00:00:13:25 – 00:00:15:03
Denise Johnson
Good morning.

00:00:15:05 – 00:00:19:00
Jerry Rappe
Is it Monday morning or what? Or what?

00:00:19:02 – 00:00:22:03
Denise Johnson
And. And it’s summer.

00:00:22:05 – 00:00:29:03
Jerry Rappe
Yes it is. It is. So how many phone calls have you had already this morning about so many different issues?

00:00:29:05 – 00:00:57:17
Denise Johnson
You know, I kind of thought my summer would be quiet, but apparently elections just changed that. So luckily, this is where I like being plugged in and having whatever influence we can have. And. Yeah. Yeah. So my phone, my phone is not quiet and I have an extra battery pack that always stays with me, so it’s okay. But guess what I’m doing this week?

00:00:57:19 – 00:00:58:23
Jerry Rappe
What are you doing this week?

00:00:58:26 – 00:01:25:11
Denise Johnson
I will be in Park City, Utah, in the mountains. Even though it’s not going to be super cool for my exact meeting, which is where the 50. There’s 50 of me and we collaborate for about three days together, and visit. They come with all their ideas, and honestly, you’re probably aware you probably dread it because I come back with 1000 ideas…

00:01:25:11 – 00:01:26:04
Jerry Rappe
Staff hide, she’s coming.

00:01:26:04 – 00:01:49:03
Denise Johnson
Kind. Yeah, I know. And so I, I love it because so many times our meetings are tied up with other things, like we’re in Washington where I’m usually going to Capitol Hill. This is just with the exact that we focus on. How do we make big I associations better? And it is it is not fun and games. I’m going why do we.

00:01:49:04 – 00:02:11:29
Denise Johnson
That’s a cool place to go. But not fun and games. But that will sit. And they have tons. That’s where I find out about a ton about technology, how to run an association better, what’s happening in the insurance industry compared to associations. You know, everyone’s having midterm elections, so that’s happening. So I’m I’m really excited. So it should be really fun.

00:02:12:00 – 00:02:28:02
Jerry Rappe
Which I will say from this standpoint is, I kind of I think it’s kind of neat to come back for you to come back in here or text as you as you come along, you know, as you’re working and shoot a note and teams and whatever. But it’s good to hear because it clarifies a lot of stuff.

00:02:28:02 – 00:02:28:23
Jerry Rappe
And you know.

00:02:28:28 – 00:02:36:26
Denise Johnson
Well, and, you know, to that point is it’s incredibly important because I, I do it with my peers. But I had you do it with your peers.

00:02:36:29 – 00:02:38:27
Jerry Rappe
Yeah. Marketing Summits, yeah.

00:02:39:00 – 00:02:59:24
Denise Johnson
Like we we I make sure that everyone stays connected because I can’t catch it all. But if you’re sitting with a marketing group that you guys are focusing on communications and marketing, I mean, I think everybody learns from each other. So this is this is really important. It’s important for our staff to be able to do it. And it’s important for me to be able to do it well.

00:02:59:25 – 00:03:04:27
Jerry Rappe
You executives do your executive things. Us marketing people just eat all the time. It’s all good.

00:03:04:27 – 00:03:20:06
Denise Johnson
So great. We talked about things like contracts. So much fun. I would have never done that. It’s really. I think it’d be pretty. So I’ve never been to Park City or it’ll be the first time, so. But I hear, I hear it’s really pretty.

00:03:20:08 – 00:03:25:06
Jerry Rappe
I hear you talk. Matter of fact, that was the one thing my wife said. She’s like, honey, let’s go to Utah.

00:03:25:08 – 00:03:25:25
Denise Johnson
Really?

00:03:25:25 – 00:03:30:03
Jerry Rappe
We were talking about trips and things like that and yeah, so there may be.

00:03:30:03 – 00:03:36:10
Denise Johnson
Well, I think I told you that we’re doing a train trip from Salt Lake City into Moab, and I’ve never been there.

00:03:36:11 – 00:03:37:12
Jerry Rappe
You got to take pictures.

00:03:37:18 – 00:03:41:05
Denise Johnson
Okay, I’ll take pictures and send. It’s supposed to be 103 there.

00:03:41:05 – 00:03:43:18
Jerry Rappe
It’s okay. It will melt your camera.

00:03:43:21 – 00:03:48:19
Denise Johnson
Okay, that’s a good point. We’re in an air conditioned train, so I’m not. I’m not that worried about it.

00:03:48:21 – 00:03:54:22
Jerry Rappe
Well maybe they have one of those outdoor cars that you can go out, maybe like that one in Colorado. They have one. Maybe you can stand out.

00:03:54:22 – 00:04:08:19
Denise Johnson
Yeah, I don’t know. I will I’ll send you all the pictures. So it should be really fun. So anyway, so we’ll do a little that’s how we’ll kind of end our little trip over the following weekend on our way home. But it should be. It should be really, really nice.

00:04:08:25 – 00:04:09:23
Jerry Rappe
Very very good to.

00:04:09:23 – 00:04:14:19
Denise Johnson
Say now that. But in the meantime, while I’m away. We have stuff going on here.

00:04:14:25 – 00:04:15:23
Jerry Rappe
Yep.

00:04:15:26 – 00:04:28:00
Denise Johnson
So super excited. Education is still we’re trying to make that our focus. It’s really nice because if I wanted to I’m actually not going to do this. But if I wanted to I could do education on the train.

00:04:28:02 – 00:04:30:01
Jerry Rappe
Do not even think about it.

00:04:30:03 – 00:04:32:20
Denise Johnson
I’m not. My husband would be so mad. Yes.

00:04:32:22 – 00:04:34:26
Jerry Rappe
He would slam your computer, I think.

00:04:35:02 – 00:04:52:21
Denise Johnson
Yes, yes, yes, he absolutely would. So I’m not doing this. But we can because the benefit is you can do it anywhere. So if you want to like go spend a week on a beach and get caught up on your continuing ed you don’t have to go sit in a classroom. You can actually do it from your laptop in your little beach chair.

00:04:52:22 – 00:04:54:04
Jerry Rappe
Is there a song there somewhere?

00:04:54:04 – 00:05:16:12
Denise Johnson
Maybe at least a Beach Boys song for sure. So anyway, so a few things. Micro Cert Focus is excelling at account management and strengthening skills and strategies. I like this because account managers are kind of juggling two sides. They’re not the producer, but they’re not. They’re not the CSR. That’s just trying to get all the facts into the computer.

00:05:16:12 – 00:05:34:25
Denise Johnson
They really are managing clients. So I kind of like that because I think they have to have some skills in sales, but they also have to have some skills and technique. And so this is a really good that it kind of brings it together for this micro cert So it talks about also about increasing sales and you’re dealing with existing customers.

00:05:34:25 – 00:05:52:04
Denise Johnson
So when I was in the agency my CSR Dana a lot of times had relationships with a lot of our clients in the same way I did. And so a lot of times she can deal with them. They had a question about coverage and she could say, well, you can do this. So it’s always a team effort. This is part of that team effort.

00:05:52:06 – 00:06:12:23
Denise Johnson
The, the micro certs I like because you can finish them in about 3 to 5 hours. So it’s not like you’re taking the whole day or two days and it’s all online. So it’s pretty easy. The other thing I love about it is it’s a really good stepping stone into, like if you want to go to another designation, you can use those hours in that designation.

00:06:12:23 – 00:06:36:10
Denise Johnson
So there’s like a virtual exam. It’s usually about 30 questions. So not not too tough. Multiple choice. I’ve taken some of these and so really really enjoy them. So we’re really encouraging a lot of our, members to start taking advantage of this. Makes it so incredibly easy. On how we’re talking about August, but I guess it’s going to be here which week?

00:06:36:10 – 00:06:41:21
Jerry Rappe
Which the micro cert is just a nice segue into your next point.

00:06:41:26 – 00:07:05:27
Denise Johnson
Yes. Yes. The next point is that we are also offering on August. It starts August the 12th at the Insurance Growth Academy. So we’re teaming up, teaming up with, the North Carolina Association. So, so our counterparts and they have a new session for Insurance Growth Academy. And so this is Producer Focus, which, you know, we talked about in the micro cert

00:07:05:27 – 00:07:25:03
Denise Johnson
you have something for account managers. This is for producers. So it’s very focused on sales strengthen client relationships and to grow their books and business, which is what all account managers want for their producers to do too. Because everybody it’s a win win. The registration, you do have to register for it. And it’s how many weeks is that?

00:07:25:03 – 00:07:25:16
Denise Johnson
Isn’t it?

00:07:25:16 – 00:07:29:14
Jerry Rappe
Like, for some reason, six sessions.

00:07:29:14 – 00:07:44:12
Denise Johnson
I know sometimes we say maybe six sessions and you do have to sign up for it. And the registration closes on August the 11th, so take advantage of that. And then it’s online also. But you meet regularly with with the, the group that’s teaching it.

00:07:44:12 – 00:07:45:03
Jerry Rappe
It’s Jason.

00:07:45:04 – 00:07:47:17
Denise Johnson
All right. We have said who is it Jason.

00:07:47:17 – 00:07:52:20
Jerry Rappe
Jason Sabo savings. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Jason. If I just butchered your last one.

00:07:52:20 – 00:08:02:02
Denise Johnson
It’s okay. He said we’re giving him a nice. But I think it’s, I think it’s a really. It’s a really important thing to do and pretty easy to touch on our BIGiOK calendar.

00:08:02:09 – 00:08:18:13
Jerry Rappe
Yeah. And if you’re interested, click the more Information button. Granite the registration in the More information button. Go to the same page okay. And that’ll give you a really good breakdown of what’s going on. And the August 11th is the day before the classes start. But Jason said that would be fine.

00:08:18:13 – 00:08:47:09
Denise Johnson
And so okay, good. That that’ll be nice. Okay. Finally it’s here next week. Next week, next week, August 6th is we have our Singo fundraiser. So the young agents host this. It’s always really, really fun. The the fundraiser is for Free To Live animal sanctuary. So it’s a nonprofit for animals. And it’s as much as you and I love our animals, we know it’s really important that they’re all taking care of.

00:08:47:09 – 00:09:01:14
Denise Johnson
And it’s an organization that helps, animals, I guess, in no-kill shelter. So I’m very excited. It’s honestly the thing I think it’s fun because not only do we, I’m assuming we’re having tacos again. We usually bring in a taco truck.

00:09:01:16 – 00:09:06:02
Jerry Rappe
You, you know, that hasn’t been talked about. I’m going to have to find that out, and.

00:09:06:05 – 00:09:08:22
Denise Johnson
We’ll find that out and we’ll talk about it for next week.

00:09:08:27 – 00:09:26:18
Jerry Rappe
But I will I will say from from the technology perspective for that event in the past, we just use our nice little ceiling speakers and it’s not been real. And well, there was a request of some thumpin big speakers. So your husband has generously.

00:09:26:18 – 00:09:28:10
Denise Johnson
So to say, we know someone donated.

00:09:28:10 – 00:09:34:22
Jerry Rappe
Donated two big speakers and we have one here. So it’s three speakers. And so it was it may.

00:09:34:22 – 00:09:35:29
Denise Johnson
Blow the roof off.

00:09:36:01 – 00:09:40:26
Jerry Rappe
If you make it loud. It depends on what how high Shania wants to go because she’s in control of them.

00:09:41:01 – 00:09:47:23
Denise Johnson
You know, I’m glad we’re doing that, cause frankly, the ceiling speakers aren’t the greatest. So you’re a sound guy? My husband.

00:09:47:25 – 00:09:52:26
Jerry Rappe
They do what they have to do. That’s right, that’s right. So that’ll be fun. It’ll be getting loud and fun.

00:09:52:26 – 00:10:13:07
Denise Johnson
Yeah, that’ll be really cool. We have registration open for the Young Agents Conference. Speaking of young agents, that is at River Spirit Casino in Tulsa. And this is the final week for early bird registration. So there’s also a giveaway. So this is a week. If you haven’t signed up, now’s the time to do it. So you just go there okay.

00:10:13:07 – 00:10:17:22
Denise Johnson
And then we have our young agent conference. It’s probably one of the banners accessory right.

00:10:17:24 – 00:10:26:02
Jerry Rappe
We don’t have banners anymore. What on our home page. Oh but they can go to the the drop down tab and go straight to the young agents.

00:10:26:02 – 00:10:31:11
Denise Johnson
But I do like our I do love our new website. So thank you for that. Sorry. I didn’t know there weren’t that banners.

00:10:31:11 – 00:10:43:22
Jerry Rappe
That’s okay. That’s all good. That’s all good. But BIGiOK.com/YAconference will get them right to where they need to be. Okay. And get registered because it’s a free giveaway. It’s a free freebie.

00:10:43:24 – 00:10:51:03
Denise Johnson
That’ll be fun. So that’ll be really fun. Yeah. Okay. Saying all that, I will send you pictures from Park City .

00:10:51:06 – 00:10:52:12
Jerry Rappe

00:10:52:17 – 00:10:52:24
Denise Johnson

00:10:52:24 – 00:10:57:20
Jerry Rappe

00:10:57:22 – 00:10:58:05
Jerry Rappe