How to Keep Your Best Producers from Leaving

What's "fair compensation" for your employees? Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Developing Producer Compensation & Agency Perpetuation Plans Compensation plans are the most important tool an insurance agency uses to distinguish itself from competitors when hiring producers. Archaic, poorly executed models correlate to stagnant new business growth, employee dissatisfaction and poor retention. The influence of an appropriate compensation plan trickles down to successful recruiting and perpetuation. Most notably this course provides specific plans for compensation design. Not exclusively designed for independent insurance agencies, any insurance organization can apply these concepts to its sales team. Click Here to Register Class members can expect to take away: When and how changes to current compensation plans should be made Formulas for the five most commonly used producer compensation plans including the best plan agencies rarely use Perpetuation concepts for validated producers involving ownership, divestiture and retirement. Central themes of this program focus on addressing fair compensation for junior producers and validated producers who co-exist within the same agency. As an executive, your goal should be easy, successful validation for all producers and earning a positive return on your staffing investments Click Here to Register When you register, you get: Access to the live webinar Video and audio recordings, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Join us this Wednesday, September 19 for this one-hour training webinar. (PLUS, all registrants will receive video and audio recordings of the webinar, so you can listen/watch again at your convenience.) Space is limited! Click Here to Reserve Your Spot! Regularly priced at $129.00, just $89 when you register today! (special pricing expires September 18) Have questions or need help? Send an email to webcasts@insurancejournal.com or call Barbara at 800-897-9965 x166. Date: Wednesday, September 19 Time: 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT Duration: 1 Hour Price: Save $40 until Sept 18! Register today for just $89! Click Here to Register Instructor: Mary Newgard Senior Search Consultant at Capstone Search Group More Great Training: SEP 20: Understanding Commercial Property Underwriting and "COPE" (A 2 Part Series) - Learn the importance of each of the four basic data points in the property underwriting process: Construction, Occupancy, Protection and Exposure ("COPE"). SEP 26: Agency Planning for 2013 - By 2013, the industry is likely to be in the midst of a relatively hard market and simultaneously a soft economy. This combination is rare in the P&C industry. How do you react and take advantage of this? SEP 27: Work Comp Large Deductible Plans - As the Worker Comp market tightens and changes, it is likely larger employers will assess alternative financing mechanisms, such as Large Deductible Plans. OCT 3: London Calling: Insurance & the London Market - The most complex and obscure risks from around the globe flow onto London's trading floors looking for coverage quotes. OCT 4: Insurance Industry Trends - Effective use of the surplus lines marketplace can increase agency revenues and assist your organization in retaining key clients. Make plans now to attend this informative and interactive webinar! Send to a Friend | Contact Us | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.

If You Write Property Insurance, This Course is for You!

Do you write property Insurance? This class is for you. Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. How to "COPE" with Commercial Property Underwriters Construction, Occupancy, Protection, and Exposure information is collectively known in property underwriting as "COPE" data. Every commercial property underwriter asks for this information and has for nearly 350 years – understanding these four elements is key to improved results. COPE data affects the property underwriting process, but the need for and application of this information is often misapplied or worse – misunderstood. This two-part series offers a unique perspective of each part of COPE data and how you can improve your property selling and underwriting skill by knowing and understanding the intricacies of COPE. Anyone writing property insurance will benefit from this class. Click Here to Register Construction: Students learn how to determine the property's correct construction class (from construction class 1 all the way to construction class 6); why the size of the building matters; and how age affects the property underwriting decision. We also introduce and solve mixed-construction issues. Occupancy: Beyond simply discussing occupancy issues, we detail how an insured's hazards associated with the occupancy are underwritten. It's not only what the insured does, but how they do it that matters. Protection: Sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, alarm systems, fire doors, fire walls, and public fire protection are the primary protection mechanisms evaluated by underwriters. The basics of each are discussed in this series. Exposure: What external factors affect the insured property? A few of these exposures are discussed in this course. Click Here to Register When you register, you get: Access to the live webinar Video and audio recordings, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Join us this Thursday, September 13th and September 20th for this two-part training webinar. (PLUS, all registrants will receive video and audio recordings of the webinar, so you can listen/watch again at your convenience.) Space is limited! Click Here to Reserve Your Spot! Regularly priced at $197.00, just $147 when you register today! (special pricing expires September 12) Have questions or need help? Send an email to webcasts@insurancejournal.com or call Barbara at 800-897-9965 x166. Part 1: Thursday, Sept 13 Part 2: Thursday, Sept 20 Time: 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT Duration: 1 Hour Each Week Price: Save $50 until September 12! Register today for just $147! Click Here to Register Instructor: Chris Boggs, CPCU, ARM, ALCM, LPCS, AAI, APA, CWCA, CRIS, AINS Director of Education at Insurance Journal's Academy of Insurance More Great Training: TOMORROW: Avoiding The Top 5 Mistakes Made When Hiring Producers - Learn ways to correct the most common mistakes agencies make when hiring sales executives. The key is to make your own plan, define what makes a "good" producer, hire and avoid repeating the bad habits of old. SEP 19: Developing Producer Compensation & Agency Perpetuation Plans - Through this course, agency owners, sales managers, and financial officers will begin to see how vital the concept of compensation analysis is to the success of its company. SEP 26: Agency Planning for 2013 - By 2013, the industry is likely to be in the midst of a relatively hard market and simultaneously a soft economy. This combination is rare in the P&C industry. How do you react and take advantage of this? SEP 27: Work Comp Large Deductible Plans - As the Worker Comp market tightens and changes, it is likely larger employers will assess alternative financing mechanisms, such as Large Deductible Plans. OCT 3: London Calling: Insurance & the London Market - The most complex and obscure risks from around the globe flow onto London's trading floors looking for coverage quotes. Send to a Friend | Contact Us | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.

Breaking News: U.S. Treasury Sells $18 Billion of AIG Stock, Cuts Stake to 19%

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September 11, 2012 Breaking News Alert U.S. Treasury Sells $18 Billion of AIG Stock, Cuts Stake to 19% Read the full story The U.S. government cut its stake in American International Group Inc. to 19 percent on Monday, making a profit of $12.4 billion on the insurer's crisis-era bailout and bringing the unpopular rescue closer to its end. The Treasury Department sold $18 billion worth of the insurer's shares at $32.50 apiece, in what could yet be the largest ever secondary offering in U.S. history. The underwriters have the option to buy another $2.7 billion worth of AIG shares, which they can exercise in the next 30 days. Read the full story Send to a Friend Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, September 10, 2012

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September 10, 2012 Top 10 for the Past Week 1. Most Unusual Pet Insurance Claims of the Year Sep 6, 2012 -- A dog that got bitten by a turtle, a hound found literally hanging around the barbecue grill and a cat that went for a ride after getting stuck in a car engine are among the nominees announced by Veterinary Pet ... 2. California State Fund Restructures Broker Distribution Sep 4, 2012 -- California's State Compensation Insurance Fund has changed its broker distribution model, requiring most of the roughly 5,000 brokers and agents the entity deals with to go through one of two wholesalers. The change, ... 3. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Relying Less on Insurance Units Sep 4, 2012 -- Warren Buffett's recent birthday was good news for Berkshire Hathaway investors who could celebrate another year of the Oracle of Omaha's leadership. But the milestone also reminded shareholders they need to think about ... 4. Former N.Y. Insurance Agent Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $648K Sep 5, 2012 -- New York authorities announced last week that a Long Island, N.Y., man has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after allegedly stealing more than $648,000 in premiums from a client and spending the money on ... 5. Strong Earthquake Strikes Western Costa Rica: AIR Analysis Sep 6, 2012 -- According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, on September 5 at 8:42 AM local time, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck a sparsely populated region of western Costa Rica approximately 150 km [94 miles] west of San ... 6. Insurers Processing Estimated $1.2 Billion in Hurricane Isaac Claims Sep 3, 2012 -- Insurance claims from Hurricane Isaac have starting coming in, with one estimate saying losses to insurers could total $1.2 billion. AIR Worldwide, which models losses for insurers, said its best estimate of losses was ... 7. Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Phone Threats to Insurer’s Employees Sep 3, 2012 -- A 49-year-old Florida man pleaded guilty Friday to making hundreds of threatening calls to employees at the Travelers Insurance Co. Brent Hansen of Seminole, Fla., entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court in ... 8. New National Parks’ Insurance Requirements Ignite Controversy Sep 6, 2012 -- A National Parks Service (NPS) decision to hike their required insurance liability limits by 1,000 percent has some outfitters and guides, as well as their insurance providers, navigating the halls of Congress. The ... 9. U.S. Construction Firms Facing Double-Digit Increases for Liability Insurance: Marsh Aug 31, 2012 -- The commercial general liability market for the U.S. construction industry continues to firm with underwriters seeking rate increases of up to 15 percent, according to a report published by Marsh. Construction firms ... 10. Private Insurers in Line to Take 150,000 Policies from Florida’s Citizens Sep 7, 2012 -- Four Florida-based property insurers have been given the green light to remove up to 150,000 policies from the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which would contribute to the greatest shift of policies to ... Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail

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Avoid these 5 Mistakes When Hiring Producers

Avoid the stressful and costly process of hiring the wrong producers Having trouble reading this email? View it as a webpage. Avoid the stressful and costly process of hiring the wrong producers Producer recruiting is an ongoing process agencies should enter into with a high level of confidence. But what happens when a pattern of unsuccessful hires begins? A frustrating and costly process, discovering a producer isn't performing raises the question, "Is the lack of success solely on the employee, or does the agency share accountability for the bad hire?" This class is intended to stimulate thoughts on the producer hiring process. Whether you're active in a recruiting project, plan to be or have concerns about repeating past mistakes, the key is to always be one step ahead of the development process. Click Here to Register Class members can expect to take away: An outline of the producer recruiting process and how it correlates to training, validation and retention Defining "today's" producer and when mistakes become evident Common themes involved in hiring mistakes: broad assumptions, communication breakdown, "The Halo Effect" and compensation missteps Click Here to Register When you register, you get: Access to the live webinar Video and audio recordings, so you can watch or listen again Question & Answer session with the instructor Audio download of the webcast Presentation slides download Join us this Wednesday, September 12 for this one-hour training webinar. (PLUS, all registrants will receive video and audio recordings of the webinar, so you can listen/watch again at your convenience.) Space is limited! Click Here to Reserve Your Spot! Regularly priced at $129.00, just $89 when you register today! (special pricing expires September 11) Have questions or need help? Send an email to webcasts@insurancejournal.com or call Barbara at 800-897-9965 x166. Date: Wednesday, September 12 Time: 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT Duration: 1 Hour Price: Save $40 until Sept 11! Register today for just $89! Click Here to Register Instructor: Mary Newgard Senior Search Consultant at Capstone Search Group More Great Training: SEP 13: Understanding Commercial Property Underwriting and "COPE" (A 2 Part Series) - Learn the importance of each of the four basic data points in the property underwriting process: Construction, Occupancy, Protection and Exposure ("COPE"). SEP 19: Developing Producer Compensation & Agency Perpetuation Plans - Through this course, agency owners, sales managers, and financial officers will begin to see how vital the concept of compensation analysis is to the success of its company. SEP 26: Agency Planning for 2013 - By 2013, the industry is likely to be in the midst of a relatively hard market and simultaneously a soft economy. This combination is rare in the P&C industry. How do you react and take advantage of this? SEP 27: Work Comp Large Deductible Plans - As the Worker Comp market tightens and changes, it is likely larger employers will assess alternative financing mechanisms, such as Large Deductible Plans. Send to a Friend | Contact Us | Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.