Midwest Insurance Corporation
Overview:
Located in Iowa and serving all of the Midwest and beyond, Midwest Insurance Corporation is a multi-line, independent insurance agency comprised of a team of experts committed to thoroughly understanding each client’s unique situation and going the extra mile to offer them the service and products best tailored to their needs. Originally called Agri/Business Insurance Consultants, Ltd., Midwest Insurance Corporation began operating in 1983 as a provider of insurance protection for farmers and agricultural related businesses in central Iowa. Over the years they have expanded from offering primarily agricultural business insurance to writing other commercial lines as well as personal lines. Midwest Insurance Corporation works with the top carriers in the country so that they can offer their clients peace of mind knowing they have the best protection for themselves, their families and their businesses.
Location:
The Midwest Insurance corporate headquarters is located at 1601 South B, Nevada, Iowa 50201. They are licensed in 30 states.
Name of President:
Midwest Insurance Corporation is led by President Melissa Johnson.
Number of Team Members:
Six team members participated in the AppX Retention program, three working in personal lines and three working in commercial lines.
Types of Insurance Sold:
Midwest Insurance Corporation offers numerous personal and commercial lines including auto, home, life, health, RV, farm, workers’ compensation and liability insurance for businesses, coverage related to specific industries and much more.
Reason Why They Purchased:
Melissa Johnson decided to buy the AppX Retention program for her team so they could become more proactive and work to clean up the existing book of business.
AppX Retention Overview
Employing AppX Retention training for your team has been proven to increase client retention, account rounds and remarketing numbers. This six-month program will encourage everyone to be on the same page with being proactive in calling clients annually to review their accounts. It will also train agents to ensure thorough documentation and work to increase referrals and account coverage, all while boosting retention and decreasing workload. These training workshops and bi-weekly calls will teach your team to be in better control of client communication and reduce the number of re-shops, inbound calls, complaints and questions. Additionally, annual client calls personalize the insurance relationship, fostering trust and loyalty. Let AppX Retention show you the difference a great retention rate makes to your overall business. Learn more about how AppX Retention has improved retention rates, decreased remarketing and increased coverage numbers for its clients here: https://www.agencyperformancepartners.com/services/appx-retention/
AppX Retention will provide you with the following, once you’ve signed on to the program:
- Training
- Two Onsite Training Days
- Designed Content
- Interactive Session
- Tracking
- Bi-Weekly Tracking
- Tools
- Scripts
- Role-playing
- Worksheets
- Coaching
- Bi-Weekly Coaching Calls
- Workbook
- Plan of Attack
Results
The team at Midwest Insurance Corporation greatly improved their numbers for both personal and commercial lines, so they have a lot to be proud of. They improved their remarketing numbers and increased coverage on a high proportion of calls. Specifically for commercial lines, every single one of the 44 attempts to round an account was successful—that is an amazing achievement! Check out these impressive results the Midwest Insurance team achieved with AppX Retention:
- The team completed a total of 147 account reviews
- The team had 198 increases in coverage
- 87% of account round attempts were successful (100% for commercial!)
- 67% of remarket attempts were successful
Team Feedback
Initial Responses:
Four of the six agents who participated in the AppX Retention program gave us their feedback on what they thought about the program. When asked about how they felt before beginning AppX Retention, one was excited to try something new that could improve the clients’ experience, but three were apprehensive about yet another change to their process. Two were also worried about finding the time to employ the new process. It is normal to be nervous about change and time management, but once the team learned and were comfortable with the AppX Retention process, every person said there was no way they would want to go back to their old way of doing things.
How They Felt a Few Weeks Later:
Every agent surveyed thought that after a few weeks of practicing the AppX Retention process they were finding more opportunities for account rounding and to increase coverage. The two people who were worried about time management found that even though it was tough in the beginning to find time, the process got easier after a few weeks. They also commented that updating clients’ contact information by getting in touch with them before renewal actually saved time in the long run.
What Was the Hardest Part?
You’ll inevitably encounter some difficulty when changing procedures you’re comfortable with to start a whole new way of doing things. One agent thought the hardest part of the new process was getting used to their new workflow in having to complete renewal review activities. Another agent also commented on workflow, stating that the hardest part was finding the time to do the reviews. Simply making the calls and trying to round accounts was difficult for some at first. Once they had some practice and were more familiar with the process, they quickly started seeing the benefits of the AppX Retention process.
What Was the Best Part?
The agents had a lot of great things to say about the benefits of AppX Retention for themselves, Midwest Insurance and their clients. They appreciated that following the AppX Retention process reduced E&O exposure and gained a better retention rate for the agency. Having better communication and working more efficiently as a team to meet goals was another benefit. Every agent surveyed thought they were providing better coverage to their clients.
- “Getting customers better coverage, and they genuinely appreciate being contacted”
- “Reduce E&O exposure”
- “Better teamwork/communication”
- “Meeting the goals set and working together as a team to help others if need be.”
Recommendations to Other Agents Starting the Program:
The team at Midwest Insurance had some great advice for agents just starting AppX Retention about staying positive, being patient, not taking rejection personally and becoming familiar with different companies’ endorsements to best help clients.
- “Don’t take the client turning down recommended coverages personally.”
- “Become familiar with different companies’ endorsements and how they differ from each other to be able to give a roundabout amount to the insureds when calling.”
- Be positive and patient about it. It is a challenge, but having a system in place will make the process go a lot smoother.”
Working with the AppX Team:
The agents at Midwest Insurance enjoyed working with Kelly Donahue-Piro, finding her to be helpful, knowledgeable, personable, fun, and easy to work with.
- “Kelly was very personable and easy to work with!”
- “I enjoyed working with the team and enjoyed the enthusiasm the team had on getting through the process.”
- Kelly is very knowledgeable and makes the process fun.”
- “Kelly was very upbeat and kept the team engaged during training and bi-weekly calls. It’s refreshing to have a consultant that knows the products!”
Conclusion
We are so thrilled that one of our AppX Experiences was so helpful to our good friends at Midwest. It is our passion help insurance agencies reach their potentials! No agency or agency owner should be frustrated, thinking they have so much room to grow, but they don’t know how or where to start – We want to help you reach your ridiculously amazing potential! Talk to us and get started.
