Just like Acord apps, thumbing (mousing) through loss runs sucks (just getting them sucks, especially from Erie). Page 1 is the expiring Pkg/Auto with Penn National, page 2 is three years of Zenith WC, page 3-5 is two years of Auto valued from last year, and so on. Unless all lines were with the same carrier, it is next to impossible to organize loss runs in an easily digestible manner. This post covers what to do about it and why you should do it. … Read More
Author Archives: rob
Does cold calling work? I want to do an Email Blast or Direct Mail Campaign. Does that work?
The facile answer to your facile question is YES. If you contact the right person, at the right time, and say the right things, do the right things, and follow through the process you WILL land that account. But you won’t land all of them. No one does. And if you’re banking on a (insert prefix) mail campaign that doesn’t include a phone call or three, you’re bound for failure (or worse – mediocre results). You know how I can tell top Producers from the rest? The top Producers spend their time figuring out how Insurance Xdate is going to fit in and improve an already successful strategy. We never brought an agency back from the grave, that I know of, but that’s not what we do anyway. Xdate is a fixed constant in an otherwise variable sales equation. Confused yet? Read on. … Read More
2019 – Q1 Updates (part 2) – Historical LCM Filings & Carrier Name Standardization
We recently revamped the LCM database to provide a historical look at your prospect’s LCM history. We also standardized all the carrier names across states and terms..sounds simple, but there are an average of 8 spelling variations per carrier..so you’re welcome. … Read More
2019 – Q1 – Updates to Contact Data & Interface
NEW DATA! We just cross referenced employee benefit data (health/retirement) for contact information and added to the WC database. New features for 2019 include contact voting buttons, Carrier Group color-coding in the Carrier History section and an LCM Heatmap in the Class Report section. … Read More
InsurTech Origins – the Fax Machine?
Remember when owning a fax machine meant your agency was ahead of the tech curve? Me neither. I’m a millennial, but in the 80’s it was a game changer for the commercial insurance sales cycle. While the times and devices have changed the principles remain. When is the last time you looked at the new tools and resources being developed and how they can be applied to commercial insurance prospecting? … Read More
2018 – Q2 – New Features
We recently released an update to xdate offering to let you hit the ground running for Q2. New dashboard functions, and features. New tools for the Agency, and new states. Beta release of our Form 5500 Retirement and Health benefits data. Expanding your access to Workers Comp data using data visualization and analytics. … Read More
What is Your Prospecting List Doing for You?
Your agency and your carriers may have an encompassing risk appetite but that doesn’t mean your prospecting list should follow suit. In fact, why on earth would you have just 1 prospecting list? In this little post I am going to show you how to improve your odds on the phone and more effectively secure appointments by applying a simple trick to your prospecting list set up. … Read More
Planning for a Cold-Calling Marketing Campaign
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” ~ Benjamin Franklin. Putting the calls in but not seeing them convert to new biz appointments? Now would be a good time to evaluate your marketing plan and figure out what’s going wrong or in need of adjusting. You do have a marketing plan, don’t you? … Read More
The 11 Month Marketer
How are other agencies making use of your service? Are they getting results? We get these questions a lot. Given the competitive nature of our product and the insatiable thirst for new business that you maniacs have, it shouldn’t be hard to believe that our users’ respective methods and approaches are closely guarded and rarely shared…and vary greatly. … Read More
Work Smarter, Not Harder
How are other agencies making use of your service? Are they getting results? We get these questions a lot. Given the competitive nature of our product and the insatiable thirst for new business that you maniacs have, it shouldn’t be hard to believe that our users’ respective methods and approaches are closely guarded and rarely shared…and vary greatly. … Read More