My CIC Class Experience

By: Don Allan, Agent Relations Manager

A few months ago I was discussing different forms of continuing my education in the insurance industry with my boss. Being fairly new to the business, I had heard through fellow employees and other agents about the CIC designation. I didn't know much about it at the time except that every time those three letters were mentioned it was usually followed by a casual eye roll and a "good luck" sigh as they walked away. But nonetheless I signed up for the Commercial Casualty class at the Salem Waterfront Hotel. Here is my story about my CIC class experience.

I couldn't help but feel that I was biting off more than I could chew considering I am fairly new to the industry and focus solely on the condo market here at Brownstone Insurance. But I found that there are a few perks to attending a CIC course.

My boss would tell you that I was there for the exposure and networking. I would say I was really looking forward to taking as much info out of the course as possible and the 25 CE's for attending are not bad either. Plus, all the coffee, muffins, bagels and cookies you could take down in four days was an added bonus.

I arrived in Salem on Wednesday morning and pulled up to a quaint hotel surrounded by a comfortable amount of restaurants that I could escape to on breaks.

The first introduction was the educational consultant Mike D'Orlando, who gave us a quick briefing on what to expect from the course and the basic rules and regulations which we’d need to follow the next few days. Our first speaker, Bob Ford, was then introduced, and he would spend the next 8 hours with us going over Commercial General Liability.

As Bob took command of the room I felt myself sink down into my seat and prepare for information overload with my highlighter in hand. But Bob had a different approach.

He began with some comical stories and a little interesting history about his background and how he even chose the insurance industry over being a pastor. “What a great concept,” I thought. Bob had found a way to fulfill his dream of being a pastor by preaching insurance at a CIC course.

His combination of power points, illustrations and personal stories made it very easy to follow along, and most of all kept it interesting with his North Dakota accent that he claimed he did not have. I remember having a conversation with a fellow CIC attendant hoping that the next speaker would be just as good.

And without fail Mr. Bruce Thomas did just that. Bruce spent a whole afternoon discussing workers comp, but man did it fly by. He was a local guy from Rhode Island who kind of spoke our language, and he incorporated blasting music into his presentation and loud antics which kept everyone on the edge of their seat. He also added some history into the mix which helped us all understand workers comp and why it exists.

Our last speaker had the longest presentation of all. Kevin Brady took us through Business Auto, Additional Insured coverage, Excess Liability and later finished up with Umbrella Coverage. He went through all of his material without any powerpoints, blasting music or history lessons. His approach was simple -- interrogate and embarrass as many CSR's as he could.

I kid, but his interaction with the room kept you attentive. Plus, Kevin was more of a natural born comic, so nobody was safe and everyone got their fair share of antics from Kevin. 

Overall I left Saturday afternoon with a much different perspective on the CIC designation than I had going into it. Not only did I learn a lot, but I also had a lot of fun while doing it. And best of all, I got to meet people in my industry with the same passion as I have. After all of this, I am looking forward to signing up for the next one.

Make Zooming One of Your New Year’s Resolutions

By: Alexis Kimball, Agent Relations Manager

I recently read Seth Godin’s book, “Survival is not Enough.” In it, he explains how companies that embrace evolution will triumph over their competition. 

We live in a developing and ever-changing world. Change is the new "normal," yet it’s human nature to be uncomfortable with the unknown. Seth suggests that by constantly making small, effortless changes, it helps to overcome the fear of change. Thriving companies embrace a philosophy that supports new ideas, steers clear of unhelpful criticism, and understands that "failing" is defined simply by not trying new things.

Do you zoom? Seth Godin describes zooming as,

"…stretching your limits without threatening your foundation. It's about handling new ideas, new opportunities, and new challenges without triggering the change-avoidance reflex."

Explore new ways of doing things for no particular reason without a particular goal.  These efforts may have more of an impact than what you are currently doing. 

Zooming is not done in an urgent manner with the purpose of fixing an identified problem. Zooming is simply the act of trying new things for the sake of trying new things and analyzing the outcome afterwards.

Some ways to experiment with zooming: 

 - Try a food you've never had before.

 - Go to a trade show featuring an industry that you have no interest in.

 - Read a book that you would never pick up.                    

Look towards the future. Adapt, transform and grow to create changes in what you know. It's not easy to give up control and it's difficult to gain confidence in a skill you have not yet mastered, so don't abandon current strategies that work just to try something new. New ideas are risky, unknown, and a gamble but zooming will yield you expanded knowledge of strategies and success.

Here’s to your success in 2013!