Zurich resources
Continuing education helps supplement Zurich Programs’ marketing efforts
By Bart Shachnow, Head of Zurich Insurance Academy, Zurich North America
For too many brokers, state continuing education (CE) requirements are seen as more nuisance than necessity, and many pursue the path of least resistance by picking courses to satisfy requirements with minimal aggravation in terms of time and money expended. Anecdotal evidence also strongly suggests a large percentage of brokers procrastinate and wait until late in the renewal cycle to satisfy their requirements. Too often, little thought is given to the substance and/or merit of the courses needed.
This is the wrong approach.
Continuing education is required as a consumer protection mechanism. Consumers should be entitled to professionals who are well-trained and keep up to date with important trends and developments in their respective fields. Brokers need to be focused on this as they work to meet requirements.
Zurich uses continuing education as a tool to help support its Program Administrators. The approach prioritizes compliance with CE regulations, but also emphasizes the value a well-designed and delivered CE program can provide. Continuing education is regulated at the state level and Zurich takes our responsibility to run compliant programs very seriously. We also take seriously both the letter and the spirit of the law. That means doing things according to the regulations while also making sure everyone who attends our programs walks away with important insights, ideas, strategies and other information that can help them serve their clients better.
“Offering the CE courses is a win-win for all involved,” said Kathleen Trautmann, a senior executive on Zurich Programs’ Marketing team, who regularly teams up and coordinates with me in the design and delivery of these CE programs. “Brokers walk away with knowledge on a particular coverage or industry while earning the CE credits. Our Program Administrators win because they have the opportunity to highlight their strengths and capabilities to an engaged audience. After a course is completed, the PA is provided with the registration list for the course as a lead-generation tool.”
Zurich’s approach in adding value through continuing education involves several components:
- Consultation and needs analysis: Zurich meets with its Program Administrators to identify topics best suited for the brokers these PAs work with and/or are targeting.
- Program design: Following the analysis, Zurich develops a proposed program for the PA’s review. The CE course can be one that Zurich has already developed or it can be a brand-new course developed for a specific program. This design process culminates in course content that is submitted to state insurance departments for review and approval. Zurich is an Approved Provider in all states and handles all compliance and administrative requirements associated with CE programming.
- Selection of and preparation with subject matter experts: In this phase, Zurich works with the PA to select subject matter experts from the PA’s team and/or from Zurich’s team of insurance and risk management specialists. Rehearsals are conducted to prepare the team.
- Marketing support and scheduling: Zurich works with the staff of the PA to identify suitable dates and times for the CE program and coordinates the identification of the target audience, the marketing and invitation management strategy.
- Post-program business development discussion: Every CE program Zurich runs also contains a segment where there is an opportunity for a business development discussion. While no CE credit is available for this discussion, it is a highly attractive supplement, as Program Administrators have the opportunity to share insights regarding their program and the expertise they bring to the table. In addition, brokers receive critical information on selling or implementing the products, services and/or strategies discussed in the program. These business development discussions are expressly designed to promote and support the PA’s sales and marketing goals.
Zurich’s CE program works for Program Administrators for many reasons.
For Colin Castle, National Sales Executive for US Assure, Zurich’s full-service approach is highly advantageous. “What I like is that Zurich has the expertise to design CE programs that really help the audience understand critical and often complex insurance policy design issues. They also design the programs to spotlight the expertise and value-add that US Assure brings to the table.”
Jack Madsen, National Business Development Leader of SES Risk Solutions, likes the turnkey, complete solution that Zurich offers in its CE platform. “Zurich essentially does all the heavy lifting while SES gets the credit and the spotlight,” he said.
Ritchie Vener, Chief Marketing Officer of Distinguished Programs, likes Zurich’s CE resource because “the people who run it are highly professional, dependable, reliable, and they get the job done. We’ve been working with Zurich on these CE programs for many years, are convinced of their value, and have a great partnership with Zurich that helps us deliver quality CE programs that are a great reflection on Distinguished.”
For more information about Zurich’s continuing education program, please contact me at bart.shachnow@zurichna.com or Kathleen Trautmann, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for Programs, at kathleen.trautmann@zurichna.com.
Learn more about our Zurich Insurance Academy CE courses:
About the author
With the help of his team, Bart Shachnow develops and delivers a broad range of tools and resources designed to improve the sales effectiveness of Zurich’s market-facing colleagues, as well as the valued brokers and agents we work with. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Middle Market Risk Manager (MMRM).
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