Let’s Talk

The ways that agents talk to one another are changing-a result of a developing profession that demands a lot more attention and time in the saddle. As commissions dropped with soft premiums, it made more sense for agents, producers and principles to stick around the office than to network at industry functions. Conference participation is on the decline, and now that continuing education can be accomplished online, even that isn’t a reliable source of networking.

But agents need to talk, as do CSRs, account executives and managers. You need to talk not only to other agents, but to company personnel, attorneys and regulators.

That’s why we’ve been working hard to get our Forums section up on www.InsuranceJournal.com. Our new favorite feature allows unlimited “talking” between agents, brokers, and anyone else with an interest in insurance.To get there, go to Forums in the upper right-hand corner of our homepage. The first page you’ll see will list different discussion groups. For instance, “In the News” refers broadly to an array of news stories that affect our business, from acquisitions to companies pulling out of markets to litigation.

Once in the group, you’ll find individual topics to talk about. These aren’t just topics created by the staff of Insurance Journal, though we will be creating some of them. We’d actually rather rely on industry members to create topics they’d like to discuss.

The topics can be as simple as “Does anyone know a good carrier for daycare centers in Texas?” to “I need advice on my agency contract,” or even “What do you think about agents creating unions?”

Then, we’ll try to track down experts on those specific topics. A lawyer or association representative for agency contract advice. MGAs for hard-to-place markets. Maybe an industry historian for background on unions. If your question is about an agency management system, you can poll other agents for their experiences and thoughts.

There’s a wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge in every single agent in the nation. Ageny principles not only sell insurance, but they hire employees, run accounting systems, market their wares and take out the trash. It’s an abundance of information just begging to be tapped.

We plan on starting out simple and growing in the direction that you take us. If that means setting up regional forums so Texas agents can talk to Texas agents about state-specific information, then that’s what we’ll add. If you’re more interested in management books, we’ll go there, as well.

So let’s talk. www.InsuranceJournal.com. Tell us what’s on your mind. Tell us what you think should be on others’ minds. Talking has never been so easy.