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July 7, 2016

Upcoming Classes

CIC	Jul 13-15, 2016	Agency Management
CISR	Jul 12, 2016	William T. Hold Seminar-Commercial Lines
CISR	Jul 20, 2016	Personal Residential
CRM	Nov 29-Dec 2, 2016	CRM Financing of Risk
E&O	Jul 14, 2016	E&O Seminar
FLOOD	Jul 13, 2016	Flood Insurance
Webinar	Jul 13, 2016	Getting Wise on Health and Wealth: Group Insurance and Savings Plans
Webinar	Jul 14, 2016	Construction Defects: Property Damage & the ISO CGL-Tearing Down the Mysteries
Webinar	Jul 18, 2016	Life Insurance Concepts for the Property & Casualty Agent
Webinar	Jul 19, 2016	Contractors: Insuring the Property Exposures
Webinar	Jul 20, 2016	Managing E&O in a 27/7 World
Webinar	Jul 21, 2016	ALERT: Agency Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Training
Webinar	Jul 25, 2016	Lawn Care to Lipstick: Coverage Concerns for the Self-Employed
Webinar	Jul 26, 2016	What We Learned: Claim & Coverage Issues from Catastrophes
Webinar	Jul 27, 2016	Weatherstripping the CGL: Drafts, Gaps, Forms and Fixes
Webinar	Jul 28, 2016	Social Networking: OMG or E&O

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Big "I" Junior Golf Tournament

June 27, 2016

Got Business Manners?

Putting Your Best Foot Forward for Better Customer Service

By: Kate Zabriskie

"I sat there and watched the two of them completely engaged on Facebook. Never mind the fact that I'm a customer, and they are supposed to be helping me. The sad thing is: I'm not sure that they even realized how rude they were. Needless to say, I will never 'like' that place. I only go to that store when I'm desperate."

"I sent in a donation and never heard a word from those people. I guess they missed the gratitude lesson in Fundraising 101. The next time I think about contributing to a cause, you can bet I'll pick a charity that knows how to say 'thank you.'"

"After speaking with that woman on the phone, I felt violated. I know she needed the answers to the financial questions in order to help me, but something just seemed wrong about the whole thing. I can't put my finger on it, but it wasn't a good feeling."

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"Industry Challenge"

June 27, 2016

10 Biggest Mistakes Sales Professionals Make in Their Presentations

By Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Like Hollywood actors, sales professionals put themselves and their companies on the line with every word-taking a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome. Just like actors, even the best, most experienced salesperson benefits from script review, rehearsal, and coaching.

Here are the 10 most common mistakes seen on the sales stage and ways to avoid them:

1. Unclear thinking. Imagine that a busy executive says, "You have exactly ten minutes to tell me I need to know about your company." You should know in advance what your prospect is really asking. The real question is, "What do I need to know about how your company can improve our company? Will your products or services solve a problem, create new opportunities, increase savings, maximize earnings, simplify our processes, develop our human capital, or increase market share?" Accomplish this, and you can present your options more formally.

Amazon's Secret Weapon: Being Anticipatory

In many ways it seems impossible that Amazon has been in business for more than 20 years. Time does fly! During that time, Amazon has been - and continues to be - the largest and most innovative leader in the e-commerce market. You may be surprised to discover the other markets Amazon has not only entered, but is also in the process of redefining and reinventing.

Amazon Grows While Others Struggle

Amazon recently reported a 28 percent jump in sales with a profit of $513 million in its first quarter.

The first three months of the year saw a phenomenal $29.1 billion in sales thanks in part to the success of Amazon's own Kindle and Fire tablet computers as well as the Amazon Echo. And while Amazon grows and begins to open brick-and-mortar retail stores, large retail competitors like Walmart, Macy's and Sears announce large layoffs and are closing stores.