| The Nebraska Department of Insurance (DOI) is hitting the road for our annual Roadshow to educate Nebraskans about developments in health insurance and Medicare and answer any general insurance questions.
During these insurance discussions, Nebraskans will have an opportunity to hear about: - ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment
- How to appeal a denied health claim
- Health insurance updates
- Healthcare scams to be aware of
- Updates and general information on MEDICARE
You are invited to attend this free presentation at the following locations:- Tuesday, September 3 at 3 p.m. – Columbus Community Hospital, 4600 38th St, Columbus, NE 68601
- Tuesday, September 3 at 5 p.m. – Norfolk Public Library, 308 Prospect Ave, Norfolk, NE 68701
- Wednesday, September 4 at 10 a.m. – Pender Community Hospital, 100 Hospital Dr, Pender, NE 68047
- Wednesday, September 4 at 3 p.m. – Memorial Community Hospital and Health System, 810 N 22nd St, Blair, NE 68008
- Monday, September 9 at 5 p.m. – Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE 68847
- Tuesday, September 10 at 11 a.m. – Lexington Regional Health Center, 1201 N Erie St, Lexington, NE 68850
- Tuesday, September 10 at 5 p.m. – Community Hospital in McCook, 1301 E H St, McCook, NE 69001
- Wednesday, September 11 at 11 a.m. – Sidney Regional Medical Center, 1000 Pole Crk Xing, Sidney, NE 69162
- Wednesday, September 11 at 4 p.m. – Regional West Medical Center, 4021 Ave. B, Scottsbluff, NE 69361
- Thursday, September 12 at 9 a.m. – Box Butte General Hospital, 2101 Box Butte Ave, Alliance, NE 69301
- Wednesday, September 19 at 11 a.m. – CHI Health St. Mary’s, 1301 Grundman Blvd, Nebraska City, NE 68410
- Wednesday, September 19 at 2 p.m. – Syracuse Area Health, 2731 Healthcare Drive, Syracuse, NE 68446
- Wednesday, September 25 at 5 p.m. – Howard County Medical Center, 1113 Sherman St, St Paul, NE 68873
- Thursday, September 26 at 10 a.m. – Memorial Hospital, 1423 7th St, Aurora, NE 68818
These sessions are open to the public and Nebraska agents and brokers will receive one free hour of continuing education credit. Bring your questions!!!
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|  The IIAN Foundation Golf Tournament on August 8 was a resounding success! We had an incredible turnout with more than 130 players hitting the course, along with 20 exhibiting hole sponsors whose support was instrumental.
Thanks to their contributions and the participation of our golfers, we’re thrilled to announce that we raised more than $25,000 for the IIAN Foundation! These funds will support our mission of providing scholarships and connecting college students with promising careers in the insurance industry.
While at the event, golfers could enter a raffle to support the IIAN Foundation for a chance to win a new Aurelius Emperor Driver and a free round of golf for 4 at Woodland Hills. The winner drawn was Vince Christensen!
The best scoring teams of golfers won prizes as well.
First Flight:
1st Place - Terry Thompson's team - Score 54
2nd Place - Mitch Florea's team - Score 55
3rd Place - Riley Tonkin's team - Score 56
Second Flight:  1st Place - Nick Elbert's team - Score 62 2nd Place - Ryan Fiala' team from NAU Country - Score 62
3rd Place - Adams Insurance Advisors team - Score 63
Women’s Closest to the Pin: Staci Deger Men’s Closest to the Pin: Tyler Ortlieb
Men’s Longest Drive: Jeff Mann Women’s Longest Drive: Alison Blair Men’s Longest Putt: Justin Nightengale Women’s Longest Putt: Jeni Strum A huge thank you to everyone who participated, sponsored, and volunteered to make this event such a hit! Your support is helping to shape the future of our industry.
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|  As business leaders, we’re busy people. As we juggle finding new business and relationships with clients, including guiding clients through economic uncertainty and a property & casualty insurance hard market, keeping a healthy balance between your workload and your well-being is a necessary but difficult task.
By intentionally setting aside time to decompress and appropriately strategize your day-to-day tasks, you’ll be able to provide your clients with the best possible service and be your best self every day. Here are three steps to improve your well-being:1) Highlight the good. The hustle and bustle will only make you more likely to experience burnout. Reserving time at the end of your day, especially on overwhelming days, to focus on something that went well is an easy way to help you feel empowered. It doesn’t always have to be a big client win or something major. It can be as simple as a pleasant conversation with someone on your team. Ending each day on a positive note will help you to come to work the next day feeling refreshed and recharged. 2) Tap into the wins. As you note your daily highlights on an ongoing basis, you may notice a trend around something that’s going consistently well. This could be conversations with clients about certain products, efficient internal processes or the state of your business overall. There’s an opportunity to leverage the smaller wins to focus on an overarching goal. For example, let’s say you’ve received compliments from clients on a specific product presentation five times in the past six weeks. This could help you recognize increasing client interest in a product and lead you to new business opportunities. In my practice, clients frequently send emails about how much they appreciate what we did for them. Their appreciation is less about products and more about knowing that we helped them solve a problem that they didn’t know how to deal with. Saving the emails that highlight your service and expertise and reading them occasionally reinforces all the good things you do for your clients. 3) Carry the momentum. Providing best-in-class service can be difficult when you’re managing a heavier workload and not taking care of your mental health. The energy you carry in the workplace will have an impact on the quality of your service, so take the necessary steps to improve your work-life balance. When you’ve built a consistent habit of ending your day on a positive note and leveraging your wins, it’s easier to carry that positive energy even on difficult days. By shifting your focus to your recent successes and goals on harder days, you’ll be more likely to maintain your momentum, allowing you to provide your clients with top-quality service throughout the year.
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Having an effective web presence is critical for independent agents. Your site should function as an effective lead capture tool. You might tell yourself that your agency is "referral only" and "we really don’t need marketing." But remember: Your customers and centers of influence might refer a great prospect to you. They will search for your agency online, and they’ll see your website—probably via their smartphone. What will they see? Will they be impressed? Will they be interested in following up? Here are some tips for creating an effective homepage to attract prospects and customers to your independent agency website:1) Headline. You have about three seconds to capture a website visitor’s attention, according to HubSpot. Your headline should clearly and simply communicate who you are and how your agency can solve the customer’s problem. Including insurance keywords about what your agency offers in your headline and sub-headline can improve your chances of showing up in a potential customer’s Google search. 2) Navigation. Your homepage should have a clean, organized design. A cluttered website that is difficult to navigate is likely to have a higher bounce rate—the metric for the percentage of people who leave the site after viewing only one page. Your homepage should feature colors that allow for maximum readability and a highly visible menu bar, preferably on the top third of the page, that lists the other website pages with valuable information. A utility bar at the very top of the page can highlight quick links to "Request a Quote," "Log in to Customer Portal," and a phone number. Your homepage should be optimized to work on any device, such as a laptop or cell phone. 3) Images. Not only are images essential for telling your agency’s story and supporting your messaging, but they can also improve your website’s chances of being found when a potential customer does a search. Photos or videos of your actual staff are best, as they help illustrate who you are and help visitors feel a connection to your firm. You also don’t have to worry about potential copyright infringements. Avoid generic images, but if you must use them, purchase from a reputable stock image provider to avoid inadvertently stealing someone else’s material. 4) About Us section. This page is critical. Most visitors are trying to quickly validate what they already may have heard about your firm, as well as trying to reach out to someone. Include a short bio at the top of your page detailing your team’s insurance expertise, what your agency specializes in and who you are personally. 5) Client testimonials and case studies. Statements from actual clients and quantifiable case studies that speak to your agency’s character and describe how your firm has helped solve their problems are impactful and eye-catching for website visitors. Testimonials and case studies also add credibility and could be the difference-maker between whether a potential client decides to contact you or not. On the homepage, these testimonials and mini-case studies should be short one- or two-line quotes. 6) Strong call to action. What do you want website visitors to do? Prompt website visitors to contact you with questions, obtain an insurance quote or find out more information. Your contact details, including phone number and email address, are the most obvious to include. You also may want to offer an online chat feature or an online contact form, but only if your staff is prepared to handle these promptly.
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Do you have lingering questions about flood insurance? Want to expand your knowledge of flood insurance and fill in some gaps? This new webinar addresses the top questions we hear from agents and others attending NFIP courses. Join this interactive one-hour session for a deeper dive into:- The definition of flood as set out in the Standard Flood Insurance Policy
- First Floor Height using the NFIP’s six foundation types
- What you should know when talking to clients about basements
- How to get started selling flood insurance
The course has no formal prerequisites, but a basic knowledge of flood insurance is both helpful and recommended. NFIP offers an introductory course, the free two-part webinar Key Fundamentals of Flood Insurance 2.0. - August 20, 2024 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. CT REGISTER
- September 17, 2024 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. CT REGISTER
Please Note: No continuing education credit is offered for this course in any state.
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|  Each year, a group of exceptional insurance professionals are selected to represent their states and then can compete to become the National Outstanding CSR of the Year. This prestigious award, regarded as the foremost national award of its kind, recognizes the contributions and commitment of those who serve clients within the insurance industry.
Kim Hongsermeier, CISR Elite, has been selected as Nebraska’s 2024 Outstanding CSR of the Year. As part of the award application process, Kim submitted a 1,000-word essay illustrating how she has shown resilience and adaptability in her Lead Personal Lines Account Manager role and describing how she's been able to meet evolving customer needs amid hard market adversity. "We need to be proactive to support our policyholders, giving advice and assistance by reviewing their policies with them," Kim said in her essay. "We as CSRs must adopt innovative approaches and practices to help our customers navigate through this adversity." She told a story about a time when she educated a customer on why their premium had increased during a coverage review. Kim took time researching different options to help relieve the burden. Remarketing the property with a new carrier resulted in better coverage and a lower premium, and through that, Kim was able to maintain their business with the agency and create a positive customer experience.
"Our customers should know we have their best interest in mind and will help navigate them through this very challenging time," Kim said. "This demonstrates our commitment to our policyholders and will build long lasting customer relationships and satisfaction with our agency."
As Nebraska’s state winner, Kim will advance to the national CSR of the Year competition.
Congratulations, Kim, on a job well done! |
| COLUMBIA, Mo. – Columbia Insurance Group (CIG) is pleased to announce Stacey LaFehr-Yoder joined the executive team as vice president of corporate governance and administration on June 24.
 In this newly created position LaFehr-Yoder will lead enterprise risk management, internal control and the strategy management functions.
“Stacey has a proven track record when it comes to creating a culture of excellence and collaboration," said Todd Ruthruff, CIG president and chief executive officer. “She helps bridge gaps, drive efficiency and develop pathways for all those around her to deliver exceptional value." LaFehr-Yoder has built a 25-year career in accounting, auditing and operations. “Stacey has a strong financial background, but she also has a passion for guiding people and organizations closer to their vision," Ruthruff said. “Her experience will be invaluable as Columbia transforms the way we do business to ensure we continue to serve our customers and teammates to the best of our ability." LaFehr-Yoder said it is an incredible opportunity to help guide the CIG team into its next chapter. "I'm thrilled to contribute to the ongoing growth from the outstanding foundation that already exists at Columbia," LaFehr-Yoder said. “What drew me most to this role are the people—their warmth and the level of talent has made me feel incredibly welcomed and thrilled to be a part of the exciting journey ahead." LaFehr-Yoder joins CIG after serving most recently as the vice president of claim operations at a large US based property and casualty insurance carrier.
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| LINCOLN - The Independent Insurance Agents of Nebraska (IIAN) is proud to announce that our CEO, Ann Ames, has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
 This significant achievement underscores Ann’s unwavering dedication to professional excellence and leadership in the association management field. The CAE credential is the highest professional certification in the association industry, recognized as a mark of excellence and commitment to the association profession.
Ann joins a distinguished group of 108 association professionals who successfully earned the CAE credential following the spring 2024 exam, as announced by ASAE. The CAE program is designed to elevate the association management profession by recognizing those who demonstrate the knowledge and skills essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.
"I am honored to have earned the CAE credential," Ann said. "This certification represents a commitment to continuous learning and professional growth, which aligns perfectly with my goals for IIAN. I am extremely excited to be part of this outstanding community of association peers and am looking forward to the learning opportunities and impact that my participation will bring to our members."
Ann’s achievement is a testament to her leadership and her dedication to advancing the association management profession. Under her guidance, IIAN continues to thrive, providing exceptional support and services to its members.
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| Sixty-nine percent of prospects start their insurance search online, which is why it's vital to be listed at the top of local search results. Once a prospect lands on your website, make a positive first impression by having a clean, beautiful site that's unique and easy to navigate. A great website will help you sell more policies and improve your workflows. Here are 10 ways to make your insurance agency stand out online. 1. Check your local search ranking
People will rarely click beyond the first page of Google's search results when they're searching for insurance online. One of the best ways to improve your SEO (search engine optimization) is by collecting 1-4 quality reviews every month. If you collect too many at once, Google may flag your listing because it looks like you're paying for reviews which is against their terms of use. As a result, Google may penalize your agency in the search rankings. 2. Ensure your business information is accurate and consistent
Check the sites where your business is listed to make sure all the information is correct at least a few times per year. You don't want a prospect to find you on Bing and request a quote from an email that's been deactivated. Having your listings consistent across the internet is another way to climb in your local search rankings. If you need help finding everywhere your agency is listed online, there are several resources that can help. 3. Provide multiple ways for website visitors to get in touch
Consumers have many options for insurance, so if it's difficult for a prospect to get in touch with you, they'll likely choose a different agency over yours. Make it easy for people to reach out to your agency in a way they prefer by having your contact information clearly listed on Google and your website. Add web chat options on your website, Google and Facebook so prospects can ask questions and get answers in real time. 4. Use forms to collect information
It takes a lot of time to follow up with customers and prospects to get all the information you need to provide them with an accurate quote or make a change to their policy. Instead of playing phone tag or sending multiple emails, give people a clear way to provide all the information you need directly on your website. Add quote request forms to your website asking for all the information you'll need. Create simple questionnaires for renewals so you can easily compare options and offer additional coverage to clients who need it. 5. Follow up quickly
As an insurance agent, you could use a few more hours in your day. Don't let a warm lead slip through the cracks because you didn't have time to reach out. Create a standardized process where once you have the information you need, you automatically send prospects or clients an email or text with the information they need. 6. Automate more processes
Proactively reaching out to clients and prospects takes a lot of time. Your website should help you automate prospecting, renewals and cross-sell campaigns. For example, if someone requests a homeowners quote, you should be able to automatically send them follow-up emails and texts for the next few weeks to see if they've reviewed it. Make sure your CRM and your website work together to automate as many of your workflows as possible. 7. Avoid using generic content
Many insurance websites look similar and have identical wording. Stand out from other agencies with unique content and a website design that matches your agency's brand. Your site can still be functional without getting lost in the slew of boring insurance websites. Having unique content on your website will also help improve your SEO. 8. Provide a personalized experience
When a client or prospect visits your website, you should display information that's relevant to them. You can create short, targeted messages to appear on certain pages of your website. Use these when you need to notify clients of upcoming renewals, cross-sell certain policies, encourage prospects to leave their contact details or share important agency announcements. 9. Start a blog
Showcase your insurance expertise by adding a blog to your website. This may seem like a time-consuming project, but it doesn't have to be—you already answer insurance questions daily. Instead of typing the same response to each person, turn your answers to common questions into a blog post you can link to in emails or texts. Doing this will save you time and impress people visiting your website. Hosting unique content, like blog posts, on your website improves SEO and increases the likelihood that prospects will find you online. 10. Highlight testimonials from your happiest customers
Prospects visiting your website want to hear what your existing customers have to say about working with your agency. Post glowing client testimonials directly on your website. Your customers will feel special when they see their name on your website, which helps improve retention. And prospects will be more likely to choose your insurance agency after seeing positive feedback from others. ACT Supporting Partner, ClientCircle® is a leading insurance communications platform in the U.S. Their all-in-one platform helps insurance agencies manage customer relationships, collect and analyze feedback, improve retention and reputation, collect reviews and testimonials, grow referrals, automate cross-selling, build websites made for insurance, and send communications spanning multiple channels. For more information, visit www.clientcircle.com. |
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