Special Report: Maximize Your People, Processes and Systems to Increase Sales PIA National Agency Marketing Guide2013 Brought to you by these sponsors: A Berkshire Hathaway Company A product of the PIA Branding Program AMS360® Online Pipeline Manager Benefi tPoint® ReferenceConnect® ® We’re bringing it all together. WorkSmart Vertafore Agency Platform™ Engage™ Producer Plus® PL Rating™ AgencyEDGE ™ An insurance agency competing in today’s market needs more than a management system. Vertafore Agency Platform™ brings together best-of-breed insurance software products to create a cloud-based solution that helps every member of your team succeed, whether they are on the road or in the offi ce. The business of insurance is changing—it’s time for your software to change too. See how much more Vertafore Agency Platform has to offer your agency. Visit vertafore.com/together for more information. © 2013 Vertafore, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Trademarks contained herein are owned by Vertafore, Inc. elcome to the fourth edition of the PIA National Agency Marketing Guide! The 2013 edition of this PIA Branding Program publication focuses on helping agency owners and managers get the most out of three things that make up a Wgreat deal of every agency: the people, the processes and the systems. People, processes and systems are the pillars upon which much of the success of your agency depends. When one fails, the footing of the entire agency comes into question. When they work in harmony, great things are possible. I hope our authors’ take on how you can get the most out of your people, processes and systems inspires you to make positive changes in your agency. The 2013 Agency Marketing Guide follows three previous editions. The 2012 publication pro- vided a road map for profitably including personal lines insurance in your agency. In 2011 we helped agents understand how they could successfully use the Internet to market their ser- vices. The inaugural edition of the Agency Marketing Guide, published in 2010, featured the Agents’ Guide to Social Media. All four editions of the Agency Marketing Guide are available online at www.PIAAgencyMarketingGuide.com. PIA National would like to extend a special thank you to the sponsors of the 2013 PIA National Agency Marketing Guide: Astonish, Bankers Financial Corporation, Rough Notes and Seaworthy Insurance Company. Please join me in thanking these sponsors. Best wishes and happy marketing! Andrew C. Harris, CIC, CPCU, ARM, AIS, CRM President National Association of Professional Insurance Agents Table of Contents Sponsors: Features: Seaworthy Insurance Company . pages 4-5 Is Inbound Marketing Really the Magic Bullet? by Michael Jans . page 26 Rough Notes. pages 6-7 25 Ways to Grow Your Independent Agency Astonish . pages 8-9 by Alan Shulman. page 28 Bankers Financial Corporation . pages 10-11 Leaving Commodityville Special Report: Maximize Your People, Processes and by David Connolly. page 30 Systems to Increase Sales Consumers Continue to Value Agents Cultivating the Basic Ingredient When Buying Insurance by Nancy Doucette ........................... page 12 by Bill Jenkins . page 32 Producer Acquisition, Compensation, Motivation Marketing 101 – Back to the Basics and Management by George Nordhaus . page 34 by Al Diamond . page 14 Social Media Trends: Leadership: It All Starts With a Vision Will Your Old PC Become the New T. Rex? by Kitty Ambers. page 16 by Ted Janusz ................................. page 36 Make More Money by Fixing Your Agency’s Why Google+ Should Be Part of Your Agency’s Follow-up Failure Online Strategy by Steve Anderson ............................ page 18 by Matthew Marko ........................... page 38 Sales Tactics From the Trenches: Top Insurance Web Site Marketing Tips for Success in What’s Working for Agencies Search Engines by Adam DeGraide. page 20 by Gary Savelli ................................ page 38 A Prescription for Success: 10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Niche Marketing How to Act Like an Insurance Salesperson by Michael Jans . page 40 by John Graham .............................. page 22 Podcasting: The Secret Weapon to Growing More Than an Agency Management System Your Insurance Agency by Bruce Winterburn. page 24 by Ryan Hanley ............................... page 41 OFFERING MARINE PRODUCTS FOR YOUR CLIENTS? YOU COULD BE MISSING THE BOAT With over 10 Million Registered Boats in the U.S., make sure you’re writing your share with Boat and Yacht products from Seaworthy Insurance. THE SEAWORTHY ADVANTAGE: Policy Options for Recreational Boats, Yachts, Super Yachts, and Charter Boats Competitive Rates and Broad Coverage Options Web-based Management System – Agents Rate and Quote in One Easy Step Low Premium Volume Commitment Exceptional Claims Service Provided 24/7 by Boating Experts Dock Your Boat Client Here 4 2013 PIA National Agency Marketing Guide PIA Spread_4c_8x10.5 SinglePages.indd 1 4/29/13 5:18 PM AM Best Rated A+ for Financial Strength and Security, and backed by Berkshire Hathaway, Seaworthy Insurance is the premier provider of specialty marine insurance for boaters nationwide. We feature products developed for boaters, by boaters, and our state-of-the-art online management tools make it easy for agents to build and manage their own direct book of boat and yacht business. “You have gone over and above what I consider to be the general level of a company’s response to their agents. Your assistance has been vital in allowing me to provide a high level of service to my customers.” — Rick Linale, Kings Bay Insurance If you have an insurance agency and are interested in adding marine insurance to your products, call Suzanne Redden or visit us online. 1-877-580-2628 Seaworthyinsurance.com AM BEST RATED A+, SEAWORTHY INSURANCE COMPANY WAS ESTABLISHED IN ANNAPOLIS, MD IN 1989. 2013 PIA National Agency Marketing Guide 5 PIA Spread_4c_8x10.5 SinglePages.indd 2 4/29/13 5:18 PM IS FOR EVERY AGENCY Producer Online is for the AGENCY committed to: n Practicing agency risk management n Offering insurance coverage training principles to its staff n Protecting itself from E&O exposures n Delivering account development n Providing faster access to coverage training to its producers and technical information to its staff n Creating effective mail or e-mail n Increasing revenue and profit campaigns n n Improving retention Having the best and most knowledgeable team of professionals n Using a consistent method for documenting client information n Providing easy to use tools that teach new producers the right way to collect all the critical data n Sending professionally written letters to prospects and clients n Providing customer focused content for its Web site For more information or a one-on-one demo contact: Nancy Lynch Margaret Rhodes 800.428.4384 ext.1096 800.428.4384 ext.1029 Service available Monday — Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST 6 2013 PIA National Agency Marketing Guide provides the tools to help every agency grow. Producer Online is for the PRODUCER and ACCOUNT MANAGER committed to: n Being better prepared, better equipped, n Researching appropriate coverages quickly and ready to hit the ground running n Preparing your renewals accurately with n Possessing specific knowledge of your the personal lines pre-renewal questionnaire prospect’s operations and exposures n Accessing the right markets for specialty before your first meeting risks and high value “toys” from your computer n Sharpening your technical skills n Explaining complicated insurance terms n Demonstrating your insight using in language your customers can understand real court cases and decisions n Keeping all the facts and information about your clients organized n Producing risk specific lists of questions to ask and information to gather before you quote n Printing an ACORD® application when you need it—anytime, anywhere n Adding depth to your book of business n Composing business correspondence with ease Special PIA first year price and annual renewal $500.00 Monthly installment billing available E-mail Orders: [email protected] Fax Orders: 800-321-1909 2013 PIA National Agency Marketing Guide 7 The Best Friend of the Local Agent! 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