Relationship Building is Job Number 1

Insurance is a relationship business, wouldn’t you agree? If you are a consumer, you need to feel comfortable with your agent and put the utmost of trust in them because they are in charge of protecting your financial future in the event of a catastrophic event. If you are an agent or broker, you need to build a strong relationship in order to earn your client’s business and then keep it.

Recently, a broker contacted me wanting to offer a quote for my client. That’s not unusual, except that my only contact with him was through voice mail and e-mail. When I told him my client wasn’t going to go to market this year, but that we’d be happy to discuss the possibility in 2008, he e-mailed me back “insisting” that we allow him to provide a quote. Insist? Look, agents and brokers are not in a position to use that type of wording, especially when there has been no relationship built. After I tried to call him and left a detailed voice mail, he responded by going directly to my client and asking through him. Not a good move. If you are an agent, you need to know who your prospect is and how they make decisions. Needless to say, this broker will have a difficult time getting the opportunity to ever quote for my client.

Insurance is not a commodity. Price is always important but as with any business or personal relationships, developing trust and respect must always come first. This broker undoubtedly is a nice guy, but his overly aggressive tactics are not always welcome to his prospects. Take the time to cultivate a relationship with your prospects and the people in charge of the quoting process. Remember that old saying, patience is a virtue.

Dan

Final Thoughts on Steubenville

Well, I’m home now and getting used to the Pacific Standard time zone again. I wish I could say the same for my luggage. It seems my luggage was “delayed” in Philadelphia while I came home without it. Fortunately, the only real things of value were the presents I bought and my dirty laundry. I guess my luggage took to the saying of W.C. Fields who said, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia”.

Thank you for allowing me this forum to share with you a significant event in my life. The lessons I learned from some of the experiences certainly flow into life. The concepts of teamwork, welcoming, family and faith all are integral to the walks in your personal and business life.

Think back to when you were 18 years old and had the world in front of you. Now, whether its 10, 20, 30, or even 50 years later, are you satisfied? Have you lived the life you imagined…are you ticking off those important adventures in your life’s to-do list? If not…why? This trip revitalized me to think ahead to things I want to accomplish and do. These things may be personal or business related, but they all are important, so taking the time to reflect and set goals is vital. I challenge you to do the same, regardless of what phase in life you find yourself. As my friend Jim Key says, it’s never too late to dream.

Dan

OUCH!

Ouch is the only way to describe how I feel right now as I sit in the Pittsburgh airport after having said goodbye to Mindy about an hour ago. If you have been where I have, you know what "bittersweet" really means. There's a feeling that a part of you is now missing, but not gone. It's hard to describe. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with her to help her get started on her new adventure.

I'm at the same time anxious to get home and see Barb, Kelli and the dogs. Kelli just passed her drivers test, so she's official. Watch out if you're on the roads in Poulsbo;-]

That's all for now. I board a plane to Philadelphia soon and then a straight shot home to Seattle. I will do a re-cap tomorrow.

Dan

Steubenville Journal - Saturday

Today was not as packed with things to do as Thursday and Friday…which was nice. There were several events, including a parent meeting and a brunch with the Franciscan friars. At the brunch, I got to meet some folks who are from Bothell. Mindy was glad to meet another native Washingtonian, especially one who lives so close. Turns out there are nine Washington residents at Franciscan.

I continue to be amazed at the warmth and generosity of this community. It’s a very inviting and welcoming place. If you were like me, your first day of school involved walking to your first class. That’s definitely not the case here. The kids already have an idea of what daily life is like on campus and have met friends. It’s a much better way to begin.

Mindy will get the opportunity to meet with the President of the University tonight at 7:15. All incoming freshman get the chance. After that, since it’s my final night here, we are going out to Dairy Queen for a dessert. It’s starting to finally sink in for me now, just like it did for Barb, Kelli, and Steve a few days ago. Being concerned for her safety is not the issue. I know she’s at the right place…no doubt in my mind. This is the beginning of a marvelous adventure and growth for her. She’s ready for it.

The real issue is I’m going to miss her. She has already left me a voice mail that I’m not supposed to listen to until she’s not around me. I haven’t found the courage to do that yet. I still see myself holding a newborn baby in my arms almost 19 years ago. Where has the time gone?

Many of you out there know what I feel. You have been there, too. In fact, I’m among good company as I see and hear similar thoughts from other parents. Distance doesn’t make a difference; whether it’s 100 or 2500 miles, the pain is still there. I feel fortunate that technology has brought us cellular phones (thanks to family calling plans), e-mail, and webcams. We still will communicate, maybe even better than before, and that will help. It doesn’t change that she won’t be there on Saturday mornings when I make pancakes, or when we are in church as a family, or every night when Barb and I would check to see if she was asleep.

I guess the moral of the story is this. Change happens. We all go through stages in our lives and Barb and I are embarking on a new one. Closing one chapter can sometimes be painful, but always seems to lead to new adventures. As out kids grow up and move on, it will really be like old times again and will give us the opportunity to focus on each other. What changes are you going through in your life? What might you be leaving behind? And, here’s the ultimately important question – what really cool things lay in store for you?

More tomorrow from the Buckeye State..

Dan

Steubenville Journal - Day 2

The university is having IT issues so I have to type this out first and put in my blogs later. Right now, I’m in the VERY cool library. Not only is it a cool place but the air conditioning is very nice as it’s extremely hot and humid outside.

So far today, Mindy has added a class to her schedule, bought her books ($500 smackers) and put money down to go to Austria next Fall. Well, I guess I paid for the books and the deposit for Austria! She and her roomie are all moved in to their dorm room and after a decent nights sleep, all is well.

We had an awesome experience last night. I’ve only been part of something remotely similar at an NBC Team Camp event. All the kids who came back to run the orientation, affectionately called the “brown shirts” since they were all wearing one, formed a type of gauntlet for all freshman and family to walk through to enter the gym for the opening ceremonies. The brown shirts were whooping and hollering and giving High Fives to everyone walking in. We felt like were rock stars. You can’t imagine the faces of all of us as were walked through…surprise and joy. Talk about being made feel welcome. To me, that is teamwork at its finest…to make your new teammates feel welcome, wanted, and excited to be there. It might make you wonder what would happen if everyone who was new to a team (athletic, business, church, etc.) were made to feel that way!

Dan

Almost Heaven West Virginia

Greetings from West Virginia! We arrived safely and I type this from my hotel room in Weirton, WV. I'm only a couple miles away from crossing the Ohio River over to Steubenville. The plane trip was uneventful as you would want one to be.

Mindy and I will be soon heading over to start getting her settled, so this will be brief.

One quick note. Normally I fly Alaska Airlines but they don't fly into Pittsburgh. I was pleasantly surprised by US Air. It was clean, on time, and the employees had fun, made jokes, and made our trip enjoyable. Customer service is a great thing...especially after my debacle with Dell.

More to come later...

Dan

Steubenville Journal

Well, I'm heading out today to Steubenville, OH to take my oldest daughter Mindy to college at Franciscan University. She's a freshman so this is an emotional time in our family as you might imagine. Many of you may have already gone through this process and can empathize. Others of you will be looking forward to it.

This will start my daily journal that can be seen on this blog about my trip. I realize this doesn't have anything to do directly with insurance, but as I mentioned on my blog, there will be posts about life journeys as well, so this is one of them. If you are interested, I hope you will check in and see how we are doing.

Last night, we had 11 people over for dinner - all members of the family. It was a great chance to see Mindy off and say "see you later" until Christmas break. Family is an important part of life, whether it's your personal family, your faith family, your family at work, or the family you coach. The support you gain from your family in all walks of your life is critical to your happiness. I'm sure Mindy received that last night.

We're off tonight on a red-eye to Charlotte and then on to Pittsburgh. My next blog will come tomorrow.

Cheers,

Dan

What you can learn from a dog - The Blondie Rule #1

The other day I was taking my dogs out for their last potty break before going to bed. It was a miserable evening as the rain was really coming down hard. I put on my rain coat, and started the “leashing up process”. As I was getting Charlie, my black lab ready to go, my 16-year old terrier mix mutt Blondie decided she wasn’t going to wait.

She walked through the screen in the door (Now, how did THAT get there?) and proceeded to the top of the porch step just under cover. It was at that point she decided to do her duty, turn around and come back in. I guess a 16-year old dog has more wisdom than her 42-year old human owner. She wasn’t about to get wet, while Charlie and I got drenched.

So, what can we learn from Blondie? It didn’t take much analysis to determine that going down the stairs into the rain just to get her “job” done wasn’t necessary. She made a “command” decision and solved the problem at the least expense and effort, and still got the job done.

How many times do we fall victim of “analysis paralysis”? Sometimes, we may take an inordinate amount of time to make a decision that was staring us in the face all the time. Instead of using our wisdom and acting, we waste time, energy, and money in over-analyzing. Sometimes, we lose an opportunity because of it! If you’re like me, you have been guilty of this.

I’ve learned that my old dog can teach me new tricks. This was a good example. Granted, I will continue to use the acceptable human way to go to the bathroom; Blondie’s method of decision-making was not lost on me!

Dan

P.S. Are you procrastinating on getting your insurance in order? How much money are YOU wasting? Click here to go to my Toro store to learn more about ways to save money on your insurance.

Too Close for Comfort

Do you ever have close calls? Just the other day, I was driving to the post office and suddenly grew concerned that I’d forgotten my cell phone at home. If you’re like me and use your cell phone for business all the time, a twinge of panic runs through you, right? Well, as I went to check my pocket, I looked up and realized that the cars in front of me were coming to a screeching halt. I hit the brakes hard and narrowly missed rear-ending the car in front of me. I was thinking, “Great. A risk management expert rear-ending another car because he was distracted. That doesn’t look very good!”

Even though I don’t use my cell phone while driving anymore, it still was a distraction and nearly caused an accident. How many close calls are there in your business every day? Depending on the type of business you have, it can range from very low (1 or 2) to very high (10 to 12).

It’s important to learn from our close calls if we want to avoid the disaster. For me, I need to remember that forgetting my phone is not as important as the job at hand…driving. I could always check when I pulled in and parked. How about you? What can you do in your business?

A good place to start is by making your employees aware of close calls. If you can raise their awareness about what close calls are, and how they can predict future losses, you will be in a position to avoid costly claims and injuries. The bottom line will be your bottom line! It’s time to learn from your “almost” mistakes.

Dan

P.S. Do you need help with your safety meetings? Would you like to introduce close calls to your employees? Give me a call and let’s schedule a visit for me to your business. Your employees will learn how to protect themselves from injury and you will have a safer, more efficient work environment. To learn more about my risk management consulting, click here…

What You Can Learn from Tiger Woods

If you’ve ever watched Tiger Woods play golf, you know you’re looking at arguably the greatest golfer of all time. He unquestionably fits that title for this generation at least. Even if you’re not a golfer, you are certainly aware of his dominance in his profession. This past weekend, he picked up his 13th career major victory at the PGA Championship in Tulsa, OK; moving him ever closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins.

So what can we learn from Tiger? No, I’m not talking about his thunderous drives or his precision putting. We can however learn something about work ethic, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence.

Tiger Woods has been called a “phenom” by many. However, his phenomenal play really comes from an endless regimen that strengthens his mind, body, and skills. The mental focus he brings to his game is really what sets him apart from his competitors. Think about this weekend. After 72 holes in temperatures that soured to over 100 degrees each day, he won a tournament by a mere 2 strokes. Two strokes over 72 holes isn’t a lot by numbers, but it’s that little “extra” that Tiger brings from the mental side that puts him over the top time and time again. His ability to focus on the task at hand, without being distracted about what happened in the past, or what will happen in the future, has made him the most dominant athlete in sports since Michael Jordan.

Do you bring that type of focus to your “game”?

I know I normally talk about insurance, but how about just plain business? Are you focused on all aspects of what is most important for your business – growth, profitability, AND survivability? If you had a major catastrophe today, is your business prepared for the worst case scenario? Here are some things you might need to focus on:

- Is my insurance adequate? When was the last time I really checked?
- Do I have an emergency disaster plan in place?
- Do my employees know what to do in the case of a disaster?
- Will my business survive a catastrophic event?

Be like Tiger Woods in your business. Prepare for the unexpected and be committed to having the best protection possible. It may just save your business someday!

Dan

P.S. Need some help figuring out the best insurance for your business? That's why I developed my 8 Cool Rules for Better Insurance Buying. You can either purchase the booklet or an e-Book directly from my Toro Store. Click here to learn more...

I Can’t Drive 55! Are your drivers costing you money every day?

Do you remember the days when you were young and having a fast car was everything? Even if it was only a Toyota Celica! I was fortunate I never seemed to pick up any tickets when I was younger and that helped me keep my insurance rates low. And when I say fortunate, I mean LUCKY!

As a consultant, I work with a lot of companies that have a large fleet of vehicles and drivers dedicated to one main thing – driving. I wish more professional drivers knew how important their personal driving record is to their ability to be employed. I’ve seen many a driver lose their job because they had too many tickets and/or accidents. I also wish business owners realized how much drivers with poor records were costing them money.

If you’re a business owner that has a fleet of vehicles and want to save money on insurance, click here to read my article on ways to drive sown your insurance cost.

Dan

Will Your Personal Insurance Cover You? How Do You Know?

How often do you talk to your personal insurance agent? If you’re like most people, including me, the answer is almost never. No wonder a Gecko has become one of the leading figures in personal insurance today!

You need to be concerned about this. I have a friend who last year decided to tear down his house and build a new home on the property. His agent didn’t do him any favors by slapping an insurance policy called a Builders Risk on it. You see, his homeowners insurance didn’t accept an endorsement called Course of Construction, which would have been broader in coverage and much cheaper. The agent took the easy way out and saddled him with an expensive 12-month policy that wouldn’t automatically renew like a homeowners policy. Its best purpose is to cover spec homes, not new residential homes by the client. The agent had personal lines companies that would have loved to take the account with a Course of Construction endorsement if given the chance.

The problem arose recently when the home was not quite finished and the Builders Risk policy expired. Nobody at the agency notified my friend until the bank wanted to know why there was no longer any insurance in place. My friend was now out of insurance and faced with the possibility of another expensive annual policy (the home will be finished in a month), or even worse, an uncovered fire that destroys over a year’s worth of work. Now, because the home is well into the process, no personal lines companies want to insure it with the endorsement. I haven’t ever figured that one out yet, but that’s the way it is.

Can this scenario or one like it, happen to you? It can, so I urge you to be diligent in making sure you’re meeting at least annually with your agent. It doesn’t take much time and your cost not to could be tragic. In an era where more and more personal agents are communicating less with their clients, you need to be responsible for your own financial protection. Make your agent earn their commission.

P.S. This is one of the reasons I started my consulting practice. If you need help with an insurance challenge, contact me at dan@toroic.com to inquire on how I can help you solve it. Or, visit my web site at www.toroic.com and see what services I offer.