I always say that I love the insurance industry because it’s a mirror to the rest of the world. Whatever is happening in government, business, the economy, is simultaneously happening in insurance.
Well then, when insurance has fun, the world must have fun too.
It was nothing but #fun at RIMS RISKWORLD this week, hence the shot above of Lisa Wardlaw and me. Checkout our 23-second, 360º video for the full effect. I’d say we were the only ones embarrassing ourselves, but it’s simply not true. (See, insurance IS fun!)
In addition to the laughs, I learned a thing or two:
1. Parasocial relationships are real. My first insurance conference was met with more hugs than handshakes and warm vibes from so many. Why? Because we feel like we know each other. “How are your twins feeling?” “How did you solve that problem?”
How do I know that about you? I follow you on LinkedIn! Creating consistent content carries so much more value than a few likes and comments.
2. Everyone is a connector. I
underestimated how important comradery across the industry is. I had a few risk managers (not marketing folks!) reach out to schedule an in-person meeting at RIMS. These meetings unexpectedly proved awesome for two reasons:
- Getting to know other risk and insurance nerds 🤓 normalizes geeking out over parametric insurance and OSHA regulations
- Everyone is a connector; each are a gateway to more connections today and down the road
3. Siloed business units provide hidden opportunity. Large businesses often have multiple, siloed divisions and some orgs are totally decentralized. Don’t overlook this opportunity! I made a point to connect with additional units at existing customers. The potential is endless…
4. Staying in touch never dead ends. I met up with a former client after his educational session. His new marketing team told me
they saw him embrace me and wondered who I was. I hope to meet them for coffee later this month!
5. Customer service lessons on the fly. One of my clients told me an unrelated story at the convention that I plan to use it in my session on customer service at an upcoming entrepreneurs conference:The business had a teammate they were ready to promote. Only, he never answered his phone. He always waited for the caller to leave a message and he'd get back to them later. The management team told him straight up: We want to promote you. But you’ve got to answer your phone every time it rings — that’s what customers in a crisis need. He started answering his phone and the rest is history. Small and
obvious to some, but a world of difference when it comes to serving customers.
As we all know, insurance is a relationships business. Thank you to all who made my first RIMS a success.
Congrats to RiskTech consultant Pat O’Neill and Redhand Advisors for publishing the 2023 RMIS Report and dragging me to Atlanta!
Looking forward to seeing you all again in San Diego for RIMS2024! 🌴
All the best,
Mindi 😊
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