Let’s Talk

Is it just me, or are we working more and talking less? By talking, I don’t mean those long, pointless meetings where goals are summarized in alphabetical order and mission statements are pummeled into submission statements; but really talking, as you would over a cup of coffee at your next-door neighbor’s kitchen table.

As much as we would like to, it’s not always possible to sit down with our peers and discuss what’s wrong with the industry and how it can be fixed. With dropping commissions and a soft market, it makes more sense for agents, producers and principals to stick around the office than to head out to networking events. Conference participation is on the decline, and now that continuing education can be accomplished online, even that opportunity for discussion isn’t always realistic.

But agents need to talk, as do CSRs, account executives and managers. You need to talk not only to other agents, but to company personnel, attorneys and regulators.

That’s why we’ve been working hard to get our Forums section up on www.InsuranceJournal.com. Our new favorite feature allows unlimited “talking” between agents, brokers, and anyone else with an interest in insurance. To find it, go to Forums in the upper right-hand corner of our homepage. The first page you’ll see will list different discussion groups. For instance, “In the News” refers to an array of news stories that affect our business; from litigation and legislation to acquisitions and insolvencies.

Once in the group, you’ll find individual topics to talk about. These aren’t just topics dreamed up by IJ staff, although we will be creating some of them. We’d actually rather rely on industry members to create topics they’d like to discuss.

The topics can be as simple as “Does anyone know a good market for daycare centers in Arizona?” to “I need advice on my agency contract,” or even “What do you think about agents creating unions?”

Then, we’ll try to track down experts on those specific topics: a lawyer or association representative for agency contract advice; MGAs for hard-to-place markets; maybe an industry historian for background on unions. If your question is about an agency management system, you can poll other agents for their experiences and thoughts.

There’s a wealth of entrepreneurial knowledge in every single agent in the nation. Agency principals not only sell insurance, but they hire employees, run accounting systems, market their wares and take out the trash. It’s an abundance of information just begging to be tapped.

We plan on starting out simple and growing in whatever direction you take us. That may mean establishing a section for agency management discussions or technology issues, or setting up regional forums so Oregon agents can talk to other Oregon agents about state-specific information…the possibilities are infinite.

So, let’s talk. You bring the coffee, we’ll bring the kitchen table.