| Quote of the Month
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway."
-Anonymous
Source: www.coolfunnyquotes.com |
| Joke of the Month
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
An American insurance agent goes to Japan on a business trip but he hates Japanese food, so he asks the concierge at his hotel if there's any place around where he can get American food. The concierge tells him he's in luck, there's a pizza place that just opened and they deliver. The concierge gives the agent the phone number, and he goes back to his room and orders a pizza. The agent takes the pizza and starts sneezing uncontrollably. He asks the deliveryman, "What the heck did you put on this pizza?" The delivery man bows deeply and says, "We put on the pizza what you ordered: pepper only."
Source: Jokes4u |
| News Flash: WIO's Candidate for Change!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While stumping to be elected the next, high, exalted ruler of the World Insurance Organization, WIO viceroy Norman Wescoot made stops in several cities across the country, hoping to shore up grass roots support for his cause. "It's time for change" was the message sent by the viceroy.
It's also time for clicking that link to read, as Paul Harvey would say, the "rest of the story.
|
Yak and Smack-Stories from the Field: Toys in the Attic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's something to be said about an insurance guy. Sometimes, it takes an insurance guy to find the value in stuff most people see as just, well, stuff. Here's what I mean.
|
|
"Finding a Diamond Among the Coal!" Department
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Surely you've heard that many folks now refer to the World Wide Web as the "World Wide Waste." The amount of digital flotsam and jetsam arriving daily merely from ex-Nigerian officials with a need to move money out of the country is enough to clog up the mightiest mailbox filter!
We mean, how much fun is dealing with that? So here at IIF, where we are always about more fun, we decided-as a public service-to help. Each issue, we will find you a diamond from among the coal, a swan from among the geese, a pearl from among the swine-well, you get the idea. So feel free to reroute all your current e-mail bloat into that "automatically delete" file, while trusting us here at IIF headquarters to pass on anything truly worthy of our valued attention. And hey, it'll be fun!
This issue:
Did you know that it is illegal to drive while blindfolded in Alabama? Or that in parts of Missouri the law bars you from honking the horn of a car that is not your own? Strange driving laws are not new to most. However, just because we insurance folk are seen as "rewarders" of good road-stewardship doesn't mean we aren't entitled to a point-and-laugh session at some grass roots lawmakers' attempts to sanctify the streets. Remember while musing: There would be no need for such legal buffoonery had such antics never occurred!
From our friends at your local DMV (who says they aren't fun?):
Find the Diamonds!
|
Dingbats Corner: Real Life Musings From the Dumbest Among Us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Covering Bozo: Mental Anguish or Intentional Injury?
"A British study found that decorating hospitals' children's wards with images of clowns only serves to terrify the patients. 'Clowns are universally disliked by children,' said researcher Penny Curtis. Kids, she said, find their strange faces, weird hair, and ostensibly funny behavior 'frightening and unknowable.'"
And Insurers Are Worried About the Cargo?!
"France's Transport Ministry is considering tougher regulation of truck drivers after reports that many watch DVDs or play video games while driving. A highway maintenance workers group, whose members are tired of nearly being run over by trucks veering onto road shoulders, blew the whistle on the drivers. The group said that French truckers tend to drive 'by ear,' grabbing the steering wheel only after their vehicles hit the rumble strips along the shoulders. Some truck drivers confirmed that they had seen colleagues driving that way. Drivers caught reading a newspaper or watching television behind the wheel will be punished 'extremely severely,' said Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau, although he declined to specify the punishment."
Source: The Week Magazine |
|
Brand Tip: Six Things
By Peter van Aartrijk Jr., CIC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my travels in the Wonderful World of Insurance, I've often marveled at the gap between (a) what customers really want and (b) what independent agents think customers want or don't want.
The understanding gap is sometimes huge - the whole area of online service is one. Other times the gap is subtle and hard to spot - unless you probe to find out.
In preparing to teach some branding classes coming up this spring, I've summed up what appear to be six main things customers want from their agencies.
Click for the Six Things! |
| Book of the Month: Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Chances are if you have never seen a video on YouTube, clicked a GoogleAd, or opined on a blog, your're not alone. Not for long.
Godin smashes conventional marketing wisdom with examples of efforts from some of the world's least known and most famous companies and what they have in common: marketing messages that rake in cash. Ranging from chic techno-savvy products to blue collar stalwarts like blenders and writing notebooks, companies embracing today's buying mind are selling everything. Godin will have you ready to push your product, even something as seemingly "unpushable" as insurance, in front of the faces of today's buyers in a way they'll actually pay attention to. Listen up agents: Read this book or die! (Okay, maybe just read it and realize how to reach more buyers and make more money - that will work, too.) |
| Product Deal - For the Leprechaun in us all!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While your significant other, friends and coworkers are still glowing from the great Insurance is Fun! gifts you gave them for Valentine's Day, why not keep the smiles coming? Spread the blarney and make St. Patty's day one to remember with one of our unique "I'm Irish!" goodies!
Enjoy 20% off our "Blarney" journals! Simply go to the Irish Store and order for you and your friends!
IIF "Luck O' The Irish" Store
|
Picture of the Month
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Because permanently attached signs are cheaper to insure!"
| |
