Monday, 12 May 2014

This move is so sexy, it’s even in the Kama Sutra. In this pose, you wrap one leg around the other like a rope. This, says Barrett, has a tourniquet effect. When you release, all the blood rushes through the cervix, which primes the whole area for some TLC. Don’t be intimidated by this move, she says; it’s not as challenging  as it looks

Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana)


Sagging skin isn’t the only effect of the Earth’s downward pull. The lower half of your body is more likely to suffer from sluggish circulation because the blood returning to your heart faces an uphill climb. Beat gravity at its own game by flipping upside-down. According to Hanley, this pose works on many woes that can plague a healthy sex life. “It relieves fatigue, calms the mind, lessens symptoms of depression and anxiety, and eases digestive problems,”


Friday, 14 October 2011

Insurance Agency Key Performance Indicators

Expert Author Alan Blume
KPI's are Key Performance Indicators, and are used by organizations to evaluate performance. They are quantifiable measurements that can help rapidly determine historic, current and future performance, predicated upon the type of KPIs used and the platform selected to use them. For example insurance agency KPIs might include the number of net new clients, net losses, renewal growth, producer quotations, average book of business by producer, agency revenue, and revenue by employee. For the purposes of this article, however, we'll focus on KPIs for insurance agency producers though these KPI's will also be a key subset for agency executives and owners.
Key Performance Indicators should reflect the agency's goals, and it's very important to select KPIs which help rapidly indicate the tactical and strategic success of your sales efforts. For example, Producer KPI's are noted below and might be very similar to the KPIs for many industry sales executives:
  • New Commission Revenue
  • Renewal Commission
  • Ratio of Net New Commissions to Renewal Commissions
  • Average Book of Business by Producer
  • Revenues by Lines of Coverage
  • Total New Quotes
  • Close Ratio (Ratio of Quotes to Closes)
  • Closes by Lead Source
  • YTD Revenue Growth (and year over year)
  • Revenue by Employee
These Key Performance Indicators help measure your business, and offer indicators of past performance and future success. Year over year revenues compare current performance to past performance, while Web meetings and proposals are forward looking, an indicator of what your future business might look like. If your new prospect meetings have dropped by 20% over the last quarter from the prior quarter, you can be fairly certain that you will experience a drop in new business. However, if you experienced the same type of drop compared to a year earlier, you have a better indication that you are on track for comparable year over year sales.
KPIs can vary by agency, but if they are to be truly valuable to your agency, you must consistently and accurately define and measure them. KPIs should incorporate goals or targets to track and measure performance. For example, our company goal is to close 50% of our proposals and 25% of our web meeting prospects. We measure this goal against our KPIs for this category to track our progress. Your agency might have a goal to maintain a $1 Million book of business for each veteran producer. You might have a different goal for new producers. These goals should tie into your overall KPI tracking, offering rapid insights into the health of your agency, with strong indications of future performance. These KPIs can then be measured year over year - offering accurate historical insights into your performance in mission critical areas. Larger agencies should consider using KPI rollups, where the sales, marketing, accounting and service KPIs are tracked departmentally, with a few mission critical KPIs from each department rolling up to an executive list. This can be done manually or using an automated system.
What type of systems can be used for KPIs? Your agency can use anything from simple Excel spreadsheets, to CRM, to Agency Management Systems to sophisticated KPI dashboards. Selected Web metrics gleaned from Google Analytics or other web monitoring tools may also be used. KPI's should be kept to a modest number for optimum effect. For example, tracking 10 KPI's monthly is reasonable, but tracking 50 would result in information overload. This is analogous to the dashboard of your car. Your measurements might include speed, fuel level, RPMs, odometer, engine temperature and oil level. That's a total of six KPI's which can be tracked while driving. Some cars offer more sophisticated KPI's including, average miles per gallon, current MPG, tripometer, and distance to empty. These additional KPI's may not be displayed constantly, as they may not be deemed critical to your driving. Think of your insurance agency KPI's in the same way, closely monitoring only those which are critical to your success.

How To Increase Insurance Sales: Your Value Proposition

Expert Author Dan Vinal
Empathy is the Single Most Important Factor in Sales Success
Because research has shown that people do NOT want an agent whose sole objective is to get the app and collect the check. People want an insurance agent who helps them - not an agent who sells them.
They want a friendly, honest agent they can trust, who has both the resources and the knowledge to:
  • help them understand their needs
  • correctly answer their questions
  • make suggestions or recommendations
  • help them understand their choices
  • guide them in making smart decisions
They want someone who will stay in touch, and periodically review and update their coverage.
So if you want to know how to increase insurance sales, begin with your sales process.
Stop Selling and Start Helping
If your attitude, style, method or process reflects a "sales" orientation, the surest way to increase insurance sales is to change from "selling" policies, to "helping" clients make smart buying decisions.
Of course, you might already be doing this. But are you telling people this is what you do?
Your Business Value Proposition
Here's a very easy and effective way to increase insurance sales, while building your business with additional sales to existing clients, and generating qualified referrals to new clients too.
Begin by creating your own "value proposition" statement - something like this:
I am a friendly, honest insurance professional.
I maintain the resources, the information, and the knowledge to:
  • help my clients understand their needs
  • correctly answer their questions
  • make suggestions or recommendations
  • help them understand their choices
  • guide them in making smart decisions
I review each client's coverage every year, and make suggestions for cost reductions or improvements.
And I do all that I can to save my clients money on their insurance. Would you like to be my client?
How To Increase Insurance Sales With Your Value Proposition
Next, have your "value proposition" printed out on a 3 x 5 full color postcard, along with your photo.
On the back of the post card, print the following:
Please visit my website to learn what I do for my clients, and what I can do for you too.
www.mywebsite.com
Now keep these cards with you, and put them into the hands of everyone you know and everyone you meet. Hand these cards out to everyone you do business with too.
Simply tell everyone that you are always looking for people you can help with their insurance, and hand them the card. Most people will immediately read the card, and then flip it over to see the "invitation" to visit your website.
But be sure to make note of everyone you hand a card to, so that you can follow up with a reminder phone call - even if you only leave a voice mail message.
No Gimmicks or Techniques
Not only do people appreciate the refreshingly honest and direct approach, but those who respond are predisposed to working with you - which shortens the sales process considerably.
And the more cards you hand out, the more productive activity you will develop - which naturally results in more sales opportunities that develop into long term client relationships.

How To Find the Best Insurance Agents

Protection. It's what helps make your life stable. And if you're not protecting yourself based on the advice of professional insurance agents, you're taking a risk. Think about it. You trust your health to your family doctor. You rely on your real estate broker to find you the best home. You believe your car salesperson is putting you behind the wheel of a safe automobile. So, given all that you have to protect, your home, your auto, your life, your family, shouldn't you have a knowledgeable insurance professional to advise you?
The best insurance agents will get to know you and your situation. They will make coverage recommendations based on their knowledge. Sure, we're all tempted to go for the cheapest coverage available. You know... those sweet-talking, 1-800-do-it-yourselfers with low-cost promises. This is your future and the future of your family at stake. You deserve the quality advice provided by a professional. And the best insurance coverage for your money.
The Personal Touch and Service Advantage
Unlike large impersonal call centers where you rarely speak to the same person twice, you have a personal relationship with professional insurance advisors at independent agencies. They will know you by name, learn your history and tailor a policy that best meets your needs and the needs of your family. When your situation changes or when you have questions, you have someone to call who can advise you. It's a personal touch that isn't offered by those bigger companies. By working with an agent to coordinate all your policies, you can be sure you are adequately covered and not paying for any unnecessary coverage. You can expect personal attention and customized services like annual coverage reviews that will address your ever-changing needs and keep your policies up to date. After all, life can change at the drop of a hat.
Save Time & Money
Professional insurance agents will advise you and eliminate the guesswork on coverage choices and claims questions. When it comes to settling a claim or changing your coverage options, you'll find that having someone there to advise you is better - saving you time, money and headaches in the long run. And unlike other insurance companies that tout saving you money in 15 minutes, your agent will actually take the time to consider your needs and lifestyle before making any recommendations. The fact is that 15 minutes is often only enough time to reduce your coverage and increase your risk.
Knowledge
Sometimes the claims process can be frustrating, but having someone experienced and knowledgeable by your side can give you peace of mind. If you're wondering how to get an agent, first you want to choose one who is a knowledgeable professional. As you know, there are infinite combinations of insurance options available to you. Insurance agents are state-licensed and must adhere to state-regulated continuing education requirements. They can help narrow down exactly what you need and what amount of coverage is best for your situation. Whatever trauma led you to the claims stage was no doubt stressful enough. Your agent will know how to avoid the "red tape," making headway through it quickly and efficiently.
Reputation
Reputation and stability are important in insurance. Insurance agents backed by a reputable, well-established insurance company will give you the assurance of reliability and excellent service. They're more likely to be there when you need them. After all, the more resources and support insurance advisors can draw from, the better they will be able to work for you. And word of mouth goes a long way when you're figuring out how to find an agent. Ask around or research company and agent reviews online to get a good idea of whom you're dealing with.

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Interested In Medical Billing And Coding? - Get All The Details On This Career

Medical billing and coding is a growing career in the medical field. It is an essential position in any professional medical practice of today. The job has changed a bit over the years, whereas tedious administrative duties used to consist of many hours filling out medical and insurance forms for companies to ensure that the doctors and medical professionals would receive reimbursements in a timely fashion. In this thriving world of technology, and the "paperless" office, insurance billing software is the way most professional offices complete their billing process.
The job, itself, may include resolving any disputes that arise regarding unpaid or pending claims. There are a series of steps and procedures which requires the medical biller and coder needs to follow in order for the process to move along in an expedient manner.
The nature of the position and the process usually depends on the various insurance companies and the criteria that is needed for their diverse requirements of billing and coding. Some medical billing and coding jobs are indeed a challenging task and often it is in the professional offices to outsource the work, due to the fact that they do not employ the capable staff.
In examining this exciting career path, the biggest question is "do I need to be certified"? One of the good things to know is that if you do become certified, a higher starting salary, than those who are not, usually always follows. Outlines of raises and bonuses, as well as, a benefits package including health insurance, sick pay, vacations and holidays.
There are many positions that you may be hired for, where your employer would like you to train on the job, to gain the experience and knowledge from other staff members, that fit their specifics needed. This is a good thing, as it does not overwhelm you with information without experience. In this position you would be allowed to "grow" into the position, and the benefits would be that of spending the time in school, and gaining experience without a classroom curriculum.
What can I expect for a medical billing and coding salary? Well, that does depend on experience, certification, demographics, and if you work in a large medical facility, such as a hospital and institution or a smaller private practice. And lets not rule out becoming an independent contractor, working as an outsourced biller and coder, from home.
On average the starting salary is about $25,000 a year, respectively, and those with more experience and certification, can command as much as $35,000 to $50,000 a year. As you can see, it does pay to have the medical billing and coding education. Not everyone desires to work full time, so a part time position, within this field, or a home based business, can provide them with a very lucrative income.
What ever your career plans are, medical billing and coding jobs are on the rise and in high demand. With a bit of research on your part, you can access the benefits of taking on this career and build your way to a brighter securer future!