I have been involved in one way or another with the Agent’s Council for Technology (ACT) since its inception in the mid 90’s. ACT is a partnership of independent agents, companies, technology vendors, user groups, and associations dedicated to enhancing the use of technology and improved work flows within the Independent Agency System.
ACT held their fall meeting in conjunction with the IIABA Leadership Conference in New Orleans in September. Part of that meeting was a Special Event with Young Agents and IIABA State Officers. Two panel discussions were held and recorded. They are both well worth listening to. The podcasts of both panels are available online at www.IndependentAgent.com/act.
Each panel runs about an hour and provides a great summary of the breakthrough strategies agencies are employing to enhance their productivity and transform their marketing to fit the online world.
I was a participant on the “Transformation in Agency Marketing” panel. As you will see from the details below, some great people with practical experience participated on both panels. Jeff Yates, Executive Director of ACT said about both panels, “I think you will agree they hit the ball out of the park in clearly presenting the opportunities available to agencies today to become more efficient, save time and attract new sales to their business.”
I do recommend you download both of these podcasts to your iPod and listen to them on a walk or while you are driving. Each panel participant provides a host of tips and techniques they are currently using to enhance productivity and increase sales. I promise you this will be two hours of well spent time!
More Details on the Podcasts:
Podcast # 1: “Practical Strategies to Enhance Agency Productivity”
- Brian Bartosh, Top O’ Michigan Insurance
- Stu Durland, Seely & Durland Insurance
- Lisa Parry Becker, Parry & Son
- Cyndy Smith, Haylor, Freyer & Coon
- Ashley Whitney, Harbor Brenn Agencies
- Jeff Yates, ACT Executive Director, Moderator
- The most effective workflows & technologies being employed successfully within agencies to enhance productivity
- How agencies are transforming the roles of their staffs to more pro-active service and sales
Podcast # 2: “The Transformation in Agency Marketing”
- Steve Anderson, Steve Anderson Consulting
- Katie Herbst, Westfield Insurance
- Angelyn Treutel, Treutel Insurance Agency
- Rick Morgan, Rick Morgan Consulting
- Rick Dinger, Crescenta Valley Insurance
- Peter van Aartrijk, Aartrijk Group, Moderator
- How agencies are rebalancing their marketing strategies to more of an online focus using their websites, social media, and search engine positioning
The PowerPoint for “The Transformation in Agency Marketing” panel is also available on the site.
