YOUNG AGENT FORUM
IIABA's Young Agents Leadership Conference
offers learning and networking opportunities
By John Olivieri, Jr., CIC, LIA, AAI
It's 9:00 p.m. One of your most important client's workers compensation policies expires tomorrow. You're waiting for your final market to return a quote, not because you want an alternative quote for your client, but because at this point you need any quote. On top of that, a competitor has talked to your client about his needs, to get the proverbial foot in the door by wresting the workers comp policy from you and then stealing the rest of the account.
If this dilemma isn't enough, you also remember you need to make a decision about a new agency management system by the end of the week because your current technology platform has been causing problems for the last six months.
As you prepare to leave the office or, more realistically, make a fresh pot of coffee to keep you awake as you plug away at the piles of work on your desk, you notice registration forms for the classes on employment practices liability insurance and claims management that you need to take. It's been so long since you've had a free moment for continuing education; you wonder when you'll have time for that.
Does this scenario sound familiar? It should--for an independent agent in the current hard market. If you're like me, you don't want or need to hear anything more about the problem. You want solutions.
What if you could get the solutions to all these problems and more in one place, all at one time?
The answer is the Big Easy--New Orleans. No, not the city. Actually, the answer is this year's Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America's (IIABA) Young Agents Leadership Conference that will be held in New Orleans, Sept. 20-22. If you haven't attended this leadership event before, you may be thinking, "How can IIABA's Young Agents Leadership Conference help solve my problems?"
At the conference, you can meet representatives from many companies that offer a variety of products-- maybe even get that new agency management system you need. You could also make an important contact with a workers compensation carrier so that you will not have a reoccurrence of that problem. Oh yeah, if you want to pick up some valuable information from great speakers on timely topics like strengthening your sales and leadership abilities, the IIABA Young Agents Leadership Conference is a great place.
You may have doubts about the usefulness of spending time out of the office, thinking you should be spending time doing what you do best--selling. But ask yourself: How does that agency down the street grow its book of business each year and have more company contracts than ever before? Why can they pick the carriers they want to represent? How can an agency not only thrive but grow in this hard market?
The answer is simple. The enormous amount of useful information gained from the IIABA Young Agents Leadership Conference and the networking with peers and company representatives make this event critical to your career and your future.
I was skeptical until I attended my first professional insurance meeting. I questioned whether I really should spend three or four days out of the office at a state conference. To my surprise, not only did I get some "free stuff" at the event, but I also got ideas, ideas, and more ideas. I had a chance to network with my peers in a non-hostile environment where we had the opportunity to share information that made our businesses better. I learned valuable lessons from the terrific speakers and got a chance to see my future in a different light. Since then, some of the best information, suggestions, and creativity I've gained have been acquired from the networking I've done at state and national conventions.
After the Leadership Conference, plan to stay in New Orleans for a few extra days to attend IIABA's InfoXchange, where you can network with high-level industry leaders, learn innovative agency management skills, get pointers from leading political and business speakers, and enjoy the benefits of one of the most impressive exhibits in the industry. Once you've registered for the Leadership Conference, you're automatically registered for the InfoXchange at no additional cost. The return on your investment will be high and rewarding. So don't let another year go by. I'll see you in New Orleans along with everyone else who's looking for an advantage over the guy who is trying to steal that key account from you. *
The author
John Olivieri, Jr., CIC, LIA, AAI, is vice president of the J.K. Olivieri Insurance Agency, Inc., Lakeville, Massachusetts. John is active in the Massachusetts Young Agents Committee as well as the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) Board of Directors. He is active in the local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, as well as local and statewide political campaigns.