Agent News
First Quarter 2019
With first quarter of 2019 nearly finished, we’re in the thick of some great things happening across the company. To date, we’re already more than $9 million ahead of our top line plan, thanks in large part to our strong new business results and extremely high retention. I want to take a moment to say, thank you for your partnership and entrusting us with your business. Together, we achieved great success in 2018, here’s a quick look back.
In 2018, our UH family pledged more than $33,500 (which was matched by our enterprise) to charitable organizations in the communities where we work and live during our annual Caring and Sharing Community Campaign. In addition to raising thousands of dollars in donations and gifts, the team volunteered hundreds of hours to a variety of causes throughout the year. Our Community Relations Committee directed another $37,500 in sponsorships and donations. This commitment to give back in big and small ways makes a difference in the lives of those we’re fortunate enough to help serve and in our employees’ lives as well.
Another way United Heartland made a difference last year was through dedication to new and existing relationships with our customers — your effort really set us up for success. Our retention of 86.8% and new business result tells the story. In fact, 2018 was our second-best new business year ever, at nearly $70 million, bested only by 2017’s record-breaking results. We closed the year with $331 million in direct written premium, exceeding our goal by nearly $7 million, and our combined ratio of 88.4% was an outstanding achievement as well. A growing top line means nothing without a healthy bottom line!
We’re truly off to a hot start, as I mentioned above, through the end of February. We’re already $9.3 million ahead of our top line plan. Other big wins include:
- 96% retention rate in January (holy smokes!); through February we’re right around 94%.
- $5 million head of our new business plan — let’s work together to keep up this momentum!
- Year to date, 72% of our new business has a mod over 1.00.
We can’t thank you enough for all that you do to make this a mutually beneficial partnership. Without the relationships we have with you, our trusted agents, none of this would be possible and for that we are truly grateful.
Please continue reading to learn about new marketing materials available, exciting expansion news, our 2018 agency of the year and so much more.
Sincerely,
Justin Bealhen
Vice President, Field Operations
United Heartland
Milwaukee Regional Director Tracy Bain says building and fostering meaningful relationships with their agents and policyholders helped the team take charge, resulting in a hugely successful year. A few notable numbers for 2018 include:
- Achieved 92% retention for the second year in a row
- Wrote $15.6 million in new business
- Experienced growth in all states, exceeding their book of business by 10%
- Successfully wrote 51% of all quoted business
- Maintained profitability with a 31% policy year loss ratio
Supporting our agents
Bain and her team are committed to helping agent partners find success in the marketplace, as well as on a professional level. They’ve done this through:
- Agency, Loss Control and Claim advisory councils: The advisory councils allow advocates in the region to collaborate and offer constructive feedback for improving the experience for customers.
- Training: From business segment-specific training, job shadowing and new producer training, education is an ongoing priority for the UH team.
- Retention: Mid-term reviews for larger accounts have been key to boosting retention rates for the Milwaukee region and agent partners.
- Pulse checks: Underwriters regularly check in with our clients to ensure we’re delivering first-class customer service at every point of contact.
- Sales contests: Each month, underwriter sales results are posted throughout the UH office, which helps drive comradery and friendly competition.
Showcasing our team
Tracy and Dave Schaschwary, UH regional manager of business development, congratulate the Milwaukee region for on an outstanding 2018. They send a special kudos to Jodi Jukkala for earning first place for new business written within all of UH, as well as Bob Schneider who was on Jodi’s heals throughout the year.
We asked Jodi and Bob about their success in 2018, and here’s what they had to say:
Senior Business Development Specialist Jodi Jukkala
Coupled with excellent leadership, the UH culture of supporting one another and working together across all departments and with our agent partners has been a huge contributor to my success.
I believe activities such as our annual written premium sales goals and team meetings to help manage submission flow and hit ratios with our agency partners helped contribute to my success in 2018.
I believe in truly understanding the needs and expectations of our customers. I try to go above and beyond with the service I provide, and I always strive to treat others the way I want to be treated. My agents have helped me get off to a good start in 2019 by writing $1.3 million in new business within the first few days of the year. I am excited for 2019 and have set my goals to exceed last year’s numbers!
Senior Business Development Consultant Bob Schneider
Regarding my success, I can sum it up in one word — teamwork! Okay, there are few other words too — let me explain.
I wouldn’t be able to write any business if not for the talent of our dedicated agent partners, Claims and Loss Control teams. They are the frontline individuals who build trust and positive company rapport as they help our insureds and maintain important relationships.
When I meet with our agent/broker partners, we work together to review their current book in detail and discuss specific accounts they’d like to work on — this type of collaboration is so important. Additionally, I try to keep up with local business news to learn about prospects who have a solid company history, are displaying steady growth, are working to innovative and are well known within the community.
And last, but not least, I have found that expressing genuine care about accomplishing goals together and just being yourself (don’t pretend!) is the best way to solidify relationships. So far, 2019 is shaping up to be another successful year. Together with my agent partners, we wrote $1.1 million in new business in early January alone. I have a feeling this is the start of something good!
Tracy and Dave attribute their 2018 success to the hard work and dedication of their Milwaukee team and agent partners. “The outstanding year-end results have yet again provided a springboard for us to kick off 2019 on the right foot. We’ve already written more than $3 million in new business in just the first few days of 2019. Our underwriters are hungry to hit their goals and we’re projecting 99% retention for the month. We are excited to see what 2019 has in store for the entire UH team” said Dave.
