Top 12 tips we like

In a recent blog entry in "What About Clients," which is geared to law firms, I found an excellent blog entry on customer service.

Rather than paraphrase it here, I'm going to let the entry speak for itself (click on the blue link).

I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly with this entry. The client is number one. Deliver more than he or she expects and you'll keep clients for a long while.

Reaching out to the media

Last week I spent three days with the nation's top business journalists and editors. I came away with a few thoughts.

In one seminar I attended, the speaker asked the room of about 100 journalists how many of them had ever owned a business. Less than 10 percent raised their hands. Yes, they cover business, but I'm not sure that, even with many years of watching various industries, and there were many industry-specific experts there from finance to housing, most journalists really understand what it takes day in and day out to run a business successfully. So perhaps it's no surprise when they interview you and either miss the mark or focus on the negative.

What can insurance executives do to ensure better media coverage? There's several things.

Let's start by looking at the recent Greensburg, Kansas tornado. I noticed a Yahoo headline that said "Insurance industry performs well after tornado." Finally, I thought, the industry gets some faint praise. When I clicked on the article, however, go figure: It was written by an insurance industry trade group.

Why isn't local or national media covering how well the industry performs, instead focusing on how certain carriers drop the ball after catastrophes? Even if industry groups and insurance carriers put out press releases to say "Hey, we did a great job here," journalists rarely read press releases. And if they did, they're going to take a jaundiced eye at companies promoting themselves.

What's the answer? The seminar leader said that it is imperative that insurance companies build relationships with journalists before problems arise. That way, when companies want to get their message to the media, whether it's after a disaster or when the company does something good, you can simply pick up the phone and, perhaps, get some favorable coverage for a change.

The speaker at this seminar also emphasized it was important to be forthcoming even if mistakes are made. If your company ends up with a public relations nightmare, wouldn't it be great to be able to pick up the phone, call journalists by name because you've already built relationships, and tell them your side of the story?

Perhaps starting at the local level would help. Why not reach out to your local newspaper and talk with your business journalist? Don't focus on what he or she can do for you; focus on what you can do for them. Perhaps offer to clarify questions they might have when they arise. Maybe they'd visit your company where they see the various departments to learn what an underwriter does or how your claims department works.

Don't expect a reporter to understand your business. The onus is on you to build media relations before you need them. It will pay off.

Make the most of your training

I participated in a teleconference today sponsored by the Society of Insurance Trainers and Editors and hosted by the Insurance Institute. Much of what was discussed was the issue of training younger generations, who, as one participant put it, leave school in a state of "permanent partial attention."

This is the first true television and Internet generation and they live, he remarked, in a state of perpetual multi-tasking. (He then joked that some of us on the teleconference were probably multi-tasking. Yes, I was guilty of it, I was checking my e-mail at the time.)

In addition, he believes some members of this generation learn only what they need to learn then discard the knowledge, bringing their test-cram college mentality into the workforce. What can trainers do to help Gen Xers and Ys retain knowledge? One good tip was to set some training ground rules. Insist students to turn off cell phones, PDAs, and yes, their laptops if they have access to wireless Internet.

Next, since class participants often leave classes using 25 percent of what they learn, one trainer asserted that you can improve that rate to 90 percent if you involve supervisors who will reinforce, coach, reward, and encourage trainees in their newly learned skills. Supervisors must reinforce what is taught in the classroom or, no matter how sophisticated the training, it will fail.

Training, they insisted, must come from trainers who understand the cultures, the practices, and the processes of the insurance industry. Real-world examples are critical to learners, because if they cannot contextualize what they hear, no matter how smartly packaged the information, it is virtually useless.

It's also useful to provide access to experts in the subject whom students, post training, can email or call for additional help when they need it. This allows students to put their knowledge into practice with the help of an expert mentor and without fear of ridicule for asking questions.

Finally, they believe, you must instill in insurance students that their insurance education is lifelong to ensure their success. I know when I earned my professional designations I was making a statement: That insurance wasn't my job, it was my career.

Top 10 reasons to hire Insurance Writer

1. Not many writers are enthusiastic about insurance. I am! An enthusiastic copywriter delivers great copy on time.
2. Few writers understand insurance and risk management. As a second-generation insurance professional with over two decades of experience, I do.
3. I have almost two decades of copywriting experience.
4. I have strong grammatical and writing skills.
5. I am dependable and a “solution" to your marketing problems.
6. I work well under tight deadlines.
7. Because my overhead is low, my rates are affordable.
8. I make your life easier by taking writing out of your busy schedule so you can concentrate on your bottom line.
9. I understand your business, which means working with me takes less time.
10. We never have to meet if you don’t want to. 90 percent of my work is completed by phone and electronic mail.

Society of American Business Editors and Writers

I'm pleased to say that I recently won a scholarship to attend the Society of American Business Editors and Writers annual conference in Anaheim. There were only four scholarships awarded throughout the nation and I was the only freelancer selected.

I've been blessed throughout my life to win quite a few scholarships, in fact, most of my college education was paid for by various academic scholarships.

Each step I've taken to improve my training and my professional education has paid big dividends. If you've never considered obtaining a professional designation like the Associate in Claims or the Associate in Reinsurance available through IIA, I'd encourage you to consider it. You feel great the day you can put those initials after your name.

What better investment is there than to invest in our own education?

Risk management at its finest

The elk here have their own crossing. This is the turnoff from Banff to the Highway 1 near Calgary, I'm told. This was a natural elk crossing, and with so many accidents, they finally built the animals (these may actually be caribou, I'm not sure) their own access.
.

It's a great idea and as insurance carriers wrestle with deer and other claims resulting from animal strikes, perhaps they'd want to chip in. Or not.

Writing coaches

An interesting editorial in Business' Insurance's April Industry Focus touched on an issue I'd blogged about a few weeks ago. Big changes are heading our way as Generation Ys enter the workforce.

Editor Ronn Zolkos (he's obviously a Gen Xer; notice the spelling of his first name!) commented on a problem discussed at the Finance and Insurance Workforce Summit recently in Chicago. That problem is the poor writing ability of Gen Ys.

Apparently, constant instant messaging and e-mailing has enabled a generation to skip grammar almost entirely. Although highly competent technically, members of this generation may lack even rudimentary writing skills.

Zolkos recommends hiring writing coaches for the Yers who struggle with writing' write. He called hiring a writing coach a "perk." Others managers may, as they struggle with this critical issue, call it a "necessity."

Speaking --------- like a native

I spent last week in Phoenix, the city where I was raised, and was able to talk with my brother, who owns Northwest Insurance Agency. The agency was started by my parents and has been in business for 33 years. I'm very proud of the legacy my parents left us and proud of my brother's achievements since taking over. (Why aren't I an agent, you might ask? Because my mother warned me never to go into claims, so of course, I did.)

When we moved to Phoenix in 1957, the population, he estimates, was about 100,000. Today the population of Maricopa County only, according to the 2005 census, was 3.9 million. Of that number, 1.3 million are Hispanic. The demographics speak loudly. Mainly in Spanish.

Arizona isn't the only state with this trend. However, working with non-English speaking clients is fraught with liability for any insurance agent. While translators generally, according to linguists, operate on a "good-faith basis" and usually don't carry errors & omissions insurance, agents who work with clients who speak other than the agent's native language must be extremely careful when servicing populations speaking languages other than English.

Topic sentences

Remember the power of topic sentences? Usually the first sentence in a paragraph, the topic sentence tells readers what you are going to tell them.

Here's an example of a topic sentence.

With computers in most homes in America, consumers are much more sophisticated buyers than they were.

The topic sentence should be the skeleton on which hangs your paragraph. The rest of this paragraph, each sentence, should relate back to that topic sentence.

Does the topic sentence always have to be the first sentence in a paragraph? Not necessarily. Take this example.

They crash; errors mysteriously appear and reappear; data is lost; hours are wasted finding bugs for which there are no clear-cut cures. That is why I hate computers.
.

The topic sentence, of course, is "That is why I hate computers." The balance of the paragraph, at least if I wrote it, would be a gripe session.
.

You can easily edit your writing by reading each paragraph, ensuring you have a clear topic sentence, then confirming that each sentence in the paragraph relates to that topic sentence. If it doesn't, simply circle it then look for another paragraph that the information in that stray sentence better relates, or delete it.
.

Good writing takes more than the putting pen to paper. Strong writing takes as much time to edit as it does to write, sometimes more. One good place to start honing your writing is ensuring your topic sentences act like organizers for each paragraph.

Spend a little to make a lot!

Do you think your ad will pull? Would you like help refining your advertising? Do you have several versions of the same mailer and want assistance deciding which one to send? Are you sending an important proposal and want to ensure it's highly readable?
We offer editing services.

Because editing takes much less time than creating, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the low cost of this service. Would an extra few dollars invested in your mailing be a good decision if it doubled your return rate? Would spending a few extra dollars on an important document be a good investment if it gave you a solid competitive advantage?

If you were just starting your business, wouldn't you consider hiring a business consultant to assist you in your business? Then why shrink from paying an advertising specialist to ensure you get the best return on your advertising investment?

If you budget a few extra dollars for editing to receive professional input on your ads or other important copy, the money you spend can increase your response rate greatly. We offer quick turnaround, but don't delay! Call today, (573) 638-3738.

The eye likes white space

With information coming in at warp speed, people often glance at incoming mail and instantly decide whether they'll read more or discard it. Therefore, copy design is as important in good advertising as ad copy, because dense copy overwhelms most readers.

No one likes clutter, even if it's in their own house. The eye likes white space, so don't bury your message. Your copy must be easy to read or you'll quickly lose your readers, and with it your advertising dollars.

There's more to writing copy that sells than the words. Good advertising thinks big picture, including ad design and knowing when to follow the rules and when you'll get more mileage by breaking them.

White space management is critical in good advertising, whether it's an ad in your local newspaper or a direct mail piece. Why write copy your target audience won't read because it overwhelms the eye?

While it may seem cost prohibitive to hire an agency to produce and lay out your copy, the results will normally be far better than you'll get yourself. In the long run, it will be money well spent.

Sell the sizzle, not the steak

You've probably heard the saw, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." What this means is that most consumers buy a product not because of what the product is, but what the product will mean in their lives. People don't buy insurance, they buy its benefits such as freedom from economic ruin and peace of mind.

There are a few exceptions to this rule, like when you're selling to experts. For example, if you're pitching a commercial auto policy to commercial dry cleaners with a small van fleet, describing trailer interchange coverage may not be necessary. But if you're pitching a trucking firm, experts at switching trailers, the trailer interchange coverage becomes a policy benefit and you'd better be able to talk about "dead-heading," "pigs," and "gross vehicle weight."

Your direct mail attempts to the general public must focus on benefits. There are several ways to do this creatively and good direct mail copywriters can help you through the process. If you aren't specific about what benefits you offer in your copy, you'll end up with "puffery." Puffery is overblown phrases like "We provide the best customer service" or "We offer the fastest claims service." Wikipedia offers a great definition of puffery.

Puffery is a waste of copy space. It's always better to state a specific benefit. "Because of our outstanding customer service, last year, 95 percent of our customers renewed with us," speaks to readers more than phrases like "the best customer service."

Top direct-mail copywriters agree: The best direct mail copy is written by writers familiar with the product you are trying to sell. I'd love to help you with your direct mail projects. Contact me via my website, Insurance Writer.