YOUNG AGENT FORUM
By Bill Connolly, III
The very first thing I learned upon getting into the insurance business was the importance of relationships. Regardless of where your agency is located, what your niche is, what your market conditions are (well you get the idea), the one constant that we all have in common is the importance of relationships.
Take a moment and think about the agents whom you know. The most successful ones are those who understand this factor. Think about how you meet your new clients. You may meet them at Rotary Club or Lions Club meetings. You may meet them at a social function or you may even meet them at an event that is organized by your local Chamber of Commerce for the specific purpose of putting people like you and your clients together. Whatever the process, the important thing is that you meet and get to know people who will have a positive impact on you and your agency's future.
Think about all the different relationships that are a part of your daily operation--those with your clients, your staff, your companies, your legislators and your community all play a vital part in your agency's success. What! You've never considered the importance of your legislators? They are one of the most important components to your success. A decision that they make today can impact you and your agency for years.
Each year the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA) sponsors the National Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. This year's 26th annual conference will be April 10-12, at the Capitol Hilton. Both young agents and "tenured" agents, as we call them in North Carolina, should be in communication with their legislators. There are few times where it is as important for these two groups to work together as it is during the legislative process. The members of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) Young Agents Committee have taken this to heart and for the last several years have shown their legislators in Washington that they "get it."
Three years ago, the North Carolina Young Agents, through the support of the IIANC board, chartered a bus to take 40 young agents to the IIAA Legislative Conference. All of them showed up at the appointed meeting place, at the appointed meeting time--which was earlier than "0-dark-thirty"--only to find out that the bus was a "no show." So committed to their cause were these agents that they divided up into cars and "caravanned" their way up I-95 to our nation's capital. Thanks to a little luck, light traffic and a few car pool lanes, the North Carolina Young Agents made it to their lunch appointment just in time to hear the speaker. It was an impressive sight when our group arrived--the room went from 75% full to standing room only.
Prior to this, the IIANC Young Agents Committee had sent only one representative to the National Legislative Conference. Today, it is one of North Carolina's most important Young Agents initiatives, and each year we send a larger delegation. Agents who attend get to network with young and tenured agents from across the country, as well as with congressional leaders. The benefits are immeasurable.
It is truly inspiring when a large group of young and tenured agents meets together with their state's congressional representatives and senators to stand firm as one voice for the cause of the independent agency system and small businesses everywhere. There is power in numbers, and the North Carolina delegation recognizes that fact. The relationship with your legislators begins when they see your commitment to the cause.
In the age of instant communication through fax and e-mail, no method of communicating your message carries as much impact as delivering your message in person. The face-to-face, one-on-one meetings allow all parties the understanding of where each stands on the issues, whether they agree or disagree.
On occasion, your meeting may be with a staff member instead of with your elected congressperson. This meeting and this individual are just as important as the meeting with your legislator. In the future you may find that a staffer needs some assistance in understanding a particular issue. Who are they going to call? Someone they know and trust and with whom they have an existing relationship.
Participating in the 26th Annual IIAA National Legislative Conference may prove to be some of your most productive days this year. If you have never attended before, the Legislative Conference will provide you with the opportunity to develop new relationships and become involved in our governmental and legislative process like you never have been before. If you have attended in the past, then the conference gives you the opportunity to build on those all-important, existing relationships and become even more involved with our governmental and legislative process. Either way, attending is a win, win, win situation. You win by learning more about the legislative process, the insurance industry wins by showing our legislators that we are committed to our cause, and your state association wins by knowing you have an interest in our industry's future.
Mark your calendars and make your reservations now. Not only will attending the IIAA National Legislative Conference give you the opportunity to network with many agents, but you will also experience our representative system ... or should I say relationship system, first-hand. This year will surely prove to be an important year for all of us as independent insurance agents, and we need to be sure our voices are heard. I look forward to seeing you there! *
The author
Bill Connolly, III, CIC, AAI, is a commercial producer with Evans & Associates in Kinston, North Carolina. Bill has been involved with the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) Young Agents Committee since 1994, having served as a committee member (1994-1998) and chairman (1997-1998). Bill was named IIANC Young Agent of the Year in 1999, and was installed as a member of the IIANC Board of Directors in October 2001.
The National Young Agents Committee (YAC) invites Young Agents to join Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA) members at the 26th Annual IIAA National Legislative Conference, April 10-12, at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C. Young Agents receive a special event registration rate of $100. Many leading political speakers will be on hand to impart their insider's views to IIAA members who will be participating in dozens of meetings with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill.
On April 10, the National YAC will host its 7th Annual Young Agents Presentation Luncheon and Tour to help kick off the conference. During this event, young agents, along with state association InsurPAC chairpersons, will become acclimated by learning about important legislative issues, and networking with peers.
To obtain a copy of the conference and hotel registration forms, download them at www.independentagent.com or dial IIAA's fax-on-demand service at (800) 296-0578 and select option 4200.
For more information about the Young Agents events at the National Legislative Conference, please contact Leslie Mularski, IIAA National Young Agents Program Manager, at lmularski@iiaa.net or by phoning (800) 221-7917.
2001 - 2002 IIAA NATIONAL YOUNG AGENTS COMMITTEE
Committee Chairperson
Jacki Jungsberger, AAI, ACSR, CPIW
Tri-County Agency of Brick, Inc.
Brick, New Jersey
Committee Members
Southern Region:
Bill Connolly, III
Evans & Associates
Kinston, North Carolina
Mid America Region:
Bill Wetzel
Wetzel Insurance, Inc.
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Far West Region:
Jeff Newman, CPCU
Gelfand Newman Wasserman Insurance
Los Angeles, California
Eastern Region:
John Olivieri
J.K. Olivieri Ins. Agency
Lakeville, Massachusetts
IIAA Staff Administrators:
Leslie A.R. Mularski
Barbara Miller-Richards