The IBABC Young Broker Network encourages the long-term success of young brokers by building a strong professional network through career development and peer-to-peer opportunities focused on the perpetuation of our industry. Information & Registration

IBABC is asking what it means to YOU to be a member of the Young Broker Network…

What do you get from the YBN community?

Does the Young Broker Network fulfill your expectations?

What changes would you like to see?

Tell us your thoughts: Krista Martin, Communications Coordinator, kmartin@ibabc.org or call 604-606-8011.

YBN E-Newsletter Feb. 2010

Dear Young Broker,

2010 will be an exciting year for us. We will be hosting three official YBN events this spring in Kelowna, Burnaby and Victoria, so hopefully we will see as many of you as possible. Read below for more details about the seminars and socials and how to register. It will be a great opportunity to develop your professional skills and get to know brokers and other insurance industry professionals socially.

If anyone is looking to get involved with the YBN, we are always looking for people to come forward with any ideas for events. As always, volunteers are welcome and play an important role in the success of YBN events. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas or suggestions.

Once again, I hope 2010 is off to a good start for everyone!

Best wishes,
Jason Wallace

Young Broker Network Director
250-479-6111
Jasonwallace@brownbros.com

Click here to find out more about the YBN Seminar + Social

Can social media hurt or help your reputation?

Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Skype, Wikipedia, MySpace, Meetup.

All of these brands are examples of social media, defined by Wikipedia as ‘media designed to be disseminated through social interaction’.

Whether you’re posting videos, pictures, networking with friends or strangers, or simply scoping out information about companies, neighborhoods, groups, etc., the sky is literally ever-expanding on what you can do and who you can connect to using any variety of social media tools.

Social media has changed the dynamic of how we search, view, understand and share information. No longer are we just observers, we are building communities, interacting with those communities and collaborating information to share with those newly-developed communities.

Facebook, for example, launched in Feb. 2004, was founded by Mark Zuckerberg to allow Harvard students to get to know each other. Eventually this social networking tool expanded, and currently, it has 350 million active users worldwide. There is no doubt that many people reading this article already have accounts for Facebook or other types of social media.

With this in mind, the question that is now being asked by many working professionals engaged in social media activities, is this hurting or helping my career?

The very factor that makes social media so appealing may also be the biggest pitfall. Social media allows you to connect to everyone, express your point of views, and post pictures to share. But perhaps not everyone should be privy to such personal information as your political views, which groups you support (or adamantly decline to support). Maybe you don’t want to share pictures of that memorable weekend with everyone you know, which may include employers, colleagues and…grandparents? It may even be that the people you associate with on social media websites could rub your friends and acquaintances the wrong way.

Social media, although it offers a virtual passageway into your private life, allowing you to keep up-to-date with old high school friends from years ago, can offer too much information to the wrong people. Does everyone really need to know that your relationship is ‘complicated’? And even if you decided not to ‘friend’ a person who might cause a blur in the line between personal and professional, aren’t you committing a social faux pas? Guilty of bad social etiquette? How do you please everyone but still participate? Should you give up and let everyone else explore this vast, dynamic tool?

It’s hard to ignore the benefits of social media – it’s viral effect of disseminating information that might take print media hours or days to catch up with. The ability to share you comments and opinions on news articles, the collaboration of the community is certainly one that is changing the dynamics of society (you’ll never fall out of touch with your elementary school best friend ever again!); That society is ever-growing; we are not only a citizen of the neighborhoods we reside in, but also the groups with empathize with and advocate for, the network of people we surround ourselves with. In essence, our interests and dislikes band us into a web, connecting us to others just like us.

Luckily for Canadians, certain social media networks have changed their capabilities to allow users to limit or restrict information that would normally be available to anyone with an internet connection. These privacy restrictions let users be in control of their own private information that is shared and how it is shared. But that still leaves us vulnerable to the pitfalls of having opinions and being able to express them. Recent headlines around the world show even CEO’s and world leaders who express their political views are privy to embarrassment, and in some cases, getting canned. Some employers even admit to ‘googling’ potential employees for information that could be damaging to a person’s career before it even begins. Quick solution to this is: if you wouldn’t announce it via big billboard in your neighborhood or at your workplace, best to keep it out of social media. Because private thought should be just that – private.

With that in mind, jump in: participate, collaborate, share: the whole world is getting social.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

– Martin Luther King

The top 5 customer service skills you need to succeed

Competition and high expectations mean that you need to be extraordinary to stand out. Customers are no longer satisfied with adequate customer service. Especially with the temptation to do business transactions online, there is even more onus on superb customer service skills in the insurance industry. Read below on how to improve your customer service skills.

1. Know how to start a conversation with your customer: First impressions are lasting, so be sure to make the best of it. Give your customer uninterrupted eye-contact, ask questions about your clients and engage in friendly conversation that shows you are interested in their life and not solely interested in just making a transaction. Call people by their first name and remember the details so that on your next meeting, you can pick up where you left off. For example, if they mention a child is leaving for university, ask them about this on the next visit. It will show your customer that you care and you are listening. Interacting with your customer will leave them feeling like they are in good hands.

2. Learn how to handle an angry customer: When customers are dissatisfied and feel as though they are not getting the service they deserve, they get angry. Do not take it personal and do not raise your voice or react angrily. Speak in calm tones. Most of the time, angry customers just want to be reassured that someone is listening to the problem. Then assess possible solutions with the customer. This lets them know that you are doing everything you can to remedy the problem.

3. Be positive about your job/company: Be positive. It reflects well on yourself, your company and your industry. It contributes to not only your own job confidence but also instills confidence and a positive outlook in the eyes of your colleagues, employers and customers.

4. Go the extra mile for your customer: when you know a policy are about to expire, send your client a friendly reminder; do they have a birthday coming up or were they awarded something in the newspaper? Why not send them a congratulatory note. This tells them that you are not just a broker but a person they can rely on and put their trust in, in other words, a friend.

5. Be the expert: In this busy world where there are lots of distractions, appointments and commitments, it means a lot to have a customer who physically comes to your office. Let your customer know why a one-on-one relationship is so important. Be the expert for your customer and they will see the value of making the time to come see you. This could mean keeping up on the news, legislations, changing policies and procedures. Your expertise is what makes you valuable, not just to your customer, but your company and industry.