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There’s a common misconception that excess & surplus (E&S) and specialty lines coverage is only for business that has been historically rated high-risk or for those one-off, hard-to-place risks that cross your desk a few times a year. But as carriers tighten their requirements for writing standard business, having relationships with E&S carriers can help you provide essential coverage for homeowners and business owners who don’t qualify for standard policies.

According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. experiences over 1,000 tornadoes each year, far more than any other country. Agents can help their clients be more prepared by offering a few important safeguards.

A little over two years ago, I had the pleasure of joining the Smart Choice team and was charged with the task of expanding and enhancing the Express Markets program. Smart Choice made an intentional investment in this program to position it as a growth engine for our agents by providing access to markets for excess, surplus and specialty lines. I started the process with the mind-set of: How can we help Smart Choice® agents expand their businesses?

The last several months have been an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. Certainly, none of us can remember anything quite like it. Who would have thought it was possible to shut an entire economy down in a few short weeks?

As housing values continue to rise, particularly in major cities, home ownership is a challenge for millennials, who, on average, need to save 6.4 years’ worth of their total annual pay to afford a down payment on a home1. Affordable vacation homes are an alternative way to build equity and enter home ownership.

In today’s world of instant online access, insurance carriers and independent agents are competing for customers through multiple media channels. Thus, we need to discuss the use of comparative raters.

Despite the rise in popularity of online insurance companies, personal lines continue to be profitable business for independent agents. If you’d like to write more profitable personal lines business in 2020, here are 20 tips for you.   

Glenn is a salesperson who drives sales managers and upper management crazy. For months at a time, he can close just about every sale without so much as breaking a sweat. Right up there at the top of the chart, far outdistancing anyone else in dollar amount closed. Then, for just as long a period, it is as if he has totally lost his ability.

Oh God, thought Maria, holding the phone at arm’s length, it’s another one of those obnoxious salespeople. Don’t they know what “no” means?

Will 2020 bring challenges? Absolutely! Will we have to work harder than we did in 2019? Absolutely. Fortunately, I know that this new year will bring this family of agents, territory managers, and Smart Choice employees together to meet and conquer anything thrown our way.

Twenty-five years. It seems like yesterday, and also a lifetime ago that I was struggling to establish a small start-up company, in hopes of helping other independent agents like myself. Starting a new business is a huge leap of faith. What made everything worth it to me was knowing that I was starting a business that’s intent was to make other business owners’ lives a little easier.

These days, digital engagement is a key part of marketing your agency and serving your customers. Millennials especially use digital channels to find and engage with agents. Here are a few practical ways independent agents can reach more millennial customers online.