EF Fall 07.indd - National Association of Professional Allstate ...

featurePutting Together an Idea Sharing GroupBY STEVEN M. MARCUS, LUTCFWWhen we first came up with the ideato get a group of Allstate agents togetherto share ideas on how we run our offices,prospect for clients, cross-sell products,and all other things necessary to be anAllstate agency owner, we started with agroup of five agents whose offices werein close proximity. Starting out this waymade it easy because we all knew andtrusted each other. We decided that theeasiest way to meet on a regular monthlybasis was to meet over lunch, since we allhad to eat lunch anyway. We all lookedat the time away from our offices as awelcome break. Getting away from youroffice for a couple hours a month helpskeep your sanity.When we met for those first meetings,we openly shared what we were doing inour offices and compared notes. Initially,the original emphasis of our group was toincrease the financial production of ouragencies. At the time, if you sold a certainlevel, you doubled your agency bonus.After a few meetings, the scope of ourconversations expanded to include a hostof other agency related business topics.The purpose of the group evolved intosharing ways to help each other becomemore successful in our individual agencies.We discussed what steps we tookto hire our staff and how we paid them.We talked about the various processes weused to track the work of our staff andhow we could best utilize that informationto develop incentive bonuses, createnew work flow processes and maximizecross selling opportunities.As time went on, various membersof the group asked if they could inviteadditional people to join our group. Asadditional members joined our group,they introduced fresh perspectives andpresented new ideas for ways to run ouroffices and for producing new business.As word about our club got out, manyof the best agents in the area sought usout. We had members join who were thetop agents in our area for life insurance,auto insurance, business insurance, etc.This made the group even more invitingto other Allstate agents in our area.It was truly amazing how word spreadabout our lunch group and how desirableit was to join.Aside from the business knowledgeacquired at our meetings, perhaps themost significant other benefit has beenthe opportunity to meet and developlasting friendships with fellow Allstateagents. Our meetings help break downthe walls that separate agents from communicatingand fraternizing with eachother. Back in the day, the companyheld regular meetings where agents gotto know each other. Since the demiseof regular company meetings, there hasbeen no impetus for agents to get togetheras a group. Until an agent, or a groupof agents, takes the initiative to start alunch or breakfast group in your area, itwill not happen. It is sad to say, but manyagents do not know most of the otheragents in their markets.As our group grew larger, we had tofind bigger and better places to meet. Inorder to have a proper meeting for a largegroup, it is essential that the meeting environmentbe conducive to the size andneeds of the group. It is crucial, for example,that distractions, such as noise, bekept to a minimum. Members should beable to speak without shouting and hearwithout straining.We have found that the ideal meetingplace for a larger group is either a countryclub which can give you a private area, or24 — Exclusivefocus Fall 2007