Running for a Cause

According to Google community can be defined as:
 a group of people living in a particular local area; "the team is drawn from all parts of the community"
Insurance professionals have always been known for their sense of community, for giving back to the community, and for going above and beyond for their community. Jimcor Agencies has had the opportunity for many years to be involved with the NJ Young Insurance Professionals and their Fun Run which benefits the Special Olympics of NJ. Jimcor’s own sense of community was never so evident as the team (made up of Jimcor executives, staff, spouses and company representatives) ran for a great cause yesterday.
Special Olympics of NJ is an organization that provides sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities (http://www.sonj.org/). Since 1984 the Fun Run has raised over $2 million for SONJ and this year over $140,000 was added to that amount!
Held on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, outside the Trump Taj Mahal which is where the Annual PIANJ / NY convention was still going on, the run started with warm-ups at 6:30 and concluded with a heart-felt awards breakfast where Jimcor Agencies was honored with a plaque for 1st place Overall Agency Fundraiser bringing in over $10,000.
Jimcor has always felt that our best asset is great people.
Tuesday morning, June 15th, on the boardwalk, as the sun was rising and people were stretching – we saw all the great people. Yes, the great people of Jimcor – not only the ones able to attend the event but all of those back at the office who bought a raffle ticket or contributed throughout the year to the many fundraising events held in our 7 offices – or even those lending a helping hand to the work piling up on desks and via emails. We looked around at the great people in the making up some of the best of our industry who gave up their morning to support the Special Olympics and run a 5k when others were sipping coffee and reading the paper.
That is what community is all about. That is what our industry is all about. And that is why our industry is the best. “The team is drawn from all parts of the community” and the team of insurance professionals we saw yesterday morning was pretty strong.

Thank you for allowing Jimcor Agencies to run along side you for so many years and be your partner – not only in this great event, but in this great industry of ours.

EPA Compliance & Insurance Coverage

On April 22, 2010 the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) rule commonly referred to as the Lead-Safe Program, which requires workers to be trained to use lead-safe work practices and requires renovation firms to be EPA-certified, took effect.

How will this impact your clients?

The title of this blog is also a link to a handbook that can help answer your questions and your clients' questions. Forward this to your clients so that you know you have provided the information they need to operate efficiently and effectively.

You can also click here to access the handbook -
Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right
EPA's Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program

As stated in the handbook, those that must follow the rule can include but are not limited to:

• Residential rental property owners/managers
• General contractors
• Special trade contractors including but not limited to:
  Painters
  Plumbers
  Carpenters
  Electricians
• Contractors who perform activities that disturb painted surfaces in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 (including certain repairs and maintenance, and painting preparation activities)

Jimcor is available to assist you with placement of these classes of business and more. We also have specialists on hand to write your hard to place business such as pre-1978 homes and businesses that may be impacted by this new EPA rule. Contact your Jimcor Environmental Specialist today and ask about our Lead Safe Contractors Pollution Liability program!

Wanna be in a relationship?

Relationships are vital to any industry. How important is the 'relationship' today in insurance? With social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and yes, blogging, is the relationship really important? Do we follow companies or people? Or is it a little of both?

At Jimcor we believe it is both. Relationships are first about people. You develop a relationship with the person you feel most comfortable with and that is who you will continue to do business with over time. You want to know that if you call five years from know that person will be there to help you - you want that stability.

However, that same person must also have the tools available to them (the markets for example) to provide you with the service you need to write the account. Without those tools the best relationship cannot succeed no matter how much you like the person.

So to the agent it is about both the person and the company.

At Jimcor we strive to be the best when it comes to customer service. We want to be the first and the last call our agents make and we want them to know they can contact us with questions regarding coverage, markets, etc.

Each year we continue to improve our customer service standards - whether that means quicker quotes or more online programs - either way we give the clients what they want, when they want it and make sure we are there when they need us.

Exceptional customer service can be achieved very simply if your business consistently does the following things:
Be accessible. Answer your phone before the third ring. Have a means for the customer to reach someone immediately without having to leave a voicemail message. People want to talk to a live person.
Listen to complaints or mistakes and fix them. Thank your customer for making you aware of any issues they are having and get them fixed. Chances are there are 24 others with a similar problem.
Provide options. Give your customer choices on how they can do business with you. Make it as easy as possible for them to place their business with you.
Be honest. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Reliability is the key to a great relationship.
Be helpful and courteous. Go the extra mile, offer more and ask if there is anything else you can do for your customer.

These tips, though simple, might take time. Post them in your office. Talk to your staff. Think of ways to make implementation fun.

USLI, one of our over 50 companies, was kind enough to let us copy these customer service points from their newsletter. Companies, vendors, and associations in our industry have tools available that can help make your agency stronger and improve your service standards. Reach out to your business partners to find out what free tools are available to you ... we did!

Relationships and customer service. Business may be conducted online and people may tweet and blog, but it seems the more things change the more they stay the same... our industry is still all about the people at the end of the day.

At Jimcor we pride ourselves on great people, great companies and great clients.

Jimcor Helps Make Insurance Cool for the Next Generation

Recently I had the opportunity to go into my son Tommy's 5th grade class to talk about the insurance industry.

The American Agent and Broker article (link below or in the title above) talks about my day in the classroom and the students' reactions.

Yes, insurance can be cool. Yes, young children can understand the differences between independent agents and MGA's and insurance companies and the relationships that exist between the three. They learned about how the industry works with local and state governments and about flood and homeowners insurance. And yes, they loved the Dunkin Donuts that I brought in to entice them to listen and ask questions!

Overall the day was a great success.

How can you get started? It's simple - reach out . Just by contacting my high school Accounting teacher I was able to work with students on projects and talk to them about the different careers in insurance while they learned about the industry. Opportunities are out there if you have the time and know where to find the tools. You can utilize resources from associations like PIA and go to organized events like career days, college fairs, etc.

To read the article click here.

What other ways can we work together to improve the public perception of the industry? How can we get more people interested in careers in insurance if not for today, then as a future career? What are your thoughts? As an industry we need to work on our image with the public. We all know that. Employers allowing staff the time to talk to students, attend events such as a career day make a world of difference. Jimcor giving employees like me the time to give back to the industry and our community only makes our company that much stronger in the end - management realizes and embraces this in our culture. What is your corporate culture?

These kids may have been young, but they learned that insurance is more than a cartoon or lizard. And most importantly, INSURANCE IS COOL!

Give the gift of EPLI for the holidays!

How many times do we all hear the phrase, "I don't have to worry about EPLI lawsuits in my office"? Or the classic, "For that price I will take the risk."

From David Letterman to ESPN commentator Steve Phillips, it's everywhere in the media today. Slow economic times breed lawsuits. But we are not telling you anything as an insurance agent you didn't already know.

So what information can we give you to help you help you clients? What can we provide you that will convince your clients that EPLI is needed now more than ever?
For one, try reading the recent article found in National Underwriter magazine called just that - EPLI Needed Now More Than Ever. Next, our friends at National Underwriter have another article in the same online issue about how the 'Recession Creates EPLI Demand'. (If you are not already receiving these online news updates, you should). This suggested reading can provide useful tips.

EPLI Insurance is that "extra" that clients seem to think they don't really need. It is that piece they feel, especially when times are a little difficult and they are trying to cut costs, they can probably do without. As their agent, how do you talk to them about the importance while keeping costs down?

What about all of those Holiday Parties? People that typically don't drink may tend to 'take a sip or two' more than usual around the holidays and let their guard down around other employees and/or employers. Reduced inhibition can lead to situations that create the potential for lawsuit. Comments or jokes made when someone has had a few too many drinks that are misinterpreted by another employee who is sober often lead to trouble.

Defense costs can be costly. Forget about the settlement which obviously can be extremely high in many instances. How will your client defend themselves? How will they protect their reputation?

But, your client doesn't need EPLI, right?

This is the time of year for celebration, jubilation, thanks and good tidings. But it is also the time of year to take a moment and realize that one mistake - or even one person claiming a mistake - can take it all away.

How can they afford NOT to have EPLI?

Jimcor's Professional Liability Specialists are available to assist you and your staff with placing this coverage as well as numerous other professional liability classes.

Call today for more information or click here for a representative near you.

Don't Be a "Card Collector"

Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you - we hope you are having a great holiday! But the question is, how are you going to close out the year?

Everyone is attending holiday parties - industry association parties, Chamber of Commerce parties, etc. What have your friends from Jimcor learned over the years that can help you not be a "Card Collector" when you attend these functions or any trade show or event for that matter?

Sue Linn, Sr. Commercial Lines Underwriter in Jimcor's Mount Laurel, NJ Office will be attending many industry association events this season. You can see her at the PIANJ Women's Business Forum on December 16th! One thing Sue mentioned is that whenever she is talking to someone at these events you have to give them your undivided attention.

"This is hard because there are so many people to see, and so little time. But you have to make sure the person you are talking to feels like the most important person in the room at that particular moment."

How do you do that? Eye contact. Don't look over their shoulder at the next person you want to talk to even if you really have to get away. "If you do have to leave the conversation," suggests Sue, "take their business card and take out your pen and write a note on the back of it in front of them with a reason to call them in the next day or two. But you have to let them see it! Let them know they are important."

Ken Zaloom, who works with Jimcor's Admitted Markets and has been seeing a lot of Worker's Compensation business as of late, was recently at the Independent Agents' of Rockland County Holiday Party.

"There were key people I wanted to talk to going into the evening," noted Ken. "But as the night went on I noticed I had a pocket full of cards and I still hadn't had the chance to talk to some of the people I really wanted to see. What I decided to do was work with the person from Jimcor who came with me and we sort of split the room to make sure we had a chance to talk to everyone. That allowed me to spend time with the people I wanted to spend time with and let them know that we were interested in their business, but still make contact with everyone in the room."

What do both of these stories have in common? Making the person you are talking to feel important. Don't rush the conversation.

One thing that Sue and Ken both mentioned is the MOST important thing to do after any event or trade show?

FOLLOW-UP!

Call the hot prospects the next day, wait a day or two for everyone else. But the hot prospects - pick up the phone. Don't assume they got your email. How do you remember what was hot about the prospect? While you are talking to them at the event, take out your pen and write something on their business card about them - maybe that they are interested in homeowners insurance - or worker's comp. Let them know you are listening. And on your own business card write something as well to make sure they remember you. It can be your cell number if you want them to have it (makes them feel special that they have a direct access number) or just the word homeowner's insurance or worker's comp insurance, etc. You get the picture...

The worst thing anyone can do at these holiday events is be a Card Collector. We have all seen them. They walk around and see how many cards they can get but at the end of the day they forget who half of the people are because the cards generally look the same and they don't follow-up! Admit it - we have all done this at one time or another.

Remember to enjoy yourself. People want to be around you if you are smiling.
Your friends at Jimcor Agencies wish you, your staff and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!

For more information on Jimcor’s program for Worker's Compensation contact your local Jimcor office or visit us on the web at http://www.jimcor.com/.

Workers Comp

We can write many classes of WC in the Northeast area. While we can write the easier classes we look for the difficult ones such as high debit mods placed in State Funds. Almost all State Funds surcharge insureds and many do not give premium discounts. We give a premium discount and don't surcharge the risk.

Try us. "You'll be happy you did".