4 April 2008 6:48 am
MAIA Small Agents Conference
Posted by Robert under: Insurance .
Last week Brad and I attended the MAIA Small Agents Conference in Columbia, Missouri. It was our first year at the conference and we were greeted as old friends. This group of people share a common goal - Growing their business while remaining profitable. The MAIA put together a well rounded conference and the attendees were eager to participate.
While our reason for being there was to introduce our service offerings to a market which we already serve, we were also there to gain a better understanding of the Small Agent’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) from the Agent’s perspective. As a small business owner myself I can empathize with your challenges. From an outsiders view here is my abbreviated SWOT on Small Agents-
- Strength
- Being small has its advantages. You can implement changes quickly to adapt to changes in the industry
- As a Small Agent you can provide the level of personal customer service that all of us as consumers desire
- Weaknesses
- The fear of change (you are not alone)
- Difficulty finding a balance of working on your business and in your business
- Opportunities
- Your prospects don’t know they’re being under-served
- You can develop new processes and services to create differentiation
- Threats
- Competition
- Rising operating costs
I formed this very short list from walking around and visiting with many of you, listening during the technology panel discussion, and visiting with those who stopped by our booth. I’m sure they’re are dozens more however I’m trying to illustrate a point. The point is in order to be your technology partner I need to understand your business and not just how many computers you own and whether they’re running the latest version of media player.
I was surprised to hear from so many agents who were being under-served by their IT Partner. It is a growing problem. Repeat repairs followed by repeat charges. Lack of follow through. Lack of professionalism. Unpredictable support costs. Too many to list. Let me ask you this - "When you meet with your IT Partner to discuss your business goals and exchange ideas are you excited with the vision that you have created?"
Brad and I will be at the MAIA Leadership conference in July. Make a point to come by and say hi. We enjoy seeing our old friends and making new ones. See you there.