Preferred Carrier

Carriers are finding it takes more than a good product to convince independent agencies to choose them in a crowded marketplace.

Providing marketing tools and support to a national distribution channel can be a challenge for insurance carriers. Minnesota Life In-surance Co. and its individual distribution unit, Securian Financial Network, believe a consistent sales platform available to all of its firms through the company extranet will make Minnesota Lifes value proposition even more competitive.
The insurer wanted to offer a Web-based CRM solution that allowed the financial advisers to focus on what they do bestsales and marketingrather than technology, reports Mary Anne Smith, director of individual business technology for Minnesota Life. We wanted to manage the technology platform so that would not be a hurdle for the advisers and would allow them to focus on the proactive components of the tool rather than working with the data and the infrastructure, she says.