailed action plan identifying areas of improvement in your current policies and procedures. The action plan includes a series of easy-to-implement steps and recommendations for reducing E&O exposure, strategies to ensure high-quality client service and counsel on ensuring compliance.

The goal of the ASP™ is to help your agency establish a standardized process that makes your E&O procedures focused and efficient throughout your agency, ultimately leading to better productivity and increased profits. For more information on the benefits of this exclusive benefit, including the cost to your agency, please contact your Big “I” state E&O administrator.