Toops Scoops: Top 5 Traits of Our 2010 Agency Award Winners

Although I'm sworn to secrecy regarding their identities, I can reveal that the winners are in for the 2010 AA&B/National Underwriter Agency of the Year awards. The names and stories of the winners will be revealed to the world in the October 4 issue of National Underwriter, and profiled in the November issue of AA&B.

Our job wasn't an easy one. Submissions came from all areas of the country from agencies of all sizes, from specialists and generalists, and all were from solid, well-run agencies. With the assistance of editorial staff (spearheaded by our managing editor Melissa Hillebrand) and three AA&B editorial advisory board members (special thanks to Tim Cunningham, Demmie Hicks and Bernie Heinze), we winnowed the submissions down to five and from there selected an overall winner and champs in sales and marketing, customer service, technology and recruitment (hint: there was some overlap here).

Despite their differences, our winners shared several traits. Top among these are:

1. They look at the big picture. Let's face it, 2008 and 2009 were pretty abysmal years for all businesses, and with the soft market, insurance agents had a particularly tough time of things. To add to the misery, some of our finalists are operating in areas of the country that are especially hard hit by the recession, or still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Guess what — a couple of our winners didn't see a year-over-year premium volume increase in '09. But all of them had taken action to explore new and innovative specialties, grow by acquisition, or otherwise prime themselves to get through the current malaise and come out in better shape than they went in.
2. They're focused on the future. The winners not only had solid perpetuation plans in place, but are intent on recruitment, training and retention so the business doesn't retire along with the current principals. That included family-owned operations looking beyond family for future management, agencies with carefully structured ESOP programs to ensure perpetuation, and a commitment to recruit and retain future business leaders.
3. They give back. Whether it's through formal and highly structured philanthropical programs, or office staff involvement in fundraising events for cancer or autism, our agency winners were all committed to community involvement — not just lip service, but putting their money where their mouths are with monetary contributions as well.
4. They 're “high-tech, high-touch.” Although all of our winners fully utilize the most sophisticated agency automation technology they can afford, none of them put technology ahead of personal communication with their customers (and many are using technology like social networking specifically for customer outreach). From the large, multi-location winner that carefully crafts individual risk management advice for each customer, to the true Main Street agency in a rural area where customers drop in to chat, all our winners understood the importance of the personal touch to stand out in this competitive, commodity-driven business.
5. They know who they are and play to their strengths. Brand identity is part of our winners' business DNA, no matter what their size or premium volume. They all understand the importance of the good name they have developed within their communities. This self-awareness is reflected in everything they do, including business proposals, marketing material, and the use of their logos. More importantly, these are external reflections of the agency's sales culture where the client's needs are the first priority for everyone, from the receptionist to the agency owners.

Want to know more? Stay tuned starting October 4, when we'll introduce you to our agents of the year!