Insight - November 2017

NOVEMBER 2017

INSIGHT BUILD

a Well-Oiled

MACHINE

Don’t Get Left Behind

in a Rising Rate Environment

Think

Your Way to

Success

We know what it took to build this business.

And we know what it takes to protect it.

Underwriters who know and understand what coverages are necessary to protect the business.

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To find out more, talk to your West Bend underwriter.

Editor & Advertising - Deann French | Graphic Design - Rachel Romines

the journal of trusted choice independent insurance agents of illinois

November 2017

CONTENTS 14

Don’t Get Left Behind in a Rising Rate Environment

By David Tralka

Building Your Sales Machine

By John Chapin

9 9 Trusted Choice

22

Highlights from CONVO 2017 Think Your Way to Success

By John Graham

32

33 Young Agents

21 e-Insight

In This Issue

7 36 37 42

12 35 39 41

Associate News IIA of Illinois News Classifieds

30

IIA of IL Now Direct Contact for RLI

Regular Features President’s Message

18

Industry Education Staff Profile Industry News

INSIGHT

Insight is the official publication of the Independent Insurance Agents

of Illinois (IIA of Illinois). The magazine is published monthly for the

members of the IIA of Illinois, with the office located at 4360 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62711-7009; Consumer Website: www.ChooseIndependent.com. The IIA of Illinois welcomes letters discussing concerns of the insurance industry, articles, editorials, other matters of interest to the membership. The editor reserves the right to edit and select submissions for publication. Address submissions for 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 review to dfrench@iiaofil.org.

2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 •2017 info@iiaofil.org | www.iiaofil.org | (800) 628-6436 or (217) 793-6660 | Fax: (217) 793-6744 The Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of IL) has been providing members with a sustainable competitive advantage since 1899.

ADVERTISERS

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Chairman of the Board | Rick Sutton (309) 692-8544 | ricks@was-irp.com President | Ryan Hite (309) 688-7316 | ryan.hite@eaglerockins.com President-Elect | Patrick Muldowney (312) 595-7192 | patrick.muldowney@alliant.com Vice President | Bill Wirth (618) 939-6368 | billw@wirthagency.com Secretary/Treasurer | Bennie Jones (312) 960-6200 | bjones@rmsoa.com IIABA State National Director Gregory A. Sandrock, CIC, AFIS (815) 438-3923 | sanins@essex1.com

Regional Directors Region 1 | Lisa Lukens (618) 942-2556 | salibainsurance@gmail.com Region 2 | Joeseph Heneghan (618) 639-2244 | joe.heneghan@hwcrins.com Region 3 | Jay Peterson, AFIS, LUTCF (217) 935-6605 | jay@petersoninsuranceciag.com Region 4 | Michael Gonet (815) 339-2411 | mike_gonet@hotmail.com Region 5 | Patrick Taphorn, CIC, CSRM (309) 347-2177 | ptaphorn@unland.com Region 6 | Rob Messer (815) 459-3300 | rmesser@marketfinancialgrp.com Region 7 | Michael-Charles Hilson (708) 333-3378 | mhilson@gbgins.com Region 8 | Corbin Adams (312) 938-0900 | cadams.irsinc@ameritech.net Region 9 | Ed Boltz, JD (630) 443-7300 | eboltz@crumhalsted.com Region 10 | Kevin Lesch (630) 830-3232 | klesch@arachasgroup.com At-Large Director | George Daly (708) 845-3311 | george.daly@thehortongroup.com At-Large Director | Ken Samson, CIC (847) 291-0660 | kens@dascoins.com

34

ABRC

16

AMALGAMATED INSURANCE UNDERWRITERS

35

AMERISAFE

43

AMTRUST

44

APPLIED UNDERWRITERS

34

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY GUARD INS. GROUP

8

EBRM

17

IPMG

5

IPRF

41

JC RESTORATION

33

JM WILSON

20

MOTORISTS INSURANCE GROUP

6

PEKIN INSURANCE

40

PREFERRED PROPERTY PROGRAM

10

SECURA

11

SOCIETY

32

THE IMT GROUP

40

TRANSCOM GENERAL

2

WEST BEND MUTUAL

Committee Chairs Agency/Company Relations | Timothy Nicoud, Jr. (217) 546-6900 | tim_jr@nicoudinsurance.com Budget & Finance | Bennie Jones (312) 960-6200 | bjones@rmsoa.com Education | Lindsey Polzin, CIC (630) 655-9112 | lindseyp@winesergi.com Government Relations | William Lawrence, CIC (309) 827-0007 | blawrence@plrinsurance.com Planning & Coordination | Cindy K. Jackman, CIC, CISR (618) 457-0471 | cindy@ciains.net Trusted Choice | Keith Verisario (847) 699-4040 | kmv@allsecurity.com Young Agents | Allyson Padilla (618) 393-2195 | allyson@blanksinsurance.com InsurPAC | Thomas J. Walsh, CPCU, CIC, AAI, CRPC (630) 737-0300 | tjw@twgroupinc.com IIAPAC | George Daly (708) 845-3311 | george.daly@thehortongroup.com

IIA of Illinois Staff Education Director, CRM Manager Shannon Churchill - (217) 321-3004 - schurchill@iiaofil.org Vice President of Communications Deann French - (217) 321-3022 - dfrench@iiaofil.org Products & Services Administrator Melissa Hilgendorf, CIC, CISR - (217) 321-3012 - mhilgendorf.indep12@insuremail.net Education Coordinator & Tradeshow Admin Tami Hubbell - (217) 321-3016 - thubbell@iiaofil.org Director of Human Resources/Board Admin Jennifer Jacobs - (217) 321-3013 - jjacobs@iiaofil.org Sr. Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Mark Kuchar - (217) 321-3015 - mkuchar@iiaofil.org Chief Executive Officer Phil Lackman - (217) 321-3005 - plackman@iiaofil.org

Central/Southern Marketing Representative Lori Mahorney - (217) 415-7550 - lmahorney@iiaofil.org Vice President, Agents Insurance Services Brian McSherry, CIC - (217) 321-3018 - bmcsherry@iiaofil.org Digital Communications/Web Administrator Rachel Romines - (217) 321-3024 - rromines@iiaofil.org Director of Membership Services Tom Ross, CRIS, CPIA - (217) 321-3003 - tross@iiaofil.org Accounting Services Administrator Debbie Trudeau - (217) 321-3006 - dtrudeau@iiaofil.org Products & Services Administrator Janet White, CISR - (217) 321-3010 - jwhite.indep12@insuremail.net Sr. Products & Services Administrator Carol Wilson, CPIA - (217) 321-3011 - cwilson.indep12@insuremail.net

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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Ryan Hite - IIA of Illinois President - (309) 688-7316 - ryan.hite@eaglerockins.com

CONVO 2017 Thank you to everyone who attended our annual convention this year in Tinley Park! We had more new attendees than I expected and my family and I had a great time with all of you. It is a different kind of fun when your (very) young kids are there with you and having the time of their lives. I hope to join those of you who have 2 and 3 generations of family members attend with you as agency employees someday and I also want to express my gratitude to our IIA of IL staff for all the work they put into this event and making my young family feel welcome and taken care of.

We are always open to your input whether it’s a criticism or compliment on the convention. Our goal is to attract new attendees as well as serve our long-standing members, and that’s not always an easy task to accomplish, but the more feedback we hear from you the better the IIA of IL can operate and create an amazing event for years to come.

Speaking of being taken care of, if you aren’t fully engaged in what the IIA of IL has to offer you and your agency, you need to get involved or at least get to know the folks who are involved with our association. I personally learn about new services and benefits of my membership every year.

Just recently we hired an intern in our office and the “New Hire Training” curriculum provided by our Education department was outstanding! They are constantly adding and improving the courses offered online and I am excited for what’s coming in the next year.

As we move forward with a new IIA of IL year I want to make you aware of the a few standing committees and the current members of our Board that lead them. This gives you an idea of the scope and reach of what the Association does for you year over year. If you or anyone in your agency is interested in serving on the Board, please reach out to anyone on the IIA of IL staff or Board of Directors.

Agent - Company Relations Tim Nicoud, Jr. 217-546-6900 tim.jr@nicoudinsurance.com Budget – Finance Bennie Jones 312-960-6200 bjones@rmsoa.com Education Lindsey Polzin 630-513-6600 lindseyp@winesergi.com Government Relations William Lawrence 309-827-0007 blawrence@plrinsurance.com Planning and Coordination Cindy Jackman 618-457-0471 cindy@ciains.net Trusted Choice Keith Verisario 847-699-4040 kmv@allsecurity.com Young Agents Allyson Padilla 618-393-2195 allyson@blanksinsurance.com InsurPAC Thomas Walsh, Jr. 630-737-0300, ext. 1000 tjw@twgroupinc.com IIAPAC George Daly 708-845-3311 george.daly@thehortongroup.com And finally, during this season of thanksgiving I want to again express my gratitude and thankfulness to our members and especially our staff of the IIA of IL. You have blessed me beyond measure and I will do all I can to give back to our association and industry.

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

november 2017

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IIA of IL is Targeting Local Insurance Buyers Through Search Engine Optimization The IIA of IL is partnering with TrustedChoice.com to create and host unique insurance content that’s targeted geographically to online insurance searchers and pairs high-intent prospects directly to members’ Advantage Basic digital profiles. This marks the start of the second year of participation in this SEO program.

All SEO work is intended to capture more online real estate for our agent members in order to drive online consumers through the independent agency channel.

TrustedChoice.com has also recognized that agencies participating on our platform who have a more robust online presence tend to see higher conversion rates on our Agency Results Page. In order to assist Illinois Contact EBRM Today atagencies with their Facebook presence, Agency Nation University (800) 982-EBRM (3276) will create a Facebook Marketing course geared towards insuranceoragents thatat all www.ebrm.com Illinois agencies can access. online november 2017

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To shine online and stand out to insurance buyers, it’s time to update your TrustedChoice.com digital profile. Login at solutions.trustedchoice.com with your IIABA email and get started today!

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november 2017

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INDUSTRY

Insurance Agency M&A in Q3 and YTD Continues at Fast Pace

132 deals in third quarter push total to 457 for first nine months of 2017. Buyers continue the aggressive valuations of property-casualty and employee benefits agencies, and sellers are responding.

The number of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions over the first ninth months of the year rose from 350 in 2016 to 457 this year, OPTIS Partners’ new quarterly report reveals. There were 132 deals announced during the third quarter, up from 113 in 2016.

“There’s no end in sight to the upward trend. The appetite of buyers is undiminished, as is the supply of agencies for sale,” said Timothy J. Cunningham, managing director of OPTIS Partners, an investment banking and financial consulting firm specializing in the insurance industry.

OPTIS Partners’ proprietary M&A database covers U.S. and Canadian agencies selling primarily property-and-casualty insurance, agencies selling both P&C and employee benefits, and those selling only employee benefits.

“It’s absolutely certain 2017 will be another record-setting year for M&A activity,” Cunningham added. “The activity is fueled by aggressive buyer valuations, in particular from private-equity backed buyers who are flush with cash. And there’s a plentiful supply of aging agency principals who need to complete their exit strategies.”

Strike While Iron Is Hot “Sellers have a great opportunity today,” said Daniel P. Menzer, CPA, partner with OPTIS Partners. “If you are a potential seller, consider acting sooner than later while the irons are hot and the pricing is favorable.

“If you’re a buyer, do your homework on the potential seller. Fully evaluate their risk and growth potential. Look at the financials in depth and consider qualitative factors.

Overpaying can be deadly.”

The full report can be read at http://tinyurl.com/ycvq4upf.

Focused exclusively on the insurance-distribution marketplace, Chicago-based OPTIS Partners (www. optisins.com) offers merger & acquisition representation for buyers and sellers, including due-diligence reviews.

It provides appraisals of fair market value; financial performance review, including trend analysis and internal controls; and ownership transition and perpetuation planning.

The report breaks down buyers into five groups: privateequity (“PE”) backed brokers, privately held brokers, publicly held brokers, banks, and all others.

Privately owned brokers took first place in the third quarter, accounting for 65 deals. Private-equity backed brokers bought 50 agencies, while publicly owned brokerages bought 10 firms, and banks made six acquisitions.

However, as noted in the report, the change in classification of Acrisure from a PE-backed to a privately owned firm in November 2016 has caused a significant swing in the totals by buyer type. If not for this change, the PE backed transaction count for the quarter would have been 73 deals compared to only 42 from the privately owned buyers.

Looking at deals by seller type, property-casualty agencies continue to be most popular, accounting for 69 deals in the quarter, more than half the total. Sales of employee benefits brokers have picked up in 2017 totaled 34. 15 agencies selling both P&C and benefits were sold, as well as 15 in the “other” category.

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Top 10 Reasons Insurers Choose DocuSign The insurance industry generates nearly $2 trillion a year in revenue. Yet, until recently, the industry ran primarily on paper-based processes. DocuSign is revolutionizing digital transaction management for all players in the insurance sector. Insurance carriers, agents, and consumers have embraced DocuSign to streamline and securely complete business transactions. Here are the top 10 reasons why insurance companies select DocuSign as their digital transaction management vendor of choice: 1. DocuSign is the de facto DTM standard in insurance.

Of the top 15 insurance carriers, 13 have selected DocuSign as their digital transaction management (DTM) platform. In addition, over 20,000 independent and captive agents use DocuSign, as well as over 50 million consumers. Nationwide Insurance recently deployed DocuSign as part of its customer-facing Nationwide.com site. Safeco has integrated DocuSign into its agent quote and issue portal, so independent agents can use their own DocuSign accounts to seamlessly upload documents.

2. DocuSign is the easiest e-signature solution for senders and signers. Customers consistently rank DocuSign number one for ease of use in sending, signing, and storing important documents. With minimal training, senders can create template documents for signature and insert placeholders for signers. Signers receive emails with links to electronic envelopes that can be easily viewed on a computer or mobile device. No special software is needed. DocuSign guides users through the process to review and sign documents. The finish button doesn’t appear until all data is complete, which keeps “not in good order” rates low. Completed documents are automatically routed to operations, processing, and other key process participants.

3. DocuSign has the largest insurance partner ecosystem.

This network of partners—including consulting and technology partners—makes it easy for customers to integrate DocuSign into existing systems and processes.

4. DocuSign offers robust product features for insurance.

Pre-built, insurance-specific functionality increases speed to value for customers.

5. DocuSign provides bank-grade security. DocuSign is the only DTM provider that delivers cloud-based, customer-controlled data encryption within its own data center, as well as leading bank-grade security certifications. DocuSign has enjoyed ISO 27001 certification, the worldwide gold standard for security, longer than any other company in the industry.

DocuSign’s innovative security appliance puts customers in control of encryption, enabling them to use a cloud-based service, while storing document encryption keys on-premise.

6. DocuSign is the leader in consumer transactions.

These include policy agreements, claims, medical release forms, regulated disclosures, legal agreements, and more. Among consumers who have done real estate transactions in the last five years, 8 of 10 have DocuSigned loan paperwork. Consumers trust the DocuSign brand and are familiar with the process.

7. DocuSign offers a world-class mobile experience.

Transactions can be completed anytime, anywhere, on any device. DocuSign is the only platform that provides award-winning, native mobile apps for all major platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows.

Approximately 75% of all DocuSign interactions are done through mobile.

8. DocuSign has a leading API and developer program.

DocuSign’s API, which includes the highest ranked REST and SOAP APIs in the e-signature market, enables customers to easily integrate DocuSign into their existing information systems and processes. In addition, DocuSign is the only provider with a mobile SDK. The DocuSign developer community has over 10,000 members, and many have participated in DocuSign’s developer certification program.

9. DocuSign is supported by carrier-grade architecture and operations. DocuSign recognizes that its platform handles mission-critical transactions and that any system downtime could be devastating for customers’ businesses. To ensure customer success, DocuSign has invested in carrier-grade system architecture that eliminates maintenance downtime and provides the highest level of performance resiliency and data integrity. Insurance carriers place a high priority on uptime and performance, which is a key reason they choose DocuSign.

10. DocuSign is ranked #1 by analysts. DocuSign has garnered top ratings from leading analysts including Gartner, Forrester, Aragon Research, Ombud, and more.

From a webinar presented by Alpesh Patel, Vice President & GM, Insurance DocuSign Mike Fiascone, Enterprise Account Executive, DocuSign.

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The “how-to” behind building a highly-effective, competition-dominating, sales juggernaut is actually fairly simple. What isn’t simple is executing the steps and sticking to the plan. The dedication and resolve necessary to start and complete the process is where the majority of people fail. That said, if you’re ready to skyrocket sales in your organization, here are the steps to get it done.

Step 1: Super-intense Sales Training

The most important tool a salesperson can have in their arsenal is great sales skills. Yet, while most organizations spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new producer, send them to product training, and load them up on technical skills, most balk at investing a fraction of that on the most important training: sales training. Poor sales skills is a key reason why most salespeople end up with mediocre or bad sales results.

When considering how to train your people, let’s start with the gold standard. In the best case your training would look like what my dad got from I.B.M. The first six months were spent at I.B.M.’s main office where new salespeople trained half the time on product and half the time on sales. Everyone was given a sales play book that included all scripts for what to say and how to handle all sales situations. Next, that play book was memorized, practiced, and drilled until they had every single sales situation embedded in their brains. When my dad finally returned from training, he was with his manager and one of the top sales reps out in the field for three more months.

They practiced, drilled, and rehearsed everything before, during, and after live calls. Finally, after nine months he was allowed to go on calls by himself.

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If you’re like most people reading this, you don’t have the resources of an I.B.M. and you probably can’t invest nine months doing the training mentioned above. In that case, you want to do something similar to what I do when training brand new agents in the insurance industry. The first thing they do is spend two days in one of the top insurance producer schools. When they get back, I give them a play book with reinforcement CDs, all the scripts, and everything else necessary to handle all sales situations and scenarios they’re going to encounter when they’re out prospecting and chasing new business. They memorize these and we practice and role-play. After a very short period of time, once they have the basics down, they start calling on live prospects. They learn most of what they learn by getting their nose bloodied out calling on small accounts.

After weeks of internalizing everything they learned in the first school and from me, I send them to a second school.

We follow the same reinforcement process as we did above. Next, I send them to a third school and once again, the process is repeated.

By the time they’ve completed the above process, their sales skills are better than about 97% of the people they are competing against. As a result, because sales skills are the most important skills by far, they are doing a significant amount of business at this point.

Step 2: Activity

Although activity is actually more important than sales skills, it is second in chronological order. Before I send someone out to make calls, I want them to have a general idea of what they’re saying so we train on sales skills first. november 2017

Building Your

Sales Machine

By John Chapin

Step 2 is all about massive activity and tracking that activity. The insurance agents have a quota for new people they have to attempt to contact every week. At the end of the week I want: the number of new people called on, spoken to, prospects, appointments, follow-up calls on prospects not reached, sales, and several other items.

Step 4: Continue to improve and innovate.

While the most important tool a salesperson can have is great sales skills, the most important attributes a salesperson can have are: hard-working, persistent, and an ability to persevere. This is all about making a ton of calls and staying after it no matter how badly they get beat up.

Step 5: Remove obstacles from the sales process.

Step 3: Continuous practice and reinforcement of sales skills.

Your people have to constantly be reading the scripts, listening to sales CDs in the car, role-playing, and otherwise practicing, drilling and rehearsing everything they’ve learned. As a leader you want to test them by throwing objections and different situations at them along with going on some calls. It’s also important to work on sales skills in sales meetings.

This also means resending your people to training. An insurance agent will go to each of the producer schools three times the first three years they are working with me.

Each time they learn something they missed the first time and the ideas they do remember get further reinforced and improved. Every time they come back there is an instant bump in sales.

Once you find what works, don’t rest on your laurels.

Continue to look for ways to improve and get better. Look for better ways to compete, better answers to objections, better ways to communicate and build relationships, and in short, more effective and efficient ways to operate.

Obstacles come in several forms. It can be support people not doing their jobs, inefficient systems or processes, tedious, unnecessary, extra items that you ask your people to do or even having salespeople doing items that support people should be doing. Keep an eye out for anything that seems to be taking your salespeople away from “new business” activities.

Step 6: Remove negativity and slackers from the environment.

The key to all of the above is to develop and follow a proven system that trains and reinforces sales skills and ensures your people are doing tons of the right activities the right way.

John Chapin is a sales and motivational speaker and trainer with over 26 years of sales experience. He is the author of the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia. He can be reached at johnchapin@completeselling.com.

While the most important tool a salesperson can have is great sales skills, the most important attributes a salesperson can have are: hard-working, persistent, and an ability to persevere. november 2017

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YOU KNOW OUR

SERVICE-CENTERED WAY OF DOING BUSINESS We form trusting relationships built on loyalty and integrity. What sets us apart is far more than what we do — it’s how we do it.

Contact us

AgencyRecruiting@motoristsgroup.com MotoristsInsuranceGroup.com

e INSIGHT -

online journal at www.iiaofil.org/Resources/Insight

N OV EM BE R

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INSIGH T

BUIL

a Well-D Oiled

MACH INE

Do Lef t Bn’t G et ehind in a Ris ing Rat e Enviro nm

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Is insurance coverage

ON when the power goes OFF?

By FC&S Editors

In this month’s e-Insight. november 2017

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October 3 - 5 Tinley Park Convention Cen 1

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VIEW ALL PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS A 3

Center

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S AT ILCONVENTION.COM

1 2017 Cartwright Award Winner Cindy Jackman (second from left) 2 Tom Walsh Receives Distinguished Service Award 3 Allyson Padilla is named Chairman of the Year for her work on the Young Agents Committee 4 Ray Roentz receives Young Agent of the Year Award 5 Darlene McGehee is named Regional Director of the Year 6 Chuck Schramm received special recognition for his years of service to the IIA of IL 7 Rick Sutton receives the 1752 Club Award 8 2017-2018 IIA of IL Board of Directors insight

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1 BCBS IL President Maurice Smith addresses audience at the healthcare presentation 2 Mike Wojcik, Senior Vice President of The Horton Group, leads the healthcare discussion 3 Attendees enjoy the Welcome Reception 4 The Pillsbury House Theatre presented “Breaking Ice� 5 Keynote Speaker Ron Berg, ACT, spoke on the Internet of Things

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4 1 Keynote Speaker Sam Glenn presented “Attitude Changes Everything” 2 IIAPAC Chairman George Daly, left, with InsurPAC Chairman Tom Walsh during the IIAPAC VIP Reception 3 House Republican Leader James Durkin, guest speaker for IIAPAC VIP Reception 4 Tyler Sandrock accepts the IIAPAC Outstanding Committment Award on behalf of the Northern IL Golf Outing 5 Longtime IIA of IL presenter and fan favorite, Todd Davis 5 november 2017

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TRADESHOW november 2017

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SOCIAL WITH A The two evening social events at CONVO 2017, Casino Night and CHALLENGE! were designed to be fun and entertaining but were also constructed to include the opportunity for members to give back to the two IIA of IL sponsored charities, Make-a-Wish and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Both events were hugely successful with Casino Night raising $3,212 for Make-A-Wish and CHALLENGE! bringing in $22,000 for St. Jude.

Additionally, thank you to the IIA of IL Board of Directors for filling the BOD Wagon of Booze for a hugely successful raffle.

A sincere thank you to the following sponsors for their generosity:

And most importantly thank you to all our members who attended these social events, bought raffle tickets, casino chips and auction items. Your continued, generous support of our philanthropic efforts is amazing.

CHALLENGE! Society Insurance The Horton Group

CASINO NIGHT

Casino Night: Pekin AmeriSafe SwissRe

Thanks, also, to the Tinley area establishments and chefs who donated their time, talent and ingredients to make the Taste of Tinley a foodies dream. (for a complete list go to ilconvention.com)

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TASTE OF TINLEY

A CONSCIENCE

BOD WAGON OF BOOZE

CHRIS KLEIN

RONALD ASSISE

MEET THE CHEFS

JUDGES november 2017

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THINK YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

It’s All About Using Your Head

By John Graham There are plenty of people in the workforce that do “something,” but not so many who do what needs to be done. And this is both a problem and an opportunity.

Success depends on being among the few others count on to get the job done right - and that takes thinking. Here are questions that can serve as a guide to thinking your way to success: “What if this isn’t what my customer needs?” What if I’m trying to force it, attempting to make it work–and it isn’t?

Most of us tend to push forward as fast as we can to come up with a solution. Kids often compete to be the first in the class to raise their hand when the teacher asks a question.

And it’s often the wrong answer, but they do it again the next day. The goal is not to come up with any answer; it’s to come up with the right one. Slow down; it takes thought.

“What if I asked them for their thoughts and ideas?” The heart of marketing and sales is problem solving. They also demand a “bring it on” attitude to be successful - and that can be a problem because it blocks other views and ideas.

Asking what others think is an effective way to test your idea, plan, or confirm the appropriateness of your solution.

It gives you something to think about.

“What if I offered several options instead of just one?”

This may seem dangerous, but it’s as threatening as putting people in a “yes or no” position, and “no” is easier to say than “yes.” Offering several options creates a new dynamic where there’s room for give-and-take. It makes it possible to come to a positive decision.

“What if I put it aside and revisited it tomorrow?” You need to write a letter, memo, or article, but the clock is ticking and you can’t get it started. You hate the assignment, your boss, yourself, or all three. You tell yourself to keep a low profile so it won’t happen again.

“What if I don’t have all the information I need to make the right recommendation?” Not long ago, an older woman, a widow, living in a condo community was seen accompanied by a man on several occasions. After a couple of “sightings,” the rumor spread with brush fire intensity that she had a boyfriend. A few weeks went by and someone said, “That was her brother who was visiting her from Europe.”

The goal is not to wrestle the task to the mat or do battle with it; it’s to do your best work. That takes “noodling,” putting it aside and let your brain work on it for a day or so. It’s amazing what happens when you let your brain work on it.

We call them snap judgments, conclusions made on the fly that get things moving, more often than not, incorrectly.

Taking time to figure out what we’re missing separates us from those who are satisfied with just getting by. Coming up with the best recommendation gets noticed.

It’s effortless to stick with the same solutions, repeat the same concepts, fall back on the same products and services. If what we do today is a constant replay of the past, we contribute little or nothing to help meet the challenges affecting our customers, our industry, and the company where we’re employed.

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“What if I tried something new?” It’s easy to get used to doing things a certain way and tune-out anything that forces us to break existing patterns.

It’s effortless to stick with the same solutions, repeat the same concepts, fall back on the same products and services. If what we do today is a constant replay of the past, we contribute little or nothing to help meet the challenges affecting our customers, our industry, and the company where we’re employed.

“What if I became a go-to person?” “Staying under the radar” helps avoid getting noticed and causes less stress.

It’s also a good way to be passed over or be added to the “no longer needed” list.

Anyone who wants to advance thinks differently. Getting known for innovative ideas, changing ways of doing things, or specialized expertise attracts attention and gets you noticed for your value. It’s how thinking different is a game changer.

“What if I asked more questions?” It’s irritating if someone asks too many questions in a meeting. They can drag things out. Socrates probably encountered that problem with his students. Even so, not asking questions is a huge mistake.

Questions clarify issues and uncover valuable information, fill in the gaps, and help avoid making mistakes. Questions indicate that someone is thinking about something other than looking at their smartphone.

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“What if I came up with an idea that helped make my company be more competitive?” It goes without saying that most of us are willing, even eager, to invest time and thought in figuring out ways to make ourselves look good, get attention, and advance our careers. Few would argue with such a strategy for getting ahead. If we do a better job, then we deserve to advance.

But, for some, that’s not enough. Their thinking is different.

While they may work to advance themselves, they are also committed to finding ways to advance their employer.

They’re alert for ways to make it more competitive, to give it an extra edge. In the end, ultimate success, depends on both.

If you’re satisfied with what you’re doing, that’s OK. If not, think about asking yourself the questions that let you think your way to success.

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing,” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com.

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IIA of IL is now the direct contact for all your personal umbrella and home business policies.

RLI’s personal umbrella insurance is a good source of protection for your customers.

• No Best rating requirements for underlying carriers • Very affordable • Available limits up to $5 million • Electronic signatures and online credit card payments accepted • Excess limits above auto, home, boat, or rental property policy limits • Easy online quoting • Self-underwriting application • Immediate availability

It’s fast and easy to offer RLI personal umbrella insurance.

If you are interested in selling RLI’s Personal Umbrella Policy, contact Carol Wilson at cwilson.indep12@insuremail.net or (217) 321-3011.

BE WORRY FREE WITH IMT

We understand the importance of partnerships and take great pride in building strong, stable relationships with our agents and policyholders. Through experienced claims expertise and hightouch customer service, we are there when we are needed most.

Learn how you can represent IMT Insurance & Wadena Insurance at imtins.com/contact_us.

imtins.com | west des moines, iowa 32

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2018

conference

Hosted by:

May 16-17 Hotel Indigo Naperville, IL Preparations are underway for the 2018 EDGE Conference. This year’s event will feature a new format plus, as always, topnotch speakers like Joe Bonura and Robb Zbierski. Learn about these speakers, their topics, and more, coming soon to www.

ILYoungAgents.com.

Here’s what past attendees had to say: “Speakers were awesome!”

“Loved the social time with others!”

“Very well done.”

“I am new to the industry. The event was very helpful.”

“I had a great time at the conference, great speakers too.”

“Always enjoy the quality of speakers keep it up!”

“I thought the conference was outstanding. I look forward to coming back next year.”

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY BROKERAGE PROPERTY & CASUALTY GARAGE LIABILITY TRANSPORTATION SURETY PERSONAL LINES

(800) 666-5692 | JMWILSON.COM november 2017

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What’s New?

What’s Not?

Now a billion dollar company!

(Sales passed the mark in 2016.)

Secure financial strength that comes from being a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family.

Nationwide geographical scope.

Our A+ (”Superior”) A.M. Best Company Rating.

An increasingly robust One-Stop Insurance Shopping solution via a BizGUARD Plus product suite that features Workers’ Compensation, Businessowner’s Policy, Commercial Auto, Umbrella, and Professional Liability coverage.

Average annual growth in premium in excess of 25% per year for the past five.

Ongoing product and service enhancements to win renewals and keep a high retention ratio.

Broader appetite for select risks (including Total Insured Property Values as high as $50 million for certain industries and risks).

Our focus on being data-driven and using business intelligence to gain a competitive edge.

A superior combined ratio that (according to A.M. Best) outperforms our peers.

Our commitment to distribution through independent agents!

Higher A.M. Best financial size (i.e., “X”).

Enhanced infrastructure to support growth.

GR

ST

H

Berkshire Hathaway

GUARD

Insurance Companies

IT BIL Y A

OWT

We have agency appointments available.

Go to www.guard.com/apply!

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education

Congratulations!

Illinois

CSR of the Year

Brooke Miano

Brown & Brown of IL, Inc. d/b/a Weible & Cahill Lisle, IL

This award is the highest honor for insurance customer service representatives who have distinguished themselves through contributions to their industry and profession.

To view Brooke’s winning essay, go to www.iiaofil.org/ education.

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ASSOCIATE NEWS

Thank you to our Associate Members.

Diamond Level Members

Platinum Level

Standard Property & Casualty, a National General Company

Gold Level

AAA Insurance Agent/Broker Review Company Arlington/Roe Blue Cross/Blue Shield of IL

Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company Imperial PFS A.J. Wayne & Associates AMERISAFE Atlantic Specialty Lines Auto-Owners Insurance Co. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies Burns & Wilcox, Ltd. Chicagoland Carstar Columbia Insurance Group Donald Gaddis Company, Inc. Echelon Property & Casualty Insurance Co. Encompass Erie Insurance Group Farmers Mutual Hail Foremost Insurance Group Forreston Mutual Insurance Company Grange Mutual Casualty Co. Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund Illinois Public Risk Fund Interstate Risk Placement IPMG J. C. Restoration J M Wilson Keystone Insurers Group, Inc. Liberty Mutual

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Silver Level

The IMT Group West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.

Bronze Level

Madison Mutual Insurance Company MarshBerry Maximum Ind. Brokerage, LLC Mercury Insurance Company of IL MetLife Auto & Home Motorists Insurance Group Nationwide Networked Insurance Agents ProAg Rockford Mutual Insurance Co. Safeco Insurance Selective Insurance Company of America ServiceMaster DSI Society Insurance Specialty Risk of America Surplus Line Association of Illinois Transcom General Agency Travelers United Fire Group Utica National Insurance Group W.A. Schickedanz Agency, Inc. Western National Insurance Westfield Insurance Company

november 2017

IIA OF ILLINOIS NEWS Education Classes november

1 8 10 16 29

CIC - Personal Lines Springfield CISR - Commercial Property Rolling Meadows Ethics Rolling Meadows CISR - Personal Lines Misc.

Springfield Errors & Omissions Rolling Meadows

december

6 20

CIC - Ruble Seminar Elk Grove Village

New Members member agency Aarco-American, Inc. Oak Park, IL Allen Insurance Group Edwardsville, IL John A. Turner Agency Chicago, IL National Insurance Group, Inc. Worth, IL Supreme Insurance Agency, Inc. Chicago, IL

Ethics Rolling Meadows

associate copper level Insperity Chicago, IL

Online Education

For information regarding IIA of Illinois membership or company sponsorship, contact Tom Ross, Director of Membership Services, at (217) 321-3003, tross@iiaofil.org.

www.iiaofil.org IIA of IL Webinars | ABEN Webcasting November & December Featured Online Classes Cyber Liability | Insurance in the Headlines Personal Auto Hot Topics | Who is an Insured?

When the Child Becomes the Parent - Aging Parents E&O Roadmap to Policy Analysis | Business Auto It’s Not My Fault, or Is it? | Commercial Property The Dirty Dozen | Contractors Liability | Workers Comp Farm Liability | Income After Retirement An Agent’s Guide to Insuring Nonprofits | Insuring Trusts Additional Insureds and Certificates of Insurance And More!

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IIA OF ILLINOIS NEWS Baseball Outing Another Huge Success IIA of IL Regions 1 & 2 and Young Agents hosted their annual baseball outing on September 27 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Region 1 Director, Lisa Lukens, had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch and she didn’t disappoint, placing it straight across the plate. Thank you to event sponsors: Belfor Property Restoration and SPRISKA. Also, thanks to everyone that came out to support the Cubs & Cardinals. Proceeds from the game went to IIAPAC, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Make-A-Wish Illinois.

Region 3 Illini Event - You Win Some, You Lose Some IIA of IL Region 3 hosted an Illini tailgate & game event on October 13 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. Thank you to Pekin Insurance for sponsoring the event. Though the Illini didn’t pull out a win that day, attendees had a big win with the tailgate prior to the game.

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Staff Profile Melissa Hilgendorf E&O Administrator /Products-Services Administrator

Number of Years at the IIA of IL: Four What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy the people I meet, the various events we host and the industry as a whole.

Tell us about the first job you ever had: I was hired to pass out ice chips to the residents at a nursing home.

What is your favorite: Food: Pizza Movie: The Green Mile TV Show: Big Bang Theory Band: Incubus, Rolling Stones, Pink Tell us about your family: I have an amazing husband, Frank, and a German Shepherd named Sophie.

Name one thing on your bucket list: Las Vegas What is your biggest fear?

Drowning Of what are you most proud either personally or professionally?

I am most proud of my job at the IIA of IL and earning my CIC designation.

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Our Umbrella Programs Give You More Options Preferred Property Program gives you broader, more flexible coverage with a range of limits Fast Service and more security are what you get with Preferred Property Program. Our umbrella liability policies are written by XL Insurance with Chubb Insurance Group for excess layer – two of the industry’s most highly rated carriers.

• • • •

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Celebrating Our 95th Year

Options of $5 to $50 million in umbrella coverage.

Hi-Rise apartments up to 35 stories eligible.

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Excess of D & O General Liability, Auto Liability, and more

Contact us for a quote: www.umbrellaprogram.com

888.548.2465

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Transportation and Commercial Auto Risk Specialists Specializing In: Limousines, Black Cars, and Livery Buses (Charter, School, Party, Courtesy) Day Care Center Autos • Trolleys Non-Emergency Medivans

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Serving agents in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Industry recognized carriers.

Experienced underwriters.

Knowledgeable and skilled support staff.

(800) 360-3303 transcom-ga.com 40

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Motorists Insurance has expanded its portal service to Illinois, South Carolina and Wisconsin to provide superior technology and service to agents representing Motorists Insurance Group.

Motorists Insurance is the new commercial lines solution launched by Columbus-based Motorists Insurance Group May 1. It now operates in five states on a pilot basis as the company works to refine and improve strategies for a rollout to its 29-state footprint through 2018.

Motorists is committed to being a high-tech, high-touch company. Its information technology and underwriting associates work in the same open space for integration of the disciplines to constantly improve customer experience.

JCR presented an Illinois Department of Insurance approved CE course entitled The Ripple Effect. The oneday course explained the processes involved in water damage mitigation and restoration. It also illustrated how insurance companies, property management professionals and restoration professionals can work together to provide property owners with rapid, responsive, technically accurate procedures for loss mitigation on water damage claims. By the end of the day, through class participation and hands-on demonstrations the attendees learned that advanced techniques and technologies save downtime and money throughout the water damage claims process.

Classroom discussions also focused on the public health and safety issues associated with prolonged water exposure in water loss situations and the procedures and techniques required to address each class of contamination.

The products Motorists Insurance offers are unique in the industry. The MiChoice Business Program offers tiers to choose the right coverage to fit the size and unique liability needs of a company. Policyholders won’t pay for coverage they don’t want or need, and agents will have more power to customize a policy to satisfy their customers’ needs and budget.

24/7/365 Emergency Number

The commercial product offering complements the workers’ compensation offerings of BrickStreet, which Motorists Insurance Group announced an affiliation with this past spring.

J.C. Restoration, Inc. Raises $3,795 For Local Burn Prevention Charity

800.956.8844

3200 Squibb Avenue • Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 www.jcr24.com

During the week of September 18- 22, J.C. Restoration, Inc. (JCR) successfully hosted over 340 industry professionals from the insurance and property management sectors from across the Chicagoland area for seminars on water damage mitigation.

Throughout the week, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA), JCR’s chosen charity, collected $3,795. These donations came from onsite donations from attendees and the class registration fees collected by JCR. Representatives from the IFSA and 1-800-BOARDUP were on hand throughout the week to speak of IFSA’s dedication to fire safety and burn prevention through public education, and to share that raised donations would support IFSA’s Camp “I Am Me.” Camp “I Am Me” is a week-long camp for children and teenagers who have experienced injuries from burns. To learn more about the Camp, please visit http://www.ifsa.org/ camp-i-am-me.

november 2017

Mitigation

Education

Reconstruction

Victim Assistance

Disaster Restoration Services: Water Damage / Emergency Clean-Up (Storm) / Fire Damage Contents Restoration / Certified Mold Remediation Commercial/Large Loss / Reconstruction / Consulting / Board-Up insight

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industry news

Motorists Insurance Portal Expands Service to Three More States

CLASSIFIEDS

for the insurance professional by the insurance professional

AGENCY FOR SALE

41. Agency ownership opportunity. Longtime Belleville property & casualty insurance agency for sale. 70% commercial, 30% personal. 1.7 million premium volume.

Owner will stay to help manage for several years to assist in a seamless transition. Purchase of office building in addition to purchase of agency required.

Contact:

AFS 41 dfrench@iiaofil.org

AGENCY WANTED

20. Since 2004, Central Illinois Agents Group LLC has been providing independent agents with a variety of markets with contingency opportunities. Agents have availability to several markets that they may not be able to sustain or maintain on their own. We have markets for personal, commercial, agricultural and crop insurance lines. Let us help you get to the next level.

Visit www.ciagonline.com for contact information.

AGENCY/AGENTS/PRODUCERS WANTED

02. Forest Park/Oak Park agency for over 60 years, will meet your needs by providing space, markets, marketing & sales support, automation, merging with or purchasing your agency. Perpetuation/ Succession Plans, BuySell Agreements also available. We have experienced, educated and dedicated staff for you and your clients.

Have access to our numerous companies, office services and many other resources. Retain ownership in your book with contingency. Please look closely at us- we are an agency you want to do business with! We’ve done it before, we know how- we make it easy! Visit our website at forestagency.com/agents.html, or call for a confidential discussion and a list of Agency benefits.

Dan Browne will provide an agency evaluation/appraisal at little cost to you. Please call:

Dan Browne or Cathy Hall Forest Agency (708) 383-9000 dbrowne@forestagency.com

SHARED SPACE FOR RENT

99. 6400 SF office located at 127 N. Walnut St., Itasca, has availability for startups, insurance agents, salespeople, consultants, professionals, etc.; who are in need of class A space without the cost. Monthly fees range from $375 and include: Receptionist/Clerical, internet, conference rooms, kitchen, classroom/break room. Printing and clerical services are also available. Short term or long term rentals are available. Wed are in downtown Itasca across from the Metra station. Close to expressways. For information contact:

Dino Gavanes 630-779-0566. dino_gavanes@ advisersinc.com 42

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OPPORTUNITIES/SPACE AVAILABLE/RETAIN OWNERSHIP

13. We are a 100 year old Northbrook agency looking to discuss any mutually beneficial opportunity. Our producers, mergers, clusters and agency purchases receive 50% commissions on new and renewal business without any expenses. We can provide: office space, phones, agency management system, service renewals and changes. The companies we represent are: Badger Mutual, Employers Mutual, General Casualty, Guide One, Hartford, Kemper, Progressive, Rockford Mutual, Safeco, State Auto, Travelers and Met Life. Contact:

Nancy Solomon Martini, Miller & Schloss, Inc. (847) 291-1313 Ron@martini-miller.com

POSITION AVAILABLE

88. llinois Workers’ Compensation MGA is seeking a full time Marketing Representative to join our team.

The primary goal will be to build/maintain strong relationships with Independent Agents throughout the State of Illinois.

Responsibilities: • Flexibility to travel frequently to manage and promote new business.

• Understand/communicate product features, benefits and competitive advantages to Independent Agents.

• Network within the industry to increase product visibility including attendance at necessary conferences, association meetings and other networking events.

Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing or Communications.

• Property/Casualty insurance license.

• 5+ years in insurance sales.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Suite Contact:

Sue Bednarczak Boyle, Flagg & Seaman 7851 W. 185th St. Tinley Park, IL 708-429-6300

POSITION AVAILABLE

01. Are you an expert on a certain topic or field within the insurance industry? Have you thought about sharing your knowledge with others by instructing classes? Do you currently teach classes? The IIA of IL is looking for additional qualified instructors to present Continuing Education on a variety of topics. Submit your information to discuss the possibilities. Contact:

Shannon Churchill schurchill@iiaofil.org november 2017

A Specialist, Not a Generalist Niche Workers’ Compensation and Commercial Line Coverages for Main Street America Get started with an agency appointment application at amtrustappointments.com/Illinois.

A.M. BEST RATING OF “A” (EXCELLENT), FSC “XV”

ANA_2017_Ad_Campaign_Print_Ad_Illinois.indd 4

4/24/2017 11:11:19 AM

Expect big things in workers’ compensation. Most classes approved, nationwide. It pays to get a quote from Applied.® For information call (877) 234-4450 or visit auw.com/us. Follow us at bigdoghq.com.

©2017 Applied Underwriters, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best.

Insurance plans protected U.S. Patent No. 7,908,157.