Declaration of Independents: Jennifer Munro

Jennifer Munro

Commercial and Benefits Department Manager
Taggart Insurance
Boulder, Colorado

Whether she’s teaching an InVEST^® insurance course at Boulder High School, securing coverage for Taggart clients or volunteering for her children’s school, Jennifer Munro is an education powerhouse.

After starting in Taggart’s small business unit more than 12 years ago, Munro advanced first as a trainer, then as a supervisor and finally as commercial department manager in 2009. She also took on the benefits department in 2013.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW AGENTS?

Nobody ever says, “I want to be an insurance agent when I grow up.” And that’s largely because so many of us don’t understand its importance. It took me years to truly understand the value of the insurance industry. Be proud of what you do. Embrace the professional you are and the service you’re providing to your community.

Everything boils down to education. If more young people really understood insurance, they would be more interested in insurance careers.

MOTIVATION?

On a personal level, what motivates me is being a single mom. Being a role model for my children is the most important thing. Carrying it over to my professional life, being a manager and being a young woman is what motivates me. I get a lot of positive feedback from my team that keeps me going.

PERPETUATION?

We’ve all heard the horrible statistics about the impending industry crisis with so many people retiring. For our industry right now, InVEST® is so crucial in getting young people involved in insurance. It has a big presence on the East Coast, but not in Colorado, and I want to help change that. I have been working as an InVEST state champion to generate interest and get more people involved. A big part of InVEST is to shake that stodgy, boring, old-man industry persona. It’s interesting, and working with kids is fun.

GETTING INVOLVED?

The best way to learn is to get involved in your agency! One of the first projects I worked on was going paperless. Just by volunteering for this one project, I was given more opportunities to learn about the capabilities of our agency management system and attend user group meetings. I identified a need to provide written workflows in order to implement consistent procedures, so I basically volunteered and pushed it through. I drafted all our written workflows and went through a couple migrations with the agency management system.

I’ve trained people in various roles over the years, and everyone is always so grateful to have those written workflows and consistent procedures to establish reference sources and help clarify expectations. Now, as the Rocky Mountain NetVU Chapter president, I work with other agency leaders to educate our peers about the importance of maximizing utilization of your agency management system to increase efficiency and profitability.

FAVORITE JOB MOMENTS?

In our industry, too often people forget that insurance is really a great product. It’s usually there when you need it. I have the opportunity to educate our clients about the benefits of insurance. When they totally don’t get insurance, I can help them understand what the product they’ve purchased is actually providing to them. It’s peace of mind. I have had so many conversations with clients who are concerned about an exposure, and I say, “Yeah, you’ve got that covered. Don’t worry about it. Let me know if you want to file a claim.” That’s gratifying to me.