| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
CCarr
Canada
1200 Posts |
 Posted - 12/16/2002 : 10:37:33
|
Well it's a beautiful winter wonderland here this morning, after a good white dump last night. It will be easy sledding for the 'big guy' next week.
I said last week at some point, the mere sending of resumes to vendors to get on 'those lists' is not much of a marketing initiative. 'Easy sledding' in the snow and its contrasting difficulty in this independent contracting pursuit, made me think of the many 'layers' a 'cat adjuster' can attempt to penetrate with their own marketing initiatives; to slick the path towards working more weeks a year.
Indulge me as I go back to my previous life inside a carrier for a moment, a time that even in the latter years of it, the preferred contractor was still just a loose concept. However, in every town or city it was in the carriers best interests to find the 'best' to get the job done. 'Best' had different meanings to different carriers, but the core of that understanding was competentcy and quality first, followed closely by reliability and the insured's level of satisfaction.
It didn't matter what type of vendor, but lets stick with building restoration and I/A vendors. Our dealing with building contractors was / is much deeper here due to our claims handling concepts, i.e. the adjustment didn't / doesn't stop after the estimate and issuing of a check. 'Up here', we establish agreed prices with a building contractor and monitor the restoration (medium to large losses) through to the end.
At least a couple of times a month, various subcontractors would send marketing information or show up in the office. It could be a small painting firm or a drywall firm - the types of subs that would otherwise be lost within the contractor's envelope. Some were savvy and brought nice pictures and customer appreciation letters from insureds' for jobs they had completed, or commendation letters from smaller carriers relative to good work they had performed. I'd ask our building contractors who their subs were and why, and where warranted would give them copies of the material I got that appeared worthy of passing along. Like anything else, the strength of the building contractor was only as good as the people (subs) doing the work. I know for a fact over time, that this worked to the advantage of all - the subcontractor who had the strong work ethic and initiative to look for more work, the contractor whose team was strengthened with caring, competent, quality trades people; and the carrier who in a small but measurable way strengthened their competitive advantage by providing consistent quality claims work.
With I/A vendors, the marketing to carriers is aggressive. From my prespective and observations - past and present - those initiatives were focused more then on quality and service, than the more prevailing current price driven strategies today. Perhaps I was a rare breed, but I tended to measure the quality of an I/A firm by its individual people, not its corporate picture or its many (or few) branches. I wanted to know who specifically was doing our work, and not just that it had been assigned to a specific vendor. I wanted to know the professional background of the people meeting our customers. I wanted to meet the handling adjuster whenever required to discuss a file and not necessarily the principal of the firm. Again, at least monthly, independent contractor adjusters would show up presenting themselves and looking for opportunities. Those that left a positive impression I would in turn recommend to the I/A firms for future use, or engage directly over time to deal with a short term void in manpower.
What I am getting at, with this walk through time, is a question or two.
How many of you independent contractors have marketed yourselves direct to a carrier, or an I/A firm doing day to day claims, or both? If not, why not?
Every carrier is exposed to the potential of catastrophic claims in volume, or regional blips in storm work (not considered as a cat), or regional variances in the available claims work force (seasonal holidays, sickness or injuries, other personnel issues). When any two of those three factors overlap, the need is more acute.
I/A vendors strongly market to fill the void at carriers for these situations. But at the grassroot level, they are marketing their firm to provide a solution to the carrier problem; they are not marketing you.
I turn now to my last 15 years as an independent contractor, it is almost an even split between providing services as a subcontractor to vendors as it is acquiring work direct from a carrier or other private industry.
I think there are plenty of opportunities to be pursued direct by you. I don't seem to be getting or causing much discussion from my various posts lately on issues surrounding this situation. Are there any thoughts on this concept - a proven and workable concept to me?
One more thing, taking your individual marketing initiative to the carrier up another notch. Carriers do need individual bodies on an ongoing basis - for at least the three reasons I provided. However, often enough, combining any two of those reasons, their need is then for multiple bodies; be it 3, 5, or 12 people. Have you ever thought of direct marketing initiatives as a "team"? Core groups of no less 3 and no more than 7 - groups of like minded, similarily qualified adjusters, willing to take on a project individually or as a "group" to fill a client need. There is no need for incorporation and things of that nature for the "group". You are individuals but have a small 'team' that can be implemented as needed. I have seen this work quite well, often solving the carrier's hesitency in procuring single adjusters multiple times (the void filled by traditional I/A firms) with a group of individuals with all the same consistent traits the carrier needs for a period of time. What's the thoughts on this?
Successful people - in life and work - are often noted for the manner in which they tackle an issue, problem or goal. The characteristic is clearly defined - they explore ways to deal effectively with the issue, they develop methods to solve the problem, and they develop strategies to accomplish the goal; they do not expend valuable time stewing over why something can not be done. |
Edited by - CCarr on 12/16/2002 10:44:10 |
|
|
tomgriffin56
USA
88 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2002 : 15:34:35
|
Excellent post!
I had actually considered the individual marketing option in my upcoming situation, but had not considered a team marketing approach. I have a brother working as an IA and a few friends who could possibly be brought in on such an endeavor. The problem many times is a lack of knowledge of the inner workings of the carriers. As in, what are their options and at what level can they fill their own needs at their discretion. This is an area where I have zero knowledge. Can you help me by giving me some general indicators of what level might be receptive to such an approach?
I greatly appreciate your posts and the rays of knowledge that you cast into the darkness of this Texans skull. |
 |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Independent Contractor marketing initiatives
Forum Locked
