What Is the Difference Between a Flood Damage and a Water Damage?

Flooding refers to a large deposit of water around a home or building, or when the ground can't support the excess amount of water. At this point, the water will enter into a home or building and create damage. This is referred to as flood damage.

On the other hand, water damage is usually caused by internal issues in a home or building, including, but not limited to toilet over-flows, burst pipes, water heater leaks, broken sprinkler heads, etc.

The difference between flood and water damage to home and business owners', is who is responsible - financially and legally.

Financially, your damage will potentially fall under your insurance company or the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).

FEMA covers homes and buildings in states that are in a "flood zone," or if the flood is in an area that is under a State of Emergency. However, you should always contact FEMA directly and never assume a damage will be covered; as with all government programs, the rules can change based on particular circumstances and policies differ from state to state.

Insurance companies have a policy, which is basically a contract, with the home or business owner stating what will and will not be covered. Generally, insurance companies cover water damages, where the home or business owner could not prevent the hazard.

Unfortunately, many policyholders are shocked when they learn that their claim has been denied when they sustain flood damage. They discover that the insurance company deemed the damage was the result of a "maintenance issue" (what the homeowner could control). Most home and business owners do not even know that there are maintenance issues required of them under their policy. According to the insurance industry, home and building owners are supposed to inspect basements and windows to determine potential leak and flood liabilities!

The most important thing you can do is to carefully review your insurance policy so that you are not caught by surprise for any type of damage that may occur! As well, if you discover any type of water in your home or business, contact a restoration company immediately! The quicker the water is removed, the less damage and expense you will incur.

As you have read, flood damage and water damage are actually two different situations. They make look the same or seem the same, but depending on who is paying are actually worlds apart in definition. If you have water issues in your home or business make sure you understand the situation before you begin.

Jeffrey Cohn
SI Restoration
Water Damage Company
IICRC certified
Stericlean Certified Hoarding Specialist
1-800-356-0484
410-458-5371 ( cell )

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Having Insurance for Water Damage

The First Question Should Be is My Water Damage Loss Covered

The variations of water damage to dwellings can be many and many times homeowners are shocked to learn that their specific policy does not cover a particular type of water loss. Being stuck with a high repair out-of-pocket expense can be disheartening to any owner and should be avoided. Steps can be taken to insure this does not happen. First before disaster strikes policies should be reviewed and questions should be asked the home insurance company. Particular insurance policies should be understood and defined to outline the basic water damage coverage. For instance most policies cover damage that occurs from rain that enters through a hole in the roof caused by winds but not water that rises above slab heights and floods carpets and wood floors. There is no insignificant question that can be asked when so much is at stake. A clear understanding is crucial.

Next Question Asked Is My Property Located in a Flood Zone

Flood zones are identified as a Special Flood Hazard Area or SFHA by the Federal Emergency Management Agency otherwise known as FEMA. These areas are identified on a flood map as high risk because of factors such as close proximity to rivers, coastlines receiving storm surges, consistent weather patterns of heavy rainfall and places of development and erosion. FEMA provides online guides to decide where communities are located within the Flood Map and what the exact individual's risks are. FEMA also provides an enormous amount of information from projected risk scenarios to cost of flooding charts. This information again is critical to decide adequate insurance coverage for a homeowner's water damage loss. Insurance agents can help give this information also.

My House is Flooded I Have Insurance in Place What Do I Do Now

The adage "Time is of the Essence" rings true in this situation. Water damage increases exponentially as the clock ticks. Flooding will travel along the path of least resistance indoors soaking into drywall, carpet, flooring and sub-flooring compromising the integrity of the structure. Emergency water removal will lessen the damage and cost that's required for complete restoration. A water mitigation company should be called immediately. They operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week and should be equipped with water extraction equipment, dehumidifiers and air movers to start the process of completely eliminating all humidity and moisture content from the dwelling. The next step should be contacting the claims department with the insurance carrier to file a claim and start the process. A claim adjuster will be able to answer any questions particular to an individual's policy and issue claim numbers after filing.

Todd Snyder owner and operator of Flood Kings a local Water Damage Restoration Company servicing the Dallas Fort Worth area. Our offices in both Dallas             (972) 816-6487       and Fort Worth             (817) 312-5478       enable us to offer a 30 minute response time to any flood damage or water damage emergency in the metroplex. IICRC trained & certified our technicians are ready to respond 24/7 with a complete line of water removal and water extraction equipment.

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Direct Mail Life Insurance Leads

Types of Leads

As the Direct Mail Lead market takes another big hit by all the changes and new USPS happenings. As of March 2012 there will be more and more nationwide closings of offices and the laying off of thousands of mail carriers.

What this means to you and to us... The leads will be generated at a higher price and at a slower pace. Simple supply and demand factor. Too much demand to little leads. So your best bet is to get plugged in with a lead generator or lead accumulator and work with them as many companies will stop taking new clients and work exclusively with the agents or agencies that have the market cornered. As it stands it is best to work one of the following types of leads.

The Best Lead is to get it fresh, so if you are already connected with someone that is producing a Brand New lead for you increase your order or extend your order to keep your place secured. You have to make sure that your lead is not being resold after 3 to 4 weeks to other agents. If this is the case you are better off with some of the other leads discussed in this article. If this is the case you might be better off looking for a new home that really values your efforts and does not resell your customers to your competition.

3 Other types of Leads:

First... 3 to 9 month old historical... Direct Mail... Life or Mortgage Protection Lead, this lead will best suit you if your current provider resells their Fresh Lead, this lead will give you the opportunity to talk to buyers that have bought that are looking for a better price or they just have been shopping around for a while, that way is hard for another agent to replace any of your business.

Second... 10 to 18 month old historical... Direct Mail... Life or Mortgage Protection Lead, which you can compare this ONE LEAD to what the competition calls a "C" lead... that... like the "B" lead also gets resold 3000 times! This will give you the opportunity to approach the customer from a consultative side and look for other opportunities besides what they were originally offered, for example, you might have a better product, a better rider, more cash accumulation, longer term, less expensive, more service and many other benefits that you can offer. Many times you will find Gold Nuggets here, a lot of times the customer was never even contacted in the first place.

And Finally... Internet leads, this are best bought in bulk and for a very affordable price, they come with all information about the client... which includes, DOB, HT, WT, Address, email, and Time stamp, showing you when they requested the information for life insurance coverage. One recommendation for this type of lead is to have a power dialer or auto dialer for you to get the most out of this type of leads. You need to buy more than 1000 to 5000 at a time at no more than.35 cents per lead. This leads will have an average sell through ratio of about 1.5% so a $200.00 dollar investment can potentially generate a $2000.00 to $4000.00 return.

For Leads comparison visit: http://www.mywebsiteusa.com

For contracting visit: http://www.ensuritygroupagents.com

We are here First, Last and always for YOU!!

We are focused in working with the Best Producers in the Market, We offer Many different contracts including Final Expense, Mortgage Protection, Medicare Advantage and Supplements and More. Visit us now!

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Insurance Brokers Provide Individualized Services

Purchasing a new vehicle is always an exciting time. But if you have been driving "old faithful" for many years, you may get a surprise when you purchase your auto insurance for your new mode of transportation and find the yearly cost has increased significantly. Before you sign any contracts, be sure to talk to one or two insurance brokers.

Many drivers simply head to their nearest financial institution or to the insurance agent in the nearest strip mall to inquire about insurance. Or they go online, punch in their figures on a few sites, and then sign up with the cheapest. These practices can end up costing you a lot of money by paying inflated premiums, and in some cases, you may find out that you are not adequately covered. Insurance brokers, on the other hand, will give you individualized service, getting the policy for you that gives you the coverage you need specifically for your situation and degree of risk.

With their vast network of insurance companies, they have access to numerous auto, home, business, recreational property and health policies. They can tailor one to suit each individual client. You will also get some additional options from insurance brokers, such as loss prevention ideas and many suggestions for eliminating unnecessary coverage. An example is the wisdom of discontinuing collision insurance on an older vehicle. You may save enough money to save a big down payment for your next car!

If you are hesitant to use insurance brokers, you need not worry. Most jurisdictions require that insurance brokers are registered and have to possess certain qualifications in order to get a license. There are also regulatory bodies which monitor the industry and respond to client complaints. These regulations apply as well to financial institutions and trust companies, pension plans and mortgage brokers, so you can feel confident that you are dealing with reputable people. If you wish, you can contact your Better Business Bureau and also ask your broker for references from other clients.

Insurance brokers can also offer you coverage for your residence, summer cottage and the boat at the wharf, and health services. Discuss all your insurance needs with them when you have the opportunity. Bundling all your policies with one broker may bring you some loyalty savings. And think of the time and energy you will save on each policy when you have insurance brokers looking for the best deal and coverage at their many companies with whom they are associated. If you tried to investigate all the possibilities, you would discover the huge amounts of time and paperwork that the practice requires. It is also a good idea to talk to insurance brokers before you head out to purchase your next vehicle as some are definitely more expensive to insure than others.

Turning over your insurance needs to an insurance broker will give you the peace of mind that having a professional working for you offers. And you will save money as well! A winning combination.

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The 7 Point Guide in Buying an Insurance Agency

Each day the list of for sale insurance agencies of high quality gets updated. With so much to choose from and more added daily, the task of finding the agency that perfectly complements to you is truly a time consuming and complicated one. Whether you want to buy an insurance agency for the first time or you are on the hunt for a merger and acquisition of opportunities, you surely will find a bunch of prospected agencies which will furnish your needs. And after this comes the true challenge of knowing which one is the best for you. Before you buy an insurance agency, here are 7 starting points on how to buy a business that must be taken into account in course of scrutinizing and evaluating each one of the prospected ventures.

Location: The first thing to look for is the location. If you are to buy an insurance company which is offering life insurance, then you better look for one that is within proximity to the residential area or near a hospital. Location has always been a key player to the success of a business and when you have the best one, you will surely be able to reach more clients. The possibility also of having to relocate must be taken into consideration as this imposes threat of losing current customers and affect retention rates. For those who are renting make sure to check the expiration of contract and negotiate to ensure that no increase will occur on the coming years.

Financing: A good start-up question is on where to get the finance in buying the insurance agency. You must consider the possibilities of seller financing, self-financing using your assets, and lending options. For seller financing, you must thoroughly examine the terms to avoid future disputes. Assurance is surely needed when you are using your assets to buy an insurance agency thus you must make sure that you are investing in a business that is progressing and not regressing. Having to borrow the money for the purchase, it is better if you will be able to find a company that specializes in lending to the insurance industry. Finance is the most important part when setting-up a business and to ensure success having an expert help you along the way is always beneficial.

Cash Flow Analysis: The main reason why you must be concerned in cash flow as you buy an insurance agency is that it shows you a clearer picture of the company's performance. Understanding how much the agency did earn after deducting the reoccurring expenses will surely bring you a correct business valuation. As the buyer, you need to review the records on new policies, renewals, commissions and other revenue generating areas of the agency. On the other, a list of the reoccurring expenses including rent, salary costs and advertising among others is necessary to give you the idea of how much money goes out from the agency. Explore for possible alteration of expenses and consider the effects of the change in ownership on the agency's income stream. A rule of the thumb is to perform a minimum of 1 year cash flow for young agency and a multiple year cash flow for an established one to ensure thorough analysis. If you are not good on accounting, specially with regards to the insurance industry, tapping the assistance of a business broker would be a wiser choice.

Advertising: As you buy an insurance agency, you must also take a peek on the advertising contracts it is enrolled as you will surely shoulder the expenses for the remaining period. Knowing that current agency has yellow page or billboard advertising that is on a fixed term contract, you should factor in those costs as you will acquire the rest of those expenses. You must also be aware of the phone numbers, websites or emails that are shown on the advertisements of the insurance company as they are vital assets to consider with the procurement. Ask for assurance that those phone numbers and other contact methods are offered to be reserved with the agency. Factor in also the cost on updating information on websites and toll free number platforms as they usually come at great cost. Analyze the power of the existing marketing strategies and take them into account before buying an insurance agency.

Company Access: Before doing the actual buyout, check for the list of insurance companies that you are about to sell plans for and make sure to have appointments with them. This will guarantee that you no longer need to check the underwriting requirements and you will uphold the current accreditation given by the insurance company. Unable to set appointments with all the present companies will cause you to potentially lose customers as you will need to rewrite them to different insurance carrier. Setting your foot one step forward, you must make sure that you are able to get appointments for insurance companies that the agency does not currently offer. Doing so well let you factor out those companies and be able to compliment them to your services.

Management System: What management system is being imposed by the agency and how is the organization of customer records being implemented? Is it possible to have the current management system stay intact with the acquisition of the agency? What is the assurance of having no compatibility issue when doing data migration as you may utilize and prefer a different management system? An array of software applications is available to help you in migrating data and in maintaining compatibility between management systems. As a buyer, making sure that you thoroughly understand this part is a must as most client related issues are due to poor data management.

Seller Assistance: Last point to consider is on the possibility of having the seller train the new owner and to have a smooth transition plan for an adequate period of time. Reputable and established agency owners commonly answer the possibility on holding training and transition of ownership. Corporate Ventures are good vendors as when they sell a business, they usually work with transitioning the ownership. If you are buying your first insurance agency, then make sure that your seller is willing to help you to transition the business as smooth as possible keeping the current customers and employees. A six month transition time is generally enough to make sure that you are ready to stand on your own. The help of the seller will surely make the transition a positive event to both your employees and clients so make sure that you are able to bring this up during the negotiations.

Following this guide will also be good for those who want to know how to sell an insurance agency or how to sell an accounting firm. In fact, it practically is applicable on any form of business regardless if you are the seller or the buyer. With these things in mind, you will surely have a good starting point of considerations when you buy a business. Make sure that you take them all as one and search for the offer which possesses them all. Learn to negotiate and get expert advice to make sure that you are investing for the right one.

Rhonnel Alburo is an active blogger which has great interest on talking about technological trends. His blog The Legendary Blog of Alfore [http://blog.alfore.info] is a personal portal to which he shares his thoughts on various topics. He also maintains a websites The Legendary Alfore which he shares about technological trends and his interesting thoughts about the world.

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How To Turn 1,500 Insurance Prospects You Already Have Into Clients

"I have 200 clients and 1,500 prospects." This was said to me by a financial advisor recently - one who understood what it's all about! I suppose it depends on your definition of a client, but to me it's one who pays a large annual premium and generates referrals.

So the philosophy is that there are 200 "clients" who are segmented into A and B based on value. These are talked to and mailed regularly, as any client should be. Then there is the need to add new (high value) clients, which he does by using a range of sources. These are (in no particular order):
- Referrals from existing high value clients (he never asks a low value client for a referral)
- Centres of influence, notably a lawyer, a mortgage broker and a real estate agent
- His own list of 1,500 semi-qualified prospects

It's this last source that is the most interesting. Where did he get the list? Some advisers may choose to call them "clients" as they are all his C clients. Let's face it, they aren't really clients; they are simply a list of semi-qualified people (semi-qualified in that he knows their name, contact details, age and a single low value product they may have purchased many years before).

In many cases he hasn't talked to them in over 5 years or in some cases over a decade. You must treat them as prospects just like any other first time contact.

Don't believe me? Think of it this way - suppose you buy a client base from someone else. You go about contacting them methodically, with a script aimed at introducing yourself and getting an appointment to address a particular issue or opportunity. Almost always you can do better with that prospect than the selling advisor, as it's a new voice with a new message and new approach.

So if you can do it with a so-called 'client' from someone else's base, why can't you do the same thing with your own (client) prospect list? After all, you have no doubt changed your approach in the last 3-5 years and now have a lot more to offer.

The most frequent question I get asked is "how do I get more clients?" when the asking adviser has 1,500+ on their books already. They then follow this with "I've done my own base to death; there's no more potential in them." Really?

And it all starts with contact. Put them on your high frequency (monthly) newsletter list for a few months and then start to phone them. The three or four newsletters sent first will reintroduce you to them and restart the relationship. This works better than almost all other prospecting techniques.

Paul Watkins has helped financial advisors grow their businesses for nearly two decades. The secret to growth is not a single silver bullet but appreciating that the best techniques are simple, small, inexpensive activities that can mostly be put on auto-pilot. Paul has more details on his web site http://financialadvisormarketingtips.com

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How A Bank Took Over The Relationship From My Financial Advisor

I had a call from my 'personal banker' Steve a few yeas ago. He said: "Can I practice a new sales approach on you please?" "Sure, why not", I said. "I've just been through a financial planning course and we were told to phone a couple of friendly clients or mates to practice a new type of approach on."

"Can I start by asking what your short-term financial goals are? What I mean is do you anticipate making any large purchases in the next 2 to 3 years such as a new house or car or overseas holiday?"

"Yes," I said in surprise at the question. "I intend buying a new car early next year and taking an overseas holiday later in the same year." "Great," came the response.

"Now can I ask you what your 10-year goals would be? Is there any one significant change that may occur such as kids going to University, you going into a business venture or changing houses?" "Yes, I suppose 10 years from now we might look to change houses."

"Now, can I ask you how much longer you will probably be actively earning before you retire?" I was impressed with this new approach and replied: "I imagine that I'll be working for about another 20 years."

"So in summary, you will be buying a new car and going overseas next year, changing houses in about 10 years and want to retire in about 20. Do you have a written plan as to how you would achieve these at all?" "No" I said, very curious as to what he would say next.

"I would be keen to make a time to sit down with you and your wife to work though a plan so that you can achieve these things. Your mortgage is with us, so we have a recent snapshot of your financial position as a starting point. What is a good time for you both?"

I was in stunned silence at this point, not knowing if he had really been 'practicing' on me or if this was a genuine sales pitch. After a second or two, he said, "are you still there?" "Yeah, sure, sorry, I was just thinking."

"Well Paul, do you think that this approach would work with many clients?" As I put the phone down, I could only be impressed with this most un-bank-like sales approach to my money. The point that struck me most was when he said "Your mortgage is with us, so we have a recent snapshot of your financial position." This puts the bank in a very strong position to extend its reach into the financial lives of its clients.

It clearly reinforces the need for you to have a strong client contact management plan to ensure that this approach will NOT work with the bank's clients. The rules have changed. Quarterly newsletters won't cut it anymore. Contact must now be monthly. NOTE: If that was only a practice run for young Steve, what is he going to be like in a few months after he gains a bit of confidence?

Paul Watkins has helped financial advisors grow their businesses for nearly two decades. The secret to growth is not a single silver bullet but appreciating that the best techniques are simple, small, inexpensive activities that can mostly be put on auto-pilot. Paul has more details on his web site http://www.financialadvisormarketingtips.com

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