|
marketing agency of the month A GENERALIST THAT FOCUSES ON SERVICE A culture of constant improvement keeps Deland, Gibson moving forward By Dennis H. Pillsbury
Deland, Gibson Insurance Associates, Inc., Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, was founded in 1900 under the name Deland Insurance. When it reached its 100th year, employees were invited to go on a four-day cruise to the Bahamas. Thirty-nine of the employees took advantage of the offer. “The people you employ are what makes you successful,” Charles W. Gibson, president, explains, “and we wanted to celebrate this landmark year and reward them for their efforts.” He continues: “Our employees have been with us an average of 14 years; obviously, some of them much longer than that. That means our 43 employees have 1,095 years of experience and can bring their expertise to their relationships with clients. Our goal is to do our best for the good of our clients. To accomplish that, we have to have experienced people who are happy at their job. Experience alone isn’t enough. The fact that our people enjoy their work translates into better service for our clients.” This emphasis on providing excellent service to clients resulted in Deland, Gibson being among the first agencies to receive the prestigious Five Star DesignationSM from the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA). To become a Five Star agency, Deland, Gibson had to agree to have a review team come into the agency and conduct confidential interviews with agency personnel. This process takes a minimum of three days at a cost of $1,800 a day. In addition, the agency must be re-evaluated every three years in order to maintain the status. The reviewers present the agency with a report that shows both the agency’s strengths and weaknesses so that the agency can work on improving. “Our goal has always been to constantly improve,” Charlie says. “When we heard about the Five Star program, we thought it would provide us an opportunity to take a closer look at ourselves and what we were doing. We were very pleased to receive the designation to help us further celebrate our Centennial. However, the re-evaluation last year was even more valuable. Our employees were concerned about talking openly during the first review, even though they were told the interviews would be confidential. But during the re-evaluation, they knew that nothing got back to management and were completely open with the interviewers.” He continues: “The Five Star program challenged us to get even better. It also gave us an opportunity to see how we compared with our competition, especially in the area of client service, which has been the hallmark of Deland, Gibson for 105 years.” The Five Star program evaluates agencies for 17 points of quality, which include: customer focus, communications, vision, planning, accountability, selection, development, involvement, motivation, information, business associates, innovation, integration, carriers/markets, business results, performance, and reliability. (Additional information on the Five Star program is available in the March 2004 issue of Rough Notes and at the MAIA Web site: www.massagent.com.) Heather Kramer, CIC, vice president of education, MAIA, says that “one of the things that distinguishes Deland, Gibson is the staff that it has. They have good experience and great knowledge that is combined with a desire to do the right thing for their customers all the time. They are all definitely focused on customers and always follow through on the agency’s stated goal to do the best for the good of its clients.” Charlie, who joined the agency in 1972 after graduating from Clemson and then serving in the Navy, explains that his father, George W. Gibson, emphasized to him that “we are the agency of personal service. We care about our clients and we know them pretty well. Our clients are our friends.” Charlie was named president in 1982 when George became chairman. Charlie also is treasurer of the firm and a producer.
“All our producers write their friends,” Charlie says. “It’s been part of the way we’ve done business since the beginning and it continues today. We’re a generalist and write everything from biotech to broadcasting to software developers to homeowners and auto insurance. The accounts range in size from small, one-person businesses to large publicly traded companies. “We support the efforts of our producers by being visible in the community. We sponsor the athlete of the week in the local newspaper and have been doing that for 20 years. The award is given to the student athlete who works the hardest, not necessarily the best athlete. We’re also active in other community activities, including parades and the symphony. All our business now comes in through referral and word of mouth. People want to deal with a local agency. And when they hear about the service we provide to our clients, they want that agency to be us.” While the clients come first, the agency’s employees are equally important. “We try to be as generous as possible in order to retain our employees and keep them happy,” Charlie says. “We try to give two bonuses a year—one in the spring that is based on last year’s profit sharing and the second in the fall is based on production for that year. We also try to provide a friendly work environment where people can have fun while they’re writing the business. We’ll do just under $6 million in revenue this year and that takes a lot of work from our people. “It’s also very important that all our people feel like part of the team,” Charlie continues. “It’s pretty much a team effort on all accounts. Producers go out on a call with a CSR and claims person. I bring the CSR along on personal account calls. We want our clients to know all the people that will be working on their account so when they call, they’re not just talking to a voice on the phone.”
In addition to the 100th anniversary cruise, the agency offers other opportunities for employees to relax with each other. There is a big clambake in September and a holiday party in December. For the last three years, that was in the form of a Boston harbor cruise. They also close for a few hours on Patriot’s Day to watch that most celebrated event—the Boston Marathon. Wellesley Hills is just about the halfway point on the marathon. For those familiar with the run, it’s the place where the coeds from Wellesley College provide a much needed boost to the male runners as they cheer them on. The agency is situated right on the race course, so they close the office from noon until 2:00 or 2:30 and have a cookout or company-sponsored lunch. “In the past, we’ve had employees in the run,” Charlie adds.
Charlie’s partner at the agency is Karen A. Cora, who joined the agency in 1988 and became executive vice president in 1995. Karen came to Deland, Gibson from Fireman’s Fund after that company closed its Massachusetts offices. Prior to being with Fireman’s Fund, she worked for an agency in St. Louis for 11 years. Her company background in underwriting and marketing provides the agency with an excellent ombudsman when dealing with the many companies it represents. “We represent virtually every national carrier,” Charlie notes. “It’s important that we provide them all with good business that meets their marketing requirements. And it’s key for an agency like ours to be able to represent a lot of companies, since we write such a wide variety of business and personal lines accounts.” The agency represents about 20 companies and also has access to various excess markets and Lloyd’s of London. It is licensed in 42 jurisdictions. “The combination of owners is a great dynamic,” Heather Kramer notes. “Together, they lead the agency in a positive manner.” In addition to serving its community, the agency also is active in the insurance industry. Charlie notes, “We attend the Big ‘I’ national legislative conference, and this year I got to shake President Bush’s hand. We’ve been to the conference for the last five or six years. We meet with our Congressmen and know where they stand on issues that are important to us.” Karen also is active at both the national and local levels. She will be chairman of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents next year. Deland, Gibson has excellent business results, a dynamic leadership team and good relations with employees, insurance companies and clients. However, probably the most important attribute it shares with nearly every other agency that has preceded it as Marketing Agency of the Month is its desire to continually get better. No matter how good they are, the culture is one of constant improvement, an understanding that they are never as good as they can be. We are proud to recognize Deland, Gibson as this month’s Marketing Agency. * |
|||||||||||
| |||||||||||
