Obviously the title is a take-off from the classic Joe Cocker song/album, Mad Hatters & Englishmen, which is a take from Alice in Wonderland, which is a perspective on brains not working quite correctly. What happens in an agency where …
I was going through some old files and found an article from 20 years ago discussing how difficult it was to find quality new producers. The author discussed the partial solutions he had discovered running his agency. Two points struck …
Confirmation That Suit Papers Have Been Received by the Carrier.While not an every day occurrence, most agencies receive suit papers from various parties several times a year and these papers must be forwarded to the applicable insurance company immediately. This …
Inflation Factors are Missing.Some property policies, particularly dwelling policies in personal lines, lack automatic inflation adjustment factors. These same policies often get less attention than other personal lines policies. Agencies that do review these policies annually often are reluctant to …
Producers and Staff Do Not Adequately Know the Agency’s Procedures.More often than many might expect, staff and particularly producers do not adequately know the agency’s procedures. This can be especially exasperating to agency owners who spent the money developing procedures. …
Proper Authorization to Change Coverages Part II.In Blog 14 I wrote about the need to verify the party requesting a change in coverage has the required authority to make such a request. Another variation of this theme is more obvious …
Distribution of insurance today has become a de facto discussion of marketing. Smart agents and smart company people will benefit if they understand the history of insurance distribution. Insurance distribution was initially split between independent agents and captive agents/direct writers. …
Small commercial lines is suddenly the Cinderella of the insurance industry. Previously the unwanted step child turned beauty queen being courted, pursued, and being offered dowries for marriage. Dowries and marriage are the correct metaphors because companies are clearly willing …
Small commercial lines is suddenly the Cinderella of the insurance industry. The previously unwanted stepchild turned beauty queen is being courted, pursued, and being offered dowries for marriage. Dowries and marriage are the correct metaphors because companies are clearly willing …
Agency ownership of its expirations is core to agency culture, core to the agency’s value, and core to the owners’ livelihoods. Yet today, the ownership and even more important, the value of the expirations, is being threatened, and most agency …
