Podcasts & Webinars
Social & Environmental Impacts on the P&C Industry, Regional Carrier Instability, and More
David Paul, a principal at ALIRT Insurance Research, a firm specializing in the analysis of insurance company financial performance trends, addresses the state of the underwriting cycle and where insurance pricing may be headed in 2023. Garner insight into pressing issues on insurance with a focus on networks
Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail – Network Success in a Shifting Marketplace
Brian Brusoski, Mike Baeurle, Keith Captain, Phil Lucca, and Paul Morrissette explore significant market shifts that will challenge the current network/carrier relationship and demand greater flexibility for networks to remain profitable and relevant.
Expect discussion regarding:
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- Migration to E&S Capacity
- How networks/wholesalers can improve their relationships in difficult market to maximize service & revenue.
- How Contingent Commission is changing
- Book balance and diversification
- Carriers shifting focus on growth vs just profitability
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Insurance Agency Consolidation and the Impact to Insurance Agency Networks
Mike Strakhov and Matt Richter of Live Oak Bank discuss the timely topic of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions. Networks are not immune to this activity and have experienced the departure of members and related premium from their groups. Understanding the past and the outlook of future M&A activity, including the potential impact of a rising interest rate environment and record high inflation, will be important for any Network to anticipate potential activity for their members. Mike Strakhov, CPCU and Matt Richter from Live Oak Bank provide their perspective on the current and future insurance distribution consolidation landscape.
Mastering the Art and Science of Identifying Top Talent
Keather Snyder of The Omnia Group addresses the rapidly evolving business landscape. You need to stay ahead of the curve, help your agency members do the same — and insight can help. Insight into selecting and developing one of your most significant assets: your employees. The value of human capital (your employees) has emerged as one of the key drivers of business success. If you start by focusing on your employees, you’ll position your company for sustainable growth!
Producer Development Strategies for Your Agent Members
Jane Koppenheffer, Elizabeth Schenk, Rene Swan, and Diane Wagner provide a strategic roadmap leading to optimized producer development for members of your Network. The panel discusses their solution for producer acquisition, retention, and funding. This is a repeatable model for networks looking to support agents seeking significant organic growth through the addition and training of producers.
Hyper-Inflation, Skyrocketing Contruction Costs, and 2022 Recession
Steve Pearson, President of ISU Insurance Agency Network, moderates this discussion of how the recently accelerated rate of change in insurable values increases agency E&O risks and the potential for client dissatisfaction. Panelists David Blevins (Chubb), Vinnie Hager (JGS Insurance), and Erik Olsen (Chubb) identify common causes of low ITVs and how they are amplified by supply chain interruptions, record inflation, pandemic impacts on production, and more frequent and severe national catastrophe events, and other factors.
Revolutionize Your Recruiting
Hosted by Diane Wagner of First Choice Agents Alliance and presented by Kathleen Ranahan of Ranahan Business Consulting, this webinar empowers Networks to assist their members in attracting, onboarding, and retaining new agency talent. This presentation also includes an introduction to the Project Invest and the InsurAcademy, two grass roots options to cultivate tomorrow’s insurance professionals.
State of the U.S P&C Market
David Paul of ALIRT Insurance Research speaks broadly on this topic, highlighting the relative performance of both the personal and commercial line sectors, addressing the state of the underwriting cycle and where insurance pricing may be headed in the near and intermediate term.
P&C Insurance in a Post-Pandemic World
Covid, inflation, interest rates, and a growing CAT trend will all significantly impact the United States economy and insurance industry. Spend an hour with Robert Hartwig as he provides an outlook for both, along with a discussion regarding the challenges and opportunities for Insurance Agency Networks.
Maximizing Service Provider Partnerships for Networks
With the proliferation of technology and service provider opportunities available to improve operations, the responsibility for Networks to assist their agents with these decisions has never been greater. Developing a strategy to review service provider opportunities can be a key differentiator and critical factor in an agent’s search for a best fit Network to join.
Listen to a panel of your peers discuss best practices for this important aspect of network administration, and what steps your network should consider to move in that direction. Expect to hear about:
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- Determining the viability of a service for your agent population
- Pros and Cons of product endorsement
- The vetting process, product history, reputation and testing
- Contract considerations, agent discounts, network compensation and marketing fee opportunities
- Setting expectations for mutual success
- Criteria to determine a successful product offering to your agents
- Ongoing management of service provider relationships
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Insurance Networks Study Results Presentation
To further help our member networks navigate the evolving networks landscape, the Insurance Networks Alliance conducted the 2022 Insurance Networks Study. Specifically, to:
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- Track the size, growth, and influence of Networks in the industry
- Document strategies employed by professionally managed networks that benefit all their constituents
- Generate benchmarking data for Networks to use in their strategic planning process
- Promote Networks and the Insurance Networks Alliance
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Building Resilience to Attract and Retain Your Best Workforce
Insurance agencies operate within a dynamic socio-economic environment impacting their businesses and people. To grow and thrive any business needs to attract and retain skilled and motivated people. The global pandemic has had a ripple effect on businesses, placing a high focus on talent as businesses deal with labor shortages, shifting expectations in the way people work, and the persistent callout for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This session addresses:
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- The prevailing macro people trends that require heighten attention
- Key considerations to respond to current talent challenges – hiring, retention
- A roadmap for leaders to creating a more diverse and equitable environment where everyone thrives
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Insurance Education for Future Leaders
Invest is a unique national program that educates high school and community college students on insurance, financial services and risk management topics, and encourages them to pursue a variety of careers in the insurance industry. Project Invest provides comprehensive, educational materials and tools necessary to launch an Invest insurance education program in schools across the county. Best of all, the resources are free to our schools thanks to the generous support of partner companies and independent insurance agents.
Characteristics of a Successful Carrier-Network Relationship
Networks have the potential to bring enormous efficiencies to a carrier, getting their message and products out to large groups of agents. While there may be differences from carrier to carrier, there are key factors common to the most successful of these relationships. This panel will feature the perspectives of four carriers describing the characteristics of the successful network relationships.
Attendees can expect the following discussions;
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- How do carriers view network opportunity’s to help them grow
- What is the decision making process for choosing a network partner
- Description of best in class networks
- Carrier views on agency clusters vs professionally managed networks
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Blueprint for Improving Brand Trust
Join the Insurance Networks Alliance for a free professional development workshop presented in partnership with The Institutes. This workshop will address the ways in which branding differs from marketing, discuss brand awareness, communication, differentiation, equity, identity, and trust.
Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. While brand perception is in the eye of the beholder, brand management is available as a tool to shape that perception. Are you utilizing brand management to maximize your Network’s reach and influence? Attendees can expect to explore important brand questions, including:
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- Why do we exist?
- What values and principles do we support?
- What gives us purpose and passion?
- What emotions are we attempting to elicit from those whom we serve?
- How do we want the marketplace to perceive us?
- How do we want people to identify with us?
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The Power and Efficiency of Insurance Networks for Agents and Carriers Explained
A growing number of established successful agencies as well as agencies new in the business have discovered that joining an insurance network can have a dramatic impact on growth and the ability to serve their clients. While there are extraordinary differences in how individual networks operate, all are focused on improving the efficiency and profitability of the agents in their group. Many insurance carriers are unaware of benefits that working with a network could bring to their agent distribution capabilities, and thus pay a higher cost of acquisition.
Come listen to a panel of successful insurance agents who overcame common objections and made the decision to join a network. Hear how this decision has positively impacted business and improved their access to and relationships with a broader range of insurance markets.
Solving Network / Carrier Pain Points to Maximize Organic Growth
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- How to develop unique working relationships with each network and carrier – one size does not fit all
- How coordinating communication supports carrier initiatives and engages member agencies
- Network and Carrier Data – what to collect and how to use it to help agencies to write more business with the network’s carriers?
- How do carriers and networks prioritize their relationships and develop transparent criteria for attaining priority status
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INA Town Hall: COVID-19 Issues, Impacts and Solutions
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- Key benefits and threats to networks with the COVID-19 impact.
- How producers are soliciting new business and working to retain existing customers during COVID-19.
- Helping carriers communicate member agencies as COVID-19 affects visiting agencies.
- Ways to differentiate your network during the crisis.
- Staying in front of prospective members during this time.
- Assisting agency members with their remote employees.
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