Asa Pike, chairman of the group and chief executive officer of Agency Revenue Tools, based in Fryeburg, Maine, in a statement said that the groups mission is to encourage producers to look to technology to increase their sales and sales management effectiveness. However, an agency must first create an effective sales culture.

“A lot has been written about using technology to improve agency efficiency and service,” Mr. Pike said. “ACT thought it was very important to encourage independent agents to look to technology to increase their sales and sales-management effectiveness. Phase one of the report began to take shape when we realized that an agency first needs to position itself to get the most out of this sales technology by creating a sales-oriented culture coupled with supporting workflows.”

The report, titled “The Transition To An Agency Sales OrganizationCulture and Process First; Then Technology,” identifies a four-step process used by owners of sales-driven organizations to achieve growth and profitability.

The steps are:

Infuse the agency with a culture of marketing and sales.

Develop and implement workflows for marketing, selling and processing business.

Apply proper technology to manage these workflows.

Hire outstanding talent to leverage that technology.

The report goes on to say that in most sales opportunities, a direct-writing company cannot compete successfully against an independent agent or broker who offers the client an array of products from several different companies. However, producers do need the sales system to “get in front of a steady stream of potential customers,” the report said. It points out that with their massive advertising, disciplined sales processes and training, direct writers have been more successful at marketing their products.

Jeffrey M. Yates, ACT executive director, said the next report would compile success stories showing how agencies use technology to improve their marketing, sales and sales management activities.

Copies of the seven page report are accessible at www.independentagent.com, under the “Whats New” section of ACT.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, December 5, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.