October 2011 IIASD Jerry Diamond, Editor PO Box 327 (605) 224-6234 Fax (605) 224-6235 Pierre SD 57501 www.iiasd.org e-mail: jdiamond@iiasd.org

2011 CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOWIs it just me or did it seem like everyone had a great time at this year’s Convention? More than 300 people attend-ed various parts of the convention and we received very positive feedback from the 36 Exhibitors who all plan to attend again next year. Our Company Partners made a lot of things possible with their contributions to the Partner Program which funded the Convention as well as activities throughout the year. The staff at IIASD worked very hard right up through Tuesday’s final luncheon. Afterwards, we looked at each other, let out a sigh of relief and gave each other a “high five”. We made a few mistakes (which will be rectified next year); however, with our inexperience, we’re very pleased it turned out as well as it did. I want to personally thank Chad Dubisar for taking control of the Golf Event. I didn’t realize golf was that tiring as most of the golfers were talking about needing a nap! Just maybe the free adult beverages they had during the grueling 18 holes of golf had something to do with it!We could not have asked for better quality speakers. They were all very knowledgeable and great presenters. After listening to the issues with Cyber Liability, I was almost afraid to turn on my laptop when I got back to the office! The entertainment was more than we could have ever expected. I know I have said this before, but how can one person have so much talent. I have never laughed so hard in my life. He had more facial expressions than any comedian I have seen. If Dan Maguire (sitting next to me) had laughed any harder, I think he would have had a heart attack. One of the agents said, “Dan still had a smile on his face the next day!” Even though Jason Hewl-ett kept entertaining us, he kept coming back to his main message – “If we work hard enough and are dedicated, we can do anything you choose”. Isn’t that true with our business? It takes dedication, hard work and knowledge to be a great insurance agent.CONVENTION 2012 – LODGE OF DEADWOOD Sept. 9th – 11th, 2012When I toured the facility, it was more than impressive. The sleeping rooms are some of the best in the State. The food selections are above anything I have seen in South Dakota and prepared by a top chef brought in to cre-ate unique meals. The sales coordinator for the resort pointed out that it is more than a Casino, it is a Specialty Restaurant; a Theme Resort and a great place to have a Convention. Just a note to the wise – there are 140 rooms available and agents and company representatives have already reserved 32 of them. If you plan to attend, reserve early or you will find yourself staying at another motel one-half mile away. Don’t miss it September 9th , 10th and 11th in Deadwood, SD. Room rates are $89 - Sept. 8th – 12th if you want to plan a longer stay.Thanks to all of those who made Convention 2011 a Home Run!

The Executive Corner Jerry Diamond, Exec VP

Wasn’t it great to see that Past Presidents at State Convention? I look back at the time when I was a young underwriter, a little bit nervous and in awe of folks like Jim Long or Jim Schram, as well as all of the other distinguished men and women who have served in the capacity of President of IIASD. These individuals represent the “cream of the crop” and I have an even greater respect for these past presi-dents now as they took the time to build our indus-try and association to what it is today.

Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I hope most of you got a chance to say “hi” to them and maybe even learn a little something.

Golf was a hit with the following teams rising to the

Winner’s Circle:1st Place Team - Spence Hawley

Chad MooreTodd LubenowMerle Wollman

2nd Place Team - Jeff JonesTosha VanPeltSherry PacozaBrian Miller

3rd Place Team - Darrel RohlfsMark Graphentenn

Karen HladkyLongest Drive Men – Dan Spreacker

Longest Drive Women – Pat TollefsonLongest Putt Men – Steve Koenig

Longest Putt Women – Tosha VanPeltClosest to the Pin – Mark Graphenteen

Door Prizes Sponsored by Ag Pro:Pat Tollefson and Ken Fisher

Early Bird Drawing – 42” Flat Screen TV Winner:Andrea Shelton

from the Insurance Plus Agency in Aber-deen

Passport Grand Prize – Apple IPad II Winner:Kelli Potter

from the KPI Agency in Chamberlain

Who else but United Fire?

TOM DIEFENDORF605-763-8077 tdiefendorf@

unitedfi regroup.com

Ask Tom, United Fire Group South Dakota Representative, about our automated cancella-tion notifi cation system, available on qualifying accounts.

• No reduced number of days notice for non-payment. The number of days for cancellation notifi cation to parties of interest is the same, regardless of the cancellation reason.

• We provide notice to parties of interest for insured-initiated cancellation as well as company-initiated cancellation.

• For all requested lines of business, we will provide notice to parties of interest — this service is not limited to select lines of business only.

• UW1730, Notifi cation Endorsement for Cancellation, Non-Renewal or Material Change in Coverage is available to support your notifi cation request.

United Fire GroupCedar Rapids, Iowa www.ufgAgent.com

• Ranked among the “Most Trustworthy Companies in America” by Audit Integrity and Forbes

• Named a “Top 10 Ease of Doing Business Performer” by Deep Customer Connections Inc. (DCC)

• Named a “Super Regional Property/Casualty Insurer” by Insurance Journal and Demotech Inc.

• Rated “A” by A.M. Best

E&O EDGE – Carolyn Hofer, E&O Administrator

Ethics – Health Care Reform – Flood & Cyber Liability

With an educational lineup like that, who could help but think about E&O Liability exposure! These topics can frighten the average person let alone the insurance agent who needs to be educated and informed enough to protect the information of their clients, offer them every type of protection they couldever need, explain the zillion changes mandated by Federal Law and do so in an ethical, professional manner!If you missed our IIASD Convention , you passed up a great opportunity to earn 7 hours CEC while becom-ing better informed on a wide variety of topics. Cyber Liability - Inga Goddijn, Markel Corporation, was incredibly knowledgeable about the risk we take in our businesses every day dealing with the personal information of our clients – what we can do to mini-mize our risk and products we can purchase to cover that exposure in the event a data breach occurs.Most of the class came out shaking in their boots!Life in an Ethical World – Holly Hoffman is one of our South Dakota’s own reality show stars. Her experiences on “Survivor” has led her to a new career in motivating others to make the most of who they are and step up to the challenge. She has been teaching Ethics in her everyday life activities long before she applied to be on Survivor. Her story was entertaining and particularly meaningful to those of us in an in-dustry where dedication, hard work, professional and ethical actions make the difference in our success.Health Care Reform – with the Dream Team! What a dynamic group. Randy Moses from the Division of Insurance brought to this team the regulatory interpre-tation of changes being made in Health Care and how it will affect the marketplace and the agency force. Sandy Kost of A.D.Bankers of the Dakotas brought her expertise on Long Term Care and Critical Illness markets and how they will be affected by Health Care Reform. She also touched on Health Savings Ac-counts and how they can work for both individuals and businesses.Debra Muller of Avera Health Plans attempted to inform the agents of three perspectives of the Health Care Reform Act – the Provider, Carrier and Agent.Her information outlined how this law will impact Health Care in South Dakota and nationally.

Last but not least – Flood – 2011 was presented profes-sionally by Sonja Wood of H2O Partners, Inc.This Flood 101 Class qualified attendees for certifica-tion required by Federal Law to sell flood insurance. She took them from the ground up with instruction on mapping, elevation certificates, applications, coverage, claims and the FloodSmart program. With the major impacts of flood in SDthis year, the class was well attended by both Agents and Company representatives.

Flood Webinar hosted by IIASDNovember 17th at 10:00AM.

Register at: Don.Burke@selective.com

Division of InsuranceNews and Views

We are pleased to bring you this new feature column with news and updates from our S D Division of Insurance.

From the Director – Merle Schreiber

On behalf of the Division of Insurance, I want to con-gratulate the IIASD on their selection of Jerry Diamond as Executive Vice President. We look forward to working with Jerry and the members of IIASD. There are many chal-lenges facing the insurance industry and there is no question a cooperative working relationship between IIASD and the DOI will better enable us all to meet the goal of maintain-ing a healthy, competitive marketplace in South Dakota.One of the ways we can work together is for the Division to provide timely and appropriate information to IIASD members. As suggested by Jerry, the Division has agreed to provide monthly articles for the Association newslet-ter. Since this is the first article, this may be a good time to provide an update on the Division.In April, Governor Daugaard’s Executive reorganization order took effect. As part of the reorganization, the Division of Insurance, along with other regulatory agencies such as Banking and Securities were transferred to the new Depart-ment of Labor and Regulation under the direction of Secre-tary Pamela S. Roberts. Secretary Roberts has been instru-mental in making this reorganization a smooth transition for all concerned. Division staffing levels overall have not changed with the reorganization and the insurance industry can continue to rely on the prompt efficient service the Divi-sion has provided in the past.As always, IIASD members are encouraged to contact the Division with any concerns or questions they may have. We have many services available and a significant amount of information on our website: www.state.sd.us/insuranceUsers can look forward to an updated website in October at the same address, but incorporated within the Department of Labor and Regulation’s website found at dlr.sd.gov.

Surplus Lines Update: There are major changes coming for surplus lines brokers. The changes will be in the way that surplus lines insurance transactions will be reported and manner in which premium taxes are paid.

Due in part to new federal legislation, known as the NRRA, states are entering into multi-state agreements to administer the reporting and collection of premium taxes. This will result in positive changes for those agents who have surplus lines licenses especially for those with multi-state risks. If a surplus lines transaction involves a multi-state risk and the state in question has entered into the multi-state agreement, instead of having to make separate reports and pay the premium tax proportionately to each state, surplus lines brokers will have the capability of filing a single report and make the payment of the premium tax to one centralized entity. South Dakota has already joined 10 other states in joining NIMA, a multi-state agreement to streamline the reporting and collection of surplus lines taxes. Director Scheiber has been elected vice-chair of the Governance Committee of NIMA. While there are a lot of technical details left to work out, we can look forward to the day when a simplified uniform reporting and payment of surplus lines taxes is in place for South Dakota surplus lines brokers. Hopefully, most if not all states will join NIMA and adopt the uniform report-ing and payment system. The Division will be contacting all licensed surplus lines brokers to provide details once the new reporting and payments systems are finalized.

2011 EXHIBITORS

THANK YOU TO OUR 2011 PARTNERS & EXHIBITORS !

A.D. Banker & Com-pany

Graber & Associates North American Soft-ware Associates

RPS Agency

Aflac North & South Dakota

Great American Insur-ance

Northern States Agency Rural Community Ins.Services

American West Insur-ance Co.

Great Plains Brokerage PA Lumbermens Mutual SEMCAT-Quoting Software

ARMtech Insurance Services

IIASD/IIABA Partners Advantage S.H. Smith & Company

Bjornson/Sentinel E & L

H & W Insurance Ser-vices, Inc.

Pro Ag State Auto Ins. Co.

Burns-Wilcox LTD. Insurance Alternatives Rain & Hail, LLC Voegele Ins. ServicesConcorde General Agency

Intek Corporate RAM Mutual Ins. Co.

FirstComp Insurance Le Mars Insurance Company

Ringwalt & Liesche

First Nonprofit Insur-anceCo.

Midwest Ins.Agency Alliance

Risk Administrative Services

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT CONVENTION 2012!DEADWOOD LODGE IN DEADWOOD,SD

SEPTEMBER 9TH, 10TH, & 11TH.

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RELIAMAX INSURANCE CO.RISK PLACEMENT SERVICES, INC.

SFM-”THE WORK COMP EXPERTS”STATE AUTO INSURANCE

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MISSOURI VALLEY MUTUAL INS. CO.NAU COUNTRY INSURANCENORTHWEST GF MUTUAL

PRO AGQBE

2011 Annual Business MeetingBusiness Meeting Summary For those of you who were unable to attend the IIASD Annual Business Meeting, we want to keep you informed of what is going on in your Association. President Amy Olson-Miller presided over the meeting that was attended by approximately 30 members. Executive Vice-President Jerry Diamond presented the Annual Audit and Treasurer’s report in the absence of Roger Larson for the completed year of 2010. Jerry Diamond and Carolyn Hofer gave operational updates on the computerization project at the Associationoffice, the E&O program and the flood berm and recovery project which includes removal of the berm, repair of the sprinkler system and landscaping. Estimates and additional potential costs were discussed. Gary Joyce, State National Director, gave an update on our National Association and projects they are working on for 2012. He just re-turned from the National Convention in Minneapolis where they discussed at great length the CAP(Consumer Agent Portal) project which should be fully operational in the next year. The intention of this project isto drive the internet consumer to the local independent agents. Gary has been appointed to the Professional Liability Committee which oversees the Professional Liability member programs.Elections were held in the appropriate Districts. Your Board of Directors for 2012 are: District 1 – Roger Larson District 5 – Gerrit Juffer District 2 – Mindy Huntington District 6 – Pat Tollefson District 3 – Steve Walker District 7 – Annette Conway District 4 – Chad Dubisar District 8 – Dan Maguire

Executive Board for 2012: President - Dale Heesch President-Elect - Kathy Johnson Vice-President - Gerrit Juffer Secretary/Tr - Steve Walker Past President - Amy Olson-Miller

Congratulations to all of our Board Members!

Leader of the Pacs!

SD IPAC - The South Dakota I-PAC is the political arm of the IIASD. These funds are used to support our state lobbying legislation sponsoring efforts which helps to build and preserve our industry in the State of South Dakota. We have very few donations to date and encourageyou to consider a contribution. Donations must be inthe form of a personal check and should be made pay-able to SD IPAC and sent to IIASD, PO Box 327,Pierre, SD 57501. Please contact your IIASD office atjdiamond@iiasd.org or call 605-224-6234 if you have any questions.

InsurPac – InsurPac is our National political arm for the good of our industry. This is definitely a year you should be considering a donation to assist our National Associa-tion lobbyists in their efforts to support positive leg-islative bills and negate the legislation that will harm our businesses and industry. There are many legisla-tive issues in front of Congress right nowdealing with Health Care, Flood and Crop Insurance.We need your help to make sure Congress passes lawsthat support the Independent Insurance Agency sys-tem. Donations should be made in the form of a per-sonal check payable to InsurPac and mailed to:Dale HeeschDakota Insurance AgencyPO Box 271,Baltic, SD 57003

4 Sales Tips --- to Sell More and Build Better Relationships with

Better Eye ContactIn the world of selling, eye contact is extremely important when both making a first impression and building cred-ibility. In addition to some of the obvious aspects of eye contact, there are also some subtleties involved. So how do you make sure you’re making a the most of your eye contact?Use eye contact to build credibility, convey trust, and to accent your point at important intervals in the conversation.Eye contact builds trust and credibility and a lack of it will destroy the chances for either. The best way to con-vey strong points such as closing questions, is to look the prospect or customer directly in the eye while making your statement. You don’t want to be glancing away at all, and you even want to keep blinking to a mini-mum.Look the person directly in the eye as much as possible.At the very least, you want to be looking the other person in the eye the entire time he or she is talking. If

you’re going to look elsewhere at any time in the conversation, do it while you are talking. Even then, keep straying eyes to a minimum. You’ll notice that if you’re talking to someone and looking around, they’ll start looking around too; looking elsewhere causes paranoia in the other person in the conversation. In the best case sce-nario, the only time you want to break eye contact is when the other person draws your attention to something else or vice versa. As much direct eye contact as possible during a conversation will help build all the positive feelings you’re looking for.Look at only the left eye.In conversation, people tend to look back and forth from one eye to the other. But this can give people the impres-sion you are “shifty-eyed”. As a result, you want to look in only one eye. Looking into the left eye seems to get the best results. Why?? Have you ever had that an instantane-ous connection with someone? You just met that person but you felt as if you knew him or her forever? That connec-tion occurred in the right side of the brain. The left eye is controlled by the right brain. Will you always have instan-taneous connections by looking in the left eye? No, how-ever, you will have more of them and you will completely eliminate the “shifty-eyed” feeling some people will leave with after having a conversation with you.

Note 1: If you’re talking to someone with a “lazy” eye and are having difficulty discerning which eye is focusing properly, look at the bridge of the person’s nose.

Note 2: If you’re talking to someone whom you know is blind in one eye, has a glass eye, or any other eye issue, focus on the good eye. If you know they have one of the above issues but cannot tell or forgot which eye is the problem eye, focus on the bridge of the nose.And no, people won’t be able to tell you’re looking in their left eye or at the bridge of their nose. It will simply appear as if you’re looking them in the eye.

Watch others’ eye contact at important times in the sales conversation.

Watch the other person’s eye contact during important questions such as closing questions and qualifying ques-tions. For example, if someone says, “Geez, I think I can get it for less somewhere else.” Look them in the eye and ask, “So that’s the only thing that’s stopping you?” If they say “yes” and look away, off to the side, down, or otherwise break eye contact as they answer you, you can be sure that they are not telling the truth. Very few people outside of professional liars can look you in the eye and tell you an “untruth”. Now that you know that isn’t the real objection, you can ask more questions to eliminate this excuse and find out what the real reason is. The eyes truly are the mirrors of the soul. They will let people know if youa re interested or disinterested. If you truly care or couldn’t care less, and whether you’re paying attention or off in another world. Watch the message you send them with your eyes as well as the messages oth-ers are sending with theirs. If you make the most of eye contact, you’ll find that you’ll connect better with people and make more sales.John Chapin is an award winning sales speaker, sales trainer, coach, and co-author of the gold-medal winning “Sales Encyclopedia” a comprehensive how-to guide on selling. “Sales Encyclopedia” is written for sales professionals in all industries at any level of experience. Utilizing more than 21 years of sales experience and as a number one salesperson in three industries, John co-founded Complete Selling Incorporated, a company helping salespeople significantly increase sales and find their motivation.

If you would like to access John’s free white paper on what it takes to be successful in sales along with a month-ly newsletter, you can visit John’s website at www.com-pleteselling.com. For permission to reprint or to contact John, email him at johnchapin@completeselling.com

How Agents Are LeveragingTrusted Choice

What’s the key aspect to building a brand over the long term? Advertising, you might say? Well, that is an important brand “touch-point”. But in any serious brand-building campaign, which takes place over multiple years-even decades-how the customer actually interacts with the product or service is most important. In insurance, these brand touch-points involve your staff working with customers and pros-pects. Advertising messages can set the stage for those interactions, but how your staff serves customers and prospects is the true test of your brand. That’s why Trusted Choice has put in place a dynamic branding program allowing for flexibility at the local level. How is this achieved? Remember that Trust-ed Choice does not replace your agency’s brand—it adds value to your agency’s brand. Thus, if you already have a solid agency brand, you can position Trusted Choice as adding further value to the servic-es you already offer. (By the way of example, think of “Intel Inside” or the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval”).

Leveraging Trusted Choice (cont)Here are some impactful ways agents and brokers are leverag-ing Trusted Choice.

Pledge of Performance Trusted Choice provides a road map for agents to offer a consistently positive customer experience—it’s called the Pledge of Performance. The 10-point Pledge responds to con-sumer demands for professionalism, choice, customization, 24/7service and advocacy. In thinking of how to best serve your customers, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! With language from the Pledge, participating agents are writing open letters to clients, highlighting the benefits for customers of using their Trusted Choice agency. Agent and broker websites proudly highlight an overview of the Pledge, with the full Pledge just a click away. Here are some other ways agents are using the Pledge of Performance: • Running ads in their local paper stating the Pledge. • Having the Pledge made into a framed wall hang ing in the reception area—and in every office or cubicle—as a visual reminder for employees and

customers of the firm’s commitment.

• Discussing a different bullet from the Pledge during weekly or monthly staff meetings so

employees will be fully invested in these performance criteria.

• Using the Pledge as the basis for customer survey questionnaires.

• Mailing the Pledge to customers with a letter from the agency owner.

• Incorporating language from the Pledge in their telephone on-hold message.

Important note: Every Trusted Choice agency must adhere to the logo usage rules. Random variations in colors, fonts, logo designs and messaging are not permitted for legal reasons and for consistency in presentation to con-sumers, just as is the case with any national brand. Visit Logos/Pledge tab: www.TrustedChoice.com/agentsto download the logo and logo rules.

Trusted Choice Website Besides refreshing their own websites with the Trusted Choice logo and other materials, agents and brokers also are tying into the Trusted Choice website (www.Trusted-Choice.com), which links consumers with local partici-pating members and provides helpful information on a number of personal and business insurance topics.

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The Trusted Choice website plays a vital role in the program’s outreach to both agents and consumers.The site hosts an Agency Locator through which consum-ers can find the agency that is right for them based on location, line of business and even languages spoken by agency staff. Member agencies are benefiting from this lead-generation tool by completing an agency pro-file at www.TrustedChoice.com/agents. Agents also are keeping their agency profiles updated-for example, if they add new office locations, they are updating their profiles at the Trusted Choice website.

Advertising All Trusted Choice agencies benefit from the pro-gram’s national advertising. But they also can capital-ize on professionally developed tag-able TV, radio and print ads that educate consumers on the value of doing business with their Trusted Choice agency. These TV, radio and print ads direct consumers to look for their Trusted Choice agency for choice of companies, cus-tomized policies and advocacy support. Savvy agents have learned that running their own tagged advertising (tagged with their name and contact information) in conjunction with the national ad buys, gives their agencies the appearance of running a much bigger campaign than they actually pay for. Example: One agency is tagging the Trusted Choice TV spots—then bought local time on the same pro-grams Trusted Choice chose for its media buy. This agency also tagged a Trusted Choice radio spot and ran that through the following month on two local radio stations that match its target demographic. The result: everyone thinksthe agency made the entire ad buy, even though it spent only about $2,500. To preview and download these customizable ads, visit the Advertising at: www.TrustedChoice.com/agents

Public Relations Trusted Choice members are benefiting from a national public relations program that drives consum-ers to www.TrustedChoice.com, where they can find a local agent or broker. The PR campaign is focused largely on major consumer and business media. Trust-ed Choice agents can use those same PR messages on the local level. And it doesn’t cost them anything. For example,agents are building a complete calendar of media re-leases that are timed to seasonal events (e.g. holiday safety or flood season). The releases are at: www.TrustedChoice.com/agents and can be used locally with your agency’s letterhead. A list of PR ideas is available in Zoom in on Branding and under the Public Relations tab at: www.TrustedChoice.com/agents.

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YOU ARE A TRUSTED CHOICE AGENCY

Sign the Pledge of Performance to Activate!

Becoming a Trusted Choice Agency is as easy as re-questing a Trusted Choice License Agreement to review and sign. In this agreement, you promise to maintain a current IIASD membership, follow the Pledge of Performance shown below and adhere to Trusted Choice Trademark rules. IIASD Board of Directors voted to pick up the first-year cost of Trusted Choice membership for all IIASDmembers. All you have to do is agree to follow the pledge and trademark rules and sign the license agree-ment. Review the Pledge of Performance below and go to our website to download the Trusted Choice License agreement. Sign and return to us at IIASD, Box 327,Pierre, SD 57501 or email to klongbrake@iiasd.org.Call if you have questions – 605-224-6234.

Trusted Choice

Pledge of Performance Trusted Choice agencies are insurance and financial services firms whose access to multiple companies and commitment to quality service enable us to offer our clients competitive pricing, a broad choice of products and unparalleled advocacy.

As a Trusted Choice agency, we are dedicated to you and are committed to treating you as a person, not a policy. This commitment means we shall: • Work with you to identify the insurance and financial services that are right for you, your family or

your business and use our access to multiple companies to deliver those products. • Guide you through the claims process for a prompt and fair resolution of your claim. Help you solve problems related to your coverage or account. • Explain the coverages and options available to you through our agency, at your request. • Return your phone calls and e-mails promptly and respond to your requests in a timely manner. • Provide 24/7 services for our customers, offering any or all of the following: emergency phone numbers,internet account access, e-mail and call center services. • Use our experience and multiple company relationships to customize your coverage in serving you. • Commit our staff to continuing education so they may be more knowledgeable in serving you. • Treat you with respect and courtesy. • Conduct our business in an ethical manner.

We pledge this to you, our clients and ask that you let us know if we fail to meet our commitment, so we can take correction action.

FLOOD TALKING POINTS

October 1, 2011 NFIP Changes

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) announced their 10/1/11 manual changes. Some highlights are: • Rate increases of an average of 4% for policies written or renewed on or after 10/1/11. The rate

changes vary by flood zone. • An elevation certificate is now required to rate post-FIRM structures located in zones A, AO, and AH.

This applies to new business only with an effective date of 10/1/11 and later. Rollovers and renewalsare not impacted by this change at this time.

• Clarification of building occupancy types and the rating attached garages.For more details and to access the full edition of the 10/1/2011 NFIP manual, refer to:http://www.selective.com/WebApplications/EDS/PublicSite/Flood?Flood_Forms.aspx

30-Day Extension For Flood Insurance ClaimsPIERRE, SD - Missouri River residents who have flood insurance now have an extra 30 days to file their claim and statement of loss for 2011 flooding, officials with the National Flood Insurance Program have announced.

Pre-Licensing Class Announcement

IIASD and A.D. Banker of the Dakotas Have Partnered

We are excited to announce that IIASD and A.D. Banker of the Dakota have partnered to provide insurance and securi-ties licensing preparation classes and materials at a 15% IIASD Member Discount. A.D. Banker offers Exam Prep classes each month in Sioux Falls and quarterly classes in Rapid City.

Class schedules are listed at: www.adbanker.com/dakotas

Self-study and online study options for Exam Prep are also available. Materials and classroom instruction have been very successful with an average of 95% of students taking their license exam passing on the first try!Sandy Kost is the Owner/Managing Director of A.D. Bank-ers of the Dakotas and has worked in the insurance and financial services industry since 1988. She has worked with insurance agents, investment reps, agencies and banks in SD, ND, NE, IA, MN and WI. She has provided training on various products and topics.To register for a class or to order materials, go to:www.adbanker.com/dakotasCall: 605-271-4440 or 877-317-3087. Be sure to use the IIASD Promo/Discount Code to receive your 15% Member Discount. Promo Code: 1594626

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How Credible is Your Website?

Tips for improving your site’s credibility and popular-ity. In other articles I've written about measures you can take, particularly in the area of content, to get insureds and prospects to come back to your website. However, when they come to your website for the first time, what is the most impressionable thing about your website? That is, what makes them think they can trust you enough to return again and, hopefully, give you their business? The answer, in a word, is credibility. Now, how do you make your website credible in the eyes of consumers? Stanford University recently complet-ed a study on what causes people to believe or not believe what they find on a website. What the study demonstrated is that consumers paid far more attention to the superficial aspects of a site than to its content. This doesn't mean that content is not valuable, nor does it mean that the content doesn't have an effect on repeat visits. What it does mean is that a visitor's trust in the accuracy of your information or the reliability of your services is dependent largely on how professional your web site looks.

How can you boost your website’s cred-ibility? Here are Stanford’s 10 guidelines for building website credibility:

1.Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site. Be sure to include citations, references, and sources for any content on your website and only link to reputable websites.

2. Show that there’s a real organization behind your site. Be sure to include, on every page, the physical address of your agency. Consider including a photo of your office. List any important affiliations, such as member-ship in the chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau. If your agency has been around for many years, highlight that fact. Include testimonials from satisfied customers, particularly those that are well known and respected in the community.

3. Highlight your organization’s expertise and the services it provides in the site content. If you have staff who are recognized experts or authorities, make that clear, particularly for your target markets. Let people know if you are affiliated with respected organizations, include your IIABA and Trusted Choice logos, and link to credible outside organizations So if you are targeting contractors, include any affiliations with homebuilders or similar organizations.

4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site. If agreeable to your staff, include photos and bios of your employees. You might also include photos of employees involved in charitable or civic events.

5. Make it easy to contact you. Include complete contact information on every page of your website, including your address, phone number, fax number, and general email address. Also include a staff contact listing.

6. Design your site so it looks professional. Consider using a professional web designer (not a web developer) to design a consistent, professional look and feel for your website.

7. Make your site easy to use and useful. Beyond the look and feel of your site, it is still important to focus on usability. You should have ample content that is valuable and relevant to your visitors and that content should be easy to find. Forget the hype and hyperbole and con-centrate on what your clients or prospects would want from your site. Forget about dazzling people with web technology like Flash animation -- you don’t need it to have a professional, credible website.

8. Update your site's content often or at least show it's been reviewed recently. Keep your content fresh and growing. Consider including a "What's New" section on your homepage to demonstrate that your website is an ongoing, viable part of your operations.

9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers). Avoid advertisements if possible. In any event, never use pop-up ads.

10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem. Typographical errors, poor grammar, and bad links can ruin your credibility. Triple check every word on your website so that it does not create an image that your organization is inaccurate or unreliable.

Bill Wilson (bill.wilson@iiaba.net) is director of the Big “I” Virtual University. If you do not know your Big "I" website user name and password, email logon@iiaba.net to request your login or contact klongbrake@iiasd.org.

CSR/ACCOUNT MANAGER POSITION AVAILABLE

Sioux Falls agency is looking for a full-time CSR/ Account Manager who excels at multi-tasking and attention to detail. Lots of customer contact with cross-selling, quoting new accounts and assisting with general customer service. Excellent potential for advancement. Submit resumes to:

Brenner& Justice Insurance 3701 W 49th St., Ste 201Sioux Falls, SD 57106

Congratulations - - - -Dedication, hard work and professionalism describethe characteristics of each and every one of the individu-als who were recognized for their serviceto the Independent Insurance Industry.

Agent of the YearRandy Kouri

Kouri Insurance Posthumously Awarded

Adjuster of the YearBob Sobraski, Auto-Owners

CSR of the YearAnn Hepker

BankWest – Onida

Company Representative of the YearMarlin Melstad, NWGF Mutual

President’s AwardSteve Walker

First Madison Insurance

Outgoing President’s AwardAmy Olson-Miller

McKinneyOlson Insurance

Visit our website at www.iiasd.org

COMING EVENTSNovember 14th & 15th - IIASD Board Retreat - Pierre

September 9, 10 & 11th - 2012 - Annual ConventionDeadwood Lodge, Deadwood, South Dakota

Room Reservations: 605-571-2103