We are all well aware of the hard economic times our country faces. Unemployment is up, credit availability and auto sales are down, and businesses are scaling back. For our industry, fewer car and home purchases translate into fewer personal lines policies. Fewer business investments translate into fewer commercial lines policies. In this type of environment, the simple path may seem to be to pull back, to dig in, and try to ride out the storm.

Periods of change, however, are often ideal times to re-examine how we run our businesses and to consider making adjustments that will enable us to thrive in the long term. The Florida market provides an additional dimension to the overall national economic situation. Carriers with captive networks are modifying their business practices — in many cases pulling out lines of business or leaving the Florida market altogether. As a result, customers are looking to new channels for new services, even new carriers and agents.

This can be an opportunity to capture new customers. But as you seek to expand your client base, you also should examine your operations to determine if you need to modify your technology infrastructure to become more competitive.