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In most agencies, holding customers accountable seems to be one of the bigger frustrations. Have you ever thought or said "why is it always our fault when a customer has a loss that is not covered? They knew that they didn't have that coverage." For agents serious about minimizing the potential of their agency facing an E&O claim, achieving a high level of customer accountability is a great goal to strive for. To achieve this goal may require some hard work and some new initiatives. Documentation is a key but documentation is more than just words in the system. Any agency will be hard pressed to hold their customers accountable without a file that is well documented. However, documentation by itself will not get it done. Agents need to fully understand that when an E&O claim happens, the E&O carrier will look to secure the actual file in question (paper or electronic) to see what it looks like and what it contains. Solid documentation that is handled promptly, is accurate and professional will make the E&O carrier's job much easier. Conversely, a file with sketchy documentation could prove to be a problem in an E&O matter. Effective handling of client interactions is very important. Every day, customers are asking questions, modifying coverages, etc. The questions (and the answers provided) should be fully documented in the agency management system. In addition, requests to delete or decline coverage or to modify coverage in some manner should be documented as well. But documentation only in the system may not be enough. The agency should have a procedure for confirming / memorializing the discussion. Without this, mistakes can occur. Possibly, what the agency heard is not what the customer requested or possibly what the customer advised is not what they really meant. Let's take the scenario that the agency has provided a personal lines umbrella proposal and the customer calls to advise your agency that they are not going to purchase this coverage. W

Do you 'throw away' too many referrals? A producer I was working with was ecstatic one hot summer day because he had just obtained 10 referrals from a client. I was excited too and the producer was going to begin working those new referrals right away. Well, in tracking the success of those 10 referrals, only one got written. Is that good or just normal? Let's just say, both of us felt it should have been better. So, analyzing what took place led to the following results: * 2 were not reachable; the producer never connected with the decision-maker. * 2 were messy businesses that the producer realized would be declined if submitted * 3 had strong to severe loss issues * 1 failed to provide all the needed information * 1 was presented, but not sold * 1 was sold Could this one out of 10 scenario have been prevented? That is what we took it upon ourselves to evaluate. The first evaluation made was really there were only three the producer was either able to, or wanted to, quote. So, of that group, he was really one for three. But, what about the rest of the referrals - the ones not quoted? Preventable? In our analysis, many of those were preventable so that you wouldn't end up with 70 percent being "thrown away." The two that the producer was unable to reach were determined to be a problem based on the "introduction" he got from his client to those two prospects. (Note: You do ask to be introduced, don't you, when you obtain a referral?) The person calling their customer (our prospect) from the business was not someone known to them and thus, the call carried little weight. It was not a powerful introduction; it wasn't even a lukewarm introduction, so it was not surprising the producer couldn't get an appointment following that call. The five that were either messy businesses or had heavy losses weren't quality businesses. Was that the luck of the draw and he just accepted that when he asked for referrals, or could

So tell me if this has ever happened to you in your office: you get a telephone call from a prospect, or perhaps it was an email lead that you obtained via your "Get an auto or homeowners quote" button on your agency website or Facebook fan page, and immediately either you and/or a member of your agency staff spring into action!

In our more than thirty years of experience with small and mid-sized agencies, we have seen the critical importance to agencies of profit sharing or supplemental compensation. Whether called profit sharing, contingency income, bonus or supplemental compensation - this additional compensation is for many agencies the Principal's take home pay at year end. And, in this ongoing soft market when revenues are down for many agencies, supplemental compensation becomes even more vital.

Buying a life insurance is the best way to protect your loved ones. It's the most important financial decision anyone would make for his or her family. If the person is the only breadwinner in the family, then he should get a life insurance to secure his or her family from the financial constraints in the future.

Having a Perpetuation Plan for your agency is like having a personal Last Will & Testament. Everyone knows they should have one but many people put off creating one to avoid having to make difficult or complex decisions, or because they simply don't want to think about when they won't be around. Just as dying without a will leaves one's family in jeopardy, not properly preparing for the perpetuation of your agency leaves your fellow employees in jeopardy AND it puts YOUR RETIREMENT in jeopardy as well.

What is a Prospect Pipeline Iroquois groupA prospect pipeline is the term loosely used to describe all the contacts a producer is actively working on and moving from one stage in the sales process to another. It typically resides in some form of software program the agency has or is kept in a manual list form. Stages in the sales process are defined differently by different agencies, but generally include terms like "initial contacts, qualified leads, initial diagnostic appointments made, solution proposals delivered, sales won, or sales lost." The prospect pipeline usually shows the potential revenue expected from each sale, the products potentially to be sold, the probability of the sales (as a percentage), the date and explanation for the latest status, and the timing for the next step in moving towards the sale.

A Safeco umbrella policy provides an additional layer of liability protection that can be used with any Safeco policy or a policy from another insurance company, including boat, motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile. It kicks in when the underlying or primary policy doesn't provide sufficient liability protection.

Travel insurance plans mostly cover medical expenses, personal accident, baggage lost, theft, loss of passport and cancellation. It protects you from any damage or loss you may face during your trip including natural calamities or man-made calamities which are often unpredictable and can happen at any given time.

Policy BazaarTravel insurance plans cover medical expenses, personal accident, baggage lost, theft, loss of passport and cancellation. It protects you from any damage or loss you may face during your trip including natural calamities or man-made calamities.

There are numerous things to consider and evaluate when looking around for the best commercial auto insurance. To safeguard the business against liability and loss following an accident, theft, or another disastrous occurrence, this coverage is essential for companies that own vehicles or even send staff out on errands in their vehicles.

Business owners take all possible steps to ensure customer satisfaction. One of the most successful and recommended strategies in this regard is to begin with a virtual receptionist service. This service brings in extra representatives for a business and eases the lives of the customers. When the customers have questions or queries to be answered or any problems to be solved, they try to reach the authoritative body telephonically and it is not uncommon for them for not having to been able to do so. This is where the need for virtual receptionists comes in. Virtual receptionists are basically persons who work for the customer support but do not work from the office or any specified location.

We've heard some agents say selling insurance is an art. Others say it's a science. So which is it - art or science?

Need high risk merchant accounts or Internet merchant accounts? That we speak with Amslv.com about opening a new domestic merchant account.

Have you been using a low or high risk merchant account? Are you aware of the various fees involved? Let's find out.

This article shows You'll notice a constantly growing number of high-risk businesses that either require or already have high-risk merchant accounts.

Many businesses face these situations due to some reason or the other and are entitled under the match list.