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Fun Times Newsletter
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In this issue
-- Quote of the Month
-- Joke Time
-- An Announcement! Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid: It’s the IIF Funster Group!
-- On the Cutting Edge: The Incentives of Incentives -- News Flash: Confronting Addiction: Dealing with Techno Heads -- The Greatest Insurance Song Never Sung -- Brand Tip: If a Dentist Can Have Fun, So Can You! -- Tales from the HR Crypt: Outstanding Office Communication -- Goodies from the Gurus: Cardboard Treasure Chests -- Featured Fun Agency: Silva Insurance Services -- Book of the Month: Your Management Sucks by Mark Stevens -- Graffiti Zone -- Product Deal of the Month -- Feedback
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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“People who drink to drown their sorrow should be
told that sorrow knows how to swim.” — Ann Landers
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Joke Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q) What is the difference between God and an
underwriter?
A) God doesn’t think he’s an underwriter.
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An Announcement! Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid: It’s the IIF Funster Group! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark it down: October 1, 2006. On that soon to be
infamous date will arrive an opportunity dreamed of
for millennia by those brave and hardy insurance
souls who have long yearned for an avenue via which
to showcase their fascination with forms, lust for
policy language, and kinship with coverage. An
opportunity that breathes a sense of camaraderie,
fulfills a longing for immortality, and allows you to be
so much more than just a mere cog in the insurance
machine. We’ve taken it to the next level—and
people, it’s Fun up here!
The IIF Funster Group officially kicks out the jams on October 1, 2006. Keep an eagle eye peeled for the veritable plethora of benefits inuring to those brave and true souls who join us in our glorious quest to bring life, laughter and—dare we say—FUN to this land we call insurance. Let your IIF flag (or shirt, or hat, or even underwear) fly! Let an oft mundane and morose industry hear our roar—we’re living the life and not gonna hide it anymore! The October IIF Fun Times newsletter will reveal all. If by some odd oversight you are not currently one of our loyal legions of subscribers, sign up now or forever regret your folly! Or cruise by the website Google rates tops for Insurance Fun—InsuranceIsFun.com. (And if you just can’t stand the suspense—and you know who you are, oh read-the-last-page-of-the-mystery- novel-first-to-see-how-it-ends—glean a hint or two from our Marketing Maven, Deb Gateley, at deb@insuranceisfun.com.) Fellow Funsters, rejoice! A new day dawns October 1, 2006. The insurance world will never be the same again.
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On the Cutting Edge: The Incentives of Incentives ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pitting the no mercy, profit hungry, kill or be killed
corporate monster “Big Buck” against the hard
working “Little Man” has long been one of America’s
favorite pastimes. Regardless of whose corner you’re
in, a recent study on the positive effects of
employee incentives has Little Man landing Big Buck
with an uppercut across his cigar-sporting jaw.
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News Flash: Confronting Addiction: Dealing with Techno Heads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While addiction to work has long been recognized as
a potentially harmful condition, new evidence
suggests a contributing problem: technology.
Technology provided by employers and effects of an
employee’s resulting “tech addiction” could result in
the employer’s legal liability.
Gayle Porter, associate professor of management at the Rutgers University School of Business, compares addiction to technology to substance or chemical addiction, saying it can be just as damaging to the mental health of the worker. “I know what you’re thinking - "techno heads?’ I thought it was a joke, man,” responded Bill Yublonski (aka “Lid”), guitarist and back up vocalist for the “Peyote Pyros,” a Grateful Dead cover band based out of Metcalf, Georgia. “Jerry (Garcia) loved looking out over the crowd and seeing them respecting the gifts of nature,” Bill says. “Now all we see are the glowing lights of cell phones. People are still passing out, but it’s from typing too fast on their little keypads. They’re stabbing each other with styluses and fighting over keystrokes on their pocket PC’s. The cops hauled some guy off for possession of lithium batteries with intent to distribute.” “This is not how we’re going to get ourselves back to the garden,” added Pyros drummer Carl “Snoogie” Snardulbush. “Everyone’s wigging out. It’s a bummer.” Sources: Rutgers University-Camden; Office of W. William Yublonski and H. Carl Snardulbush, Esq.
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The Greatest Insurance Song Never Sung ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Dem E&O Blues”
(Sung to any blues tune you’ve ever heard.)
Had a client with CDs, carried ’em in his car.
Oh, I’m down and draggin’
Then there was the time
Oh, I’m down and draggin’ Here’s your chance to hit the stage with some of the finest Insurance Blues Artists in the country! Submit your verse to “Dem E&O Blues” to newsletter@insuranceisfun.com for a chance to win a T-shirt!
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Brand Tip: If a Dentist Can Have Fun, So Can You! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call us nuts here at Insurance Is Fun, but in our
vision of how things could be, not only would you
think insurance is fun, but your customers would as
well!
Crazy you say? “People think insurance is just a distant, faceless, impersonal industry concerned only with numbers and profits and not with people.” Sound familiar? Sure, that’s true for the industry, maybe—but you’re the face on the industry. Just like people may hate Congress but like their congressman, it’s okay if they hate insurance—as long as they like you, their local independent insurance agent, their trusted advisor. See how a dentist-induced drool-fest convinced this IIFer that improving your image is as easy as one, two, five?! |
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Tales from the HR Crypt: Outstanding Office Communication ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s funny how communication weasels its way into or
out of the chain of command in most offices. Office
communication often reminds me of a conversation
that took place on a boat in one of my favorite
movies: The Princess Bride. For those who need a
refresher or obviously have no taste in movies, it
went like this:
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Goodies from the Gurus: Cardboard Treasure Chests ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s time once again for horror-story telling: tall tales
of worst case scenarios long serving as the paint
brush for insurance artists looking to win over clients
with one swift stroke. The illness in this gruesome
tale: damage to valuable personal property. And the
elixir? One word: floater.
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Featured Fun Agency: Silva Insurance Services ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to Silva Insurance Services—an
Official FUNSTER Agency!
A truly great day was had by all in Palmer, Alaska, on August 31st. A brand new soon-to-knock-Palmer’s- socks-off insurance agency opened to a joyful crowd of clients, potential clients, insurance company representatives and even the Palmer Chamber of Commerce. And just in case any of its fine citizens might mistake Silva Insurance Services for just another, local, full service agency offering business, personal and employee benefit insurance products along with excellent service, greeting their wondering eyes is our very own IIF logo! Yes, our friend Dusty Silva and her trusty CISR Melissa Ysais are IIF Funsters, driving that point home by including the IIF logo on their agency window, stationery and business cards! Dusty and Melissa told us they wanted to celebrate their grand opening by proudly proclaiming, “We are different! We are talented professionals! We are great! And we have FUN!” And to prove this fun outlook was not mere hype but a soul-deep brand, Silva greeted her guests with a veritable feast of lasagna, barbeque, hot dogs, veggies and cake. In fact, such a grand time was had by all that Silva’s agency will host a Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” event on October 27th and attendees will be coming in costumes! If you happen by Palmer, Alaska, just drive down Main Street, stop in, and give these good people a true IIF Funster hello!
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Book of the Month: Your Management Sucks by Mark Stevens ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Unleash the power within." "Challenge conventional
leadership." "Be a leader, not a follower.” Ever heard
any of those before? Stevens’ tome will take you
through some of management’s finest examples
of “same old, same old.” But here’s the kicker: he
illustrates why it isn’t the seemingly same old
message in every management book ever that is the
problem. It’s how they expect you to practice their
message that actually creates the problem. Exhibit A:
see colorful title on cover.
Borderline offensive title aside, the book’s direct tone is a welcomed difference for those of us tired of the same old song written by overly excited people with unrealistic expectations. Incorporation of concepts is easy; we’ve all dealt with managers we loved, hated, respected and resented. The writing is captivating and knowledgeable with great stories in between. Check it out! IIF Rating: **9 out of 10. **It should have been a 10, but one member of our distinguished panel of judges seemed to take offense at the rest of our reaction to his middle name. It’s not the book’s fault, Franklin Elizabeth.
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Graffiti Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sole Remedy Isn’t”
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Product Deal of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Products Available!
Come one, come all and visit our many new products in our IIF store! This month we have added several products to our offerings including buttons, throw pillows, and items to dress up the little tots in your lives and help them toward their fun career in the insurance industry. Product Deal! Cooler months are coming, so snuggle up with a smile and an IIF throw pillow! These pillows are 18” x 18” and made of ultra-soft, brushed twill and have a removable zippered covering for easy cleaning. Personalize your pillow by choosing your favorite slogan! 15% off for limited time only. |
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Feedback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If our newsletter causes rash, itching, burning,
leaking, bleeding, sneezing, wheezing, swelling or
rabies, we’d like to know. Or, if you really enjoyed it,
we’d like to know that, too. Please send comments to
newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com.
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E-mail:
newsletter@insuranceisfun.com
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