Now that we are in a new year, this is a common time for agencies to seriously consider their record retention schedule with plans to destroy some files that are no longer necessary. Most agencies have a set position on this. If your agency does not,...
While independent contractors have their role and can make major contributions to an agency, they can also be your biggest headache. For this reason, there needs to be strong management of these folks to ensure, among other things, that they are handling the various tasks following...
Imagine that you are looking to insure a nail salon (there is a specific reason why I am picking this type of business). You meet with the owner, and as expected, liability limits come up. This business has enjoyed a positive loss experience and currently...
How good is the hand-off in your agency? I am not a big track & field person (although I have run nine 15K races), but it isn't hard to appreciate the intricacies of many events and how timing and execution are often the key differentiators between...
I happened to Google this question, and not surprisingly, there was an article written on the subject. Although the article was from 2016 (the link is provided below), I seriously doubt the numbers are any better. There are many great statistics noted, but the bottom...
With golf season on the horizon, the subject of mulligans is sure to come up. In golf, a mulligan is a do-over. If a casual golfer (not a pro) hits a bad shot, they can call a mulligan and hit the shot over. The premise...
What do I mean by casual quotes? These are quotes provided to walk-in accounts or "prospects" that call the agency, or possibly current agency customers, who are essentially just looking for a number for a specific type of coverage. The exposure could be personal or...
Developing and maintaining a healthy Agents E&O culture is like cooking (although cooking is not my specialty). It often takes a lot of ingredients to make a great meal, but what is the one ingredient many people claim to be the difference in cooking? What...
While this may sound like common sense, it is amazing how often agency staff have no idea what the website and the promotional material say about the agency. They sometimes advise that they have seen it but seem to discount the messaging as "marketing fluff." When...
Over the last couple of years, the agency’s use of carrier proposals has become much more common. This trend is especially applicable with small commercial accounts or accounts in the personal lines division. Using the carrier proposal has several advantages, including: Greater efficiency. Retyping the carrier proposal onto the...