But how do policyholders see their roles in this relationship?Whether their titles are risk managers, chief executive officers,chief financial officers or office managers, they take theirresponsibility for making decisions about their business insuranceseriously. Along with their agent's advice, they conduct their ownresearch by paying careful attention to the health of theirinsurance carriers and reading their insurance policies.

Empowered by vast amounts of information at their fingertips,committed to holding the bottom line on their company'sexpenditures as well as their risks, and comfortable advocating fortheir best interests, these policyholders are smart shoppers.Before presenting agents' recommendations to their executives,designates representing small- and mid-sized businesses told usabout their online searches. They satisfy their consumer instinctsby investigating the carriers' financial stability and what othersin their industries had to say.

Yet it's not easy to be a savvy policyholder. Insurance policiesand other documents can be complex, seemingly meant to intimidate.Time and again, we heard pleas from policyholders for materialsthat translate the insurance-speak of policies to lay language.

Insureds will continue to need advising and counseling fromtheir agents to put what they learn into perspective. Self-taughtpolicyholders may be able to get that proverbial "enoughinformation to be dangerous," but they'll still need support froman expert to sort it out.

What communications can agents create and provide so they areseen as helping make their clients more savvy?

Become a truly customer-centricorganization
Being a customer-centric organizationbegins with a commitment to understanding the client's industryalmost better than they do. It's about making sure that everyone inthe organization is learning about the customers, their industriesand their markets--and responding appropriately. How can you usegood market research to become the savvy consumer for your client?What internal marketing activities can you deploy to make everyonein your organization connected to your clients' needs?

Your clients want information when they want it. The digitalrevolution has made it possible for companies to provide customizedservice levels across multiple points of contact. Companies thatprovide a more efficient experience across every sales touchpointachieve higher conversion rates. One area every company shouldconsider is improving or upgrading the online RFP processes. Takingcues from some of the leading online retailers, agents shouldensure their sites/processes recognize returning visitors (eitherthrough browser-side cookies or server-side registration),anticipate their needs based on past submissions or browsingactivity, suggest coverages or risk management options and automatethe completion and submission of forms. Finally, whatever can bedone on the brokerage end of the transaction to expedite quotingshould also pay off in increased conversion rates.

Know your clients as you know yourselves
The best way to impress the savvy policyholder is to be savvyyourself. Do you know what your clients face in this economicenvironment? Are you up at night thinking about the same things asyour clients? Employ marketing research to create and own insightinto your customers' worlds. Divine from that research unique waysyou could add value to their businesses, over and above the "tablestakes" value your competition delivers. Once you determine whatthat value is, communicate the advantage from your target'sperspective. Lead with the benefits. Can you save your clientstime, money, aggravation? Tell them what aspect or feature of yourcompany can make that happen.

Technology tools can make clients as independent andself-sufficient as they want to be. How can agents/brokers providethe best tools while monitoring transactions and stayingtop-of-mind to clients? What role can carriers play in facilitatinga high-touch, high-tech relationship that connects agents andbrokers with policyholders? Can carrier service centers be part ofthe solution?

Work with IT to ramp up online presence with searchengine optimization (SEO)
If your clients searchonline for the "best" insurance deal, you have a better chance ofretaining them if you are one of the first links they find. Somebasic SEO techniques:

? Evaluate and prioritize keywords
? Add relevant content to main home page
? Increase depth of content on sub pages
? Add dynamic content (RSS, video/audio podcasts, SMS integration,blogs, live chat)
? Generate frequent press releases that leverage keywords
? Reorganize site map based on core business objectives
? Enhance number of backlinks pointing to the home page.

Communicate consistently
The most trustedcompanies present themselves consistently over time. Add anunstable economy into the mix and the need for trust increases.That's why it is more important than ever to maintain a continuityof message, look and feel across all points of client contact. Takean audit of all of your materials. Place them side by side on atable. Look for inconsistencies. If you find your materials are outof brand standards or simply don't "play well" together, it's timeto call an ad agency or meet with your internal department. If youdon't think your clients notice this type of inconsistency, thinkagain: your competitors will.

Make your sales tools work harder for you
When it comes to sales presentations, your prospects have littletime and higher expectations. If your competition is using printedmaterials, use PowerPoint. If they are using PowerPoint, developnext-generation presentations that incorporate animation, sound andvideo to increase engagement. Position your company as progressiveand, more importantly, tell a larger story in less time. Usetechnology tools and social media to stay current with yourclients. Take a cue from independent agents who are seeing theadvantages of social networking tools such as LinkedIn or Facebookto learn more about their clients, engage in more meaningfulconversations and provide more fluid customer service.

Expand the services offered
The key to asuccessful relationship between agents and policyholders may takethe form of value-added services. As businesses look to reducecosts, they will continue to be concerned about reducing risks.Working alongside carriers, find ways to be trusted advisors andextend your role by bringing loss prevention and other riskmanagement services to the conversation.

In the next 10 years, the fundamental risks facing mostbusinesses will remain unchanged. However, the growth of digitalavenues of communication will change the way risk managers seekinformation and ultimately purchase their policies. Agents andbrokers who are willing to investigate new approaches to usingthose tools to build stronger customer relationships will mostcertainly reap the greatest long-term rewards.