Navigating CE in Insurance

Yeah, of course. Well, this event, we're really excited about it. This year, we're in Daytona Beach, Florida at the Shores Resort and Hotel and Spa. And this event is not like all your other events that you may attend. It is more intimate. You get more face time with the companies that will be present. All these companies are there to help other independent agents really excel and thrive and really have ease of use.

through their agency. So, we're really excited. Our sessions have been curated by other independent insurance agency owners about the topics that they really need help and support in. So, we're really excited. It's two days, which is an increase from last year.

Last year was a one-day program, but this year there was so much content to deliver that we wanted to host it over two days.

Yes, absolutely. I was looking at the agenda. You have a couple here like secret shoppers, 10 ways we hurt our sales process and also some courses that people can do as far as their CE credits. Is that correct?

Yeah, so that was something that we realized from last year. We really wanted to maximize the amount of CE that people can get. We know that giving up time out of the office, so we really wanted to make sure that it was beneficial not only in the quality of the content, but what you're getting while you come. On Tuesday, October 15th, we're having a pre -conference where we'll be doing the CPIA program, the Certified Professional Insurance Agent designation. You can come take that

You can begin the journey. You only need three sessions to earn your certification, or you can renew it. You can easily renew your certification by just taking one of these classes and we're offering the first one, a CPI -1 position for success. And then we also on that same day, we're going to have these folks from Citizens Insurance there all day. They're going to be doing commercial lines training and personal lines training. And so, this is the more in -depth

training that you wouldn't normally get during one of their power hours. They really break down the information that you need to know to be successful while you're placing your business with citizens.

I appreciate that answer and I have a question for you in regard to the CE. What do you believe are some of the biggest challenges our insurance professionals face today regarding their continuing education requirements and classes?

Great, well that's an excellent question. I think some of the challenges that agents face, in the state of Florida specifically, agents must have 24 hours of CE every two years, but they can't retake the same course. So, it's definitely finding a variety of courses in education that will, something that's new and fresh that's going to keep them updated. One thing I can say about this,

upcoming annual meeting at Here For You, PIA Florida's annual meeting. We have specially curated content and all these sessions. We spoke to the speakers, and we told them, hey, our board who are agents, they have producers, they have CSRs, and they were telling us what their challenges are and what they want their staff to be aware of and how to stay up to date to help service people. Get more

Clients, prospecting, AI is really trending now and it's something that's so important and it's actually not going to ever go away.

So that's awesome information. Thank you so much. But I do have a question for us when it comes to CE requirements. Do you know the challenges, the biggest challenges that our insurance professionals are facing today when it comes to getting their CE requirements finished?

Well, thanks Laura. That's a great question. Yeah, one of the biggest challenges that I hear about are agents are looking for a good variety of classes. Every two years agents in the state of Florida, they need to have 24 hours. And if once you've been licensed for six years, it drops down to 20, but still, you can't repeat the same courses within that period of time. They're always looking for new content that's going to keep them up to date.

and keep them being educated and informed. That's one of the great things about our upcoming conference. Our sessions are actually specially curated for this event. We are going to leave agents with practical, hands -on advice and education that they can go and immediately implement at their agencies and help strengthen their sales moving forward, their customer service, and more, and also things that they can do with AI.

And we're also, we'll have Lisa Miller there and she's going to be educating everyone about advocacy and what's going on in the state of Florida with legislation. This content, it's super exciting. You won't have heard it anywhere else because we created these sessions specifically for producers, CSRs and agency owners.

I am looking forward to all of those classes because I am a licensed Florida agent. Can you give some advice to our agency owners to understand why they need to have a vested interest in making sure that their agents complete their CE classes?

Well, they definitely need to make sure that their agents complete their CE requirements because they'll lose their license if not. So that's the number one reason why they need to do that. But it's also really important. Everyone needs to stay up to date and compliant. And you don't want to, when the world is moving forward, you don't want to be stuck behind, and you don't want to be dealing with outdated information. So, it's important to go to CE courses. It's important to

really invest in yourself and your career and what you're doing. And the way that you can do that is by doing CE, continuing education. It keeps you up to date, it keeps you compliant, and it keeps you aware of what's going on in the state of insurance.

Those were all very good points as far as why CE is so important and why agents and agent owners should take it very seriously. And also, there's so many avenues that they could take, one of them being the PIA event that's coming up. I'd like to shift gears a bit and talk about us actually being at the event.

Our dear Laura here will be leading a demo on October 16th at 10 .30 am She'll be showcasing agency, which is a licensing and appointment management platform. Dana, how do you see technology like this influencing the future of insurance?

I definitely see this type of technology advancing insurance. Right now, so many agents write business across many different states. It's in the, and they have to keep up to date with their licenses in all states. This software will really help them keep track of everything. Normally nowadays there is no software that can meet this requirement. They may be using a spreadsheet. They may have over a hundred staff.

They may have staff that is writing business in multiple states. I think that this software really help organize everything for agency owners and inform people so that we don't have to worry about them being at risk of losing their license because they forgot to take their CE courses.

Absolutely. my next question would be, I'm going to answer first, but the course that you're looking forward to at this event, mine particularly is the one about AI with Jason Kass. He's going to talk about the secret weapon for winning back time and money. How about you, Dana and Laura?

looking forward to the AI I'm so sorry Dana to talk over you. I'm just so excited about this whole event. I am looking forward to the AI and ENO class. A lot of our agencies and carriers that have demoed with us have been asking more and more about ENO and how it really needs to be tracked and

Of course!

to make sure that everyone stays compliant and has that product to protect them from making mistakes.

Excellent. Well, yes, that's going to be an amazing topic, especially as AI gets more and more prevalent these days and everyone's using it. One of the sessions I'm really looking forward to is the secret shoppers, 10 ways we heard our sales with Kelly Donahue -Piro. I know it's going to be amazing and engaging, but it's going to really highlight and help producers learn the best strategies for prospecting.

vetting a deal and seeing how they can really help close those sales. Because sometimes agents might not be aware of the different things that they do that may help them lose a sale. It's going to be really great to hear those tips and tricks to really help people close more deals.

Agreed, yeah, I think I'll be checking those two courses as well. All right, so before we wrap up, what advice would you give to attendees to make the most of the networking opportunities at the trade show?

Great. Well, I'm so glad you asked about that. The number one thing, and I'm sure you hear it all the time, is bring your business cards, but also come. If you're not there, you can't meet people. This year, we're having carrier rows, so we're going to have over 12 carriers there represented. Some of those carriers are appointing agents, and so the best way that you can get an appointment is to meet with those carriers. We're also having our demos, and that's new this year as well, where we have companies like yourself.

Agenzee, you're going to have a special time, uninterrupted time where you can showcase how agency can help agents everywhere. so definitely going and, you know, attending the sessions while you're at a table during the sessions, make sure you say hello to the person who's sitting next to you. We'll also be having a welcome reception, which is open to all attendees. Make sure you

come there so by the time that you show up the next day, you'll know even more people. But that's really what I recommend. We're really excited about this event. It's bigger and better than last year, but it's also intimate so you won't feel overwhelmed. And I can't neglect to say that the price is definitely right. And we're offering a discount code if you use Daytona. Daytona will get you $25 off.

any session that you attend, whether you come for the pre -con, the CPIA, or the next day, you'll get $25 off that ticket and your staff. This is not just for agency owners, it's your staff too. There's content for everyone and we definitely want you to visit the tables, visit the booths and learn how your agency can grow and thrive with the solutions that we're presenting to you.

I do have a question. I'm so sorry to interrupt. I do have a question on that discount code. Is that all capital letters? Is it case sensitive? I know that sometimes.

Absolutely.

Sure.

You can use all capitals Daytona because that's where you want to be so yeah, we're going to scream it so yes make sure you use that discount code to get your discount.

Great question, Laura, and wonderful advice, Dana. It's been an enlightening conversation. I'm sure our listeners have gained valuable insights. Thank you again for joining us. And to our listeners, don't miss the opportunity to attend the PIA of Florida's annual meeting and trade show. It's an event packed with learning, networking, and growth opportunities.

Be sure to catch Laura's demo of Agenzee's licensing and appointment management solution on October 16th at 1030 am. And bring your business cards and say hello to everyone. I'm your host Johnelee this is Laura. And thank you again, Dana, for stopping by and giving us some insights to the upcoming event.

Thank you, I'm so thrilled to be here, thanks.