Big ‘I’ Chairman: National by the Numbers

In the insurance industry, numbers are important—those that calculate your clients’ risk, and those that let you know you’re doing something right.

This morning during the General Session Breakfast at the Big “I” Legislative Conference, Spencer Houldin, Big “I” chairman, addressed where the association stands.

“When you look at the history of the Big ‘I’ and all that’s been accomplished in over 121 years, it’s amazing,” Houldin said. “This industry wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for our great association.”

“But we can’t rest on our laurels,” Houldin pointed out. “If we look at why people belong to a trade organization, it’s very different today than it was 20 years ago. Twenty years ago they joined for information. Today, they want a value proposition.”

Here are some of the most noteworthy numbers that prove your association is working hard for you behind the scenes:

458: number of InVEST® classrooms across the country—nearly double the number of those in 2013. “We always talk about perpetuation being a problem within the industry, and InVEST is working to solve that,” Houldin said. “We’re servicing 30,000 InVEST students. It’s a great effort in the industry.”

$2,131,590: the record total raised by InsurPac, the Big “I” political action committee (PAC), during the last election cycle—marking an increase of more than $100,000 from the previous election cycle. For the November election, InsurPac supported 280 federal campaigns, and 266 of them won for a 95% victory rate.

“Without InsurPac, we couldn’t succeed,” Houldin said, adding that InsurPac is the most influential property-casualty PAC in the country.

42: number of approved Trusted Choice® matching grants across 37 states, totaling $3.34 million in funding and promotion.

“One of the things Trusted Choice has done that I’m most proud of is a series called The Power of 30 Seconds®,” Houldin said. “We’re lousy at answering our phones at our agencies, and The Power of 30 Seconds is a series meant for everybody in the agency to learn how to make that first impression awesome.”

500,000: approximate number of visits to TrustedChoice.com this March alone. “Hits this year are through the roof,” Houldin gushed. “What’s most incredible is that these visits are from people that are just looking for something insurance-related, and through the power of SEO, we were able to suck them into TrustedChoice.com.” The result? More than 12,000 referrals.

80: approximate number of first-time attendees at the 2017 Agents Council for Technology Meeting in March. Attendance for ACT Meetings more than doubled at this year’s event.

Houldin closed urging members to avoid complacency: “We need to look beyond today toward tomorrow. We need to look at our future to ensure that we have one.”

Jordan Reabold is IA assistant editor.