To The Mattresses with Risk Management

Imagine working 300 feet in the air. High risk, but somebody's got to do it, right? Well this wind turbine component manufacturer does it all day long - and does it well. But they weren't positioned properly to the underwriter. They fell in the pool (pun intended) because no agent before me took the time to look hard into their business and find the gems. Their strengths just weren't sold. They are now classified as a Best-in-Class operation due to the safety protocols they had in place. Their workers compensation was scattered all over 6-9 state pools, now its with one national carrier. And icing on the cake - there are payment plans now for the company instead of having to make huge one-time payments for the pool policies. Here's the high-flying story of the wind turbine component manufacturer that got out of the pool with a little help from The Godfather:

The Challenges

Who would have thought that just a simple repositioning could have such a dramatic effect! The client mixes chemicals - no carrier wants to touch this! When I looked more closely and their process - it's a lot like food processing. This just happened to be food to kill rats.  Why not?  Let's try it!  So I positioned this risk as a food processor..."Why Yes! We love food processors!", says the underwriter. Enough said...here's the story about simple repositioning:

This is a great success story about a tough risk - that basically no carrier wanted to write.  After contacting 50 carriers, reaching out to our global network of insurance agencies, I was able to find one in Texas that would write this risk. It's a story of persistence, tenacity and not excepting that there was a dead end. Here's the story of placing a Wisconsin crude oil hauler, how we got them a great carrier and unbelievable pricing:

Using the term "To The Mattresses" is perfect segway to this series on ways to re-evaluate or reposition your risk programs to fight for the coverage and level of service your organization deserves. Here I'll explain why "To The Mattresses", a phrase used in the movies The Godfather and You've Got Mail. Both refer to a fight, a struggle, using ruthless tactics, or taking a war-like stance.