* Markets Approach Milestone Levels
Stock and bond markets flirted with milestones on Monday, as the outlook for economic growth brightened following a string of reports showing signs of a pickup in the labor market, service sector and housing.

* Clash of Old, New Economy
The old economy and the new economy are squaring off in Wilmington, N.C., which is having second thoughts about revisiting its roots in heavy industry.

* Some Jobless Benefits Run Out
Tens of thousands of jobless Americans could lose unemployment benefits after Congress failed to enact a short-term extension, with Democratic and Republican lawmakers exchanging blame.

* Inflation Fears Cut Two Ways
At the Federal Reserve, a debate is intensifying among officials over the likely course of inflation, as the central bank plots an exit from an unprecedented experiment in easy money.

* Failures in Germany Slow Rebound
Concern is growing that Germany’s manufacturing rebound is too weak and too late to save many of the midsize companies that form the backbone of its industrial base, a factor that could slow economic recovery in Germany and the euro zone.

* Parents’ Struggles Hit Adult Kids
Pay cuts, layoffs and shrunken stock portfolios mean many parents can no longer pay for college, down payments and extra cash for adult children.

* Consumers Not Likely to Feel Commodity Cost Bite
Prices are going up for commodities such as iron ore and coal, which means higher production costs, but little if any of this will filter through to consumers buying things such as cars and dishwashers.

* U.S. to Delay Currency Report on China
The U.S. will delay a report to Congress on China’s currency policy, but Geithner said the Asian giant is relying on “currency intervention” and must move to a “more market-oriented exchange rate.”

* Central Bank Reassures Seoul
The South Korean government and central bank vowed to closely cooperate in economic and monetary policies, reaffirming a widely held view that the country’s policy interest rate will be kept lower for now.

* Job Market Picks Up, but Slowly
U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March, the largest gain since 2007. But nearly one-third came from temporary hiring for the Census. The unemployment rate was steady at 9.7%.

• Traders Beat Street CEOs in Pay
  Many Wall Street CEOs took a big pay cut for 2009. But their real value may have been in deflecting attention from their troops?who enjoyed the largest payday on record.
• Toyota Faces $16.4 Million U.S. Fine
  U.S. regulators plan to fine Toyota $16.4 million for allegedly hiding gas-pedal problems from safety regulators. It would be by far the largest civil penalty ever imposed against an auto maker.
• Apartment Rents Rise as Sector Stabilizes
  Apartment rents rose during the first quarter, ending five straight quarters of declines and signaling the worst may be over for the hard-hit sector.
• Touch of Film Noir in Fujitsu Drama
  When Japanese executives are forced out of their companies, they usually go quietly. Kuniaki Nozoe has stunned Japan by challenging his ouster as president of Fujitsu.
• Bribe Case Focuses On Alcoa Negotiator
  U.S. and U.K. prosecutors are investigating a prominent Canadian businessman for criminal money laundering and bribery as part of a two-year investigation centering on Alcoa.
• Maguire Properties Gets Offer by Founder
  The founder of Maguire Properties is offering to take over three of the company’s office buildings, saying he is concerned they could wind up in default.
• Early iPad Sales Fall Short of Hopes
  Apple said it sold more than 300,000 iPads in the U.S. on the first day the device went on sale, tempering Wall Street’s highflying expectations for the much-hyped multimedia tablet computer.
• Microsoft to Unveil ‘Pink’ Mobile Phones
  Microsoft plans to introduce a new line of mobile phones whose social-networking capabilities are targeted at young consumers.
• U.S. Cities to Woo Chinese Investment
  Chinese companies’ go-slow approach and a long-standing preference for investing in Asia may leave local U.S. governments disappointed.
• Fannie, Freddie Touch Off Swaps Scrap
  The regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plans to have the mortgage-finance giants use a clearinghouse for interest-rate swaps trade by year’s end. Wall Street banks and exchanges are scrambling.

• Rhode Island awash in flood dangers
  WEST WARWICK, R.I. – The sun is out. The water is falling. Traffic is starting to flow again. While things appear to be looking up in Rhode Island, the state hit hardest this week by three days of rain and record flooding, health and …

• Forecasters improve tracking hurricane paths but not strengths
  ORLANDO, Fla. — Forecasters improved their accuracy during last year’s Atlantic hurricane season, setting accuracy records for their one-, two- and three-day forecasts of a storm’s location. Last year, the average error for a three-day forecast was about 125 miles, not perfect by any means, but that’s half of …

• Property catastrophe reinsurance rates decline
  Reinsurance rates for April 1 renewals declined across most property catastrophe lines of business, intermediary Guy Carpenter & Co. L.L.C. said in a Thursday briefing. In a separate renewals report Thursday, Chicago-based Aon Benfield Inc. said reinsurance capacity continues to exceed demand despite first-quarter catastrophe losses from the earthquake in Chile, …

• Put property insurance in Florida on firm ground: Opinion
  Property insurance in Florida, as Rep. Bill Proctor of St. Augustine says, is a house of cards. One major storm would blow it all away and with it the state’s economic future. Legislation sponsored by Proctor would begin to establish a market-based foundation for the state’s property insurance. …

• Insurers’ Top 2 Priorities: Customer Service & Operational Efficiency
  Insurers operating in the global marketplace share two challenges in common that are tied to data integration: the need to improve customer service and create operational efficiencies that will provide long-term returns. Such are the results of a global insurance industry survey, commissioned by Sterling Commerce, conducted by research company …

• Court-Side Lessons: Agency Management Tips Before Tonight’s Tip Off
  Insurance agents might want to take notes during tonight’s NCAA championship game between Butler and Duke. While NCAA men’s basketball tournament referee and insurance agent Gary Maxwell won’t …

• Florida’s Federated National Gets $10 Million in Capital; Rating Affirmed
  Florida’s 21st Century Holding Co. announced that its subsidiary Federated National Insurance Co. (FNIC) has received a capital infusion of $10 million. The transaction follows the previously …

• U.S. Fines Toyota $16 Million for Lax Notification of ‘Sticky Pedal’ Defect
  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking the maximum civil penalty of $16.375 million against Toyota Motor Corp. for failing to notify the auto safety agency of the …

• Explosion Levels House in New Jersey
  Authorities say two people were injured when an explosion leveled a house in South Amboy, New Jersey. Fire Chief Larry Martin Jr. said the victims were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University …

• Ratings Roundup: ASSA, Eurasia, Sung Hung Kai Properties
  A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a” of Panama City-based ASSA Compania de Seguros, S.A., both with stable outlooks. The …

• ISU Announces National Director of Program Development
  ISU International headquartered in San Francisco has appointed Jerry Nisker as director of program development for the ISU Network. A 40-year insurance agency owner veteran, Nisker built his …

• Oregon’s Clackamas Insurance Acquires Premier Insurance
  Clackamas Insurance, which has offices in Clackamas and Sandy, Ore., has purchased Premier Insurance. According to W. Mike Moll, Clackamas president, all but one of Premier’s employees, and all …

• Schools Group Tops $1.5M Texas Mutual Dividend Mark
  Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $312,893 dividend to the Texas Schools Group (TSG). The workers’ compensation purchasing group dividend was based largely on TSG’s loss ratio. TSG has …

• Easton Named Compliance Officer at Integro in New York
  New York-based insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro has hired Robert H. Easton as deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer Easton who will join Integro on April 19, most …

• 200-Plus Construction Workers Denied Fair Wages by Drywall Co.
  Calif. Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that his office has secured back pay for more than 200 workers who were “routinely denied” fair wages and overtime pay by Charles Evleth …

How does Beacon compare to other telemarketing firms?
To start, we are exclusive to the insurance industry – we only work with commercial insurance agents, brokers, and carriers. Beacon does everything other firms do (generate x-dates and appointments), but takes it to the next level. We want to emulate what an insurance agency would do if they were running an in-house operation. Developing x-dates and appointments is the foundation for a marketing program, but it’s the constant follow up work and how the data is actually managed that determines if the program will be a success. The main difference with Beacon is how we are paid – our clients don’t have to pay in advance, by the hour, or by results. What good is it to pay by the hour or by the result if the product is never delivered? Our clients have complete control over the pace of their programs – they can increase the production or stop at anytime. If we don’t perform, you stop paying, it’s that simple.

Where does Beacon get their data (x-dates)?
Suspect lists are included with the price of the programs and generated from the top list vendors in the country. Clients can also provide the raw suspect lists for their programs if they think the information will be from a better source. Beacon develops each x-date and appointment from scratch on behalf of the client. Our callers will contact each business to generate a new x-date so the prospect will be familiar with the agency in the future when calls are made for appointments. Unlike other firms in the industry, Beacon does not work with a master database of x-dates. Some clients have a database of x-dates that have been generated internally or from other firms – Beacon can take on those lists to call strictly for appointments. Beacon can also help take on lists that might be outdated and will ‘clean up’ the information to get new x-dates with updated renewal dates and contact information.

Where are the calls made?
Beacon houses all of their marketing reps in-house and does not outsource any of the calls to off-shore call centers to lower the cost of doing business. Clients can contact their dedicated marketing reps anytime in our office. Getting to know your marketing rep personally is a huge asset – it’s just like being able to walk down the hall in your own office to communicate with the person making calls for you.

Are clients locked into a contract and is there a refund policy?
Since Beacon clients don’t have to pay in advance, they aren’t locked into a contract and will never be in a position to where they have to ask for a refund. Clients have the ability to stop at anytime, as long as they give 30 days notice to quit. Our goal is to partner with a select group of insurance agencies that are looking for a long-term relationship. With our exclusive billing model, we have to continue to earn our keep month in and month out.

How is the data managed and how are the leads and appointments delivered?
As we develop the leads and appointments, they will be emailed directly to the client on a daily basis. In addition to the emails, Beacon clients can access their data 24/7 through our Lighthouse system. All data is stored on our secure servers and different levels of access can be granted. If Beacon is doing seperate programs for different producers within an agency, the agency owner/manager can log in to view all of the projects and the status of each project individually. When the producers log in, they will only see the data that applies to their specific project. This is a great tool for managing marketing programs for multiple producers – regardless if they are in the same office or different branch/location of the agency. Upon request, we can send exports of the data in Excel/.csv formats at anytime. This will allow clients to upload the data into their agency management systems for future marketing/sales.

• List of suspects based on your criteria (ability to add/change suspects as needed)
• Program analysis to outline your needs/goals. During this process we will determine if our services will yield a positive return on your investment based on the size/class of business you want to target.
• Database of pre-qualified Leads/X-Dates
• Follow up letters and/or emails to your database of Leads/X-Dates to keep your name in front of the prospects throughout the year
• Appointments with interested prospects
• Confirmation/Reminder emails to every Appointment with your contact information the day they are set – and an option for Beacon to do your confirmation calls prior to every Appointment
• Dedicated marketing representative (just like you would have in-house)
• Weekly conference call meetings with your dedicated marketing representative to discuss the current results of the program and anything new going on in your industry that will help our efforts
• On-line access 24/7 to your data, calendar, & reports

With Beacon, you won’t have to commit to a large up-front investment, just to be left with hope that the gamble will yield a positive return. Our industry needs a new face and we want to be on the forefront of changing the way agents invest in new business prospecting. Let us ‘earn’ our keep and your business as we work through a campaign together.

Contact a Beacon associate today to discuss how our model compares to your current marketing efforts. Whether you are using a service or running an in-house operation, we are confident that our model will deliver a more cost effective solution for your agency. Call us today at (866) 580-4264(4BMG) or send an email to sales@beaconmarketing.net This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will help point you in the right direction. ]]> http://www.beaconmarketing.net/blog/?feed=rss2&p=40 0