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Review and Outlook 2009-2010: Independent agents andbrokers

What are 1 or 2 initiatives that your firm must executein 2010 to reach your growth goals?
Robert C. Smith: We are working with each producerto develop solutions that address specific issues clients arefacing in this difficult economy. On the P-C side of our business,these solutions include reducing the total cost of risk throughinsurance program design, safety programs and loss control orclaims analysis. On the employee benefits side of our business, thesolutions address access to wellness programs, health savingsaccounts and plan design options that help defer some of theincreases employers are facing with rising healthcare insurancecosts.
Karen K. Farris: Our firm has a 10 -year strategicplan that includes specific growth objectives. There are twoinitiatives within that plan that are critical to us achieving ourgoals. Three years ago we embarked on a mission to repositionourselves as a stronger sales organization. This involved anoverhaul of our sales process as well as a shift in culture. Wework with an outside accountability partner to keep us on track. Ithas paid off and we are successfully executing a growth plan in adown economy. The second initiative involves a change in the way webring in young producers; relying more on sales profiling and theestablishment of a learning path to make them validate in a shorterperiod of time. Discipline around these two initiatives will becritical to achieving our growth objectives.
Allen Fee: We are just starting our planningprocess and have identified several key action items that we mustaccomplish to attain the type of organic growth we are hopingfor: