March 19, 2008 by Steve.

Most agency management systems use Microsoft Word to create proposals and schedules of insurance. These documents typically rely on the use of Word tables as a formatting tool. Unfortunately, many people in the agency do not have adequate training on how to edit these tables once they are created. Here are a few tips that may make working with tables a little easier.

A table has columns, rows, and cells. Some parts of a table can only be seen if you display all formatting marks by clicking “Show/Hide” on the Standard toolbar.

Insert text before a table: To insert text before a table that is on the first line of the first page in a document, click in the upper-left cell in the first row of the table, and then press ENTER. Note: If you have text in the upper-left cell, place the insertion point before the text. Then, type the new text you want to appear above the table.

Align table on a page: Select the table by clicking on it. On the Table menu, click Table Properties, and then click the Table tab. Under Alignment, select the option you want. To center a table on the page, select the center alignment option. You can indent the table if you aligned it left and then enter a number in the Indent from left box.

Table Properties: The Table Properties dialog box described above also allows you to make many adjustments to columns, rows, and cells. For example you can also align text within an individual table cell by clicking the Cell tab and then selecting the alignment you want (top, center, bottom).

To insert a tab within a table cell, press CTRL+TAB.

Sort lists inside a table: Select the table you want to sort. Then, click the Table menu item and click Sort. Select the sort options you want.

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March 14, 2008 by Steve.

Use of notebook computers is on the rise and is poised to surpass desktop PCs in 2009. Notebook shipments in 2008 will hit 136 million units, up 25.8% from 2007, estimated analyst Alex Yang of Lehman Brothers in a report issued in January. By contrast, desktop shipments will decline about 1.3% from 2007 to reach 143 million units.

In general, desktops have been on a path of single-digit growth in unit sales, while notebooks have enjoyed several years of growth above 20%. One unknown in the 2008 notebook market will be the impact of a new class of systems priced below $400, emulating the Eee PC from Taiwan’s Asustek Computer. The systems should start shipping by midyear and will be available from a variety of companies by the end of 2008.

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March 7, 2008 by Steve.

Sexy Insurance (www.sexyinsurance.com) is a social networking site similar to MySpace or Facebook, but built especially for the insurance industry. Users log in, create profiles, network, share photos and videos, create and join user groups, find jobs, and more!

The site has already had over 2,500 visits from 24 countries since launching in early January of this year. I am not sure about the origins of the name, but as far as I can tell, there is nothing inappropriate on this site. If you have not signed up for and experimented with using a social networking site, this might be a good place to start. Who knows, you might connect with a long-lost colleague.

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March 3, 2008 by Steve.

The biggest expense in any agency is the staff. Of course, a quality staff is also the most valuable asset. Unfortunately, most agents I meet report that they are having a hard time identifying, recruiting, training, and retaining qualified staff.

This problem is not going to go away. In fact, it is going to get worse. Changing demographics are going to have a profound effect on the ability of your agency to remain successful. Here are some trends to consider:

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a severe labor shortage by 2012—just four short years from now.

• There are currently about 78 million Boomers who are beginning to retire in increasing numbers.

• There are only about 48 million GenXers in the workforce to replace the retiring Boomers.

• There are about 80 million Millennials (Gen Y) who will be entering the workforce in the years ahead, but most agency owners don’t understand how to attract or manage them.

Other businesses are facing the same problem and are aggressively implementing recruiting and training programs to bridge this growing gap.

Eye opener
Try this. Calculate the average age of your existing internal staff. Do the same for your producers. If your agency is like many that I see, the resulting number will be over 50 (maybe well over 50). What are you going to do when your existing staff begins to retire? How are you going to create an agency culture where a 20- or 30-year-old will want to spend his or her time?

There are some things you can do as you plan to fill this gap. These include:

• Keep up to date: Are you providing the technology tools that younger employees expect? Keeping current can also create problems that need to be managed. Your existing staff has been doing their work the same way for a long time. Change always creates stress. Plan for the change so that you can at least minimize the stress.

• Technology can be an advantage: Continually experiment with new technology tools to see which are worth using and which are not.

• Outsourcing: Examine outsourcing as a strategic option. Outsourcing can take many forms, from carrier service centers to hiring an “employee” overseas.

• Don’t pay lip service to training: Few agencies use the full potential of the technology they already have. Ongoing training always seems to take a back seat to other agency priorities. This is a mistake.

• Try new things: Experiment with new recruiting tools. I met an agency last week that successfully used “help wanted” ads on CraigsList.com to find new sales talent. You need to go where the talent goes to find new employees. Don’t know what CraigsList is? Go find out.

• Recruit second career retirees: Unlike their parents, when Boomers retire they often start second careers to remain active and engaged. These are mature people with knowledge and experience. While they may not want to work full time, they can be a valuable source of talent.

These demographic trends need to be part of your agency strategic planning process. Being open to new ideas and creative will help you weather these changes.

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