FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010 

                                                Big “I” National News


Big “I” News
Want to Improve Your Bottom Line?
CEO speaks out on ways the Big “I” can help navigate a soft market.

If your agency is struggling with the twin effects of a struggling economy and a soft market, the Big “I” has tools you can use right now to help improve your bottom line. Click here to listen to Big “I” President and CEO Bob Rusbuldt talk about what the Big “I” is doing to help your agency thrive.


Best Practices
Arm Your Agency with Best Practices Tools
Get strategies for thriving in a difficult environment.

Since 1993, the annual Best Practices Study has served as a tool to help agency owners and managers understand how their business operations perform and measure up to the top performing firms across the country. It’s a must-have for agencies that want to become the best they can be through soft markets, hard markets and an ever-changing industry. The Best Practices Study “Tool Set” (which includes the 2007 Best Practices Study, 2008 Best Practices Study Update and the 2009 Best Practices Study Update) demonstrates that although positive revenue growth was difficult to achieve, Best Practices agencies continued to invest in new production talent.

To order the Best Practices Study “Tool Set,” click here to download an order form or to purchase the e-books. For more information, e-mail BestPractices@iiaba.net.


Young Agents
Goaalll!!! Become a Priceless Member of the Team
Young Agents conference provides tools to improve workflow, marketing, social media and more.

While it may come more than once every four years, the Big “I” Young Agents Leadership Institute has quite the fan following. Why all the fanfare? Young agents have been attending the event for the past five years to gain valuable leadership and sales skills while networking with peers and industry leaders. Valuable take-aways are the name of the game, and this year attendees will learn about workflow, marketing, social media and more. Being a valuable member of your agency team is priceless, and keynote speaker Bodine Balasco will teach agents how to tap the power of the creative process to create better results in their agencies. Whether it’s increasing sales, marketing smarter or gaining a better understanding of the carrier perspective—this event will help you reach your goals. This year, agents will gather Sept. 24-25 at the Fairmont San Francisco. Register early and you may be able to get better rates on flights. REGISTER TODAY!


Future One
Respond Now to the 2010 Future One Agency Universe Study 
Survey closes on June 28.

The 2010 Agency Universe Study is underway, and your input is needed for this important research effort. The study will provide critical information for the independent agency system, the Big “I” and for insurance carriers. Future One, a cooperative effort of the Big “I” and more than 20 leading independent agency companies, has conducted this research since 1983. The Big “I” has retained TRC, an independent market research firm, to carry out the survey and ensure the quality and confidentiality of all participant data. Over the past 30 years, the study has gathered information and opinions from a wide variety of agency principals and managers nationwide. The information has helped the association and carrier partners better respond to the needs of the independent agency system. The 2010 Agency Universe Study will take a look at the role of social networking in agency operations, as well as a variety of other innovations and challenges affecting today’s business.

Agencies that were invited to participate but that hadn’t done so recently received an e-mail reminder. The e-mail contained a link to the website where each participant can complete the survey online. Please consider participating by clicking on the link to share your opinions. The survey will take less than 30 minutes to complete, and your responses are completely confidential. The findings will help the Big “I” and carriers provide the products and support you need the most to continue to succeed. The survey will be open until 9:00 a.m. on June 28, 2010.

For more information or about the 2010 Agency Universe Study, contact Madelyn Flannagan (madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net), Big “I” vice president of agent development, research and education.


Virtual University
Explore Summer and Related Insurance Issues
Learn about trip cancellation, condo rentals and more on the Virtual University.

Summertime can bring many things: vacations and travel, sunburn and poison ivy, weddings, moving, houseguests, cookouts, rental cars, jet skis—and many insurance questions. The Big “I” Virtual University article “Summertime Blues” presents some of the more common summertime activities and the insurance issues that they bring. Choosing from topics such as trip cancellation/travel insurance, personal property of an insured, personal property of guests, vacation rentals, landlord’s personal property, rental cars—liability and more, the analysis includes both the ISO H0-1991 Program, the ISO HO-2000 Program, and the ISO 2005 PAP. Click here to review the entire article, available through the Virtual University Research Library.

If you haven’t yet visited, the Virtual University research library is divided into three main sections: insurance, business and technology. To learn more about what is available within each area, visit here. The VU is your “Just In Time...Anytime” member benefit, and login and password is required to access the information.

For more information on the VU, contact Bill Wilson (bill.wilson@iiaba.net), Big “I” director of the Virtual University.