The introduction of the Virtual Insurance Agency (VIA) concept was met with great interest throughout the United States. All state and national association offices have received the information and we are responding to their questions and establishing workshops to explain the concept to groups of agents.
We have also received a large number of inquiries directly from agents asking us what they can do to promote this idea faster. The agents feel a sense of urgency to begin the VIA in their territories.
Here is what you can do as an agent to promote the VIA in your area:
1. Call your State’s agents association. We have briefed most association executives about VIA but there are still association officers who may not yet be aware of VIA. If they need information, send them copies of the January newsletter, call us at 800-779-2430 and we will get them copies (make sure you give us specific names and addresses), or use the enclosed “Send-A-Friend” form to get them courtesy copies of the Pipeline.
2. Tell your friends. We give free right to copy the Pipeline or use the “Send-A-Friend” to distribute the newsletter explaining VIA to other agents who may not yet subscribe.
3. If you are in a position to do so, invite us to association functions or meetings on a state or local level to disseminate this concept (we will only charge our expenses to come to you to present the VIA concept on a local level).
Our first choice is to introduce the VIA through your state agents association. After all, their goal and ours are the same — THE SURVIVAL AND PERPETUATION OF THE INDEPENDENT AGENCY SYSTEM. If the state associations prefer not to participate, we will independently organize workshops to fully explain the concept and process wherever agents have expressed an interest in our doing so.
Get on the band-wagon and spread the word! The VIA will be agent owned and controlled. ACG’s role will be to qualify agents desiring to participate, organize the process, build the infra-structure to assure its success, hire professional management for the VIA and achieve carrier participation. Just imagine — *maintaining your identity and independence of action while
*being a part of a multi-million dollar business with
*consistent, dedicated outbound marketing and
*professional administrative management to permit
*you and your staff being able to dedicate your time to productive sales
If created properly, that is the tool that the VIA will become for large groups of (formerly) small independent agents.