Dig a Little Deeper By Bruce D. Hicks, CPCU, CLU HANDYMAN OR AGENT? Can repair persons be considered “agents”? The Court Decisions is a popular Rough Notes magazine column. One reason is that the courtroom is where the promises made in an insurance contract often become real. All insurance professionals can develop “what if” scenarios, but until those scenarios are tested with an actual loss and a court decision, they
Personal Lines
Mind the Gap By Marc McNulty, CIC, CRM DUTIES AFTER LOSS Are your clients aware of their policy conditions? It’s common for agents who are new to the industry to get into the groove of speaking with prospects, discovering their exposures, and attempting to solve their issues with a comprehensive insurance plan. In fact, you might even talk about policy exclusions as part of the process. But do you ever
Personal Lines Focus RISK MANAGEMENT AT HOME Addressing personal risk management ideas can deliver multiple benefits By Dave Willis, CPIA It’s no secret that successful insurance producers focus on more than just selling policies. They help customers manage their risks. The approach, of course, is widespread in the commercial insurance arena, where agents and brokers often find themselves in a surrogate risk management role for businesses and other organizations. Increasingly,
FOCUS ON THE PRIVATE FLOOD MARKET Areas not previously prone to flooding are at risk; are your clients aware? By Lori Widmer A lot has changed since 1968. That’s when the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created by Congress as a means of enabling property owners to purchase insurance for what was then an extremely difficult risk to model. Yet a combination of better modeling and Congressional overhauls to
PERSONAL LINES FOCUS LOCKING IN CLIENT LOYALTY Ways to improve retention and build cross-selling opportunities in the COVID-19 era By Doug Coombs As the impact of the coronavirus continues to disrupt our lives, the healthcare system, and our economy in so many ways, independent agents are being called on to serve clients and provide valuable trusted advice to those who may be stressed, anxious, and feeling vulnerable. Now more than