Professional Liability Insurance Group's online newsletter for July 2018
The PLIG Professional’s PULSE
Volume #24
Making a Difference, Together
Helping children or families in need and community involvement have always been important to me.We all live, work, and play in our respective communities, so giving back in some way, big or small, makes sense.When you’re involved in your community, you can help shape it into a better place to live. I am honored to serve on and volunteer for two nonprofits: our local Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland & Salem Counties and the Cumberland Cape AtlanticYMCA here in our agency’s city of Vineland, New Jersey. I am currently Board Chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters and serve as the First Vice President on theYMCA Board.These are fantastic organizations that strive to make in a difference locally and throughout the country. Volunteering is a great way to stay connected to your community.When you get down to it, every community has its strengths and weaknesses, and by giving back and volunteering, you can get a better sense of exactly what those strengths and weaknesses are.This can truly help make a positive impact. What do I mean by that? When you understand your community’s strengths and weaknesses, you can help exploit the strengths and defend the weaknesses. It’s not something you do alone.This is why it’s important to work with a nonprofit that is grounded in the community and can draw the right people to its cause. Volunteering has other benefits. Not only is it a great way to give back and positively impact the community, it can also have a positive impact on your health. It can elevate your mood, reduce stress, and help you develop deeper social connections — all of which are considered healthy for the heart and the mind. Research suggests that people who give back are happier than those who don’t. It just makes you feel good! For a lot of professionals, it can be hard to find time to volunteer and give back.You don’t need to devote a great deal of time. Some people set aside time once a month, others once a week. It’s all about finding a time that works for you and your schedule.
charity or nonprofit and see what they need. Or, reach out to a nonprofit near where you live or work. If you aren’t sure how to get started, here are a few resources that can help:
• • •
bbbs.org ymca.net
nationalservice.gov volunteermatch.org
• •
idealist.org
•
networkforgood.org/volunteer
•
taprootfoundation.org
Each website is packed with resources to connect you with the perfect volunteer opportunity. I can tell you there will always be a nonprofit that can use your help, even if it’s just for a day. Let’s all make a difference, together! And if you live or work near theVineland, NJ area and want to get involved in BBBS or theYMCA, reach out to me any time! -Shayne
If you aren’t currently involved in your community, I encourage you to take some time this summer to lend a hand. Get in touch with your favorite local
1
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com
GIVE EMPLOYEES OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH How to Promote Your Greatest Assets
It’s no secret that employees want to work where they feel valued and nurtured.You also know that turnover is costly — Glassdoor estimates that businesses spend as much as 21 percent of an employee’s pay to find their replacement. So how do you get good employees to stay? Glassdoor’s study points out the importance of employee development.According to Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor,“Even after controlling for pay, industry, job title, and many other
to any company’s growth. Here are a few methods he’s identified to promote it within his company.
checking in now and then to see how many pages they’ve written. If your employees feel that you’re interested not only in their professional development but also their personal development, they’ll feel more satisfied in their work.You’ll improve morale and retention. Give clear opportunities for internal development. If your employees feel like they can’t achieve their career goals at your company, they’ll begin to look elsewhere to reach them. In addition to highlighting how your company fosters employee development during the hiring process, make good on that advertisement by offering workshops, trainings, and opportunities for promotion.Valiulis suggests encouraging job shadowing between departments. It can help strengthen teamwork and show employees new opportunities within the company.The source of training doesn’t have to come from a faraway conference — look for internal opportunities where coworkers can learn from each other.
Meet at least every month, without fail. Meetings are an opportunity for you to share where you’re at as a company, where you’re headed, and where your employees fit into that plan. Consider how your employees can be involved in such meetings. For example, at each monthly meeting,Valiulis has a different team member give part of the presentation.This builds their investment in the meeting, gives recognition to that employee, develops skills, and gives that employee an opportunity to try out a new role. Express yourself. You know how much your employees mean to you, but do they? It might be as simple as saying,“You are doing a great job.” When your employee tells you about their goal of writing a book, find ways to support it, even if it’s just
factors, we find that workers who stay longer in the same job without a title change are significantly more likely to leave for another company for the next step in their career.” Glassdoor’s findings corroborate the experiences
of many business leaders. Chief Revenue Officer and longtime business leader ChristianValiulis emphasizes that employee development is essential
What Our Clients Are Saying
“Accurate, prompt, and responsive service; I feel like you know me — especially appreciate your sending the certificates before I even ask!” -Joseph LaCavera, III “They make you feel that any and all of your concerns are valued and important.” –Teresa Brown
“Very personalized service.They know me well. Quick responses and answers!!” -Dr. Debra Malley “Helpful and caring.Tabitha was wonderful. Thank you very much.” -Mabel Lago “My questions and concerns are always answered. All options are presented.” -Anna Shatkin
2 Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
We provide informative articles and topics that focus on information for businesses of all types. Recent blog posts to check out: • 6 Things You Must Do To Future-Proof Your Business Today! • 5 Examples Of Employment Practice Liability Claims • Ecommerce: The New Challenge For Brick And Mortar Businesses Take a look below to see a sneak peek of one of this month’s blog topics!
Are These Insurance Issues Still Relevant for Today’s Small Business?
Running a business isn’t easy.There are many things to consider in order for a business to become a success. Some merchants don’t consider all the aspects of their business and instead only look at their income and expenses to determine profit margin. While profit margins are important, there are some significant issues that can only be addressed by purchasing the proper insurance. Interestingly, nearly half of all small businesses in the U.S. have never had any insurance.This can be a huge risk, especially if they conduct transactions online or keep customer information electronically. One of the biggest risks small businesses face is being hacked. Research has shown that small businesses are particularly at risk as they tend to have poorer website security. Hackers know this. Experts believe that half of small/medium businesses in the U.S. have already had a security breach, whether they know it or not.The fact is, small businesses just don’t have the resources for the best security. In addition, many businesses haven’t improved their ability to protect themselves — but hackers have improved their techniques. Another major risk for online businesses is the interruption it causes. Many small businesses rely on third-party services to keep their stores open (servers for websites, payment gateways, etc.). If any one of these is taken offline for any reason, businesses can lose revenue. Ecommerce PresentsAdditional Risks
Yet many businesses don’t protect themselves.This can be disastrous.Any outage in operations is analogous to not opening a business during the busy season.The potential lost revenue could ruin you. Nothing can protect a small business from these outages, which were not as concerning just a decade ago.This is why it’s extremely important that all small businesses ensure that adequate and proper insurance policies are in place to protect their business and their livelihood.
Getting the RightAdvice
When you need to protect your business, you should get the best advice, which is where an independent broker can help.They are legally obliged to make sure your business has the right insurance to protect it.
They’ll also be able to tell you what level of insurance you need, as well as the right coverage based on your business.
Are you protected from online crime? Can your small business survive a business interruption? Contact Professional Liability Insurance Group at 856-692-7702 or info@ProtectUsBetter.com to see if we can help your business with its insurance needs. This article recently appeared on the Professional Liability Insurance Group’s blog. For more of Shayne Bevilacqua’s great articles and resources, be sure to visit ProtectUsBetter.com/blog .
4
3 Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Like, Share, Retweet Is Your Business Wasting Time on Social Media?
Social media has proven to be the most difficult part of digital marketing.A report from GlobalWebIndex found that the average person has around seven active social media accounts, so companies have a lot to lose if they ignore social media. But using a site that’s wrong for your business can be a waste of time and money. Here’s the rundown of popular platforms and what businesses they’re best suited for.
business, it’s important to maintain an account on Twitter so you can monitor any mentions of your company. • Google+ isn’t the most popular social media platform, but having a Google+ page for your business helps Google generate search results, including maps, reviews, contact information, and photos.
• DIY crowds love Pinterest .
This is a visual platform where fashion brands share style tips, foodies show off their recipes, and travel-oriented companies post advice on the best family-friendly cities to visit.
• Not just for moody teens, Tumblr is a great platform for fashion brands (thanks to its visual elements) and media platforms (thanks to the site being friendly to long-form articles).While NPR and Rolling Stone do well onTumblr, small businesses are likely to struggle.
Everyone Should Be On: Facebook,Twitter, Google+
AssessYour Situation Before Joining: Instagram, Pinterest,Tumblr
These social media platforms are staples of the landscape and can benefit any industry. • Despite the recent privacy issues, Facebook still has an active base of around 1.45 billion daily users.You can’t afford to miss out on that kind of audience. opportunities to find the right platform to connect with your clients.Take some time to look at the pros and cons of a platform you’re considering and ask yourself if it really meets the needs of your business. H ow ‘R adical C andor ’ C an G uide Y our T eam to S uccess Leadership Expert Kim Scott’s Fantastic New Book At the outset of our careers, when we’re learning • Twitter is also pretty active, and though this sort of engagement won’t necessarily benefit every There are plenty of other popular platforms whose formats aren’t for everyone. Don’t waste your time on a social media platform your business can’t benefit from. • Instagram is the king of visual content. Fashion outlets, restaurants, niche retail establishments, and luxury brands do well on Instagram because they can regularly share eye-catching images. The many avenues of social media can be overwhelming, but it gives you plenty of
the kind of environment in which everyone around you can do the same.”
leaving their potential untapped or shirking their responsibilities.This “brutal honesty” doesn’t have to be brutal at all; instead, it should be direct, clear, and compassionate. At the intersection of “Care Personally” and “Challenge Directly” lies the concept of “Radical Candor,” a framework that allows bosses to build two things: an empowered culture of honest feedback around the office and a team that works well together and is eager to achieve fantastic results. If you’re interested in learning how to be a more effective leader but are uncomfortable with the manipulative strategies espoused in so much of business culture, you can’t do better than Kim Scott’s book. It’s chock-full of actionable advice on how to start treating your team not only as employees, but as people, with all the emotions, aspirations, challenges, and potential that they bring.
to jockey for a position in the workforce and master the concepts that will carry us to success, many of us immediately begin to absorb the wrong kind of thinking. In the midst of youth, when our egos are paper-thin and we haven’t yet fully developed our personalities, business culture comes along and tells us to “be professional.”
This ability to “Care Personally,” writes Scott in her book, is the first key principle leaders need to understand in order to succeed as bosses.Though movies aboutWall Street may suggest otherwise, it’s difficult to succeed in today’s collaborative business world without genuinely investing yourself in meaningful relationships.
“For an awful lot of people, that gets translated to mean ‘leave your emotions, leave your true identity, leave everything that is best about you … and come to work like some kind of robot,’” said Kim Scott, bestselling author of “Radical Candor: Be a Kickass BossWithout LosingYour Humanity,” at a recent Qualtrics X4 event. But to be the best possible asset to your team, she argues that you need to genuinely care about others — you need to “be able to bring your whole self to work and to create
But, as Scott is eager to point out, love alone won’t push your team to new heights.You also
need to “Challenge Directly”— to be
honest with those who depend on you by letting them know when they’re
4
Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
How it works All you have to do is tell a friend, colleague, or any professional you know about us and make sure they tell us you sent them — that’s it! Remember, protecting professionals is our specialty! You can refer any commercial business of any size, big or small, such as an accounting or law firm, a physician’s practice or health care facility, an architecture or engineering firm, or even your local restaurant or dry cleaner. What you win 1. For each referral, we will automatically send you a $10Wawa gift card! 2. Each referral automatically enters you into the quarterly drawing for a $50Visa gift card! 3. Each referral also enters you into the annual drawing for your choice of an iPad Mini or an Amazon Kindle Fire HD. 4. For each referral we receive, we will also donate $20 to a charity * of your choosing. *Charity must be a registered 501(c)(3) Remember, without your referrals and much-appreciated testimonials, we would not be where we are today.Your words encourage us to do our best and help other professionals decide to do business with us.You can call 856-692-7702, fax 856-691-0059, or email your referrals and kind words to info@ProtectUsBetter.com. And, as always, we want to say “Thank you!” for the professional relationships we have with each of you!
• •
You don’t have to be a client to receive your freeWawa gift card.
There is absolutely no limit to how many times you can enter.
• Our contest is not in direct relation to any insurance sales.You’ll be rewarded simply for the lead. • You do not have to be present at the drawings to win. • Your referrals do not have to become our client for you to claim your prize. • We are not responsible if the law says you can’t win due to age or any other restriction.
The PLIG P u z z l e Challenge
BRAIN TEASER
What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?
At the Professional Liability Insurance Group, we know just how bright and intelligent our newsletter readers are, which is why we are happy to challenge you with this puzzle! All you have to do is answer the puzzle challenge correctly and send your answer to us. Email your answer to info@ProtectUsBetter.com, fax it to 856-691-0059, or call 856-692-7702 to read off your answers.The winner will be selected from a random drawing of all correct responses submitted prior to printing our next newsletter and will win a $20Wawa gift card! Good luck!
LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE ANSWER: The 5*(-2+4)*(1+2+7)=100
5
Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Return Service Requested
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS
1138 E. Chestnut Ave. Suite 5A Vineland, NJ 08360 www.ProtectUsBetter.com 856-692-7702
Giving Back for a Better World How Employee Development Can ImproveYour Bottom Line Hear From Our Clients Check Out New Content on Our Blog! Are These Insurance Issues Still Relevant for Today’s Small Business? The Social Media PlatformYou NEED to Be On Kim Scott’s ‘Radical Candor’ Referral Contest The PLIG Puzzle Challenge 4 Customer Experience Killers 1 2 3 4 5 6 INSIDE
4 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE KILLERS ThatWill Ruin Relationships and Repeat Business
Forgetting Your Manners This might sound basic, but you’d be shocked by how often politeness gets overlooked.The most important phrases a customer service rep can learn are “thank you” and “I’m sorry.” Practicing good manners goes a long way in building trust and ensuring customers feel cared for.
According to entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John, “Customer service is more important than anything else in your business.” Without high-level customer service, you can kiss repeat business goodbye. Here are some of the most common customer service killers and advice on how to avoid them. Poor Listening Skills There is nothing more frustrating for a customer than feeling like they’re talking to a brick wall. Having a system for customer complaints and feedback isn’t a bad idea, but being inflexible is. Remember that you’re talking to a person.The more closely you listen, the better you’ll be able to address their concerns. Rob Pace, CEO of feedback software company HundredX, says, “The ultimate goal is for the customer to feel they are heard.” Only Being Reactive Customer service doesn’t just happen on the back end.Working to create a great experience on the front end will impress customers and cut down on those after-purchase calls.To quote Jeff Bezos,“The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you.” Focus on customer service every step of the way rather than only using it as damage control, and you’ll start getting those five-star reviews.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition If you have a customer on the phone, you should never make them tell you the same thing twice. Information should be recorded and easy to hand off in the event of an escalation.You can bet that the third time you ask for a customer’s email, they’ll respond with a mountain of irritation.
Professional Liability Insurance Group • www.ProtectUsBetter.com 6
Published byThe Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs