THE ROUGH NOTES HERITAGE
When Dr. Henry C. Martin abandoned his career in medicine, he faced new challenges in the unwieldy insurance industry of the 1850s. For twelve years he traveled the wild west as a special agent for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee setting up new offices. Eventually he opened his own agency in Indianapolis and became Northwestern’s general agent in Indiana.
While covering the rugged territory, Dr. Martin took “rough notes” jotting down his experiences in an unregulated industry full of “wild cats”. Later, with his wife’s help, Dr. Martin started publishing the field notes in newsletters for his agents. The agents’ response was overwhelming and the newsletters became the magazine, Insurance Rough Notes in 1878. Rough Notes gave the agents what they needed most: practical information about how to sell. But just as important, Rough Notes became the “voice of reform” for the industry. Dr. Martin’s powerful editorials led to better insurance laws and fire underwriting.
Being a man of vision, Dr. Martin saw the need for standardization. He designed and creatively marketed simple, time-saving forms, ledgers and unique sales kits. By the 1890s Rough Notes, Inc. had become the “headquarters for insurance supplies”.
Today, the Rough Notes Company continues to equip agencies in all phases of their operations. We understand the needs of the insurance agent. With new technologies undreamed of in Dr. Martin’s time, we continue to develop innovative products and services to assist the growth of independent agencies in the next millennium.
Dr. Henry C. Martin founds Rough Notes in Indianapolis, Indiana while working as a general agent. The magazine begins as a newsletter to his agents under the title, The Insurance Rough Notes. He distributes the first issue on November 10th.
The Rough Notes Company is incorporated in Indiana.
RN produces the first state handbook, the Indiana Insurance Directory.
Irving Williams becomes Editor of Rough Notes in 1897 and during the next forty years he leads the publication to national prominence among trade journals.
RN creates the first educational magazine designed for life agents, The Insurance Salesman. By 1919, subscriptions soar to 15,000.
All Star Convention Issue
RN becomes a leader in the use and dissemination of new photographic advertisements. Bold posters, in black and white, try to convince consumers of their need for insurance coverage. “Photo realism,” a rage in Europe, is used by RN to portray insurance risks such as gangsters robbing homes, cars crashing into houses, and airplanes falling from the skies. These posters, hung in agents’ storefronts, modernize insurance advertisement. RN also gives awards to outstanding insurance advertisements. By 1950, over a million photos a month are sold to insurance companies and agents to promote their lines.
RN introduces the 1-2-3-4 System, which standardizes agency operations. In addition, RN also produces marketing tools, such as sales kits that include post cards, blotters, booklets, letterheads and folders.
Richard J. Layton becomes manager of the Agency Supply Division and develops Rough Notes, Inc.’s agency manual billing and accounting system which remains in use today.
RN introduces What It Costs the highly successful book still published annually.
January Launches the newly redesigned Rough Notes magazine with an agent on the cover.
PF&M goes from loose leaf to CD-ROM. It is distributed by Silver Plume.
In an environmentally conscious attempt to reduce paper waste, RN creates its own software called “Three-Part Harmony.” Its goal is to keep independent insurance agents informed of the changing rules and coverages offered by different insurance companies.
Rough Notes goes “on-line” on the Internet’s World Wide Web and is the first insurance magazine to do so. (https://www.roughnotes.com)
