Daily sales & marketing tips for insurance professionals

If you’ve not heard, residents in Fairfield, Conn. have been living in fear of Lewis the cat–a black and white feline with extra toes and “formidable” claws.

His razor sharp claws, in combination with his “catlike stealth” has earned him a restraining order, reports Boston.com, after using his skills to attack half a dozen people and ambush an Avon lady as she got out of her car.

According to Boston.com, most of Lewis’ victims received bite wounds and scratches, which had to be treated at area hospitals. And, after receiving his restraining order, Lewis was placed on house arrest–forbidden from leaving his home.

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I have a confession to make: I’m fascinated by Risk Management Solutions. I was totally enamored with their 2004 report of the Top 10 Greatest Risks (which identified the greatest risks/threats to the U.S.) and I’m interested with just about every study they come out with. And I’m just a copywriter. I don’t even assess risk for a living!

Which is why I’m guessing that some of you P&C agents are more than excited about the 2006 Risk Management Solutions Conference, which will be held a stone’s throw away from the InsureMe office in Colorado Springs.

The itinerary looks jam packed, with breakout sessions on hurricane and earthquake modeling, new risk management software and new European risk modeling, just to name a few. It looks like the optional activities are also going to be pretty awesome–attendants can choose from participating in the RMS golf tournament, a mountain bike tour, a hike through the Garden of the Gods…all good things.

If any of you guys and gals attend the conference, be sure to get back to us with your impressions and fun anecdotes so I can live vicariously through you. Because something tells me copywriters aren’t allowed at fun RMS conferences. Or maybe I could get in as “press”…

If I piqued your interest, click here to learn more about the conference. The “early bird” deadline is March 31 (tomorrow!) but perhaps if you ask nicely, they’ll work something out for you.

The insurance industry “lags behind” in web site performance, this according to the recent Internet Standards Assessment Report (ISAR), which evaluated over 9,700 Web sites in more than 80 industries over the last decade.

According to the Insurance Journal’s report, the insurance industry has “underperformed the overall industry benchmark in six of the past nine years.” The common affliction of insurance web sites seems to be lack of innovation, which William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association (the company behind the ISAR report), blames on the “conservative nature and risk adverseness of the industry.”

Rice goes on to say:

Many insurance companies were late in developing dynamic Web sites because they generally relied on a sales force to sell their products. Insurance sites still tend to be more focused on the agent and broker community rather than the end consumer.

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Monster.com’s technology folks sent me an interesting feature article today on the subject of “life hacks”. (I’d love to provide you with a link, but sadly readership is subscription-based.)

For those of you who haven’t heard of life hacks, they’re practical tips for increasing productivity and organization in the workplace. And, according to Monster, the term also refers to a larger movement of finding simple ways to manage complex tasks.

With that definition in mind, life hacks can be anything from software tools to ideas that keep you productive. For example, responding only to urgent email before noon is a life hack, as is Ta-da Lists, an online to-do organizer, which receives a hat tip from Monster.

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Before I came to work for InsureMe, I had actually never heard of an insurance shopping service. Like most consumers, insurance didn’t excite me, and I considered shopping for insurance about as exciting as watching paint dry (which, by the way, I’ll also be doing soon as I purchase and move into a new home…but that’s another story).

Just a few days ago, I got a fresh perspective on the true value InsureMe provides both consumers and agents when I decided to shop my own insurance rates through my employer’s Web site at InsureMe.com.

You know that new home I mentioned? Well, it requires insurance in order to close the sale, and I just haven’t been satisfied with the rates I’ve been paying my current insurer. But I was hesitant to leave the company because of the great customer service I’d always received. I thought there must be another company out there that could give me lower rates and the service I needed, too.

I was right–and I found it from an independent broker on the InsureMe network.

Within literally hours of submitting my quote request, I heard back from said broker, who got right to work looking for the policies to fit my needs (on a Saturday even!). He was courteous, professional, and took care of everything for me. In fact, he made shopping my insurance an enjoyable experience!

I figured it would take several days to weed through all the information insurers would provide, make sure I understood all my options, and find affordable policies for my new home and family cars (which seemed to be costing me an arm and a leg every month to cover).

But man, was I surprised when, within 48 hours, I had great policies with phenomenal rates, a new relationship with a leading insurer, all the paperwork sent directly to my new mortgage company for me–and savings of almost $200 a month on my insurance bill!

And that broker was just as excited to hear from me. He said I was “every agent’s dream,” which didn’t hurt my feelings any. With our mutual transaction, he made money, I saved a bundle, and we’re both ecstatic! In fact, I’ve already referred two friends and family members to him as a result of his outstanding service, and he’s looking to make some real serious bucks off me (and I get a gift card for the referrals as a bonus!).

Whether you’re an agent looking for money-making leads or a consumer who’d like to save more on your insurance, I can now personally recommend InsureMe.com. It’s no longer just my employer…it’s my new-found financial freedom.

OK, I’ll shut up now. But I think that jingle in my pocket is calling my name, so this calls for a real celebration….want to join me? :)

Following 2005’s hurricane season, thousands of cars began flooding (pun intended) used car lots all over the nation.

South Dakota’s attorney general is now joining the ranks of authorities warning citizens to purchase used cars cautiously, reports today’s Insurance Journal. Those who unknowingly buy one of these vehicles may face costly repairs or dangerous malfunctions of major operational systems.

Although I’ve never experienced it (and hope I never have to!), losing my brakes or having my car come to a dead stop in early-morning traffic is not my idea of a good time.

So what effect do all these flooded cars have on the insurance industry?

They represent a glut of potential claims–big ones.

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There’s an interesting story today over at the Insurance News Network, regarding the daunting task ahead for insurers in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana. Only this time, the spotlight is on the health insurance industry, not the property and casualty folks.

The daunting task? Rebuilding provider networks after losing thousands of members in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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It’s my personal opinion that life’s much too short to spend it playing Mr. or Mz. Serious all the time. And no matter how much you love your job, come Friday, most of us are ready to unwind and enjoy the weekend.

It’s for this reason that I’m going to leave most of my Agent blog rhetoric for the first four days of the workweek, and post only about the peculiar on Fridays. The goal? I don’t really have one. Just to make you laugh, furrow your brow or ask aloud, “Um, what?”

So to get this thing off the ground, I’ve got two peculiar postings for you. Yes, two. What can I say, I’m excited. :)

First up: Pop-Tarts are not Flame-retardant

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Insurers nationwide are bracing themselves for losses in the tens of millions of dollars following the recent barrage of tornadoes in the Midwest.

According to Insurance Newsnet, “Initial reports pegged the number of storms-which hit Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma-at more than 100,” although the actual number of tornadoes involved has not yet been confirmed.

The Arkansas Insurance Department estimates that its state alone suffered a total of $25.5 million in insured losses. Other states have been declared disaster areas, but have not yet estimated total losses.

One insurer alone, American Family, is processing more than 10,000 claims as a result of the storms, as reported in a recent statement by that company.

What’s on tap for the remainder of the spring season? Only time will tell. But I have a feeling insurers will be digging deep in their coffers to cover the losses.

After pondering yesterday in my post the honesty of mankind, I found myself wondering if maybe I was giving our species too much credit. After all, one has only to read the daily newspaper or watch the evening news to see how we rob, cheat and steal one another blind–over and over again.

But this morning over coffee, I read another inspiring story that reinforced my faith in my fellow man. You may have seen this one yourself, but if you haven’t, you’ve got to check it out!

It goes like this: amongst the ruins of a hurricane-damaged home in New Orleans, a college student recently spent her spring break cleaning up Hurricane Katrina’s mess. When the girl discovered some unusual papers she thought were garbage in an air conditioner vent, she began raking them out so she could throw them away. But when she bent down to pick them up, she discovered they were actually a stack of $100 bills.

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