“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” More often than she’d like, that thought crosses Sylvia Halderman’s mind when she sees a competing quote. “In the long run, someone will get hurt,” she adds, noting that unjustifiably low pricing or products with inadequate coverage can come back to bite clients, agents and underwriters.

In the face of such competition, Halderman and program administrators like her are working extra hard these days. They’re drawing on experience and expertise. “We pride ourselves on our experienced underwriting,” says Heidi Strommen, president of ProHost USA. “I get a lot of positive feedback. Agents appreciate the fact that we have long-term employees who are very experienced in our niche—restaurants.”

Discipline drives success. “We can’t relax our standards,” notes Halderman, chief operating officer of Maritime General Agency. “People look to us for expertise, and our niche is growing because of who we are and because we haven’t relaxed our standards.”

Some growth comes from leveraging expertise. “In a soft market, good program administrators enhance or add product; they diversify, all while staying the course,” says Halderman. Cross-selling is one way of leveraging. “It’s a matter of looking at things that weren’t part of the program before,” she adds, “but again, it’s important to do so without sacrificing sound underwriting standards.”

Bringing expertise to market requires solid agent and broker relationships. “We work closely with retail agents to help them understand and explain what sets our program apart,” notes Strommen. “Most of the time, our product offers coverage advantages. Sometimes, competing products are comparable. Fortunately, we’ve been in the niche for a long time and have built up agent loyalty.”

Loyalty is a two-way street. “Program administrators need to pay attention to their agents,” she explains. “Don’t just take a shotgun approach to gain new business. Strengthen relationships.” That doesn’t preclude adding new agents if the terms are right. “But don’t compromise on quality,” she adds.

Technology can help strengthen relationships and, at the same time, boost efficiency. “We’re working with carriers to bring as much to the agent as we can in a paperless environment,” Strommen says. “Right now, 95% of submissions we receive come to us electronically. This lets us review them—and respond to agents—quickly, generally in 24 hours or less.”

Even in a tough market, Halderman’s firm is investing in new automation. “It will make us more efficient, drive better customer service and enable us to take on new products,” she explains. “Conventional wisdom says we should tighten our belts now. I disagree. Better technology lets us leverage our key strength—our people—and helps us grow.” Her firm recently acquired another MGA, to expand its reach.

Automation will not only boost efficiency, but improve morale, too. “We’re getting a ton more submissions,” Halderman explains. “Everyone is asking for a quote from anyone and everyone, so we need to make sure staff is equipped. Keep them in a good mindset.

“Stay the course,” she continues, “because the market will change and those who do things right will survive.” To make it through, adds Strommen, “Keep delivering consistent product and good service.”