E&O Discount Options offered through the PIA of Tennessee
HOW CAN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PREVENT A CLAIM?
Tip #1: Be a Consummate Professional.
There is no short cut to professionalism. Do your homework and know what you’re recommending. Keep investing in your knowledge base by earning appropriate designations and attending professional development courses. Stay current on regulatory requirements.
Tip #2: Do Your Research.
Make sure all products and investment programs you offer are registered with the appropriate regulatory authority and approved.
Tip #3: Stay In Your Expertise Area.
Only recommend products you fully understand and are licensed to sell. If you refer clients to other providers, make sure you can vouch for their competence and integrity.
Tip #4: Solicit Business Properly.
Make sure your solicitation materials are above board. You never want to misrepresent who you are, what you do, or what you sell.
Tip #5: Practice Full Disclosure.
Make sure to disclose all required information and be totally up-front about your track record, business practices, and affiliated advisors and companies.
Tip #6: Do Thorough Fact-Finding
When you first meet the client, take time to fully understand the person’s situation. Uncover and document all relevant facts. Do a careful job of assessing risk tolerance. Then set appropriate expectations for future results.
Tip #7: Link Your Recommendations to Documented Needs
Make sure to present only suitable recommendations (preferably more than one). After the prospect agrees to buy, review the reasons for buying the product and get the prospect to agree in writing.
Tip #8: Educate Clients about What They Bought.
Make sure clients understand what their product covers and doesn’t cover, as well as all moving parts, fees and expenses, and any underlying risks and guarantees. You can never over-educate a client.
Tip #9: Leave a Paper Trail.
This is crucial: always document the outcomes of key client conversations, decisions made, and coverages declined. And remember, no client interaction is irrelevant. Document and date every call or conversation, no matter how trivial the subject matter. Doctors and attorneys do this, and so should you.
Tip #10: Promptly Resolve Client Complaints.
If a client is unhappy with you, find out why. Then do your best to resolve the person’s complaint before it turns into a regulator sanction or lawsuit. Also, if you sense the client will file a formal complaint, let your compliance department know as soon as possible.
PIA of Tennessee is the exclusive sponsor of the Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) professional designation program in Tennessee. Comprised of three one-day “Insurance Success Seminars,” the classes teach practical before-, during- and after-the-sale techniques for producers, sales managers, account managers and company marketing representatives. The CPIA designation is earned after completing the three seminars and is maintained by completing an update class every two years. CPIA 1 and 2 are approved for 7 hours of Tennessee C.E. credit; CPIA 3 is approved for 8 hours, and each class satisfies Tennessee’s requirement of 3 hours of ethics education. Also, Utica Mutual offers up to a five percent premium credit on E&O for attendance at CPIA education.
CPIA DESIGNATION COURSE OBJECTIVES:
CPIA 1 – Position for Success - Course objectives: During this program, participants are encouraged to focus on internal and external factors affecting the development of effective business development plans. Factors discussed include a review of the state of the insurance marketplace; analysis of competitive pressures; necessary insurance carrier underwriting criteria; and consumer expectations and understanding. Throughout each section of the workshop material, tips for preventing Errors & Omissions are highlighted and discussed.
CPIA 2 – Implement for Success - Course objectives: During this session, participants will be provided with specific tools for analyzing consumer needs; will learn to utilize risk identification techniques to gather pertinent prospect information; will develop skills necessary to assimilate information gathered into a customized protection program; and will participate in exercises designed to promote effective delivery of proven solutions. Throughout each section of the workshop material, tips for preventing Errors & Omissions are highlighted and discussed.
CPIA 3 – Sustain Success - Course objectives: This program focuses on fulfilling the implied promises contained in the insuring agreement. Students will review methods of providing evidence of insurance coverage; will discuss policies and procedures for controlling errors and omissions including policy review and delivery, endorsements, claims-processing, and handling of client complaints. This course includes a review of Professional Expectations; the Law of Agency; and Legal and Ethical Standards. Throughout each section of the workshop material, tips for preventing Errors & Omissions are highlighted and discussed.
Are you ready to make the next step and start the CPIA designation? Click below to sign up.
ONLINE WEBINARS
Regarding Ethics…
E&O Loss Prevention
Street Level Ethics
Your Agency Online: Communication Cure or E&O Plague
On Ethics: Data, Dilemmas and Knuckleheads
E&O Reasons and Solutions