March 2024

We appreciate the EFM&A team every day of the year...however...in the month of March, we SUPER, DUPER, EXTRA appreciate you! Every Monday in the month of March - we'll be showing our appreciation for you with a little fun! See below:

The new apparel site is ready to go. You can visit the site here or access it from Teams. The fan-favorite items are still available, as well as, pullover sweaters, hats and different color options. Just to remind you, the Agency pays for 25% of all apparel orders. Use code efma25 to apply it to your order. The turnaround time for orders is approximately two weeks! Happy shopping. 

If anyone is experiencing an issue with Hover Buzz, please take note of the time/day of the issue and grab a screenshot if possible. Send the information to Sam Meyer so she can coordinate a solution with MVP. 

We are looking for qualified candidates to join our Commercial Lines team!

If you know of someone that is interested, please direct them to our careers page on our website to apply. 

Friendly reminder that the Hospice Bouquet orders will be delivered on Tuesday, March 12^th. If you have any questions, please see Sam!

EFM&A will be having our next Team Builder event at the Clarence Bowling Academy on March 6th, 2024, from 3-5 pm.

Please CLICK HERE to RSVP if you haven't done so already!

Clarence Bowling Academy is located at:

10718 Main Street

Clarence, NY 14031

We are excited to introduce our newest technology, Canopy Connect!

What is Canopy Connect?

Canopy Connect helps insurance agents collect verified insurance information quickly and securely. Canopy provides prospects with an easy link to import insurance information directly from their current insurance carrier. This is the fastest way to collect insurance information view coverages, premiums, limits, deductibles, and declaration pages.

How are the documents and information received into Canopy Connect?

Each BDA team member has a dedicated link. This link is sent to the prospect through email or text. The link is also in a QR Code that can be scanned.

What is the process if someone in the agency wants to use it for a prospect but doesn’t have a login?

Depending on the prospect's needs, email the BDA team, either commercial or personal, and request a link be sent out. Remember to include the prospect’s name, email and/or phone number- and let the BDA team know which method the client prefers, either email or text. Let the prospect know that an email or text from someone on our Business Development team will be coming.

What happens when the prospect receives the link?

· Similar to Venmo, Canopy is a liaison between the prospect and their current insurance carrier. They will be asked to log into their online account, and the information will be sent back to us.

·      The prospect does not have to call their agent, look in junk mail piles, or call the carrier for declaration pages directly. All major carriers, including the NYSIF and E&S carriers, are associated with Canopy Connect.

What if a prospect needs an online account with their carrier or know their login credentials?

The link we send to the prospect will allow them to click either “Forgot Password” or “Create Account.” Once logged in, the documents will be sent back to us.

How should Canopy Connect be presented to a Prospect?

·      We want to ensure we are not sacrificing 5-Star service to make it easier. If a prospect seems reluctant to create an account or would rather get their documents from their broker, that is perfectly ok. This is an added benefit to working with our agency for their convenience. Examples include:

o  Text Message: Hi <name>, Steve here from EFM&A, excited to get your quote started! You can send me your current policies using <the Canopy Connect link>. Thanks, Steve

o  On a Call: I am going to send over a link via text for you to send me your insurance information. It will take you less than a minute to give me all the information I need to start a quote.

o  Email: I am going to send over a link via email for you to send me your insurance information. It will take you less than a minute to give me all the information I need to start a quote.

*As a rule, this technology is used to obtain the declaration pages; it in no way replaces completing and attaching our agencies’ factfinders.

Here is how the information is reported back to us. The links below can be opened, saved, and attached in AMS.

Canopy connect engages the prospect in the process right off the bat with a positive experience giving our agency a competitive advantage to collaborating with us.

Reach out to a BDA team member for more information.

Please bring in any Dash’s receipt, no matter how large or small, and leave it on Sam Meyer’s desk. These receipts get turned in, and after $10k is added up, $250 is donated to St. Peters Episcopal on Long Meadow to help refugees in our area. 

“I really enjoyed working with Kyle Tyrpak, he was very good at handling the application process and his responsiveness and professionalism was great! 

From: David Kinyon – Niagara County Historical Society 

"Nobody cares about what you know Until they know you care."

Theodore Roosevelt

We are in a business that requires a lot of education and training.

We endeavor to know every insurance company's Proprietary Endorsements, eligibility guidelines, etc.

While it is impossible, the good news is there are internal and external resources to find all of this out.

Theo’s quote above reminds us that in order to do our best job, it is also incumbent upon us to know our client.

For our Personal Lines clients, we need to know our interests, their family structure, their retirement, goals, etc.

For Commercial Lines, we need to understand the specific industry needs of the business owners we insure. Reviewing social media and websites can help us.

The Independent Insurance Agents Association also has many resources to research industry-specific coverage needs. If you do not have a login, please ask your TL.

The best way to get to know our clients is to ask questions. That allows us to understand better about what is most important to them and how we can help them protect that. While it may feel invasive at times, in the end, most clients will understand you're asking because you care. Remember, we are the insurance and wealth management experts they are relying on. 

The only way to SERVE and NOT PLEASE is to tell them what they need to do after we know them. How can we guide them without knowing more about them? 

As President Roosevelt stated, nobody cares about what you know until they know you care!

Know your clients and be bold when informing them what they need to do to protect what is most important to them. (document either way!)

Joe