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Fun Times Newsletter
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In this issue
-- Quote of the Month
-- Joke Time
-- Welcome to the Team: Deborah L. Gateley, Marketing Maven!
-- On the Cutting Edge: Tort Reform that Makes Sense -- News Flash: Slice of Americana -- The Greatest Insurance Story Never Told -- Human Resources Tip of the Month -- Goodies From the Gurus: What Should You Expect Your Marketing to Do For You? -- Book of the Month -- Graffiti Zone -- Product Deal of the Day! -- Cartoon of the Month! -- Feedback
We heard you! This month we debut our new HR department at IIF! Check it out and tell us what you think! We appreciate your interest, constructive criticism and eagerly accept your ideas for improving this newsletter, our products and other offerings. Just drop us an e-mail at newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com.
Now, on to the fun! |
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Quote of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So much of what we call management consists in
making it difficult for people to work.”
– Peter Drucker
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Joke Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three guys are fishing in the Caribbean. One guy
says, "I had a terrible fire; lost everything. Now the
insurance company is paying for everything and
that's why I'm here."
The second guy says, "I had a terrible explosion; lost everything. Now the insurance company is paying for everything and that's why I'm here." The third guy says, "What a coincidence. I had a terrible flood; lost everything. Now the insurance company is paying for everything and that's why I'm here." The other guys turned to him with confusion and asked, "Flood? How do you start a flood?" Source: www.workjoke.com
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Welcome to the Team: Deborah L. Gateley, Marketing Maven! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great news, IIFers! Please pop a Diet Coke and
chomp a Twix bar in honor of our newest addition to
the IIF family of extremely talented, yet slightly off-
center, denizens! Deborah L. Gateley – to be
henceforth known as Deb – arrives on our shores
from Utah, bringing to IIF her passion for making a
difference and thirty years of business experience.
Her specific area of expertise is Human Resources,
and she will be adding her motherlode of information
in that area to the offerings of IIF beginning with this
very newsletter. As an accomplished business
woman, the mother of four, and grandmother of
more, her record of accomplishment pales only in
comparison to the main prerequisite to becoming a
part of our merry IIF band - a highly honed ability to
see and appreciate the humor and fun in life! As of
July 1, Deb is anointed IIF “Marketing Maven” and
key contact for IIF clients and prospects. Email and
lucrative contract offers should be addressed
to “deb@insuranceisfun.com.” To win a chance of
actually speaking with her Mavenness personally,
simply enter 703-455-0569 in your customary
telephonic device. Every caller is a winner, since all
runners-up automatically receive a treasured
consolation prize – Deb’s award-winning voice mail
message!
Welcome Deb!
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On the Cutting Edge: Tort Reform that Makes Sense ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who says insurance isn’t fun? Even judges presiding
over insurance disputes are getting in on the action!
A federal judge in Tampa, Fla. irritated with the opposing attorneys’ inability to agree on the slightest details of a lawsuit, ordered them to settle their latest dispute with a game of ‘rock, paper, scissors.’ |
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News Flash: Slice of Americana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What’s more American than frivolous lawsuits and
baseball? Read on to see what IIF’s new favorite
sports team is doing to combine two of America’s
favorite pastimes!
“A minor league baseball team in Pennsylvania is hosting a ‘Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night’ next month to demonstrate its sentiment about a lawsuit filed by a Los Angeles Angels fan who did not receive a red nylon tote bag as part of the Angels' recent Mother's Day promotion. |
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The Greatest Insurance Story Never Told ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Last in Translation! Not since the award-
winning “Origins of the Oxford Dictionary of the
English Language” has a film had the potential to
rock the normally placid insurance world!
(Sure, “Black’s Law Dictionary: Obfuscation or
Ambiguity” opened well, but that was only in three
theaters near Boston.) “Last,” all agree, is the
insurance movie with the best chance of breaking
out of the small, traditional audience of coverage
analysts. This one, critics feel, finally may also
attract coverage wonks, adjusters and risk managers
for offshore captives. A tall order, but to this
reviewer’s eye, the hype may be hip!
Bill Murray has the role of his life as an ISO forms drafter. Alienated and adrift after his “intermediate tail, designated location/operation limited pollutant coverage laser beam endorsement” fails to reignite demand for the claims-made CGL, Bill drifts aimlessly into a regional insurer’s personal-lines department, where he meets a young, attractive legal counsel who is struggling with the meaning of “public or livery conveyance” and exactly why that term doesn’t include a share-the-expense car pool. Soon their odd yet symbiotic relationship deepens as together they explore the impact of revising the intentional acts exclusion in the homeowners policy, the subtleties inherent in redrafting the PAP’s electronic equipment provisions, and the ramifications of moving mobile equipment subject to licensing and auto laws from the CGL to the BAP. (“Except, of course, for physical damage to the equipment,” she laughs, bringing yet another enigmatic smile to Bill’s somber visage. He loves to see her laugh, especially when it involves a CGL.) Alas, the relationship ends badly, as he cannot let go of his obsession with reforming and clarifying the coverage in ISO’s new crime forms, and she finally leaves to find true love in the arms of an inland marine forms drafter at AAIS.” Source: Chris Amrhein, IIF Chief Fun Officer
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Human Resources Tip of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Often people think of HR as the group of sour faces
that puts a stop to anything fun. I’m here to
represent that it just ain’t so! This is my first column
bringing a smile to your day while delivering an HR
tip. Enjoy!
RECRUITMENT HELP There are certain things you just shouldn’t say in an ad. For example: |
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Goodies From the Gurus: What Should You Expect Your Marketing to Do For You? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Too many agencies mistake marketing for sales. The
job of marketing is to promote your business and
attract prospects. What’s done with those prospects
is the job of the sales force. When measuring the
success of your marketing plan, don’t focus on sales
figures, but responses, inquiries and name recognition.
Here are seven critical factors to consider when developing an effective marketing plan: |
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Book of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Primal Branding, by Patrick Hanlon
Once upon a time, a small group of image gnomes, whose charge was to magically improve the image of businesses in the minds of consumers, slipped by the doors of independent agencies in the middle of night, unnoticed. I guess they felt we were helpless. If they’re wrong, then why are so many agencies trying the same old tricks, and still wondering why their brand is bland? Primal Branding reminds us that we have to go back to the beginning before the beginning, the roots of our roots to find an answer. And only when we discover what the heck our customers are looking for will we know where to start. Luckily, this text provides a guide for the journey. But beware: you’ll come to hate what you’ve become. The good news is that you’ll learn to love where you’re going. Exciting, innovative, and absolute: you need this book. IIF Rating: Perfect. Pass at your own risk!
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Graffiti Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Have you hugged your CSR today?”
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Product Deal of the Day! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer’s here and the heat is on! You can be one
cool dude or dudette and keep that sun off your face
while sporting a fun IIF slogan with our Product Deal
of the Day! All hats are currently on sale at 15% off!
Choose from a variety of fabrics, colors, and slogans!
We’ve got notebooks, mugs, T-shirts, and plenty of fun stuff to keep you and your staff cool this season. Our products make great employee appreciation gifts – and they last longer than flowers! Order in bulk to get a discount. Visit our store at www.insuranceisfun.com today! |
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Cartoon of the Month! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The result of one-too-many time management
classes:
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Feedback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is this newsletter the feel good cure-all of your day?
Or does it remind you of that week you spent in bed
with the flu watching “Water World?” We want to
know!
Send questions and comments to feedback@insuranceisfun.com.
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E-mail:
newsletter@insuranceisfun.com
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