Insurance Agencies of the Future
Last week I set off for an initial visit with a new client with the following technology:
This was the very 1st time I have gone to a client’s office without my laptop. I have been preparing for this for several months. I have traveled a couple of times on personal business and one conference with these tools in order to become comfortable with relying on these tools. It also has taken a good deal of research and testing to find the Apps that allow me to do this.
This past week was my 1st visit to a new client. Over the past few years agencies in small towns have taken a real beating.
Frequently I often find everyone from the owner to the receptionist depressed or pessimistic or both.
So how does an agency remain above the fray, survive, thrive and keep up that positive, optimistic attitude?
2011 seemed to be a really slow year for insurance agency initiatives. Most of my clients updated document templates as necessary, updated a website or two and seemed to do only business improvements that were necessary. Reasons I have heard are:
I get the budget constraints. But the other “reasons” are not valid in my opinion. If you are sitting still you are falling behind.
I continue to search for tools that will allow me to be productive on my iPad while traveling or out and about. One of the areas that I have really struggled with a great blogging app. While WordPress has an app, it just doesn’t give you the tools you really need for doing hyperlinks, adding media, etc.
One of my favorite apps is Zite. It searches the web for content based on the categories I have chosen. An article “How the iPad Became My Favorite Computer“. I already use the Zagg keyboard that is mentioned in this article. I will check out some of the other apps discussed, but I immediately downloaded the Blogsy app.
A couple of Friday mornings a month I make the trip to the closest Central Market. It is about twice as far as my regular super market and there are things you just can’t buy here. Things like Pork N’ Beans for example. But I love this place. The selections of fresh vegetables, cheeses, meats, seafood, and specialty items abound. I primarily go here as it is the only place I can buy Bison meat, which we have grown to prefer over beef. However, I always find many more things than are on my list.
On this particular Friday morning the only thing I need from the produce department is mushrooms. However, while getting my plastic bag for the mushrooms I see fresh okra out of the corner of my eyes. WooHoo!!! It is way past fresh okra season so this is a pleasant surprise.
Saturday evening I was working my way through the various articles in my iPad App – Zite. I really like the way I can see a snapshot of the article and choose which ones to read and which to skip or know I have read elsewhere. In my social media section “Why I Deleted My Klout Profile“. Just last week I saw a post on Twitter where another social media guru said that they had just deleted their Klout profile so this article really caught my attention. If the social media gurus are opting out there must be something here.
Now you might be wondering as a public person with a blog, twitter account, personal and business facebook pages, etc, etc, etc. why would she be worried about Klout.
Amber Naslund wrote a great post “The Painstaking Work of Business Renovation” at her blog BRASS TACK thinking. As I read this article I recognized everyone of my clients and prospects. Also, it doesn’t really matter what part of your current business processes or contemplated business process you are talking about, there are issues.
A few weeks ago I had the honor of be a presenter at the PIIAC Annual Conference. My afternoon workshop was “Your Brand, the Web and Social Media”. I love doing this session. Since the landscape of the subject matter is constantly changing it is always a challenge to be as current as possible. I am no expert in any of these fields but I do have lots of working experience and study on these subjects and their interconnectivity. I find that many insurance agencies don’t have grasp of the importance of this. When doing this workshop I like to find an agency in the area that is doing all of these things really well. Besides the audience learning awesome, practical information, I get to learn new things as well.
At the Dallas Women of Faith a few weeks ago, Patsy Clarimont was telling the story of her son’s very serious and lengthy illness. Several weeks into his stay in the hospital, she and her husband arrived at the hospital one morning to find that their son was going to be moved from intensive care to a different unit.
She questioned if it he was ready yet and would he have everything he might need in the new unit. As would be expected, she had lots of questions and uncertainty about what was going to happen. As is often the case in hospital, there is lots of reassuring with minimal information and answers.
Patsy said that in the back of her mind she kept hearing “Change can be good”. Since there seemed to be no option but to move forward that is what she did. When her son was moved to the new unit, a new doctor and her team arrived in the room. The doctor made it very clear that she did not want to hear from anyone unless she specifically asked them a question. Parents included.
It is 5:30AM on Saturday morning. An alarm is going off somewhere in my dreams. Oh right, the alarm is actually going off across the room where my phone is plugged in. Why is my alarm going off at 5:30AM on Saturday morning? I have not had enough sleep! Oh right, early start today at Women of Faith. I’m up, Nikki is up. We are moving. Dress, pack, check bags with hotel, breakfast, checkout and we’re off.
We arrived just at the American Airline Center was opening. At the door we entered these guys were there with their signs, cheering us on.
We are in, cleared security, what is in store for today?
