photo credit: 3liz4

Every month we are going to give you a glimpse into what types of new insurance policies we are writing.  In our mind, it seems we should be educating the public on how we can help them, which is tied directly to what we are succeeding in:

Home Insurance – Values from $100k to $500k with personal liability

Car Insurance – Liability Limits, Comprehensive, Collision, Rental, Towing

Dwelling Insurance for Rentals

Umbrella – Up to $5 million

Boats – Bass Boat, cruiser, canoes

Retail Operations

Mobile Phone Application liability insurance

Technology liability

Errors and Commissions for Tech Company

Directors and Officers Liability for homeowners association

RV Park and Campgrounds

Outfitter and Guide Insurance

Zip Line Liability Insurance

ATV Guided Tours Insurance

Fitness Center Insurance

Used Car Dealership Insurance

Videographer Liability Insurance

Garage Liability Insurance

Church Insurance

Contractor Liability

Inland Marine – Contractor Equipment

Health Insurance – Personal Insurance Coverage

Life Insurance – Coverage up to $5 million

If we can be of help contact us Brandon@johnbaileyco.com or review our website.

photo credit: xdmag

The new Travelers application is here!! This application for your iphone or android powered phone is called Auto Accident Help and it is there immediately for your assistance. What does this application do?

Via Travelers:

1. It guides you through the steps you need to correctly document and submit your claim.

2. It automatically locates where the accident took place, the date, and also the time of the accident.

3. It allows you to provide photos and video proof of the accident.

4. It helps you collect police, drivers, and witness information. And also provides a quick way to get in touch with your agent via phone or email.

5.  It produces a completely detailed accident report, providing pictures, voice recording, and video documents that you can send in an email to a travelers claim rep.

6. It also provides answers to any claim related question you or anyone else may have.

Buddy, “A Prince among dogs - a sentiment I believe anyone who has ever met him would agree with.  I like to think of him as a German Shephard with a bad haircut.” (Anne Bilbrey - Commercial Lines Dept).

A Prince Among Dogs

Prudence aka the Prudog - 7 months.  “She likes chasing sticks, riding in the back of my truck, and drinking spilled Miller Lite.”  (Joe Morelock - Commercial Lines Dept)

This is Prudence, aka the Prudog

Maggie, “Trusted and true, always vigilant and yet great with the kids, she’s never met a person she didn’t like, or anyone she wouldn’t beg from.” (Craig Runger - Commercial Lines Dept)

Guard Dog Maggie

Angel thinks she is Garfield….lazy!  “She is about 15 years old.” (Felicia Caldwell - Home and Auto Insurance Dept)

Angel thinks she is Garfield…lazy!!!!!

Felicia’s Dog - Winston, he is a good little dog.  We rescued him at 4 years old a month after my other dog had passed away; so in a way he rescued me!  Winston is now 16, blind and can not hear, but still has some pep in his step!

This is Winston, he is a good little dog.

McKenzie is 7 1/2 years old and she has changed my life in such a great way…I never knew I could love a pet so much.  She knows my routine better than I do. (Missy - Home and Auto Insurance Dept)

McKenzie has changed my life

Murphy, our daughter’s best friend and partner in crime.  (Brandon Clarke and Lauren Clarke).

Is my name "Down" or "No?"

photo credit: Verino77

I have been reviewing the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.  After reading a few chapters I stumbled upon something that intrigued me and I simply wonder what our clients and friends of our blog think about family mission statements.

I really think a family mission statement is a little bit too much; I mean it’s kind of silly to think about your family in this way….But then I considered my own mission statement for life…and realized how much a family mission statement can bring your loved ones together and how this idea can bring about success within your family.  The journey can be tough if don’t know where you are going and it’s important to have the right people on the bus, including your insurance agent.

Read Stephen Covey’s blog post and consider the following:

1. Does your current plan for insurance protection include a comprehensive family insurance plan?
2. What do you want coverage for? Do you even know anything about insurance… do you want an independent insurance agent to help you plan, or a big box franchise insurance company, maybe you want a web based company?  Which option meets your family’s needs and mission?
3. Have you quoted higher auto liability limits…for example in lieu of $300,000 liability limits; we recently quoted a couple at $500,000.  The extra cost was only $15 a year.
4. Have you really thought about your assets and how much liability coverage you need?  Do you have enough? Did you know that an extra umbrella limit of $1 million usually only cost $100 to $200 a year.
5. Have you thought about your deductible limits?  What if you raised or lowered your home and auto deductible.  Where is the most bang for your buck?  Some people assume a $1,000 deductible is saving them a ton of money..have you really looked?
6. Do you want to cover jewelry, wedding rings, family heirlooms, watches, silverware, firearms, pieces of art, or antiques, etc..?  Do you have these things covered?  Does your current policy include this stuff?
7. Do you work from your home; do you have business coverage while at home?
8. Do you want identity theft coverage, which will cover repair of your family’s costs and time to fix their credit history?
9. What about Flood or Earthquake policies?  Did you know homeowner’s policies do not cover those natural disasters?
10. Do you or your spouse have life insurance? Have you thought about cost saving ways to insure your children?

These are just a few examples of what we do, but they are also a look into the makeup of how you and your family live life.  They capture the true meaning of a family mission statement.  Where does your compass point, what are you prepared for, is your family prepared to bounce back from possible loss?  Your insurance agent is a large part of who you are.  At the end of the day, your insurance agency relationship should give you peace of mind.  We are in a strange industry full of negative connotations and hard sells.  The reality is……this industry is full of people who want you to succeed. We encourage you to review your family mission statement and ask questions, then find insurance solutions to help you accomplish your goals.

Slay it!

Hail from 04/27/2011 Tornado and Hail Storm

As storm one ripped through Knoxville, TN my family and I braced for what sounded like a freight train coming through our house.  We were fortunate enough to be one of those with power and thanks to Todd Howell at wbir and the good ol’ Doppler readings we were able to target and plan to take cover if needed.  The real time Doppler forecast predicted the golf ball hail immediately and the skies opened up to produce a blanket of hail at least an inch deep on our deck.  My 3 year old daughter startled, scared, and curious said to my wife and me “Is that the tomato?”  Laughing, I reached down to hug her and say no its ice falling from the sky and everything is fine.  With power still in tact, the storm passed….and I became aware of what tomorrow would hold.  Through the entire night from 5:30 till 2 am I had facebook and twitter open; when I returned to my laptop; I decided it was time to assess the damage.  As I read the tweets and constant flourish of updates, I realized the social media component would serve as my tool to help John Bailey Company clients and others to get started with their claims and help answer questions.  So I started at 8:38 pm during the storms.

Within a few minutes I had folks messaging, texting, calling, tweeting, and emailing me.  Watching the Doppler I felt comfortable starting the claims process for them.  In what seemed to be the second wave of hail, we again took cover as round 2 of hail and heavy tornadoes began.  This time it was stronger and to be honest I was concerned a tornado would approach. We took cover in the closet with my wife, my daughter, a laptop, and 2 cell phones with Twitter/Facebook Apps, and the TV as loud as possible.  My wife was worried that we would lose power and not know what was going on…then I remembered through AT&T Uverse we had a battery pack that would keep our laptop power and internet signal if power was lost.  Within minutes, the TV turned off, the lights went out and we lost power.  From there we reviewed WBIR and WVLT online, as well as facebook, and twitter on our phones.  Getting updates by the second, the noise became worse as the hail pounded and shook the roof.  As the storm passed, we became worried as our cell phones would not pick up a signal and would not dial out….but don’t forget we had facebook and twitter.  Using those social media tools, we were able to check on loved ones by checking their updates.  Again I started to collect claim info and work into the night using AMS360, a Vertafore insurance agency management system.  Ten minutes later power was restored and the storm seemed to calm.  From there moving forward the 3^rd hail/tornado storm lost its steam..at least in my neighborhood and I continued to work into the night monitoring, noting, and preparing for the home, auto, and commercial insurance claims process the next day.

Because of the social media component our agency was able to service our clients, getting a few of them in early the next morning to have windshield repairs to cars that would otherwise have owners who would be without transportation.  It also allowed for us to find out which homes needed immediate cleanup and restoration; as well as organize the claims process early and be ready to run a smooth ship in the morning.  One of my facebook post asked if power and Comcast internet was running smooth at our office location.  It was confirmed within 1 minute that it was working, and that was a big help because if it had not, then we may need a few laptops and internet access..maybe a satellite office.  That night we had 11 car claims, and I think around 8 to 9 home claims.  The next morning, we started answering the phones at 7:30 and had 150 claims turned in by noon.  I lost track after that but currently we have around 500 claims.

The social community in Knoxville, TN excites me, because they are just so helpful.  I received a text from a friend, who had a colleague with several inches of flood damage. I decided to post on facebook asking if a friend could borrow a generator to pump water out of a basement.  Two local businesses Misty River Campground and Event Rentals by Rothchild offered to help, but we were a few minutes late; as they had found a solution.  You could say that this time social media failed, but the reality was the size of the generators and manpower/truck needed to move the machines hindered our success. If only I had a truck…

In the days that followed, I had a few people contact me via direct message on twitter, one of these people was a friend of mine that needed some advice on how to handle an adjustor visit.  Twitter also allowed me to retweet information about our insurance companies, possible roofers and dent repair folks located in the Knoxville area, and other insurance pointers.

I was so impressed with the use of Twitter by @TRV_Insurance @TheHartford these guys helped my agency with a few issues and efficiencies in the claims process….as I had questions about the most efficient way to submit different types of catastrophic claims. I also received a phone call from one Hartford’s Southeastern Head Catastrophic managers.  She said they were monitoring twitter and asked if we needed anything.  With all of this information at our fingertips, and real time contact to our clients…there was no way I was shutting down facebook and twitter; I left it on all day.  The constant source of up to date information and communication was extremely beneficial to our agency.

The independent insurance agency model really came together with all of the new social media components.  Furthermore, we had companies coming in our office and checking in to see how they could help.  Safeco offered to bring us lunch and even bring some people to answer phones.  State Auto Insurance Company and Central Insurance Companies were in our office that morning and Auto Owners called to ask us how our families were and what they could do to help.

Our agency focuses on clients who want to succeed, we want to help our client achieve their goals;  social media is our new tool, and I think we truly understand it now.  As claims continue to come in, it is apparent to our agency that personal communication with your insurance agent is the number one reason to select an independent insurance agency.  These days personal communication seems to represent different things.  It’s not about just phone calls anymore; it’s about accessibility, being helpful, and being yourself…

Slay it!

Email me:  brandon@johnbaileyco.com

photo credit: RMTip21

Hello, I’m Joe Morelock aka The Fizzle. I’m from Knoxville, TN and I know what I’m talking about when it comes to fantasy football………..and insurance. I’m going to start off this season with the underrated/overrated players at each position. Preseason rankings are credited to the best fantasy football site out there: Yahoo! Sports

Quarterback -
Overrated - Jay Cutler - Chicago Bears - position preseason ranking #10 - Jay Cutler does not belong in the top 10 of QBs. I even question the top 20. This is a joke. He is an interception machine, has no marquee receivers, and plays in the Windy City. Avoid Jay Cutler all together if you can still help it.

Underrated - Carson Palmer - Cincinnati Bengals - position preseason ranking #16 (are you kidding me?). Now that the USC faithful won’t have any bowl game to look forward to, and Los Angeles does not have an NFL franchise; the football fans in Hollywood are going to be pulling for their PROVEN Heisman trophy winner come January (unproven: see Matt Leinart & Reggie Bush - and trust me I hate giving USC fans something to look forward to). Carson Palmer’s going to lead his team into being playoff contenders this year - and he’s going to have the stats to please any fantasy owner who got a steal on him after the 3rd round.

Wide Receiver -
Overrated - Reggie Wayne - Indianapolis Colts - position preseason ranking #3 - I hate to say it because Reggie’s been money for me in prior seasons. But now that the captain of fantasy consistency Peyton Manning has the young guns WRs in Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, and Anthony Gonzalez - ol Reggie’s going to a take a fantasy decline. It happened to Marvin Harrison, and it’s going to happen to him. He turns 32 this year; and Peyton’s got some more, young options. He’ll still be a productive team player for the Colts - but not a top 3 fantasy WR.

Underrated - Percy Harvin - Minnesota Vikings - position preseason ranking #21 - I know what Yahoo! was thinking here. Migraine headaches. Well, it seemed that every time Percy sat out of a practice last year due to these migraines, he turned on the swagger for game time. You know what I say? Bring on those migraine’s Percy because I’m starting you every game again this year - and you’re going to be money.

Runningback -

Overrated - Ryan Matthews - San Diego Chargers - position preseason ranking #7 - Who is this guy? I had never heard of him until I started checking out mock drafts this summer. Did people just magically forget that San Diego has been a pass happy offense the past 3 years and how unhappy that made future Hall of Famer LT? Now all of a sudden some rookie out of Fresno State’s going to come in and light it up this year? Nope, not going to happen.

Underrated - Matt Forte - Chicago Bears - position preseason ranking #27 - Attention all fantasy football players: Sleeper pick of the year. I was furious when I waited too long to get Forte in my 2 drafts. He had an awesome rookie year. He did not get too many looks last year because Jay Cutler was too busy throwing interceptions while playing from behind. Well Forte’s back and not going to be sharing nearly as many carries as some of the RBs ranked ahead of him (see Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, Arian Foster). Forte has been available as late as round 8 or 9 in some cases. Ridiculous.

photo credit: Ivan Walsh

I know keeping on top of bills and your to-do list is about as fun as walking across broken glass barefoot. Now that I’ve been a homeowner for a full year - I’m starting to feel even more of that weight. But at the same time - it doesn’t feel so bad, it’s good when a sense of notoriety and accomplishment felt right? I guess that answer would be on a case by case basis.

There’s several good reasons to keep on top of those to-do lists responsibilities. There’s the obvious reason; i.e. paying your bills on time is good for your credit.

Another one I will point out is when you’re moving your personal insurance over to John Bailey Company - give us about 2 weeks in advance to get the policy issued - and you can save up to 8% extra on your auto insurance. You can’t beat that when we’re already as competitive as it gets in Knoxville.

We’ve brought on a new member to the John Bailey Co. team; Felicia Caldwell. She has nearly 25 years of insurance experience in Knoxville, TN and we’re pumped to have her on board. Felicia lives in the Fountain City where she’s been for decades. She’s been writing several auto and homeowners insurance policies in her short 2 months here.

Random info on Felicia:

Her ipod list - Modern pop, country, and celtic music - quite the variety

Favorite restaurant - Tomo’s - for their sushi

Favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon - Hang out at Norris Lake with her family where she loves to ski and go fishing

photo credit: abdallahh

One thing’s for certain, traffic light cameras have been controversial since coming into Knoxville, TN  Proponents of the traffic light cameras have argue that roads are safer with their presence and revenue for the city is increased.  Opponents argue that they are unconstitutional and argue against the “big brother” mentality of our local government.  There’s also controversy with the  compensation the private contractors receive which depends on the amount of tickets generated from the cameras.

There is one good thing that I can offer up - it does not count against your auto insurance rates due to the fact that the camera violations don’t go on  your driving record. 

Anyone out there got thoughts on the issue of traffic light cameras?

photo credit: andrijbulba

Imagine going on vacation with friends or family and you wreck your car, your car gets stolen, or it breaks down.

Well you’re likely stuck where you are for the night - which will cost you hotel fees, and extra meals at restaurants to pay for. Did you know that there’s an auto insurance endorsement that may cover those certain expenses?

Certain criteria apply such as how far you are away from your home, and how long your car is out of commission. Contact us if you’re interested on hearing more about this type of trip interruption coverage.