Ch 3 Flashcards
Any of several kinds of insurance personnel who place insurance business with insurers and who represent either insurers or insureds, or both
Producer
Individual Insurance Customers
- Purchase ins. to protect real and personal property and liability coverage arising out of personal actions/ownership/use of property.
- Rely on the expertise of a Producer or call center/direct access websites
- Required to buy insurance by lenders/mortgagers
- Have little negotiating power
Small Business Insurance Customers
- Usually no risk manager but up to owner/partner
- Little negotiating power
- Limited number of choices when it comes to risk financing alternatives
1-1: List the Five Characteristics that Distinguish Types of Insurance Customers
- Insurance needs
- Knowledge of the insurance market
- Access method
- Negotiating ability
- Choice of risk financing alternatives
P&C Customers
- Individual Customers
- Small Business
- Middle Markets
- National Accounts
1-2: Describe how the insurance needs of small business can be covered.
Covered by a limited number of commercial insurance policies, such as a (1) business-owners policy, a (2) workers compensation policy, and (3)commercial auto policies.
Middle Market Insurance Customers
- Larger orgs with insurance needs that vary considerably according to products/services they provide. Annual Revenue of 10 million to 1 billion.
- Large enough to have stats for loss histories
- Have risk manager
- Use brokers to access markets
- Some negotiating power
- Increasing access to risk financing alternatives
National Accounts Insurance Customers
- National accounts segment contains the largest orgs seeking ins.
- Generate millions in premiums
- Brokers the most negotiating power
- Complex insurance programs
P&C Marketing Differentiations
- Customer Focus
- Products & Services
- Size
- Geographic area
- Distribution system
Market intelligence
Information gathered and analyzed regarding a company’s markets to improve competitive decision-making
Would it be wise for a small insurer to focus on a few national accounts?
No. The risk of losing the account can devastate a small insurer.
If a market is dominated by a large insurer, what type of business could a small insurer choose to market to?
A subsection of the market or niche.
What factors into an insurers decision on which geographic area to write in?
Size, expertise in writing coverage in broader geographic areas, level of competition in those areas, and its customer focus.
What distribution system would an insurer focusing on young drivers use to attract customers?
Chose an Internet-based distribution system because most young operators look for cheap insurance. They will be able to comparison shop.
What is the best distribution system for an insurer to focus on mature customer are with homes autos and valuables?
Exclude or independent agents. Can assist them with coverages and deductibles.
Why are insurers operations so dependent on investment earnings?
They must keep premiums competitively low to attract customers.
What is the primary demand for technology in marketing applications (agency interface, web quoting on public website)?
Ease of use.
A cyclical pattern of insurance pricing in which a soft market (low rates, relaxed underwriting, and underwriting losses) is eventually followed by a hard market (high rates, restrictive underwriting, and underwriting gains) before the pattern again repeats itself
Underwriting cycle
Why is competition in marketing Insurance products important?
Because it ensures that customers will receive competitive process and services to meet their insurance needs.
1-3: How can market intelligence help an insurer improve to customer focus?
Better understanding of customers’ current and future needs, preferences, attitudes and behaviors which leads to a better customer interaction. Insurer can understand where its insurance offer fits and discover untapped and underserved potential markets.
1-4: What factors influence and insurers decision regarding the geographic area it serves?
- Size
- Level of expertise in coverage in broader geo areas
- Level of competition in area
- Customer focus
An insurer that chooses a regional area for operating can more narrowly focus its marketing intelligence to address customers’ insurance needs in the smaller area.
Writing nationally requires more marketing intelligence.
How does an insurer choose its marketing system?
By its customers knowledge of insurance products and the risk financing alternatives available.
Factors that Shape Insurance Marketplace
- Economic Forces
- Regulatory Controls
- Demands for Technology
- Underwriting Cycles
- Unanticipated Catastrophic Losses
1-5: Describe the economic influences on property-casualty insurers’ operations
- Inflation - increases costs of losses and operations
- Availability of Reinsurance - influences price and cost of ops.
- Investment Earnings - offset high costs (Leads to lower premium)
Describe the role of regulatory controls in the marketplace
- Stipulate financial requirements
* Marketing conduct of insurers
Unanticipated Catastrophic Losses Lead To…
(unanticipated catastrophic losses = unplanned losses)
- Insurer insolvencies
- Withdrawal of insurers from geographic markets
- Reinsurance shortages
List of Marketing Activities
List of Marketing Activities • Marketing research • Market development • Marketing information • Marketing planning • Product development • Advertising Promotion • Customer and public relations • Sales fulfillment
Marketing research
The systematic gathering and analyzing of data to asist with making decisions. Done on a project basis with stated objectives, research design, data collection, analysis, and formal report and includes conclusions and implications or recommendations.
2-1: Contrast primary data and secondary data used for insurer market research.
- Secondary Data, collected by other parties, is immediately available at little or no cost.
- Pimary Data - more expensive but address issues specific to the marketing research project.
2-2: Explain how predictive analytics are used in market research.
Most models generate a score, with a higher score indicating a higher likelihood that the given behavior or event will occur. Predictive scores are used to meaure the risk or opportunity associated with a specific customer or transaction. It asseses the relationships between many variables to estimate risk or response.
Applications for Predictive Analytics
- Cross-Selling
- Target Marketing
- Individualized Customer Support
- New Agent Contracting
- Designing and Evaluating Marketing Campaigns
2-3: Describe four bases of market segmentation.
- Behavioristic Segmentation - based on purchasing habits.
- Geographic Segmentation - based on location
- Demographic Segmentation - based on age, race, etc.
- Psychographic Segmentation - based on personality and lifestyles
a small group of customers or potential customers brought together to provide opinions about a specific product, service, need, or other issue
Focus Group
Statistical and analytical techniques used to develop models that predict future events or behaviors.
Predictive analytics
The process of identifying and dividing the groups within a market that share needs and characteristics and that will respond similarly to a marketing action
Market Segmentation
Target marketing
focusing marketing efforts on a specific group of consumers
A type of marketing that focuses on specific types of buyers who are a subset of a larger market
Niche marketing
Marketing development
Activities that provide leadership when an insurer enters a new market. Activities include:
• Training programs
• Problem resolution
• Funding assistance
• Technical Assitance
• PR Campaigns
Led by project managers that develop project scope documents, decision grids, task outlines, progress reports, and project reports.
Marketing information
Supports managers in answering questions concerning market’s customers, producers and competitors. Marketing Information Systems are Internal Accounting and Market Monitoring.
2-4: Describe two major types of marketing information systems
- Internal Accounting - Reporting and analysis based on transactions associated with sales. Provides essential info on production, retention, and policies in force.
- Market Monitoring - Info re: external enviornment and changing conditions of producer, customer opionoins/satisfaction levels.
Market planning
Identifies the product or service to be promoted and the customers to be targeted and details resources and strategies that will be sued to create, price, promote qand sell the product or service.
2-5: Before introducing a new insruance product or service, an insurer completes a marketing plan. Describe the function of this plan.
Identifies the product or service to be promoted and the customers to be targeted, and details the resources and strategies that will be used to create, price, promote, and sell the product or service.
The necessary people and physical facilities to support the sale of insurance products and services
Distribution system
What distinguishes one distribution system from another?
Relationship to the insurer and customers.
Ownership of expirations
Compensation methods
Functions performed.
What are the main distribution systems ?
- Independant Agency and brokerage marketing systems
- Exclusive agency marketing ystem
- Direct writer marketing system
What are the main distribution channels?
- Internet
- Call Centers
- Group marketing
- Financial institutions