Gearing Up for the MAIA's 19th Annual Convention

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents' 19th Annual Convention is right around the corner and will take place February 23-25, 2010 at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids. This conference is the largest annual gathering of insurance professionals in Michigan.

Jerry Fetty (SMART I.T. Services) and Wayne Joubert (MAIA) will be presenting The Benefits and Pitfalls of Using Social Media at Your Agency on Tuesday, February 23rd at 1:30 pm. You will see examples of how some agencies are using social media to extend customer service and build relationships. The session will also explore some of the pitfalls and how to make sure social media tools are used appropriately.

You can view all of the other great convention topics and get more information here.

Be sure to drop by our booth #41 and find out about our technology services and solutions that can save your agency money, increase employee productivity, and reduce risk.

GLAD 2009 Recap

Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD), presented by the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, turned out to be another excellent event. Great presentations were given throughout the day by Steve Anderson, Angelyn Treutel, and SMART I.T. Services very own Bryant Caudill (pictured). Agents learned about leveraging social media and having an online presence in order to nurture relationships, build new ones, and stand out amongst the crowd.

Steve Anderson kicked off the event by explaining why people and business professionals need to pay attention to social media. After Angelyn Treutel showed the audience how her agency is incorporating social media tools as part of its sales and customer service strategy, Bryant Caudill demonstrated how to set up a Google AdWords account and campaign to drive traffic to an agency’s web site.

Vendor booths, lunch, and a whole lot of networking rounded out the busy day. Thank you to everyone who stoppped by the SMART I.T. Services booth(s) at the show (we had two of them). It was great to see some familiar faces and some new ones as well!

Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD) 2009

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents will be holding its annual Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD) event on November 6, 2009 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The theme for this year's event is "Agencies in the Age of Social Media."

Do you think social media is just a fad? Come find out what the experts think about its potential benefits and the best practices to utilizing it at your insurance agency.

Speakers for GLAD 2009 include Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services, Steve Anderson, and Angelyn Treautel of the IIABA's Agents Council for Technology.

Don't miss out on this great event! Visit http://www.michagent.org/ more information and to register.