InsuraTech - Strategies for online insurance sales, quoting, application submission.

Linkedin, AFSA Webinar, AMBest Conference

2008-09-05T08:30:00.004-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesOne of my favorite conferences of the year, A.M. Best's E-Fusion conference, is coming up in Philadelphia in October. If you are interested in insurance e-commerce/e-business, looking to network, share, and learn new stuff, this is the place to be. No kidding, this is the conference in the insurance biz where I get a raft of new ideas. Check it

Vlog #1 - Ground-breaking Site Architecture??

2008-08-29T14:17:00.007-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesJudge for yourself, but based on everything I've seen around the industry, FTJ looks like ground-breaking site architecture. Interested in comments....Copyright © 2008 Mike WiseAll rights reserved.

What's killing our health insurance system

2008-08-08T14:40:00.008-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesShort-term thinking - IMHO.Quick story.... Was working on a potential opportunity to develop a cutting edge new broker portal for an individual medical carrier (sorry no names - but trust me - true story). So I get an email last week saying, "ABC (and most other major carriers) reduced its '08 earnings forecast and thus, began cutting costs. ....

2008 PIMA Summer Conference - very very good

2008-07-26T05:49:00.012-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe 2008 PIMA Summer Conference kicked off with a bang. Played golf at the Newport C.C. Not only that, but the weather was perfect, my son came along to take pictures and be a spotter, my host was magnificent, my partner bought me and Zach a new pair of golf shoes and NCC hats for the family, and to top it all off, I played the best I have in

What are the essential elements of a Web presence?

2008-07-09T13:01:00.006-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThings seem to have changed a lot in the past three years. I'm curious as to what people feel are the essential ingredients of a comprehensive Web presence for a marketing company, especially insurance, given the state of the Web today?IMO, the presence need to accomplish the following critically important functions. (I got these from Bill Tyson

Some interesting stats re the Web and social networking….

2008-06-30T14:49:00.005-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesSocial networks - Possibly the next frontier of affinity and association marketing… Some interesting stats:MySpace – 1 billion visits/month (did not even exist 5 years ago)Facebook – Traffic ranking among all websites increased from 60th to 7th from 09/06 to 09/07 (source: Alexa)Linkedin – 700% growth in

Opening the door to outsourcing Web development

2008-06-17T14:09:00.004-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesBest of times, worst of times... Dickens?So I got two calls out of the blue this week from major insurance carriers known for doing things in-house. They both said that senior management is changing their tune and now opening the door to outsourcing Web development. Hallelujah! Needless to say, the business unit folks are ecstatic, if you can say

Major Launch - Ground-breaking?

2008-06-06T14:45:00.005-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesPostlude to the Social Networks series: Interesting article on Corporate Blogging and how it can lead to NEW BUSINESS! I'll go further than that. I got a call this week from a major player in a major insurance category who found me via a Google search on 'online insurance quoting'. I came up in third place on his natural results. I was happy to

Social Networks and Insurance - Part 4

2008-05-30T06:33:00.007-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesBut first... Why are Friday's SO much better than Monday's?!?! ...Been a while since I posted. Been working on the underpinnings of this Blog. Switched from blogspot to WordPress, hosted on my insurance technologies site. From a visitor standpoint, everything is the same. But now I have a little more control of site technology and content

Social Networks and Insurance - Part 3

2008-05-08T09:27:00.005-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesPart Three: Private Networks –Please comment on any of this.Embedded – customizable, plug-and-play utilitiesSome possible sources of SN software to plug into your site...http://www.smallworldlabs.com/blog/calling-all-competitorshttp://www.alstrasoft.com/efriends.htmhttp://www.onesite.com/http://www.kickapps.com/Lots of others...some

Social Networks and Insurance - Part 2

2008-04-18T08:37:00.004-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesWe are in the middle of a conversation on Social Networks and insurance marketing. Again, I could be all crossed up, but from an affinity marketing point of view, Social Networks seem to show promise as insurance direct mail response rates decline and keyword inflation enters stage-left on the search engine marketing scene.Last week - Part One:

Social Networks and Insurance

2008-04-11T14:55:00.007-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesOver the next couple weeks, let's consider Social Networks and insurance marketing. I could be way out in left field, but from an affinity marketing point of view, as I've said in the past, I think Social Networks show promise as insurance direct mail response rates decline. There's a lot to cover, so I'm going to break it up into a few parts.Part

Service Oriented Architecture

2008-03-17T15:02:00.006-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesService Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a very cool thing. What is it? As with most innovations, it's a way of looking at an old concept in a new way. What first was known as a "Web Portal", now becoming known as a "Mash Up", is SOA personified. A 'service' is a way to get information into the hands of the user. So if you are using Google Maps

Terrific article about Agent Portals

2008-03-07T07:40:00.003-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesTerrific article about Agent Portals in Insurance Marketing magazineTitled "Improving Your Agents' Online Experience", the article makes some key points. (Wish I could link to it, but the magazine doesn't have a Web site - doh!)."Independent agents, especially, view online capabilities as a key factor in deciding who to work with. Often the

Insuratech Episode #21 - PIMA 2008 Annual Meeting - Jim Gallagher, SVP AIA and Social Networks

2008-02-19T11:00:00.007-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesAt the 2008 PIMA Annual Meeting in Cancun, I also had the chance to connect with Jim Gallagher. Jim is one of the top guys with AIA, an Agency in Columbus (last year we heard from Jeff Roedel from the same Agency at the 07 Annual Meeting) focused on the Alumni insurance affinity market. I find Jim's comments interesting in that Alumni Associations

Insuratech Episode #20 - PIMA 2008 Annual Meeting - Chris Burke, President AMA Insurance Agency and the New Consumer

2008-02-15T09:15:00.013-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe 2008 PIMA Annual Meeting was outstanding. At the meeting, in the blur of activity, I found the time to do a podcast with Chris Burke. To give you a little background, Chris runs AMA Insurance Agency, the insurance brokerage for the AMA, American Medical Association. As a tech savvy guy, Chris stepped into a great opportunity a couple years

Awesome Preso at the Medicare Advantage Conference

2008-01-31T15:37:00.001-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies(Next week I'm at ICMG and then directly to PIMA. I'll try to post some sound bites and pics.)Last week at the Medicare Congress, I saw the best presentation I've seen in many years. Sherman Rogers with Fine Light gave an incredibly insightful look at the boomer market and what they are going to expect from insurance company and agency Web sites.

Social Networks; Geo-targeting

2008-01-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesCall me crazy, but I'm starting to get the power of Social Networks. I've been watching my kids use MySpace and now Facebook for the last year or so - posting pictures, poking friends, coordinating events, staying in touch with friends that have moved, even making posts from the car when we were on trips! Very cool.Then over the holidays, an old

Medicare Congress; Important Article; PIMA & ICMG

2008-01-11T13:19:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThis week I was referred to a well-attended conference on Medicare trends, etc. Medicare Congress sounds like a great event to network with Medicare Insurance marketing folks. Looking forward to it.Lindsay Resnick sent me an article this morning that I think hits on some things that have been building in the industry for that last several years,

Disposable Web Sites

2008-01-04T14:35:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesHAPPY NEW YEAR!!!Question: What kinds of things come to mind when you think of a disposable camera?Most people have said things like... "You can throw it away.... cheap.... easy to use.... gets the job done." Precisely.So how does that relate to an insurance Web site? Think about it: In the insurance marketing space, many insurance products come

Medicare Part D News, PIMA MarkeTTech 2008, IdeaStar in the Media

2007-12-13T15:55:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesCurious thing came across my screen today..."Effective immediately, CMS will not allow an agent to earn a commission if the application for Medicare Part D is submitted on an electronic application."WOW! This would be big news, and in my book, seemingly incomprehensible. I'm trying to corroborate this information before I launch into a rant. I've

Call for Prayer

2007-12-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesOriginal interview with Joan...Times like these are the hardest times of all. Last Fall I did a podcast with a fellow PIMA member (see above). Please remember Joan in your prayers. Joan's daughter was involved in a tragic accident in South America while on assignment with The Peace Corps. Not sure of the details...Joan, my heart goes out to you.

Insuratech Episode #19 - 2007 PIMA MarkeTTech Reflections

2007-11-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe 2007 PIMA MarkeTTech conference seemed to be a big hit, if I may say so. I've updated my photo-site on SmugMug with selected pictures from the conference. Following are a few... Out to dinner at Cafe Spiaggia Jon Kaplan, Karen Roy, Rick

2007 E-Fusion Award Recipient; 2007 PIMA MarkeTTech

2007-11-09T11:21:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies2007 AM Best E-Fusion Award Recipient Click on the link to watch the Award announcement. I won't spoil your surprise if you haven't already heard. But I will say the winner did a heck of a job on their site - very impressive. Yes, as usual, I was a little late for the call... :-)So I'm off to the 2007 PIMA MarkeTTech Symposium. The good news is

Web 2.0, Agent Forums and Usability

2007-10-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies2007 AM Best E-Fusion Award Judging It's been fun. It's been a learning experience. Paul and Lee have once again been masterful facilitators - this year all online. But I do miss the face to face interaction. I hope we can return to an in-person event next year. I'll be interested to read and hear Paul and Lee's 2007 postmortem. How many

Podcast and New Media Expo - WOW!

2007-10-17T08:16:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies(Click here to see a few pictures I posted from event.)OMG! I wish EVERYONE I do business with could have been at this event - yes, it was THAT good. I have a suspicion that, over the next several months, I'll be referencing items I learned, witnessed, and thought of, during and since.A few thoughts:Several great tips on podcast interviews.

Med Supp/Medicare Part D Conference

2007-10-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesQuick post in the midst of the Blur...Heading to Dallas for the 2nd Annual Issues & Trends in Medicare Supplement Insurance Conference at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Topics: Med Supp Issues and Trends, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D.If you remember last year, I attended this same conference in New Orleans, post-Katrina. I even got to eat dinner

Insuratech Episode #18 - Interview with Susan Hussar, Hartford Life on the Future of the Web in Affinity Insurance Marketing

2007-09-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesSusan Hussar, Hartford Life, recently visited IdeaStar and had some compelling insights to share about the future of Web Marketing. I especially appreciate the connections she makes with her recent trip to South America. Susan and her husband went to visit a few exchange students they hosted a few years ago. It’s interesting to hear her thoughts on

Podcast and New Media Expo this weekend

2007-09-25T15:16:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThis weekend I will be attending the 3rd Annual Podcast and New Media Expo in Ontario, CA. I know.. California. Hey, I've got to keep up with this emerging media, right!?! Btw, I'm getting approval on Episode 18 right now - it's a good one.Even though I am not a major player in the big scheme of things, I hope to pick up some good tips. I will

Judging A.M. Best's E-Fusion Awards

2007-09-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI spent some time last week judging entries for A.M. Best's E-Fusion Awards. For those who are not aware this award "is designed to highlight outstanding, resourceful use of technology as applied to business strategy in the insurance industry." We were finalists in 2003, 2004, and 2006! This year's entries are being judged online through webcasts.

Insurance and Technology in NYC... and Ground Zero

2007-09-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI was recently in NYC for a consulting project related to Japan's deregulation of utility companies who can now sell insurance and financial services. (Pretty big opportunity in Japan.) While I was there, I was also able to meet with a few insurance companies located in the NYC area. I am still amazed to hear that a few prominent life insurance

Insuratech Episode #16 - Interview with Joan O’Sullivan and Mark Poole, Marsh U.S. Consumer, live at the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference

2007-09-18T13:01:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesJoan O’Sullivan, Managing Director, and Mark Poole, SVP/Director of Marketing, both with Marsh U.S. Consumer, which operates through the Marsh subsidiary Seabury & Smith, Inc., graciously agreed to share their thoughts at the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference. It seems rare to get these two industry veterans in the same place at the same time with enough

Selling multiple insurance products is the key to retention...

2007-09-11T12:28:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesIn a meeting in NYC this morning, I heard an interesting stat that I thought I'd share. Joe Salesky, CEO of ClairMail said this: "Selling multiple products is the key to retention. If you only sell 1 product to a customer, that translates to a 15% retention; 3 products = 80-85% retention."Interesting to be here on 9/11 and a Tuesday. I'm going to

Quick story about Web site "worst practices" from Labor Day 2007...

2007-09-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesMy wife called me from her cell phone...out with my daughter shopping for a dress. "Find out when The Gap closes and call me back." No problem - I'll check The Gap Web site for the store hours. So I go to TheGap.com.First problem: 'Store Locator' is no where in sight. Time is short... running out of time. Ahhh... there it is in the footer.

A Few Comments on a Lot of Insurance News

2007-08-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesInteresting stuff this week....First, AIG Small Business® named IdeaStar client McGowan & Company, Inc. as its Community Associations Program Administrator. I view this as a pleasure/pain situation. On the pleasure side, very cool that McGowan has been selected. It's quite an honor for them to be working with AIG, one of the largest insurance

Insuratech Episode #17 - Interview with John Steber, Hartford Life, live at the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference

2007-08-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesJohn Steber is a significant asset to the affinity marketing profession with the Life and Health insurance vertical. With an interesting background in a couple other industries, John brings some fresh ideas to the marketplace. And the impacts of those ideas are starting to be seen. In listening to John, he has a clear grasp of the critical

Reflections on the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference

2007-08-07T08:10:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI left the 2007 PIMA Summer Conference completely satisfied and fulfilled, notable because that's unusual... for me anyway. There's almost always a wrinkle, regret, or worse yet, a travel-related issue. But this time, I guess it was my turn to have a great time, do some business, and leave on a positive note.... Following are some pictures that

IdeaStar Welcomes Two New Clients

2007-07-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesIdeaStar is BUSY! Busy I tell you!In addition to other projects, we have two new clients: group insurance administrator Forrest T. Jones & Company, Inc., and a pharmacy benefits management company serving the Medicare Part D market who wishes to remain anonymous.I'm excited about this project because Forrest T. Jones is a member of the Professional

PIMA Summer Conference, Ice Cream Manufacturing, Medicare Part D and More

2007-07-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI'm really looking for ward to the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) 2007 Summer Conference, July 26-29 at Stoweflake Resort, VT.I'll be presenting a case study of the wildly successful www.communitycarerx.com Web site, winner of the Best of PIMA Award. The site, designed and developed by IdeaStar, features the Medicare-approved

Insuratech Episode #15- Steve Snell on CMS Compliance and Carrier IT Web-marketing Challenges

2007-07-06T10:11:00.001-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesJune was absolutely a crazy month. But nonetheless, this podcast with Steve Snell from early June is important and insightful, and so while a little bit dated already, it's extremely relevant. Coming from the carrier perspective, and with a lot of experience both with internal IT issues and marketing demands, Steve is an excellent subject matter

New England, Cavs, Kick-offs - Too Much!

2007-06-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI know, I know. It's been three weeks! Yikes. So much has happened...(click on any of the pictures to see a larger image, then hit your Back button)First week of June was focused on a trip to see a client. Here's a clue as to where I was.Largest Tree in CTWhile I was there discussing cutting edge insurance technologies and their use for selling

Insights on Insurance Financing and Technology from John Kelly, Prudential

2007-05-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesLast week John Kelly, association sales manager, Prudential Insurance Company of America, stopped by IdeaStar. John was the co-chair of the 2007 Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) Annual Meeting.We had a great conversation about insurance financing and technology. John spoke about why health care costs so much and shared

Just In! Google's Jon Kaplan to Speak at 2007 MarkeTTech Symposium

2007-05-30T15:57:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI've got some hot news for you! As some of you already know, I'm one of the chairs for the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) 2007 MarkeTTech Symposium, November 11-13 in Chicago.This is the exciting part…. I've arranged for Jon Kaplan, Industry Director of Google’s Financial Services channel, to be the keynote speaker. In

I Won a Major Award!

2007-05-28T13:02:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesMy wife Diane and I were invited to the recent Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy end-of-the-year awards ceremony under the guise that one of our children (Zach or Kelle) would be receiving an award. Imagine my surprise when they announced the recipient of a special State Award - Mike Wise! I turned to my wife and said, "I think they said my name!"

A Little Bit of News....

2007-05-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesJust a few brief notes this week. I'll be speaking at the Second Annual Medicare Supplement Conference in Dallas Oct. 4 and 5. The subject will be Web-enabled agent management. My co-speaker is Steve Snell, who did an incredible job with WellCare's new Brokerage channel. IdeaStar Insurance Technologies worked together with Steve to develop an

The Last Serving of GUMBO - Cooking Up the Organization of the Future

2007-05-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesOur final serving of Gumbo-Cooking Up the Organization of the Future – a 3-Part podcast with author and industry consultant Mike Manes – will focus on the "Stock".The Stock is Communication. Applying it to this Blog, I see it relative to the new ways insurance executives need to communicate. It seems critically important to understand this concept

Our Discussion of GUMBO - Cooking Up the Organization of the Future Continues

2007-05-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesLast week our discussion was about the Roux. This week, it's all about the Holy Trinity: Bell Peppers, Onions, and Celery. (Yes this really is a recipe for business success.)But first, Mike shared thoughts on recent comments about e-commerce and the insurance industry made at a the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) board meeting

A Little Soup for the Insurance Soul

2007-05-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesHere it is as promised: The first of a 3-part series of podcasts with Mike Manes, author of GUMBO - Cooking Up the Organization of the Future. The book is tagged as “The ideal tool to create a shared understanding of tomorrow among leadership, management and staff.”It's a GREAT book! I recently read it straight-through on a flight from Cleveland to

May Podcast Mini-series - Gumbo

2007-04-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI'm preparing for a couple road trips right now, so time is a bit compressed. But I wanted to give a heads-up that I will be hosting a very interesting podcast mini-series in the month of May. I have a special guest speaker on tap that will be sharing insights about insurance companies and relevancy. I don't want to say much more than that, but

An E-business Blueprint for Success

2007-04-13T12:35:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI've been discussing something new to clients and prospective clients. It's an "E-business Blueprint for Success" - just a little (but perhaps very important) new consulting service I've been contemplating. It's the type of thing any company can do with any business model. But our "E-business Blueprint for Success" is tailored for the insurance

Planning for PIMA Conferences: Looking Forward to Fun and Learning

2007-04-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI'm really looking forward to the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) 2007 MarkeTTech Symposium this coming fall. Together with my fellow planning committee members, we're putting together a great list of speakers.Fred Hron, Director of Corporate Communications; Forrest T. JonesKathie Kinde, Manager of Marketing and Planning, AIA,

Insuratech Episode #9- Interview with Roy J. Pratt, Enterprise Architect, EDS

2007-03-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI recently had the good fortune to fly with Roy Pratt, Enterprise Architect, EDS, on a commercial flight from Cleveland to Dallas. We got to talking a bit and found that we had some things in common - technology, insurance, and even photography!Aerial photography - Roy found that he loved taking pictures and loved flying - a great combination, but

Add a Little Technology to the Revolution....

2007-03-08T14:28:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesInteresting article: "Agents Take Center Stage in Individual Medical Market" in the February 19, 2007 issue of National Underwriter Life and Health. The article was written by Laura Hohing, CLU and senior vice president of sales at Assurant Health, Milwaukee. We've never met, but she sounds like someone I'd definitely classify as an insurance

A Little Bit of Soccer News

2007-02-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesTimeout from insurance technologies. Something happened on a personal level that I just have to share. Read the press release here.Diane and I and Kelle are so proud of Zach.Here's the picture of Zach signing. In the back, l to r is the President of the current school, his current HS coach, and his future college coach. Very very cool! ;-)While

If not a sea of change, at least an evolution....

2007-02-23T14:01:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI chanced upon this article the other day in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A sketch-on-a-napkin startup, by Frank Benayou, outlines the success of insurance.com.The Cleveland-area-based company focuses on the online sales of automobile insurance. Company founder Dave Roush created a technology-driven auto-insurance agency, accessible through the

The Future is Now for Online Marketing

2007-02-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesAn associate sent me this marketing article the other day, Top 10 Online Marketing Predictions for 2007 by Ryan Buchanan. It highlights a lot about what I said earlier about Web 2.0.In the predictions, the writer mentions the importance of social media and forming niches, viral campaigns, user-generated content, refined e-mail strategies, becoming

Shedding a Little Light On ICMG

2007-02-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesIdeaStar's Major Award Leg Lamp Give-Away was a huge hit last week at the Inter-Company Marketing Group Annual Meeting in Florida. Jay Manifold Jr. (pictured below) of Woodman Insurance Agency in Omaha won the drawing. We'll be shipping him a 45" leg lamp. Hmmmm. Remind me next year to ask him what he did with it.We hit on the idea of giving away

Insuratech Episode #8- Interview with Todd Ruopp, Director of Sales, ARAG NA

2007-02-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesTodd Ruopp ((left)Todd Ruopp, Director of Sales for Wholesale Distribution, ARAG North AmericaListen in to one more excellent conversation about the situation with health and life carriers and e-signature. Todd has some very interesting comments....Insurance companies seem like the Rip Van Winkle of Financial Services.Reasons – wet signature

Insuratech Episode #7 - Interview with Jeff Roedel, AIA Marketing Guru

2007-02-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI caught up with Jeff Roedel, CMO, American Insurance Administrators at the PIMA Annual Meeting - no small task. When asked about health and life carriers and e-signature, Jeff had a unique perspective: Insurance companies are in a different space - detailed personal information is required to do business. We’re beginning to see solutions at the

Insuratech Episode #6 - Interview with Ed Miltenberger, GILSBAR Inc.

2007-01-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesEd and his wife Laurie (a favorite picture of mine)I caught up with Ed Miltenberger, Vice President and savvy veteran with GILSBAR. I asked about the Web and the insurance industry and received some interesting remarks.Disaster recovery talk: GILSBAR is located in the New Orleans metro area and successfully navigated the post-Katrina

Insuratech Episode #5 - Interview with Brian Mulconrey and John Harrison

2007-01-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesNow this is really interesting. I caught up with two veterans of the insurance direct marketing industry. Fortunately, John and Brian were in one place at one time.Brian Mulconrey, Scenario Strategist - Presented: Four Futures of Personal Information Management, and the impacts on direct marketers and all of us on how we manage our

What is this creature? A PIMA bird perhaps?

2007-01-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesWhile I was at the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) Annual Meeting last week in Florida, I caught this bird hanging around the golf course. At first I thought it was a swan, but it can't be. So if somebody could please let me know what it is, I would appreciate it.The conference was great. I talked some insurance, took a few

Insuratech Podcast #4: David Olsen, AMA Insurance - David and Goliath

2007-01-19T20:41:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesFollowing a talk about how smaller marketers can compete with the larger companies, David Olsen, Account Executive with AMA Insurance speaks about the David and Goliath opportunities in insurance marketing. David comments on the importance of setting up an account team to service all aspects of the business: claims, underwriting, etc.. Also, David

Insuratech Podcast #3: Shannon Warner, AIG - What’s at stake for the insurance companies?

2007-01-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesShannon, 2nd from rightWelcome to the first in a series of podcasts live from the 2007 PIMA Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, FL. Up first is a brief interview with Shannon Warner of AIG. I spoke with Shannon during a break after the opening keynote talk by Mike Manes of Square One Consulting, an engaging talk about the future called “Handrails for a

Insuratech Podcast #2: Steve Snell & Web Technology in Senior Insurance Marketing

2007-01-16T14:52:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesSteve Snell recently stopped by our offices - during a snow storm! Among others, Steve used to be with AMS in Wisconsin, working on the eAMS initiative. Some time ago, he moved over to WellCare in Tampa (smart man!) to run their newly formed brokerage unit. Last year at ICMG we got to talking, saw each other again at Jesse Slome's Med Supp Summit in

Insuratech Podcast #1: Homepage Redesign for Usability

2007-01-15T15:02:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesHey, btw, guess what??! This is my 100th post! Thanks to Mary Fisher, my behind-the-scenes partner in crime. Couldn't a dunnit widoutcha!What better way to celebrate 100 than to officially launch podcasting! Recorded live here at IdeaStar, Brent Williams, IdeaStar creative guru (and Richard Dreyfuss clone from his days in the 70's), talks about a

Some great conferences scheduled for 2007. I hope to see you there!

2007-01-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesFirst I want to show off my FAVORITE Christmas present. It's a DVD of The Office, a favorite TV show of mine. It ALMOST mimics IdeaStar, but not quite. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season.Now let's take a look toward the future. I'm starting the year off with two great conferences. First is The Professional Insurance Marketing

Holiday Festivities - Another "Major Award"

2006-12-18T13:24:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesWe had a little fun with the co-workers last weekend. We went downtown for dinner and then took the Trolley over to The Christmas Story Museum that just opened up here in Cleveland. Remember the flick? Ralphie desperate for a red-rider BB-gun for Christmas? Well, the story takes place in Cleveland and parts were filmed here at a house down in

Worst Practices Alert!

2006-12-07T12:08:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI recently reviewed a Medicare Part D sales Web site targeted toward senior citizens and their caregivers. Wow, does it need help! (Sorry, won't name names.... We don't want to embarrass anybody. But this is a real site by a big insurance company.)Although it looks attractive, just about every best practice mistake in the book is made. This

Fra-gi-le'! It must be Italian....

2006-11-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesAre you looking for a major award? IdeaStar will be raffling one off at the Inter-Company Marketing Group (ICMG) annual meeting, January 31 through February 2 in Bonita Springs, Florida.Yep! It is a replica of the famous leg lamp prominently displayed in Ralphie's living room window during the 1983 movie classic A Christmas Story (filmed in

Exciting New Web-enabled Processes: Small Group Major Medical and Agent Licensing

2006-11-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesWe've been busy at IdeaStar Insurance Technologies. In addition to our staples of online individual health quoting, e-signature applications, and agent portal, we've got a couple new products that are taking flight.Small group major medical quoting and enrollment process: We're just about ready to launch an innovative Web site for small group

Web 2.0 - Things are getting interesting...

2006-11-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesFirst a little side-note on LaBron James and the Cleveland Cavs. Last week I went to the home opener with my son. The "Q" was packed with playoff atmosphere. Great time! Especially since they won a close one. Click on the pictures for higher resolution...Really like this banner on the side of a building next to the "Q".Larry Hughes going down

Final Impressions from E-Fusion 2006

2006-10-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesWell, our client was not selected as the overall E-Fusion Award "Recipient" in the Customer Management category at the A.M. Best Insurance and Technology Conference in Boston. But we're still pretty proud that our entry, www.communitycarerx.com developed for MemberHealth Inc., was selected as a Finalist.The Medicare Part D enrollment and information

More E-Fusion notes: Podcasting and Enterprise Mobility

2006-10-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesOutstanding Top of the Hub networking last night.Familiar Boston nightsTake a wild guess on food items?!?!Old friends catching up...I know there is a lot going on, but lets start by taking a look at podcasting.Podcasting is just beginning to touch the insurance industry. It allows you to deliver the latest news in audio form directly from your

Real-time thoughts from E-Fusion

2006-10-23T10:38:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesUnfortunately, my flight from Cleveland to Boston was delayed, so I missed the Head of the Charles.Radcliffe Crew wrapping up at the Harvard BoathouseFairmont Copley Plaza is a beautiful placeConference Chair Lee McDonald, A.M. BestGot my mug on the screen talking about "Why EFusion???"Some interesting points...Web 2.0 - a recent term that seems

Orlando and Online Agent Licensing

2006-10-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI recently returned from the Securities and Insurance Licensing Association (SILA) 17th National Education Conference in Florida. It's mostly an educational conference for those who deal with agent licensing. State regulators and licensing professionals are brought together for a few days of "how to's" and "what-do-you-do's." We stayed at the

Best of PIMA Award for IdeaStar!

2006-10-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

CCRXBy Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesFra-gee-le'! Must be Italian! It's a major award!!!!! "Christmas Story"Very very cool. I found out Monday during the 2006 Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA) MarkeTTech Symposium in Chicago. IdeaStar was awarded the "Best of PIMA Award" for www.communitycarerx.com. IdeaStar designed and developed the Medicare Part D

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to SILA I Go....

2006-09-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI'll be heading down to sunny Kissimmee, FL in a few weeks to attend the Securities and Insurance Licensing Association's (SILA) 17th National Education Conference. The October 14 through 18 conference features learning sessions on Renewals and Terminations, Broker/Dealer Fundamentals, Background Investigations, Mergers and Acquisitions and more.

A Few Thoughts on Internet-Friendly Health Insurance Products

2006-09-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesHey, sorry for the gap in postings...seems like forever since that golf outing with Nationwide. In the meantime, I had my laptop stolen out of my car in New York City, took this trip to S.F. and played 100 holes of golf in one day! But I'm back in full-swing (!) and looking forward to PIMA MarkeTTech next week, SILA on 10/15-18, and AMBest

No excuses. It is summer after all.

2006-08-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI am not going to apologize for the lack of insurance news this week. After all, it's the end of summer with precious few nice days left in Cleveland!I recently participated in a golf outing sponsored by a new IdeaStar insurance client, Nationwide® . The Nationwide® Tour ProAm at Barrington Golf Club in the Cleveland area was a pleasant

Fun at Fowler's Mill with Cultural Links

2006-08-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI thought I'd take a break from insurance technologies today and talk about Cultural Links. Last Thursday, Aug. 18, I had the privilege of attending the 3rd Annual Cultural Links golf outing at Fowler’s Mill Golf Course in Chesterland, OH. The event, sponsored by the local chapters of the NAACP and AJC, fosters camaraderie among African

Avoiding Disaster: Landmines that Can Derail Web Projects - Part 2

2006-08-14T11:52:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesLast week I discussed scope creep, in-house IT resistance, and passive-aggressive behind-the-scenes divisiveness. Now let’s take a look at Part 2 of landmines that can derail an insurance Web project. Three more perilous issues include:Lack of focus by senior project sponsors Over zealous IT security people Unrealistic time frames and

Avoiding Disaster: Landmines that Can Derail Web Projects

2006-08-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThere are so many landmines which can derail an insurance Web project, I decided to break this post into two parts; next week - Part B.Based on my experience, here are three landmines to watch out for.Scope creep In-house IT resistance Passive-aggressive behind-the-scenes divisivenessScope creep, where a project continues to grow beyond its

Avoiding Disaster: Change Management

2006-08-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesNo gettin' around it, an ever-present aspect of Web development within the insurance quoting and enrollment vertical is scope change - most commonly, scope enhancement. My experience is that even with the best project specifications, when you get in development, something invariably comes up that either IS or seems like a necessary inclusion into

PIMA Summer Conference

2006-07-31T12:20:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI'm buried following two weeks out of the office, but I wanted to post a few comments and pictures from PIMA before too much time elapses. I will also be posting a pod-cast of thoughts and observations from the event later this week. Click here to view more pictures (Opening, wine-tasting, Closing). There is a Slideshow button on the top-right

Avoiding Disaster: Enforcing effective communication

2006-07-18T09:54:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesLast week we talked about the who, the why, and the what for communications in an insurance Web development project. Before we move on to controlling the scope of the project, here’s a few words about enforcing effective communications.This is really important. One of the biggest killers of insurance Web development projects is project participants

Avoiding Disaster: Defining communications protocols

2006-07-12T14:06:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI’ve been talking about effectively managing an insurance-related Web development project. Again, in a typical insurance project, there are lots of stakeholders.Typically there is the carrier, the distributor, the marketing company, possibly a third party administrator, and the insurance technology developer. Within the carrier there are multiple

Avoiding Disaster: Keeping too many cooks in line

2006-07-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies Web enabling insurance products and processes is often a complicated process requiring the input of many people. So how do you keep the project in control? Based on my experience guiding multiple projects, here are some guidelines for effective Web-development projects with multiple players. There are five areas of major consideration.

Looking Forward to 2006 PIMA Summer Conference

2006-06-29T15:38:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe Professional Insurance and Marketing Association Summer Conference is coming up in a few weeks – July 27 through 30 to be exact – and I’ll be there. This year’s event will be at the sunny Silverado in Napa, CA.The conference theme is Product Strategies in a Maturing Industry. The educational forum will focus on products and related industry

A Hot New Project

2006-06-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesHere’s something I'm excited about: I'm involved in a really cool project helping a big, multi-line carrier to Web-enable its agent contracting and appointing process. This will solve about 10 major problems with the carrier's current offline process. Further enhancing ROI, it's also going to be a potential solution for clients for whom this

The Year for Small Group Major Med

2006-06-22T14:48:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesEarlier this year I mentioned 2006 will be the year for online small group insurance. So far, it has been, with more projects on the horizon. IdeaStar Inc. just launched its first interactive Web site for small group major medical. The site allows a small group representative to enter the group profile and employee census information and receive a

A great e-business symposium

2006-06-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI had an outstanding trip to Des Moines last week. More details later because it's a great story, but suffice to say that Mark Seghers with ASK Consulting puts on quite a great e-business symposium. This particular carrier was indeed lucky to have such a breadth and depth of available talent in one place at one time. And he timed it so that we

Shooting the breeze about shooting pictures

2006-05-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

We have a podcast for you with Jim Fisher, president of IdeaStar, and Mike Wise, VP, discussing photography. If you ever visit the halls of our office in Cleveland you will see the walls covered with photographs. Since Jim is the president most of the photographs in the main hallways are his. Mike's photographs are relegated to his office. Maybe someday Jim will allow one of Mike's in the

A High-Performance Culture

2006-05-19T14:23:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI happened across an interesting article in Insurance & Technology. I&T interviewed a few tech-savvy CEO's. In one of the discussions, Ronald A. Williams, CEO and president of Aetna, discusses leveraging technology to "support the creation of a high-performance culture."The article states, "But technology isn't just about convenience for Williams..

Highlights From My MedSupp Presentation

2006-05-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI gave a talk recently at the American Insurance Education Institute conference in New Orleans. The national forum, entitled Issues and Trends in Medicare Supplement Insurance, was for professionals who market, sell, price, administer and support Med Supp insurance.The purpose of the talk was to discuss the use of the Web to increase sales and

New Orleans, Med Supp, & Laura Bush

2006-05-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe Medicare Supplemental Insurance Conference held in New Orleans this week - a few days I will not soon forget, both professionally and personally. Starting with the eerily empty airport and continuing on to a very empty Astor Crown Plaza with a trainee checking me in, and all about quite an empty city compared to what I had heard about New

The High Cost of NOT Web-enabling Insurance Applications

2006-04-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesI had an industry colleague in to visit IdeaStar last week. We got to talking about Web-enabled insurance technology. He made the interesting comment. He said:“When it comes to Web enabling various processes, yes, there are costs involved. But more importantly, there is a cost of NOT doing it.”That comment struck me as something I hadn’t talked

From Sea to Shining Sea

2006-04-21T08:06:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesThe week before last, I was out in Oakland; this week in Philly - same client, same project. Why? Read on…I met a potential client at PIMA’s MarkeTTech conference last November in Pittsburgh. The CMO for this particular carrier is tech-savvy and is finally getting buy-in at the top. So now he needs a Web development partner that can help him get

Yet Another Huge In-house IT “Misstep” Costing Millions

2006-04-18T08:27:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance Technologies“IT departments spend 25% of their time planning and 75% doing. That’s why their projects invariably go over budget and miss the mark.”This said yesterday by a Cleveland-based CIO sitting next to me on a plane from Dallas to Cleveland. “And because they didn’t plan ruthlessly and get buy-in, they can’t say ‘No.’ when the guy upstairs comes at them

I Think I Saw The Future of Online Administration!!!

2006-04-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

By Mike Wise, VP IdeaStar Insurance TechnologiesToday I want to talk about the future of, not just online quoting and enrollments, but online administration.Yesterday I met with a dental products third-party administrator (TPA) who markets dental products through brokers. This company handles all the administration, including policy administration, issuing cards, settling claims, and dealing