Can you do more while being the best?

Kind of liken this one to “Gym Class Theory”

So while in gym class, more times than not there were captains when picking teams. Now as a captain you are choosing the people who will help you win whatever it is you are playing. What are you thinking about? Hopefully the correct people you can pick in order to win whatever it is you are playing.

Do you have to pick all the best players? Well statistically since there is at least one other person picking you may not get all the best people, only half, but what about role players. Every successful championship I have ever seen had a good percentage of role players who when paired with really good players helped everyone get better results. There are also plenty of cases of these role players developing into even better players because of this experience. Heck, this also goes to one of my personal mantras of getting the most out of any given day, hour, minute, situation, etc. So not only do you get to win you get the satisfaction of helping others improve and maybe even improving your team/business/personal self, for the foreseeable future. So why don’t you do it more.

What kind of a leader are you if you only pick the best? Not sure but seems to me to be a pretty selfish one. Some would say you are really competitive which might be true. Maybe you are not very ambitious and when faced with a bigger challenge you are not interested. Not sure.

I even look at my own business and the insurance carriers I represent. The majority want the customer with the same characteristics; good credit, homeowner, in a relationship, college degree. That leaves a whole lot of good human beings, loyal human beings, moldable human beings out. Why? Maybe it is a short term, quarterly earnings are important kind of mindset? Again I am not sure

I suppose it goes to your overall mantra. Winning is a wonderful thing but if you define winning and do not allow society to define it you may get more out of it than just a notch in the win column or a pat on the back for a nice quarter.

Just some thoughts.

09.14.13

by The Insurance Bill

The real cost of a claim is

much more than the money you are given.

10:00 Thursday, August 22nd my car was hit. I was deemed 100%, not at fault and only suffered a small cut and a few hours of soreness. This is being written 23 days later and my car is still in the shop.

Yes, I have a rental and have had it available since the day of the accident.

Yes, I have no out of pocket expense for this accident since I am not at fault.

No, I am not terribly pleased with this whole claims process.

See I have consulted with a few hundred claims and know how to handle them but I missed the worst part when there are no physical injuries of course. Cars can be fixed or replaced. In most cases, people will heal. But I did overlook the immeasurable and uncompensated annoying part that goes along with claims.

It sucks to not have your car.

Yes, that is a bit petty since I do have a nice enough car to drive around but it is not my car. My driving habits have not changed, I have not changed my usage, I’ve just enjoyed it much less. See there is something to be said for this situation. See your home/rental/condo policy has loss of use coverage which basically provides living expenses if you are displaced from your home. Now within that coverage, I am aware of claims adjusters having a little leeway when it comes to what they pay out. This coverage pays for a hotel or even a place to rent but it also compensates for meals if you need to eat out and the cost exceeds what is normally spent. I’ve personally had a claims adjuster work with me to pay for a hotel in a different city since we were to be out of the house anyhow.

What is the comparable thing for auto insurance? I’m not looking for much, just a little something to acknowledge the inconvenience. Maybe Geico sends me a $20 Starbucks card with a little note;

” We know this is annoying, hang in there your car will be ready soon…” Of course, it would be funny if they wrote “Sorry the dopey kid we insure chose to test his 0-60 time while coming out of a Dunkin Donuts. Have a coffee on us”

Just a little something to be a bit more human. After all, this is not a transaction, you actually have had an impact on my household. Either way, I think I’ll start doing this for my friends.

Just some thoughts, do with them what you like.

09.08.13

by The Insurance Bill

62 years of loyalty and you get…

A rate $600 higher than the market will bear. Such a shame. I have been told that if an insurance company has a customer with no claims they become profitable within about three years. Based on this it is safe to say a customer of 62 years has earned your company some money, yet you let them go. Kind of like the goofy T.V. or movie scenario where the employee of 30 years gets a cheap watch and a certificate of appreciation.

In your own world be sure that loyalty goes both ways. Loyalty is earned and should not be given. If you vote with your dollars you will likely not have this happen to you.

Leave the pen and pencil set behind, you can buy plenty more with your savings.