As you reflect back on 2010, what significant contributions did you and your insurance business make in your local community? Did you sponsor any events? Did you volunteer with a local non-profit? How about offering an educational seminar about choosing the best insurance coverage?

Giving back to your local community is a great way to build trust, get the word out about what you do, genuinely connect with more people and, most importantly, make a difference in the lives of those around you.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you or your insurance agency staff are representing your insurance business in community:

- Participate with an organization you are passionate about. If you don’t have a true interest in the volunteer work you do, it will show. When you’re passionate about a cause, your positivity and excitement will engage those around you.

- Don’t be afraid to build your network. It’s likely other volunteers will be local business owners or area leaders, so get to know them in genuine, meaningful ways. You never know where a referral could come from.

- DO NOT wear your sales hat. When you’re volunteering, the focus is on the volunteer work, not your insurance business. It’s okay to share what you do, but don’t open every conversation with a sales pitch.

Community involvement is important regardless of your industry. It’s a great way to meet others, have fellowship with your agency staff and contribute to a larger cause. How are you making a difference?

Do you (or your employees) enjoy coming to work each day? Are you (or your teams) recognized for a job well done? Do you (or your staff members) feel valued?

If you answered any of these questions with a no, it may be time step back and look at the big picture. It’s proven that when employees feel valued, they are more productive. And productivity means growth for your insurance business!

So if you’re looking for some fresh new ways to boost your bottom line, consider starting with your insurance agency staff.

You can find some great ideas in an article on Entrepreneur.com titled “Wanted: Fully Engaged Employees”. I’ll admit, we ARE rather partial this piece because one of our employee programs is mentioned in it!

If you scroll down to tip #4, you can find information about the HometownQuotes Q Point program. The writer shares how we recognize and reward our team members for a job well done. We started this program in the Spring of 2009 and every week we recognize employees who go above and beyond to take care of our customers and/or uphold our company vision.

Here’s a photo of some of our Q Point Committee members giving a team member a Q Point.

To learn more about creating employee recognition programs, talk with your Human Resources manager, consult with an HR professional or contact the Society for Human Resource Management.

Do you know where you’re going? Does your insurance agency staff see what you see?

If you’re not clear with your team about the future you have in mind for your insurance business. MAKE TIME NOW & COMMUNICATE IT.

We closed 2009 by focusing on the future of HometownQuotes. I can’t think of a better way to end the year and start 2010. Thanks to Bob and Hunter’s clear vision, we see what they see and we all have an understanding of the direction this ship is headed.

If you’re wondering where to start with your “visioneering”, start with yourself. As the owner and top decision maker of your insurance business, you have to know where you want to be in 3-5 years.

Ask yourself these questions:

In the next 5 years,

What will your yearly revenue be?
How many team members will you employ through your insurance business?
Who are these people?
What will your office space look like?
Where will it be located?
How many customers will you have on file?
How many prospecting meetings will you schedule each week?

Can you see the big picture? Now break it into 1 year increments. What do you need to do this year and the next and the next, and so on, to achieve that 5 year vision?  When you think about it like that, the vision truly becomes much more doable and managing your team becomes that much easier.

What are you waiting for? Tell your team! Make sure they see what you see. For our next post we’ll talk about turning your vision into reality – accountability 101. Stay tuned!