From the Woods, Rick Morgan Talks About Networking
June 29, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Aartrijk’s Rick Morgan loves to travel and spend time outdoors. While traveling the Pacific Northwest with his family and friends, he sat down and talked briefly about the importance of networking.
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 22: A Renewed Energy
June 28, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
“On Point, with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan” is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
Peter and Rick discuss the renewed energy and engagement they are seeing across the industry. For example, at the recent ACORD conference they noticed many new vendors and lots of younger folks in attendance. The exhibit hall was filled with activity and a renewed energy that had not been in evidence for several years.
Clearly, there is a realization that in spite of value of social social networking — face-to-face networking is still a critically important component in a successful business strategy. Perhaps associations, user groups, and others who hold conferences can learn from this. More than education and keynote speakers, it is the networking opportunity that may drive the events of the future.
More than their experience at several recent events, Peter and Rick are seeing a resurgence in confidence and a commitment to the independent agency system by agents, brokers and carriers alike. Yes, part of that is technology based. The growing implementation of Real Time is helping agents do business in a more efficient and effective way and social networking is giving them a whole new set of tools to help them build and strengthen relationships and more effective way to communicate with their community.
The podcast was published Monday, June 21, 2010. Run time is 15 minutes 6 seconds.
Real Lessons from Real Time
June 25, 2010 by Dave Willis · 2 Comments
By David Willis
Three years ago, when the Real Time/Download Campaign launched, Aartrijk staffers, in our Campaign communication leadership roles, fielded a range of Campaign Web site visitor queries, such as: “How much is this Real Time software you’re selling?” and “Where can I buy your Real Time product?” We’d explain that we weren’t selling anything and that Real Time was actually available in existing agency systems.
Today, we rarely get such questions. Most property and casualty insurance professionals understand that Real Time is a workflow—it’s the ability to click on a button from a client file in an agency management system or comparative rater and get immediate access to carrier info on that client. They recognize Eddie, the Campaign’s mascot, as a the friend of improved workflows and profitability. And they know how to access Real Time in their systems.
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 21: The Definition of Retirement Has Changed
June 24, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
“On Point, with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan” is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
This podcast is an interview with Sharon Emek, President and CEO of WAHVE.
Listen to Sharon as she shares here vision for this new company with Rick and Peter.
“The definition of retirement has changed. Consider two trends:
1) People who are “retired” from the insurance industry in the traditional sense (no longer going to an agency or a carrier to work in a management or professional position) still want to work, but under different working arrangements.
2) Those who are hiring in our industry now consider “retirees” as a prime market to fulfill their demand for a quality workforce for their businesses.
Matching up vintage workers (those people who have left the traditional workforce but want to work from their homes) with hiring managers is what this innovative new company is all about. The acronym “WAHVE” reflects the focus in placing “Work-At-Home Vintage Employees” with insurance organizations such as independent agencies.
As an insurance producer, I came to learn how vital agency staff people are to selling and servicing insurance clients. As an agency principal, I came to appreciate how precious quality performers are to running an insurance agency. Now, as the founder and CEO of WAHVE, I’m pleased that we can offer employees and principals the only remote domestic staffing option for insurance agents and brokers.” – Sharon Emek
The podcast was published Friday, June 4, 2010. Run time is 22 minutes 6 seconds.
Does a Good Brand Really Make Dollars and Sense?
Brand can be a “squishy” subject — it’s not concrete like product or overhead. With those you can attribute a certain cost and a definite return on investment. If you hire a new producer in an insurance agency, you know you’ll have overhead, but you expect that producer to bring in enough new business to cover the costs, and more. If you offer a product, you know what you’ll make in commissions.
With brand, you can see some of the costs — training, marketing, advertising, etc., but it’s often hard to quantify the impact on your bottom line.
What Agents Want
June 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
By Kevin Jenné
Movie lovers may remember Mel Gibson’s gaining the ability to read women’s minds in “What Women Want.” And we market researchers sometimes wish for this kind of direct insight. Living in the real world, when we want to know what people want, we turn to our research tools: surveys, interviews and focus groups.
And in a recent survey of 1,498 independent insurance agents, we validated what many industry leaders already know: among all the important factors that agents consider when choosing their “go-to” carriers for personal lines, claims service quality matters most. Not technology, not their own agency compensation – but the service their clients get from insurance carriers.