Strengthening the Front Line

Status quo not an option

Challenging times require changing habits

By Emily Huling, CIC, CMC

We can’t do that. That doesn’t make sense. We’ve always done it this way. That won’t work. It’s too risky. No one else does it that way. What will people think? It wouldn’t be right. The client will never go for it. It will never pay off.

If all businesses thought like that, we’d never have reliable overnight delivery service (FedEx), computers built to order (Dell), search engines providing obscure information at our fingertips (Google), or coffee shops on every corner (Starbucks). On the flip side, we don’t have to look farther than our garages to see what occurs with an industry that keeps doing things the same way year after year. The American car industry’s failure to change has cost it market share, profits, and reputation.

What keeps businesses from stepping out of traditional routines and habits—even if those ways could bring them down? Owners will tell you their people won’t change. Employees will tell you the owners won’t change.

The reality is that change involves taking a risk, and that’s uncomfortable for most people. Few want to rock the boat. But boats are built to withstand some rocking. If you try something and it doesn’t work, make modifications. Rarely does changing something for a short duration threaten lives or businesses. With the uncertainty we’re experiencing in our business world today, it’s an opportune time to rethink vision and practices to make a positive difference in the lives of employees and clients.

Ask your employees what they think and listen to them. “We do that,” you’re going to tell me. Most managers believe their employees are open, honest, and share their ideas. As an outsider who talks privately with employees, I’ll tell you that’s not so. And I can’t blame them. Perhaps they offered an idea or two at one time and received no feedback. Meetings are routine and repetitive, leaving little room or desire to express alternative ideas or opinions. Agency owners and managers wear multiple hats, so it’s no wonder that a goal of “running smoothly” is an admirable objective. However, lack of employee engagement is a drag on business, clients, and staff.

Harry, an owner of a small-town agency with a staff of eight, employs a dedicated and diligent personal lines CSR. Joy has trouble keeping up with the typical fast-paced disruptions of a Main Street business. Harry has been avoiding approaching her about her job performance. He doesn’t like confrontation. He’s not much of a manager. He’s working hard on renewals and new business. She’s liked by clients and coworkers. But he knows that he has to do something. The night before he’s going to put her on probation, he has a thought. Even though he has only eight people, maybe there is something else she could do at the agency. He’ll simply ask her if she has any ideas.

Joy comes to the meeting with a folder. Harry follows his plan and tells her his thoughts and asks if she has any ideas. “Oh yes,” she says. “I’ve been thinking for a long time about how this agency could run more efficiently.” Harry asks to hear more. Joy has a plan for improved technology use, retaining renewals, and writing new business. Harry is dumbfounded.

In the end, Harry is able to move her CSR work to others and puts Joy in charge of overseeing much of the agency’s operations, including technology, which alleviates some of his workload and provides a way to handle things that weren’t getting done.

Don’t wait until a crisis occurs to talk to people. Every quarter, schedule individual lunch meetings with direct reports. Let people know you’re receptive to their ideas and feedback for agency improvement.

Give people time off and they’ll accomplish more. Conventional wisdom says that the number of work hours equate to work output. But in our fast-paced, high-touch, high-stress world of insurance, that is not the case. Front-line staff burns out. There’s a way to avoid that.

In my work with insurance agencies, flexibility in the workplace ranks high as a driver of employee satisfaction. When good employees are trusted to manage their own work and work schedule with the measurement focus on results—not time at a desk—attitude and performance improve. Organizations are now offering employees one to two days a month, many times in half days, to use in a worthwhile endeavor.

How do employees use their time? Volunteering at schools and in the community. Taking educational classes for personal and professional development. Participating in wellness and fitness programs. What would the people in your business do if they had four hours a week to commit to something that would better themselves, their families, or the community? Why don’t you ask them and find out?

Think twice before following the leader. Agencies have access to benchmarking guides to compare their finances and operations against the statistics of top-performing businesses similar to theirs. I, too, frequently use this criterion when helping agency owners assess staffing needs, profit margins, and business direction. But the world is changing, and some of the old paradigms may not apply.

John, a recent college graduate, was hired by a mid-sized agency as a commercial lines producer. The agency has the typical “silo” approach to insurance sales and service with separate and distinct personal, commercial, and benefits departments. John follows a comprehensive producer development plan for about eight months, and the owners are pleased with his progress.

Then one day, John approaches his sales manager with an idea. He has been targeting small businesses to get his feet wet and quickly realizes that the personal insurance of these business owners is worth a lot more than the commercial business. He wants to create a concierge service for entrepreneurs and be the point of contact for all lines of business. To the credit of the sales manager and owners, they are moving forward with his plan even though it’s requiring some retooling of his training and the support service teams. They are even creating online services for this new model.

There just might be a better approach to servicing and growing your business. Consider client needs, employee talents and interests, technological advancements, and work availability.

Challenge people with new positions and new assignments. “I just want to come to work and do my job. Can’t they just leave me alone?” I’ve heard that hundreds of times from good employees, but it’s a no-can-do anymore. Job complacency is a killer for both the employee and the organization. We live with a pace of business and client expectations that require superhero efforts to stay ahead of the game. We have brain trusts that need to be shared before retirement and young workers who grow bored unbelievably fast. New knowledge is required almost daily merely to keep up.

Laura, an agency owner, is faced with an enormous challenge to fill a commercial account manager position. It was easier to fill a personal lines opening in the agency’s job market, and after months of searching for the right commercial lines person, Laura gives up.

She approaches Sally, who is the team leader in personal lines, about moving to the position. After much begging, Sally reluctantly agrees. At first nervous and uncertain, Sally soon finds herself challenged in her new position and excels. As a result of Sally’s move, a new leader steps forward in personal lines. The new employee the agency hires in personal lines adds a new depth of talent in the department. Employees see a coworker stand out after taking a risk, and staff morale improves significantly.

There’s no reason to wait for a desperate moment to offer an employee a change or challenge. Offer someone an opportunity to put together a client policy review program. How about classes for newly licensed drivers? A seasoned employee starting an in-house training program on a specific line of business? Strategies for how to negotiate with an underwriter? Find ways to stimulate employees and watch them shine.

To reach new heights, agencies must challenge both traditional thinking and employees. What will you do to adapt to these challenging and changing times? *

The author
Emily Huling, CIC, CMC, is the author of Selling from the Inside and Kick Your “But.” For information on her programs and products, call (888) 309-8802 or visit www.sellingstrategies.com.