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Fun Times Newsletter
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In this issue
-- Quote of the Month
-- Joke Time
-- Brand Tip: Top 10 Signs Your Advertising is Brain Dead!
-- On the Cutting Edge: A "Shocking" Solution to Builder's Risk -- News Flash: Insurance Company Tells Workers to "Beat It!' -- The Greatest Insurance Story Never Told -- Tales from the HR Crypt! -- Goodies From the Gurus: What Should You Expect Your Marketing to Do For You? -- Featured FUN Agency: W.J. Irish Insurance Agency, Manchester, CT -- Graffiti Zone -- Book of the Month: The Games Do Count, Brian Kilmeade -- Product Deal of the Day! -- Cartoon of the Month
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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all.
Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or
fun, and if you're not in business for fun or profit,
what the hell are you doing there?”
- Robert Townsend
Source: http://www.heartquotes.net/Business.html
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Joke Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Morris had just been hired as the new CEO of a large
insurance company. The CEO who was stepping down
met with him privately and presented him with three
numbered envelopes....#1,#2,#3. "Open these if you
run up against a problem you don't think you can
solve," the departing CEO said.
Well, things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn and Morris was really catching a lot of heat. About at his wit's end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, "Blame your predecessor." Morris, the new CEO called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press -- and Wall Street -- responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him. About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The message read, "Reorganize." This he did, and the company quickly rebounded. After several consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult times. Morris went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes." Sources: www.ajokes.com; IIF
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Brand Tip: Top 10 Signs Your Advertising is Brain Dead! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here at IIF, we believe in the importance of a
company’s ability to inform prospects and clients of
exactly what they stand for (hence the obvious
creativity possessed by the naming committee of this
humble establishment). The following, adapted from
an article by IIF Chief Fun Officer Peter Van Aartrijk,
Jr. that appeared in Best’s Review, March 2006, are
10 ways to easily reduce the inherent epidemic
suffered by Independent Agencies everywhere:
letting consumers know what the heck it is we stand
for.
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On the Cutting Edge: A "Shocking" Solution to Builder's Risk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We realize many folks don’t work in an ideal office
environment. Sometimes we get cramped in cubicles,
or maybe our office doesn’t have a window or we can
hear our neighbor having a lively discussion with their
mother-in-law! The following story helps us realize
that what we have can’t be all that bad!
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News Flash: Insurance Company Tells Workers to "Beat It!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It turns out the “King of Pop” is also the “King of
Drop”: dropping the ball on his insurance
requirements, that is. Michael Jackson has been
ordered to pay a $69,000 fine and remove 69
employees from his Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos,
Calif., a 2,600-acre ranch filled with amusement park
rides, elephants, monkeys and other exotic animals
for allowing the ranch’s workers' compensation
insurance to lapse.
This came after a ranch employee was injured and did not have the state-required coverage in place. Workers had unknowingly been uninsured for months. While certain the issue would be resolved in a timely manner, officials did say that the King of Pop’s self- induced exile to Bahrain has made it more difficult for operations at the ranch to continue as usual. Source: The Associated Press, “California Bars Workers from Neverland Ranch Due to Insurance,” March 2006
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The Greatest Insurance Story Never Told ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming soon to a multiplex near you!
Oceans Thirty Seven! A truly riveting tale of man versus nature, based upon the amazing events of the 2005 hurricane season. Little did those unsuspecting forecasters know when Arlene first trundled out to sea that their lives were about to become a flooded, windy hell! Source: Chris Amrhein, IIF Chief Fun Officer |
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Tales from the HR Crypt! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you hear about the employee who insisted
the
Constitution allowed him to wear short sleeves to
work? He claimed the 2nd amendment gave him the
right to bare arms!”
Hey folks, I don’t know about where ya’ll are living but we’ve been on a “red alert” here in the DC area due to a combination of heat and air pollution! I feel like I’m in the middle of Star Trek, on a planet with an atmosphere definitely hostile to human life forms. Beam me outta here, Scotty! Unfortunately the heat waves of summer evidently fry some folks fashion sense, and when they start dressing less for success and more to beat the heat, appropriate office attire may can become scarcer than a cool breeze. What’s an employer to do when confronted by dress where less is less? |
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Goodies From the Gurus: What Should You Expect Your Marketing to Do For You? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Too often, independent agents spend a lot of time
and money trying to lure new business. It’s
expensive, and new customers are less loyal than
current customers. The real gold is already on your
books, with the customer base you already have!
For example, did you know: |
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Featured FUN Agency: W.J. Irish Insurance Agency, Manchester, CT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s Party Time!
The “Luck o the Irish” strikes again! At the Big I convention in April the W. J. Irish Insurance Agency won what was, hands down, the most coveted door prize: a party basket from Insurance is Fun! W.J. Irish Insurance Agency is located in Manchester, Connecticut, and you know what they say about those folks from Manchester, Connecticut – they are wild and crazy! After transforming their conference room into a Fun Room with festive accoutrements from their party basket they ordered pizza, gathered the gang and partied for an hour! Though they simply enjoyed the opportunity to take a break and mingle with each other, they particularly loved the IIF mugs and t-shirts and much of the laughter and enjoyment came from reading all the fun IIF slogans. To top it all off Wally Irish, President and Owner of the agency, joined in the fun. Congratulations to this entire group of IIF’ers! We hope to see you next year! Want to know the best way in our industry to attract people to your agency AND keep the ones you’ve got? Let them know your agency believes Insurance Is Fun! Contact Just drop us an e-mail at newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com and tell us your fun story (pictures always a plus) and we’ll feature your agency in an upcoming issue of the “Fun Times!” Irish Agency Photo, from Left to Right Top row: Wally Irish and Jeff Dolin Bottom row: Maureen Carr, Andy Ruganis, and Aimee Parlante Not shown: Crystal Thomas, Krystle Curtain, Ken Lappen, Phyllis Busenbark
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Graffiti Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Floaters Don’t”
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Book of the Month: The Games Do Count, Brian Kilmeade ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere along the line, the cheers and chants
from the courts, mats, and fields were replaced by
ringing phones and copiers. Gatorade turned into
coffee. The typical office seems miles away from the
aspiring athletes and dreamers of yesterday. But in
every cubicle and meeting room, there are those who
still apply those early lessons of spirit and teamwork
in every facet of life. It is those memories of
achievement that successful people never forget.
This tome is a collection of moments from some of
our society’s most accomplished people sharing their
views on the significance of the games we play.
Our industry is similar to the field of play in many ways. Most notably, it is our response during times of greatest need that earns us our stripes as professionals. Tired of the “blah’s” of typical motivation texts? This athletic tome is a refreshing alternative. Check it out! IIF Rating: 9 Out of 10** **It should have been 10 out of 10, but one of our judges is apparently still bitter about having never received a single 10 during his short stint as a high diver in school. It’s not our fault you couldn’t keep your feet together at impact, Frank.
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Product Deal of the Day! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Look - a new product offering this month!
Just in “time” to help you count the hours when school is back in session! One glance at our new IIF Wall Clock – with your favorite IIF slogan on its face - will bring a smile while helping you track the hours. Regularly $15.99, on sale for the next seven days only at 15% off! Why not make Insurance is Fun! a part of your child’s back-to-school wardrobe? Wearing one of our t-shirts is unique, cool, groovy, rad – whatever! And our t-shirts come in all sizes. Check them out along with many other fun product offerings at the IIF Store! |
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Cartoon of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E-mail:
newsletter@insuranceisfun.com
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