Karl Ieuter, CPCU, ARM, CIC; vice president of IeuterInsurance Group
Years at company: 6
College: Miami University ‘95; MBA, riskmanagement and insurance, Georgia State University ‘97
Organizations: CPCU Chapter of Northeast Michigan(past president), Professional Insurance Agents of Michigan, YoungInsurance Professional of Michigan

Read Karl's previous nGI Q&A

How can employers recruit young talent? Thereare lots of young adults graduating from college without jobs. Manyyoung adults do not even consider insurance as a career. Once theyhear about the benefits of an insurance career, it definitelybecomes more appealing to them. There are not many careers whereyou can make as much money as you want, depending on how hard youwant to work.

How can employers retain young talent? Settingup a mentoring program is one of the keys to success for youngagents. They need to have someone they can go to with questions andfor advice. It's also very helpful for them to go on sales callsand presentations with experienced agents.

Do your top carriers recruit young workers?Some of our top carriers do have programs for training youngworkers. It's great to get new blood in the industry. I wish morecompanies would provide training for young adults.

How does technology fit into your workstrategy? We try to stay on top of technology. I work withthree monitors and am always in contact with my iPhone. We talkwith other agents in the industry to share ideas of what technologyis helping their businesses. We want to be on the cutting edge. Acompany that won't adapt to change is doomed to failure.

What's your mantra for success? Plain andsimple: hard and honest work. I pride myself on being available24/7 for my clients and to always do my best.

Who do you look toward as a mentor in thisindustry? My father, Cal Ieuter, is my mentor in thisindustry. He is respected throughout the community and industry. Istrive to be like him. If I ever have a question, he knows theanswer or will help me find it. He has been in insurance for 42years and, fortunately, has no plan to retire.

What are your future goals in this industry? Mygoal is to make Ieuter Insurance Group the best and biggest agencyin Michigan. We have had tremendous growth since I joined theagency because of all the young motivated agents we have hired. Weplan to continue to hire and train young producers to take ouragency to the next level.

Read on for more with Karl Ieuter

How do you balance work and personal life? Ihave 3 kids under the age of 9 and a very supportive wife. Sheunderstands there are many late nights and weekends at the office,as well as functions I need to attend. However, I make a point ofsetting aside time to spend with my family. I also participate intheir school and sporting activities. I teach Junior Achievementfor both of my daughters' classes, help coach and cheer them on intheir sporting events, and make a real effort to attend all theirschool programs. If I have to attend a function that is familyfriendly, my children are always there with me.

How does your office reflect how you work? Wepride ourselves on customer service. Everyone on our team (30+employees) believes in this concept. All emails and calls arereturned the same day. Even if they don't have an immediate answer,they get back to our clients promptly. Keeping clients happy andprotected is our goal at Ieuter Insurance Group. Several of ourcustomer service representatives have their smart phones connectedto the office email system so they can answer emails at allhours.

What is an important lesson you learned when joining aprofessional working environment? It is easy and quick tosend an email, but even well-written emails can be interpretedwrong. I find it much better to pick up the phone and call theclient to deal with the situation personally and immediately.

Many young agents enter this industry because otherfamily members work in insurance. What advice do you have whenworking with family? I think it's important to leavebusiness issues at work, and leave family issues at home. Workingwith family has it benefits and downfalls. When we are together asa family, we try to not talk shop. It makes it more enjoyable.

What skills do you think young agents will need in2012? Young agents will need to take sales classes andcontinue their insurance education. We need to know what we aretalking about and how to present it effectively.

What do you see young agents struggle with in theirfirst years in this industry? What advice do you have?They sell on price. If you win on price, you lose on price. Myadvice would be to get a niche and stick with it. If they view youas an expert, they are more likely to stay with you and youragency.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in 2011 as ayoung agent, and how did you handle it? The biggestchallenge was to make sure I qualified accounts. It's hard to walkaway from accounts, but sometimes, it's the best decision.

How does your agency—or any of yourcommittees/associations—reach out to high school or collegestudents? The Young Insurance Professionals (YIP) of thePIA just had their winter networking event at Crystal Mountain. Weinvited college students specializing in insurance to attend theclasses and network with others in the insurance industry. It was agreat way for everyone to get to know each another.

Karl Ieuter was featured in the April 2012 issue of AA&B. He is a vicepresident of Ieuter Insurance Group.