A wise marketer once told me, “As brevity is the soul of wit, in our world, simplicity is the heart of marketing.” I sense that we may be introducing unnecessary complexity, and creating barriers to entry, as we move from physical to digital channels. I’d appreciate your thoughts here. First, What is ‘Digital Marketing’? A great… Read more »
Brave New Brokers in The Changing Reality
People ask me why I am so passionate an advocate for ORBiT. Simple: ORBiT members, me included, believe there is no “one” right technology solution for our industry, but there is just one best practice workflow that starts at the broker’s fingertips. Assuming that is in place, there are many options for technology solutions to… Read more »
ICTC2014: Focus On The Core (Plus More)
Core Insurance Systems replacement will continue to be a major thrust for many insurers and brokers in 2014, according to virtually all insurance technology prognosticators (present company included). Data suggest a majority of insurers are at various stages from planning to almost-completed. Some projects are going well. Others need some re-examination. All can benefit from… Read more »
Broker Connectivity Getting Active: Will Results Follow This Time?
There’s an old insurance sales motivator axiom that says, “You can’t control results, but you can control activity, and activity produces results.” There has been some real activity in Broker Connectivity of late — including a continuing industry effort and a large acquisition by a major player. Our question to you: Will this increase in… Read more »
Broker Connectivity: Canadian Milestones, and Potholes, On Display at ICTC
Back in the early 1980s, an analyst at an insurance company had been working on electronic policy communications with brokers for about a year. One day, the analyst’s supervisor went to an early-days meeting of CSIO. The supervisor returned with a picture of a cloud , marked ‘Standards’ with lightning bolts coming out of it,… Read more »
Broker Connectivity Turns 45! The Summer-of-Love Children Still Strive.
In the summer of 1967, hippies made the Haight district in San Francisco ground zero for the development of revolutionary ideas and behaviour. About 45 minutes down route 101, at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), a group of researchers, were developing other cutting edge ideas for actions to preserve the independent agent and broker system. … Read more »
Free Trade in Broker Connectivity: ACT in Action; ORBiT Increasing Altitude
Independent insurance agents in the US have issued a report on progress towards achieving goals in broker connectivity. At the same time, Canadian brokers are consolidating around actions to promote their interests in connectivity. Are these groups aligned to benefit both groups and exert maximum leverage going forward? The ACT committee of the Independent Insurance… Read more »
Independent Agents Take a Leap for Real-Time This Year
We have written periodically about similarities and differences between independent agents in the US and brokers in Canada as each group seeks to rationalize electronic connectivity with its insurance carrier partners. While the goals of the two groups align in important ways, one difference is crystal clear: US Agents have fine tuned the promotion of… Read more »
