Roxanne Gard, winner of the Indiana Young Agent of the Year Award.
Roxanne Gard of the Rothschild Agency in Merrillville, Indiana, the recipient of the Young Agent of the Year award from the Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, says a beginning independent insurance agent's biggest challenge is to build quality community relationships with clients, businesses, and other agents. She believes these relationships are the cornerstone of success.
For Roxanne to win the Indiana Young Agent Of The Year award is doubly impressive because last fall the Indiana association was named the Outstanding Young Agent Committee for the year 2000 by the Independent Insurance Agents of America.
Gard, 32, is a producer with Rothschild Agency, a firm that maintains six producers and an 18-member support staff all managed by principal Dean Rothschild. Gard is responsible for writing all types of property and casualty coverages for her clients, concentrating primarily on both commercial lines and personal lines business. She tends to specialize in garage-type risks, contractors and manufacturing.
Gard attended Purdue University's Calumet School of Professional Studies, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in marketing, and a minor in psychology She believes that the minor degree has helped her understand and better relate to customers.
A Farmers Insurance Group agency in her hometown gave Gard her start in the insurance industry. She also had a little family-unit mentoring along the way. Her father, Frank, and great uncle have lengthy ties to State Farm agency work in Indiana. Her great uncle owned an agency for several years. Her father is in is 30th year as an agent of State Farm. Gard says, "I guess you could say somehow I followed in the footsteps of my father. He never pushed the industry on me. I just saw how successful he is at what he does and how happy it makes him to be able help people by being their advisor. I just hope someday to reach the level of respect he has in the industry. He has been a true professional and great mentor."
She joined the Rothschild Agency in September 1998, after spending the previous eight years at Havens Insurance Services in Highland, Indiana, where she worked as a customer service representative and producer. Gard now manages a book of business somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million in premium.
Gard says there are some public relations sensitivity concerns that the insurance industry--at the producer grassroots level--must work to be aware of and ultimately overcome. "Sometimes going into a potential client and being a woman is somewhat difficult with the normal characteristics of professionals that the clients were used to. In the past, clients typically might think an agent is a man, and a CSR [customer service representative] is a woman.
"Especially in the beginning it was sometimes tough working within a target market of dealerships or body/repair shops and even other commercial clients," Gard adds. "At the time I was 23, maybe 24 years old, calling on potential clients and owners who would often flat-out ask me, 'What do you know about what a repair shop does, or our insurance needs?' But it's changing.
"With women shifting into more prominent roles in property/casualty insurance, and entering various related fields, it still does not mean we are the norm yet," Gard says. "I think women are breaking the mold, and being more and more accepted just like in many other industries."
Gard stresses the importance of Cyber liability in the needs of a changing society that communicates and purchases much differently than it did 10 years ago. Rothschild Agency has several markets available for this exposure.
"Web sites and e-commerce insurance are a new thing," Gard says. "With e-mail, e-commerce, Web sites doing business and using credit card numbers over the Internet, clients should be concerned about their new huge exposure. There are so many slogans, logos, concepts that can be posted and searched for on the Internet that businesses need to protect themselves on a new level. This is a huge gap in coverage if not addressed."
A producer for the Rothschild Agency in Merrillville, Indiana, Roxanne believes that a beginning independent insurance agent's community relationships with clients, businesses, and other agents are the cornerstone of success.
In addition to emerging as a leader in the independent agent system, Gard is a civic leader as well. She served as chairperson of the Lake County, Indiana, March of Dimes Walk America and is a co-chairperson of the St. Michaels Catholic Church Annual Festival in her hometown of Schererville, Indiana. She also served as the president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Calumet (Indiana) area association in 1998. She is currently working to finish her studies of a 5-part testing series to receive her CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) designation.
Gard also believes that insurance basics are not taught--that unfortunately, there is minimal learning early on, both for consumers and potential industry professionals. She points out that schools teach students how to balance check books, but not what is necessary in the insurance purchasing process. She believes what really should be taught is that insurance provides funding for risks that many people currently self-insure because of lack of knowledge about what to even discuss regarding coverages or potential risk. "People who perhaps have had a small fire or claim not covered get educated quickly about the importance of adequate insurance coverage. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a terrible incident for them to evaluate their needs and discuss them with their agent."
The Internet has not affected Gard's emergence as a major player within the independent agent community in a market that encompasses 35 square miles in Lake County, Indiana--only about 40 miles to the southeast of Chicago, and 145 miles to the northwest of Indianapolis.
"We still find people coming in after shopping the Internet," Gard says. "There might be a few people buying home and auto insurance online, but for commercial business, clients still want to deal exclusively with a person. The Internet has in some ways helped agents when clients realize how much they depended on them to 'handle' things or to give advice that a help screen cannot. Customers will still typically price shop. Insurance can get expensive and they want to make sure what they are paying is competitive. But most often they want a relationship and will pay for the value-added services an agent provides."
Shown with agency principal Dean Rothschild, Roxanne Gard maintains that "Women [are] shifting into more prominent roles in property/casualty insurance . . . [and] are breaking the mold, and being more and more accepted just like in many other industries."
In naming Gard its Young Agent of the Year, the 800 agency member Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana recognized her multiple commitments--to the IIAI, Indiana Young Agents Committee, the community and her own personal growth within her profession. Gard served as the Young Agents Conference Committee chairperson in 2000 and is also currently the liaison from the Indiana YAC to the IIAI Convention Committee for their annual convention in November.
"The Indiana YAC is great and I am proud of all those involved, and the support we receive from the companies and our agencies," Gard says. "Our steering committee is a group of individuals who work hard." Currently, she is the secretary and treasurer and next year will be its vice president and eventually in line for president.
Gard was also a member of the subcommittee that developed the submission along with the IIAI staff liaison Steve Duff. This submission of the year's events won the Indiana Young Agents Committee three national awards from the Independent Insurance Agents of America presented in Orlando, Florida at the National Convention. Among the many awards was the very prestigious 2000 Young Agent Committee of the Year for the United States.
"This was big, not just for the YAC committee but the IIAI because the state of Indiana YAC had never won any awards prior to this. I was so honored to be part of the committee and also present with other members to actually receive the award. It was a feeling I can't describe; you could hear a pin drop in the room, then the president of the IIAA, Bill Houston says, 'And the 2000 Outstanding Young Agents Committee of the Year for the United States goes to----the Young Agents Committee of the State of----Indiana.' We will be celebrating this all year."
The 2000 Outstanding State Committee Project Award honored the Indiana YAC for its outstanding efforts in the areas of political involvement, membership development, committee project and communications in addition to its promotion of the independent agency system. The 2000 Outstanding Communication Award was based on the Indiana YAC making a concerted effort to communicate better with its membership and the IIAI membership for the 1999-2000 period. It was successful by communicating through a quarterly newsletter, developing more network activities such as a bowling tournament and golf outings, and an annual conference. It also publicized its activities in the IIAI Focus newsletter.
One current project that Gard is excited about is completing the Roger Sitkins Group Producer Training Camp. Roger Sitkins provides performance coaching to some of the brightest insurance professionals in the industry. "They call it a producer boot camp and everyone kind of laughs and, yes, if you are late from break, you do push ups or sit ups, but it is all in good fun." Gard says. "The course lasts one year, but the same group of participants from across the United States meets every quarter. We met in April, August and December, and we'll meet again this April.
"We don't discuss coverages." Gard continues. "It's more about getting rid of head trash of how we used to think a producer had to work to be successful and learning what really makes it work. He teaches us how to go from chasing leads from any one who can just fog up a mirror to working on referrals only. We are also taught to be more in control of our professional selves, by having 'walk-away power,' knowing that the best day to lose a sale is the first day, and the worst day to lose a sale is the last day.
"He [Sitkins] doesn't present solutions, only the big picture," Gard says. "There is role playing. It is fun, but intense during the two-day sessions. During the periods in between classes we're responsible for 'deliverables.' These are items like referral letters, items clients write about the students in their day-to-day careers."
Gard says it is important to understand that to keep up with changing ways, philosophies, and technology, the book of business and the people behind it come first. She emphasizes the importance of handing off service to others on her team, making more time available for her clients and for her to produce new business.
Gard advises young agents to be organized and not to be overwhelmed. She believes the relationship between producer and client has to achieve the level of the relationships they have with their attorney, banker, accountant and doctor. "We need to work together, and I need to be part of their trusted advisor team. If a client feels they need to discuss something with their accountant or attorney we should be the next in mind to call."
What else lies ahead for agents new to the independent agent side of the insurance business? Gard says that new agents need to work hard to ensure that their clients feel they are an integral part of their trusted advisor team, as much as the attorney, accountant or banker. She also advises new agents to be involved in civic and association activities. "By being involved in this fashion, you can better develop relationships which motivate you to stay knowledgeable and excited about this industry and your career. " *