Insuratech Episode 18 - Interview with Susan Hussar, Hartford Life on the Future of the Web in Affinity Insurance Marketing
The eighteenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Susan Hussar, Hartford Life, recently visited IdeaStar and had some compelling insights to share about the future of Web Marketing. I especially appreciate the connections she makes with her recent trip to South America. Susan and her husband went to visit a few exchange students they hosted a few years ago. It’s interesting to hear her thoughts on South America and the cultural applications of the Internet.

She also has some reinforcing thoughts and exhortations for fellow insurance marketers in the affinity space. Be sure to stay to the end and hear Susan’s thoughts on PIMA.

Susan, thanks for sharing. You are a great ambassador for the industry, for the Web, and for the USA!

 Insuratech_Episode_18_Interview_with_SusanHussar.mp3

Insuratech Episode 17 - Interview with John Steber
The seventeenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

John Steber is a significant asset to the affinity marketing profession with the Life and Health insurance vertical. With an interesting background in a couple other industries, John brings some fresh ideas to the marketplace. And the impacts of those ideas are starting to be seen.

In listening to John, he has a clear grasp of the critical issues we all face in selling L&H insurance via the Web. Since voluntary and supplemental insurance products are not top-of-mind products (versus auto and home), the key is triggering the thoughts of people, and then using Web sites to help them make those thoughts actionable.

John's 3-step marketing approach is terrific. He also shares some VERY interesting thoughts on some of the barriers to more effective Web utilization and how to overcome them. These are ideas everyone in our biz needs to hear and contemplate. I also appreciate John’s comments on the value of outsourcing. Lastly, John shares a creative perspective on MarkeTTech and how to use the symposium to lift the effectiveness of the whole insurance development and distribution team. John, Hartford Life is lucky to have you.

 Insuratech_Episode_17_Interview_with_JohnSteber.mp3

Insuratech Episode 16 - Interview with Joan O'Sullivan and Mark Poole, Marsh U.S. Consumer, live at the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference
The sixteenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Joan O’Sullivan, Managing Director, and Mark Poole, SVP/Director of Marketing, both with Marsh U.S. Consumer, which operates through the Marsh subsidiary Seabury & Smith, Inc., graciously agreed to share their thoughts at the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference. It seems rare to get these two industry veterans in the same place at the same time with enough time to consider a few questions.

The subject at hand again is the future of the Web within the Life and Health insurance market. Where are we headed, what’s the opportunity, what are the barriers, and how do we overcome them in order to maximize the potential? I find Joan and Mark’s thoughts appropriate to the current situation we face. And I hope their exhortations are heard by the industry – outsourcing Web development to experts within the field is critical to success. While not intending to disparage internal IT resources, the issues Mark and Joan raise clearly articulate the rationale for outsourcing.

Interesting stuff…. Joan, Mark, kudos to you for braving new territory. Thanks for sharing.

 Insuratech_Episode_16_Interview_with_JoanOSullivan-MarkPoole.mp3

Insuratech Episode 15 - Steve Snell on CMS Compliance and Carrier IT Web-marketing Challenges
The fifteenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

June was absolutely a crazy month. But nonetheless, this podcast with Steve Snell from early June is important and insightful, and so while a little bit dated already, it's extremely relevant. Coming from the carrier perspective, and with a lot of experience both with internal IT issues and marketing demands, Steve is an excellent subject matter expert on the challenges of Web development in the health and life insurance market.

 Insuratech_Episode_15_Interview_with_SteveSnell.mp3

Insuratech Episode 14 - Interview with Jon Kaplan
The fourteenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

This is the exciting part…. I've arranged for Jon Kaplan, Industry Director of Google’s Financial Services channel, to be the keynote speaker. In addition to his Web experience with Google, he has a strong history in the finance vertical, including a stint with marketing and advertising with The Economist magazine.

• He'll be talking about two topics. One is how to use the Web to leverage affinity relationships to buy insurance products.
• The other is the integration of search for online and off-line marketing, again with a focus on insurance and affinity relationships.

Jon will bring a lot of strategic and tactical advice to the conference. I met with him at the Google office during a recent trip to Chicago. We did a little warm-up podcast recording for the conference. Click here to listen. And while you are at it, visit the PIMA Web site and learn more about the conference.

 Insuratech_Episode_14_Interview_with_JonKaplan.mp3

Insuratech Episode 13 - Interview with John Kelly
The thirteenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Last week John Kelly, association sales manager, Prudential Insurance Company of America, stopped by IdeaStar. John was the co-chair of the 2007 Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) Annual Meeting.

We had a great conversation about insurance financing and technology. John spoke about why health care costs so much and shared interesting insights about the culture of America and how it impacts the cost of health care. He even offered a few solutions.

John also shared a few thoughts on why health and life companies, in general, are a bit behind the times when it comes to front-end Web technology and what's at stake if they don't pick up the pace. Click here to listen. I especially relate to his very last comment.

 Insuratech_Episode_13_Interview_with_JohnKelly.mp3

Insuratech Episode 12 - Interview with Mike Manes Part 3
The twelfth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Our final serving of Gumbo-Cooking Up the Organization of the Future – a 3-Part podcast with author and industry consultant Mike Manes – will focus on the "Stock".

The Stock is Communication. Applying it to this Blog, I see it relative to the new ways insurance executives need to communicate. It seems critically important to understand this concept. Not only does the concept apply to internal communications, but external as well, like how well the insurance company or marketing organization communicates through its Web site. Mike makes some great points. He then concludes with the intangible aspects of doing business, including the spiritual and philosophical components of a successful enterprise. Great stuff.

Insuratech_Episode_12_Interview_with_MikeManesPart3.mp3

Insuratech Episode 11 - Interview with Mike Manes Part 2
The eleventh episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Last week our discussion was about the Roux. This week, it's all about the Holy Trinity: Bell Peppers, Onions, and Celery. (Yes this really is a recipe for business success.)

Insuratech_Episode_11_Interview_with_MikeManesPart2.mp3

Insuratech Episode 10 - Interview with Mike Manes Part 1
The tenth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Here it is as promised: The first of a 3-part series of podcasts with Mike Manes, author of GUMBO - Cooking Up the Organization of the Future. The book is tagged as “The ideal tool to create a shared understanding of tomorrow among leadership, management and staff.”

Insuratech_Episode_10_Interview_with_MikeManesPart1.mp3

Insuratech Episode 9 - Interview with Roy Pratt
The ninth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

I recently had the good fortune to fly with Roy Pratt, Enterprise Architect, EDS, on a commercial flight from Cleveland to Dallas. We got to talking a bit and found that we had some things in common - technology, insurance, and even photography!

Insuratech Episode 9 - Interview with Roy Pratt.mp3

Insuratech Episode 8 - Interview with Todd Roup
The eighth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Todd Ruopp, Director of Sales for Wholesale Distribution, ARAG North America

Listen in to one more excellent conversation about the situation with health and life carriers and e-signature. Todd has some very interesting comments....

• Insurance companies seem like the Rip Van Winkle of Financial Services.
• Reasons – wet signature requirements, technology issues, regulatory issues.
• But it comes down to what people know.
• Direct mail response-rates continue to drop.
• What about simply having the guts to try something different?
• Custom URL’s - here's a novel idea!
• We want to know more about you so that we can better serve you.

Insuratech Episode 8 - Interview with Todd Roup.mp3

Insuratech Episode 7 - Interview with Jeff Roedel
The seventh episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

I caught up with Jeff Roedel, CMO, American Insurance Administrators at the PIMA Annual Meeting - no small task. When asked about health and life carriers and e-signature, Jeff had a unique perspective: Insurance companies are in a different space - detailed personal information is required to do business. We’re beginning to see solutions at the heart of the issue: Protecting health information throughout the transaction process. Health and Life insurance companies have been setting a high standard for protecting private information. So while the industry has been a little slower at adopting new Web technology, it has been a good thing in terms of consumer protection.

Where is the Web headed in the next 2-3 years? More insurance companies will figure out the best practices. Online e-signature applications will be the norm rather than the exception.

Insuratech Episode 7 - Interview with Jeff Roedel.mp3

Insuratech Episode 6 - Interview with Ed Miltenberger
The sixth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

I caught up with Ed Miltenberger, Vice President and savvy veteran with GILSBAR. I asked about the Web and the insurance industry and received some interesting remarks.

Disaster recovery talk: GILSBAR is located in the New Orleans metro area and successfully navigated the post-Katrina disaster-recovery scenario. It's a compelling story that we heard last summer at Napa. Ed thinks that table-top scenarios are must-have's for any enterprise. For example, the potential Avian bird-flu pandemic - employees might not be able to get to the main office. What do you do? Web-enabling business processes is key.

What about health and life carriers and Web-enabled insurance processes? This is an issue across the board. Some carriers have made huge investments in static technologies. Perhaps the better solution is to partner with specialists that can help you do business in a lot of different venues so that you are not necessarily dependent on carriers to make that investment.

Insuratech Episode 6 - Interview with Ed Miltenberger.mp3

Insuratech Episode 5 - Interview with Brian Mulconrey and John Harrison
The fifth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Now this is really interesting. I caught up with two veterans of the insurance direct marketing industry. Fortunately, John and Brian were in one place at one time.

Insuratech Episode 5 - Interview with Brian Mulconrey and John Harrison.mp3

Insuratech Episode 4 - Interview with David Olson
The fourth episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

David Olsen, Account Executive with AMA Insurance speaks about the David and Goliath opportunities in insurance marketing. David comments on the importance of setting up an account team to service all aspects of the business: claims, underwriting, etc.. Also, David sees the opportunity to contact prospective clients at multiple levels of the organization - knowing the strategic needs at the executive level, as well as the tactical issues facing the marketing and sales departments and solving their problems.

Insuratech Episode 4 - Interview with David Olson.mp3

Insuratech Episode 3 - Interview with Shannon Warner
The third episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Welcome to the first in a series of podcasts live from the 2007 PIMA Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, FL. Up first is a brief interview with Shannon Warner of AIG. I spoke with Shannon during a break after the opening keynote talk by Mike Manes of Square One Consulting, an engaging talk about the future called “Handrails for a Flat World”.

In addition to talking about Mike Manes’ insights, I asked Shannon to comment on the apparent lagging nature of health and life carrier adoption of the Internet in the quoting and enrollment of their insurance products – so-called front-end processes. What’s at stake for the insurance companies? Listen in – very interesting.

Insuratech Episode 3 - Interview with Shannon Warner.mp3

Insuratech Episode 2 - Steve Snell and Web Technology in Senior Insurance Marketing
The second episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Listen in as we hear about Steve's experience with a cutting-edge agent appointment site, thoughts on what a carrier Web site in the senior health space might serve up, and where Steve feels the Web to headed for the senior agent of the future.

Insuratech Episode 2 - Steve Snell and Web Technology in Senior Insurance Marketing.mp3

Insuratech Episode 1 - Redesigning for Usability
The first episode of the Insuratech podcast series brought to you by IdeaStar.

Recorded live here at IdeaStar, Brent Williams, IdeaStar creative, talks about a recent site redesign for greater usability.

Insuratech Episode 1 - Redesigning for Usability.mp3