Quick story: On Saturday morning, as a favor to a dear friend, I took pictures of a junior high soccer game up in Cleveland. The plan was to then meet my freshman-in-college daughter at the house and immediately head to southern Ohio to shoot/watch my sophomore-in-college playing soccer. I know, it’s a lot to bite off, but these days are short. As I drove in the drive way, my daughter excitedly waves a greeting, then goes to get her stuff out of the car. Her carefree smile turns to a look of frustration as she realizes she has locked the keys in the car - no windows open, no hope.

No problem. I keep an extra key to my cars on my dresser. Not there. Dang. Call AAA. For some reason, they are not showing my annual payment - sorry, gotta pay before you can play. But I paid it - got the history right here on my bill-pay history online. I’m sorry, sir…. I finally get that straightened out 45 minutes and several call-transfers-repeat-the-situation-to multiple-people-while-I’m-on-a-deadline-good-grief!!!

Then I notice outside there goes my daughter to the car with an old left-over piece of floor-board molding from the basement and my heavy-duty, L-shaped nail-puller. She proceeds to wedge open the top of the driver car door where it meets the roof and the rear-door, and stick the piece of wood through the opening down to the auto-lock. Minutes later we’re on our way, calling AAA to cancel the service call.

“How’d you know what to do?” I asked. “I googled ‘breaking into a locked car’. There were several YouTube video’s showing how to do it,” she answered with a big smile.

So what does this have to do with insurance technology? I think it reinforces the point that the Web is where it’s at. To reach younger generations with insurance messaging, perhaps the best place to find them is online. Perhaps Esurance/Geico/Progressive should sponsor a site that’s all about user-generated content about cars - locking your keys in there, wet spots on your garage floor, noises from the back tire, how to avoid common rip-off’s at the car-repair chains, simple stuff which Joe the Plumber and Jane the single-mom can use to save money, save time, save frustration. And oh, by the way, Get-A-Quote and save money on your insurance, too.

A story to stimulate some thought - and reinforce other thoughts. I’ve been saying it for a while now. If you’re and insurer and you don’t have an aggressive Web strategy, I can almost guarantee you will be one of the ones that are left standing when the music stops… Call me - happy to help.

If you would be so kind, please click here to participate in a survey my co-presenter is sponsoring for our A.M. Best E-Fusion Webinar titled, “Is the Web Out of Control?: Social networking, instant communications, blogging: They’re all important but huge threats to corporate security and consistent delivery of strategy. Managed poorly, these technologies can become strains on productivity. Hear how companies use communication technology to their advantage and reach customers they might never have otherwise.”

Feel free to Share this page as well.  The more the merrier.  Thanks a million.

Oh yeah.  Register for the Webinar, post comments, and ask questions as well.  Always interested in a good story.

I’m excited! PIMA MarkeTTech is only 4 weeks away. Can’t wait. So I took a few moments to catch up with our opening Keynote speaker, Kristin Brewe. Have you heard of Erin Esurance, the female action hero from the TV commercials? Quote-Buy-Print, solving crime and selling insurance! It’s a very cool and savvy campaign that has kicked Esurance up to the same category as Geico and Progressive - on a MUCH smaller budget. Couple interesting points… “Each impression has to count for 20 for us.” “We in the insurance business have to let go…” Check it out.

Looking ahead to MarkeTTech, my hope is that PIMA members will pick up some golden nuggets from Kristin’s talk, as well as the following panel discussion on Social Networks featuring Kristin, Aimee Higgins with MySpace, Danielle Knopf with Deep Focus, and moderated by Sara Holoubek, social networking consultant. Come with questions and comments - this seems like one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Click here to hear comments from Kristin Brewe, Director - Brand & Public Relations, Esurance.

By the way, here’s the picture I mention in the podcast!

One more thing… One of my son’s ROTC buddies snapped this picture last week - a download from Facebook. Zach Wise is the one looking back at the camera. Love that shot! Proud of you, Zach! ;-)

News: An impact of the economic crisis - The AM Best EFusion Conference has been moved to a virtual platform, which means a series of Webinars. The plan is to use Wednesdays in October and November to handle the Finalist presentations (some really good stuff as usual) as well as the presentations by the speakers. I’m scheduled for Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. Eastern time for my piece on…

Is the Web Out of Control?: Social networking, instant communications, blogging:

They’re all important but huge threats to corporate security and consistent delivery of strategy. Managed poorly, these technologies can become strains on productivity.

Hear how companies use communication technology to their advantage and reach customers they might never have otherwise.

In association with Charles Wasilewski, The van Aartrijk Group

This will be good. I’d prefer the in-person format, but I’m a people-person, so that’s me! But in reality, more people will be able to participate this way, so that’s the main thing - education. Really encourage you to attend these events - cutting-edge stuff.

Next: Last month, had the pleasure of spending some time with Sara Holoubek, Consultant and Aspiring Luminary, in NYC for a cup of coffee at Taralucci’s off Union Square. Sara will be moderating the opening panel discussion at PIMA’s MarkeTTech Symposium on the how to engage with the social Web in an era of “Pull Marketing”. Can’t wait. In the picture below, notice the brown paper placemat under her coffee cup? By the end of the hour, it was covered with great wisdom. I grabbed it as an artifact for my office, autograph and all. If only I could make sense of it now?!?!

(Click on the picture to see more pics from my time in NYC, as well as Philly before that.)

Photo by Frits Abell, Progress Partners - Perfect shot!

Matrix White Paper: I finished the Matrix-driven Web site White Paper if anyone is interested in a deeper dive into the insurance technology underlying ftj.com. Thanks to Jaimie Polak, Mary Fisher, and Kendra McComb. Great stuff and perhaps the next generation of Affinity Sites. Working on another one right now and have three other potential projects in budget review.

Budgets: Tis the season, right? Here’s my plug for shifting dollars from traditional marketing to Web marketing. Here’s the thing: Everyone knows the economy stinks right now. Costs are high - gas, food, energy, travel. It’s like this tornado that’s spinning everything upward and out of control. And we also know that everyone is using the Web in some form or fashion. And we’re all starting to do more and more things on our own with the assistance (or not) of Web-based tools and information. So I might be out in left field on this, but doesn’t it make sense to do more stuff online? As an insurance company or marketer, DON’T RUN AROUND YOUR OFFICE WITH YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR EARS SHOUTING, “LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!!!! I can’t hear YOU!” Just get in the game. Start doing stuff. Do a Blog, a team Blog, start a community, start a wiki, do a series of Webinars - IF NOTHING ELSE, DO IT INTERNAL. The best way to understand something is to DO IT. Once again, I’ll push Groundswell - great primary on the immediate next steps you might consider for your Web presence. Of course, IdeaStar is not the be-all-end-all of this kind of insurance technology and Web marketing tools and techniques, but it’s probably a pretty good bet that we are miles ahead of IT departments and a much safer guide through the maze. Let me know if I can help.

Perhaps because I mention it a lot, several folks have asked me to comment on Linkedin. Why is it important? How do I use it? What’s all the fuss? First of all, here’s a link to my Linkedin profile. If you’re not familiar, perhaps click through and click around a bit, then come back.

I know I linked to the Linkedin Blog last week, but the current story is so perfect, I’m doing it again. (By the way, for those of you still on the sidelines of blogging (and I know who you are ;-)), you gotta appreciate what’s going on relative to blogging here as well. Notice my comment at the bottom of the story.)

Check it out.

How do I use it? First of all, when I started, my goal was to get to 100 connections. That was pretty easy the way Linkedin suggests connections based on your profile. Make sure you put as much detail in there as possible. It was tougher getting to 200. Getting to the mythical “500+” seems distant, but I’ll get there. Note that my philosophy is to have quality connections, not just anyone. Don’t want to be a “Linkedin S lut!”

The point is to have as wide a network as possible so that when I WANT to get connected to someone I DON’T know, I have as many possible 2nd-level connections as possible to use for introductions. If I have no 2nd-level’s, I will look at the third-level’s and pick up the phone. “Hey, I’m trying to find an introduction to so-and-so and I see in Linkedin that someone you are connected with is connected with them.” It’s tougher that way, but as my network expands… And, oh by the way, I get another touch point in my own network.

I also sometimes go straight to the person. The cool thing is that profiles are maintained by the person, so they are much more likely to be current. That means that when you send them a note, you can be fairly confident it will get to them. That’s exactly how I reached out to the keynote speaker at the upcoming PIMA MarkeTTech Symposium, Kristin Brewe with Esurance. And sure enough, she 1. got the email, and 2. responded to it as coming from a trusted, albeit unfamiliar source - a minor miracle in today’s business world, n’est ce pas?

I also really appreciate the Recommendations functionality. I think it’s really cool that people can look at what other people are saying about me right in my profile - and what I am saying about other people. I also change my picture on a regular basis because it notifies my network when I do - and thus perhaps keeps me top-of-mind just by changing a profile picture.

I’ve also had people ask me if I know anyone in such-and-such geography or this-and-that industry. It seemed to be helpful to those people. After all, we never know where solutions are going to happen.

Hope this helps.

Couple pictures:

My daughter, Kelle Wise, inadvertantly started a marketing campaign for my wife’s company.

College soccer is back underway.
Here’s my son, Zach Wise #19, at Houghton College.

One of my favorite conferences of the year, A.M. Best’s E-Fusion conference, is coming up in Philadelphia in October. If you are interested in insurance e-commerce/e-business, looking to network, share, and learn new stuff, this is the place to be. No kidding, this is the conference in the insurance biz where I get a raft of new ideas. Check it out. If you’re coming, let me know. Love to connect.

I’m trying my hand at a Webinar in a couple weeks. It’s on e-applications in the financial services industry. The host is The American Financial Services Association. I was referred to them by another PIMA member, Tammy Dixon and Stephanie D’Amico with SourceLink. Sorry - it’s invitation-only. Co-facilitating with Nigel Fisher.

Next week: LinkedIn - Why it’s important. Ideas on how to use it. Some of you are asking me for my opinions, so I’ll see if i can write something intelligent! Meantime, check out the LinkedIn Blog.

Shooting Promise Keepers Cleveland this weekend. Very excited…

Judge for yourself, but based on everything I’ve seen around the industry, FTJ looks like ground-breaking site architecture.

Interested in comments….

Short-term thinking - IMHO.

Quick story…. Was working on a potential opportunity to develop a cutting edge new broker portal for an individual medical carrier (sorry no names - but trust me - true story). So I get an email last week saying, “ABC (and most other major carriers) reduced its ‘08 earnings forecast and thus, began cutting costs. …. We’re doing the same on the ABC LOB side of the house for the broker portal, and likely other tools, as well. Will keep you posted if things change.”

So I sent a reply, “So cutting costs… as in inefficient paper-based processes and leveraging incredibly inexpensive Web processes?!?!” Tongue-in-cheek to be sure, but you know what I mean.

The insightful reply, “Ha! As you know, the trouble with spending money to save money, is the savings aren’t typically realized within the current or next immediate fiscal quarter. Wall Street has a severe case of ADHD, so what seems logical and reasonable isn’t always what gets approved and implemented. The market’s ADHD is exacerbated when companies don’t hit their forecasts, so long-term thinking within the company has been spanked and sent to bed without any supper. The good news is that free markets are fluid, and this too, shall pass.”

I can’t put my finger on thoughts… trying to digest the concepts. Of course, I understand. I guess I’m just trying to figure out if there’s a silver bullet that can end this repetitive, downward spiral carriers seem to be in relative to Web technology. With the coming administration, whoever that may be, I would be surprised if any good news comes from that front. We’ve got to get a handle on this - and fast.

Any suggestions? “GRAY, JACK! The world is GRAY.”

__________________________________________________

Some recent pics: (click to enlarge)

Hummingbird in my wife’s garden
(see more here)

Insuranti guys at a Tribe game
(see more here)

The 2008 PIMA Summer Conference kicked off with a bang. Played golf at the Newport C.C. Not only that, but the weather was perfect, my son came along to take pictures and be a spotter, my host was magnificent, my partner bought me and Zach a new pair of golf shoes and NCC hats for the family, and to top it all off, I played the best I have in years. PTL!

Newport C.C. with Dave Galvin, Kevin Leys, Doug Clarke
Best round of golf life-to-date. Incredible day.

Had a great conversation with a company guy about building an exclusive online community for the Agency folks inside PIMA - sort of like the CEO Forum only online. Must be invited to join, must contribute thoughts and ideas to retain membership, that kind of thing. And the content inside would be quite valuable in terms of day-to-day operational stuff inside an agency, as well as futurist conversations within the community. Something to noodle on, but relatively urgent.

The conference itself featured an opening Keynote that really rocked everyone’s world. Karen Ignagni and George Olsen spoke about what’s very likely about to happen within our health care system as a result of the election. Different people will remember different things, but my take on the talk was this: As an industry, we need to focus on administrative simplification and driving out costs. We also need to create portals for constituents - members, providers, distributors, everyone in the value chain. When it comes to insurance plans, members need to be able to choose from all Plans. We need to leverage the power of the grass roots, let people see and understand, and make decisions for themselves. Also, longterm care insurance will be a big deal in the near future, so we need to put more emphasis on that. All this seems to point to more and more technology. I hope people, especially internal IT folks - CIO’s, Directors, and so forth, see the value of consulting with proven Web developers on the strategy and tactics necessary to survive the coming “perfect storm.” I don’t want to seem like a loon, but it’s a big deal - investing in these technologies now will get you through the learning curve so you’re where you need to be when the storm hits.

Karen Ignagni, CEO AHIP and George Olsen, Williams & Jensen
spoke about what’s very likely about to happen
within our health care system as a result of the election.
Moderated by Ann Nagle, BankNewport

Frank Abagnale knocked us back a few paces with his talk about Identity Theft and identity management. My take: stop writing checks; stop using debit cards; get a confetti shredder; pay all bills with a credit card and then pay off the credit card with money from your savings account; keep savings in a separate account; don’t access your money using a wireless network; protect your kids identity as well; identity thieves get big money for identities and only 1 in 700 are prosecuted; the longer someone keeps a stolen identity, the more valuable it becomes; it’s incredibly easy to steal an identity; I’m going to read his book; abagnale.com mypublicinfo.com zabasearch.com Scary stuff - all about protecting hard-earned assets - a time-less issue.

A few other miscellaneous pictures from the trip…
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“Everything goes better with bacon.” E.H. Pru

True.

Falls Village, CT

Great place to jump!

Shattuck G.C., Jaffrey, NH
Mt Monadnock, 2nd most-climbed mtn on earth
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PIMA 2008 Summer Conference
Breakfast Roundtable Sessions Courtyard of Hotel Viking, Newport, RI
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Things seem to have changed a lot in the past three years. I’m curious as to what people feel are the essential ingredients of a comprehensive Web presence for a marketing company, especially insurance, given the state of the Web today?

IMO, the presence need to accomplish the following critically important functions. (I got these from Bill Tyson who I think got them from Groundswell.) Btw, if anyone can recommend any reading material or “Understanding Web 2.0″ sites, I’m all eyes…

So what are the tools to do all this? Corporate site with content management? Individual blogs? Corporate blogs? Portals for distributors, agents, vendors, etc.? Corporate MySpace page? Nimble and well-designed quoting and enrollment site? Asking for referrals every where? Employee portal?

Interested in comments.

Next week: PIMA Summer Conference in Newport, RI. - but first a little R&R. Check smugmug for the pictures along the way…

Meantime, I had some international soccer coaches staying at my house last week - Reginaldo from Brazil and James from England. We introduced them to corn hole, smores, and fireworks. Got a tri-pod and tried my hand at shooting fireworks. Interesting learnings if anyone is interested… See more - click here.