| PRESIDENT’S PAGE |
CHALLENGING YOU ON YOUR
CHALLENGES
We can accomplish more together than on our own
by Kristy Wilson
T
he KAIA board, staff, and committees have been
focused on identifying and providing solutions to
the challenges members are experiencing. These
challenges include things like finding and training talent,
maximizing organic growth, integrating technology
solutions, developing a digital marketing presence,
protecting agents from burdensome legislation, and
utilizing data to make informed decisions. As I take over as
President of the KAIA, I’d like to challenge you to help KAIA
solve your challenges by challenging you to get engaged
with KAIA.
Here are my challenges to you:
1.
InsurPac: The burden of protecting our industry should
not fall only on owners/principals. Everyone benefits
from the connections and hard-work that the Big “I”’s
government affairs team does to advocate on behalf
of the independent agency system. InsurPac is our
national PAC and provides us with a seat at the table
with members of Congress. KAIA’s current InsurPac
goal is $27,000. I challenge you to have every member
of your agency staff contribute a minimum of $5 to
InsurPac. This can be the start of creating a habit for
your employees to contribute and help secure the
future of our industry.
2. Salary Survey: KAIA has partnered with IntellAgent
to provide meaningful data and benchmarks to help
our members better understand their agency and how
they compare to others. These insights will allow them
to make more informed decisions on the strategic
direction of their agency. A critical part of being able to
provide this data on a Kansas specific basis is having
8
accurate data on compensation and benefits for our
members. Please invest the time to complete the
survey.
3. KAIA Events: The value of the networking of KAIA
events cannot be measured simply in dollars and
cents. Participating in KAIA events is a way to get your
employees engaged in our industry. A continuous
presence at these networking events will pay dividends
down the road, whether it is picking up access to a
new carrier, finding out more efficient ways to service
customers, or learning a new trick that allows you
to write that big account that you’ve been after. I
challenge you to send a least one person to every KAIA
event.
4. Young Agents: Do you have any employees that
are under 40 years old or have less than five years
experience? Many agencies have more than one
staff member that is eligible to join the Young Agents
Committee. So, I challenge you to have at least one of
your employees invest some time as part of the Young
Agents.
5. E&O Coverage: If you don’t currently place your E&O
coverage through the state association, I challenge you
to give them a shot. Serving the E&O risk management
needs of our members has been a focus for association
staff, specifically E&O Program Manager Katie Hobson.
We have found that many members have not re-
evaluated their E&O limits for many years or are
coverage deficient in certain areas. Some members
didn’t realize that we have worked with Swiss Re/
Westport to offer a very competitively priced product