Recently, after a whirlwind of a year, Astonish Results CEO, Adam DeGraide and President, Tim Sawyer, had the opportunity to sit down together and reflect upon some of the common themes they saw while talking to insurance agencies.

 It’s obvious that as technology changes so must the approach taken by agents. Sawyer commented on the mindset that today’s agencies seem to have, stating: “they discovered that they can drive traffic; they can increase the quantity and quality of traffic to their websites and they can get more sales opportunities,” – sounds like a movement in the right direction. Well not entirely, “the reality is that ultimately is not going to fix anything,” Sawyer responded.

 So what will?

“Train you people,” Sawyer said. It’s the common thread Astonish Results has seen from all agency leaders they have met with this year. Both Sawyer and DeGraide couldn’t stress enough the importance of the right people, process and tools and how all of that must flow cohesively with proper, effective training.

“Just because someone has been in the insurance industry for 20-years doesn’t mean they are great at serving the modern consumer,” Sawyer explained. Agents must be trained in a way that they aren’t just told how to do something; they must be shown, in addition to being provided feedback and benchmarking. It all comes down to a “comprehensive, consistent training system,” according to the Astonish President.

DeGraide had a lot of insight to share as well, including the vital ingredient that all agencies should be focusing on, “how well do you communicate effectively with the modern consumer”. DeGraide explained how many people think that marketing their company and selling more policies are results that will spawn from the use of “widgets” and “gadgets”; something the Astonish CEO proves is very untrue.

“Technology will be different next year. The thing that will never change though, is that if you have a good process of training your people on how to sell and serve the modern consumer and you’re willing to go through the pain of what that actually takes to listen to phone calls, to actually monitor what’s actually going on in your business, then these agencies can literally change their lives”.

Like Sawyer, DeGraide highlights how vital detailed training is to the success of the modern agency. He also has high expectations for the upcoming year and the field of insurance marketing as a whole. “What I find really encouraging is that they are starting to get it. They realize what the investment is, they realize what the cost is and most importantly they train their people to convert opportunities into sales”. 

As the needs of the modern consumer evolve so do those of the agencies providing them with insurance; it’s all relative to the Astonish “find, keep, sell” method and that cannot be achieved without thorough onsite training.

Terminating a worker is one of the toughest tasks an employer is forced to do but can be absolutely necessary for sustained success in today’s competitive insurance marketplace. You just can’t afford to have dead weight draining resources and/or morale. With unemployment as high it’s been in decades, there are plenty of qualified candidates seeking work, so if you’re looking to replace stale experience with invigorating enthusiasm, now is a good time.

Nothing about the firing process is pleasant. How you arrive at the decision and best practices during the actual process are where many employers, insurance industry and otherwise, fall short.

THE WARNING: Before the decision is even made, the most important part of the process is giving the employee a window to change their ways. Lack of performance is a much less tangible offense than stealing, workplace harassment or extended absences, and letting someone go for performance often results in hard feelings (or lawsuits). Have you given this person radiant reviews and generous raises in the past? If yes, they might be completely shocked to learn of their termination and react accordingly. Make sure you’ve sent clear warnings, even a written memo, to ensure they understand failure to meet expectations will result in termination.

THE TIMING: Despite popular thought, Friday is the WORST day to fire an employee. Entrepreneur.com explains the reasoning this way, “Never fire someone on a Friday, because then they can “stew about it” over the weekend and come into work the following Monday ready for a fight, or even worse.” If you do fire on a Friday, get keys, credit card and any other company property and make sure the employee understands; once they leave for the weekend, they are not permitted on the premises without consent.

THE ENCOUNTER: When the face-to-face finally occurs, don’t get bogged down in long-winded explanations about failed objectives or allow yourself to get emotional. Discuss the situation from a business and logistical standpoint focusing on severance pay (if any), when they’re expected to leave the office and any benefits-related matters. It’s best to have them leave the office immediately after gathering personal belongings.

THE LEVERAGE: Getting a signed release of liability (drafted by a lawyer) can be vital if you’re worried about a discrimination claim. Since the person doesn’t have to sign it, adding an incentive for signing, like an extra week of severance pay, can be worth it in the face of a lawsuit. Liability form or not, it’s rarely a good idea to contest unemployment benefits. The resulting court encounter can benefit potential wrongful termination suits and you’re more than likely going to be paying the benefits anyways. Riskvue provides a comprehensive article on creating an airtight Employee Termination Agreement.

THE AFTER-EFFECTS: Eliminate the chance of a co-worker mutiny by immediately alerting all other employees of the termination and letting them know what to do should someone call or email the ex-worker. Dole out new responsibilities and use the time to emphasize how much the company and each individual’s success means to you personally and that it’s a move for the betterment of the agency.

No matter how much you prepare, there’s no predicting how an employee will react to termination, so it’s best to keep the entire process as concise and professional as possible. It can be the most stressful part of managing an agency but there’s simply too much competition  to let dead weight bring your business down.

To many, Martin Luther King Day is nothing more than one-third of a three-day weekend. Dr. King’s significance has been diluted over the years as the generations of people who were directly affected or influenced by the civil rights leader grow fewer and fewer, but his message remains as powerful and important as ever. 
Dr. King spoke often of a “Beloved Community” achieved through nonviolence and service to one another. He taught that problems such as hunger and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination could be overcome if American citizens worked towards a common goal and didn’t let ideological differences get in the way.

While insurance agents are not generally drivers of social change, they are essential to the concept of a Beloved Community. By working with people who have experienced catastrophic, life-changing events agents often assume the face of recovery in the eyes of customers, a vital role in any community.

The recent earthquake in Haiti created the need for unbelievable amounts of food, water and medical supplies, but more importantly, the need for people to step up in the wake of a tragedy. Family Insurance Services (FIS), an independent agency with offices throughout Miami recognized the impact on their community. Working with one of their insurance providers, Family Insurance Services set up their main Miami office as a drop-off location for donations while coordinating with a non-profit called Hope for Haiti to advise people who wanted to make monetary donations.

Even without clients in Haiti, FIS understands how important the Haitian community is to Miami and how insurance marketing and day to day operations are trivial in the face of such devastation. This mentality is what separates a regular insurance agency from one dedicated to their Beloved Community.

Two quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reflect the sentiments represented in this post:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” 

Family Insurance Services could have ignored the call to action and gone about business as usual, processing claims, writing policies and strategies for 2010. Instead, they felt compelled to, “…walk in the light of creative altruism,” and answer the call of their Beloved Community. 

Insurance Marketing HQ challenges you to do the same in 2010.

Last year, Pear Analytics issued a report saying 40% of tweets are Pointless Babble. However, when used correctly, Twitter can be a valuable resource for insurance agents to monitor industry chatter, build a knowledge base and even generate organic leads with minimal but sustained effort.

Because it is such a minimalist social network, accurate statistics about Twitter usage are hard to come by, so playing the numbers game is tough. The best support from a usage perspective comes from the trusted folks at Nielsen who state:

“Twitter.com was the fastest-growing Web brand in May 2009, increasing 1,448 percent year over- year, from 1.2 million unique visitors in May 2008 to 18.2 million in 2009…The average time per person on Twitter increased 175 percent year-over-year, from 6 minutes and 19 seconds in May 2008 to 17 minutes and 21 seconds in May 2009.”

These numbers paint a prosperous picture of growth. But when contrasted against the 40% babble factor, Twitter can simultaneously be viewed as an endless stream of knowledge and networking opportunities or a colossal time-suck dedicated to people sharing what they had for breakfast.

To help decide whether Twitter is right for your insurance business, it’s best to ask yourself a few questions?

If the answer to all five questions is YES, congratulations, you’re ready to start conquering the world 140 characters at a time. If you’re still cloudy, take some time to reflect and get to your happy place. It might never be the right time, and that’s OK.

Use it or ignore it, Twitter is a major part of the communications landscape for the indefinite future. But it is NOT the end-all, be-all insurance marketing solution. It needs nurturing and support from a more robust marketing plan that includes search engine optimization, community building and effective web strategy that generates leads while positioning your business as a trusted resource for insurance-related knowledge.

When used correctly, Twitter can reach potential clients in a personal and resourceful way that positions you as a local “thought-leader” in the realm of insurance. When used incorrectly, people will know you had toast for breakfast.

Yesterday’s 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is a stark reminder of how fragile our society is in the wake of a natural disaster. According to a report by the AP’s Jonathan Katz, the earthquake was the most powerful to hit the island nation since 1770 and the capital of Port-au-Prince was all but leveled, including the National Palace and headquarters of U.N. Peacekeepers.

The immediate concern is locating survivors in the mountains of rubble, a monumental task considering the sheer scope of damage in a nation with virtually no building codes. A disaster of this magnitude will require an indefinite recovery process made more difficult by destroyed communication lines and inadequate infrastructure.

Despite the tragedy occurring within the last 24 hours, recovery efforts have already started, many spurned by the internet and social web. The Red Cross working with the White House posted the following update within 12 hours of the disaster and other agencies were quick to follow.

• @Whitehouse (official Twitter feed) – Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to @RedCross relief efforts in #Haiti. Learn more: http://bit.ly/6KiRtE  
• Oxfam – A UK based charity with a long-term presence in Haiti set up a splash page where donors can easily contribute to the recovery. Oxfam spokesperson Louis Belanger can also be heard on the site explaining how resources will be moved from the regional headquarters in Panama and the difficulties of recovery.  Future reports will be posted from within Haiti’s borders.
• UNICEF – Despite damage to its offices in Haiti, the agency is poised to deliver resources, also posting a splash page for making donations and highlighting the plight of children in the country, “Four out of every ten children live in homes with mud floors or in severely overcrowded conditions, with more than five people living in each room. With an estimated 46% of the population currently under the age of 18, the struggle of Haitian children reverberates throughout society, and one that is bound to have serious consequences far into the future.” 
• @NYTimes – Set up a Twitter list of people in the country who are providing real-time photos and reports from the streets

The U.S. is certainly better equipped to handle devastation, but if Hurricane Katrina taught us anything, it’s that you can never fully prepare for a natural disaster. An event lasting hours or even minutes can forever alter how and where people live.

As independent insurance agents, you owe it to customers to be as prepared as possible with the right communications tools should such an event occur. Having a crisis plan and understanding what needs to be done when faced with a massive influx of claims will allow you to be a supportive presence for customers looking for some kind of stability. An updated agency website, blog or even twitter feed can be vital for communication and recovery efforts.

Besides making yourself available to customers, what else goes into an insurance crisis plan?

IMHQ highly encourages you to donate to the Red Cross or other recovery efforts. Even $10 makes a difference.