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Hetrick receives agency of the year award Michigan Upper Peninsula agency proves they can make it anywhere By Dennis H. Pillsbury It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… It had to be a bittersweet moment when only three of the four principals of Hetrick & Associates Insurance Agency, Marquette, Michigan (on the August 2006 cover of Rough Notes), were here to see the agency that they helped build receive recognition as the 2006 Marketing Agency of the Year. Betsy Robar, who along with Scott White, Bill Hetrick, and Christine VanAbel, took over ownership of the agency in 1997, lost her courageous battle with cancer last year. At the Marketing Agency of the Year Award Banquet, Chris VanAbel led a champagne toast in Betsy’s memory to “our dear friend, co-worker, and business partner. She touched the lives of many people—her family, her friends, our clients, and our community. She will be missed by all who ever knew her.” The agency also has made significant contributions to the Marquette General Hospital Foundation and The Women’s Center in memory of Betsy. Under the leadership of those four individuals, the agency more than tripled in size, reaching a little over $3.1 million in revenue by the end of 2005. And that’s in a marketing territory where there is an average of only 19 people per square mile and really cold winters that last a very long time. As one Hetrick associate quipped, “The three days in August when we have summer are really beautiful.” While the Big Apple contends that it is one of the toughest places in which to succeed, one of the Hetrick mottos makes it clear how they feel: “If you can do it in the U.P., you can do it anywhere.” And when you start to look at the particulars, it’s hard to argue with that contention. New York City offers millions of potential customers in a small geographic area; the U.P.’s 300,000-plus people are spread over 16,000 square miles. It also offers an annual average of 185 inches of snow and convenient “puddle jumper” flights to Chicago, Detroit, or Minneapolis for connections elsewhere. The nearest company partner is a mere 300 miles away. Well, you get the idea. Hetrick & Associates has built a dynamic sales organization in which every employee is involved. In an agency world where “team selling” has become the latest mantra, Hetrick Sales Manager Scott White says: “We have evolved to become an organization where everyone in the agency is part of the team.” The agency holds monthly state-of-the-agency meetings where the agency’s progress is shared with everyone and everyone is involved in planning. The result is an organization where new ideas and solutions are a constant. One example of this includes a program designed by the agency to help clients control their workers comp costs—ProComp Systems℠. Since we wrote about the agency in August 2006, that system has developed from just a unique tool for clients into an actual division of the agency. This division is the “large employer” division. It provides specialized programs and services in both workers comp and employee benefits. It has grown by more than 40% during the last three quarters. Another example is the agency’s sales management tool, which the agency developed after trying other sales management systems and spreadsheet programs and finding them wanting. The result was a Web-based sales management tool, www.MySalesResults.com. “The system lets the agency monitor and manage the behaviors of our producers and is having a direct impact on their sales results,” according to Marketing Manager Jessica Hokenson. “Producers are continually focusing on their prospect pipeline (The agency has quarterly Pipeline Retreats with producers) and monthly/quarterly/annual sales goals. Our entire team is focused on the results being produced in MySalesResults. Ask our team members and I will guarantee that 90% would be able to tell you what our sales bonus goal was for the first quarter and what we ended up doing,” Jessica says proudly. By the way, the goal was exceeded by 20%. The agency also has become the leading surety bond agency in its marketing territory through the addition of two new team members who came with an insurance background heavily focused on surety. The agency’s professional liability offerings have increased through the addition of a company relationship with PIC Wisconsin for community-based hospital programs. The agency has developed a niche focus for Native American insurance needs in partnership with First Americans Insurance Services under which Hetrick is the exclusive representative in Michigan and Wisconsin. The results speak volumes Hetrick & Associates experienced its best new business quarter in recent history in the third quarter of 2006. This was followed by the best quarter ever in the history of the agency in the fourth quarter. And there was no slacking off in the new year—January 2007 was the biggest new business month ever in the history of the agency. Rough Notes was proud to recognize Hetrick at the Rough Notes Magazine’s 18th Annual Marketing Agency of Year Award Banquet in March at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis. They truly are a deserving addition to the 17 previous agencies which have achieved that recognition. Joining representatives from Rough Notes magazine at the banquet honoring Hetrick were special guests from previous Agencies of the Month representing agencies from diverse regions of the country, including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, as well as a representative from an agency in Canada. On the morning following the banquet, Rough Notes magazine’s editorial staff met with these individuals to discuss the issues that were of concern to them so that we can continue to bring you information on topics that are important to agents and best reflect the ever-changing insurance environment that we all call home—or at least, work. * |
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