Progressive Independent Agents to Win More than $100,000 in Prizes in First Ever "Cross-SellaPalooza" Contest
Progressive to reward agents for selling multiple products; seven prizes total, including RV, boat, motorcycle, pick-up truck
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio — June 4, 2007 — With the start of summer comes thoughts of putting down the convertible's top and cruising around town, revving up the motorcycle and hitting the open road, putting the boat in the water and feeling the spray on your face, and ... insurance? Well, the last one, not so much. But The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies is trying to change that — to give agents an incentive to talk with their customers about insuring their seasonal toys and, in the process, to give agents chances to win some of those toys for themselves!
Progressive, a leading insurer of motorcycles, boats and RVs, is holding Cross-SellaPalooza, a contest in which agents can win prizes by selling multiple types of insurance products to their customers.
"It's simple," said Dave Vieregg, Progressive's director of distribution for Special Lines. "We're saying to agents, 'If you've got the car, quote the boat. If you've got the bike, quote the car.' Customers get the same great rates and 24/7 service they get with their current policy, and agents get a chance to win amazing prizes."
To register, agency owners go to Progressive's agency-dedicated Web site, ForAgentsOnly.com. Agents earn an entry for each time their agency writes more than one Progressive policy for a customer, as long as they have cross-sold at least five Progressive policies since the beginning of 2007. They then get five entries into the contest for those five cross-sold customers, and each cross-sold customer after that gains them an additional entry. For example, if an agency sells a Progressive Boat policy to a customer who already has a Progressive Drive Insurance auto policy, the agent would get one entry into the drawing. Or, if an agency gets a new customer and sells him or her a Progressive Boat policy, a Progressive Motorcycle policy and a Progressive RV policy, the agent would get one entry. So, the more cross-sold customers an agency has, the better the agent's chance of winning. The contest runs between June 4 and September 7, with prizes awarded every two weeks and increasing in value throughout the seven drawings, starting with an ATV and ending with a 4x4 pickup truck. Other prizes include a Ford Mustang® and a Harley-Davidson® DynaTM Super Glide®.
"The prizes are great, but the long-term benefit is the loyalty agents will build with customers when they sell them multiple policies," Vieregg said. "We've found that the more products individual customers have insured with an agent, the more likely that customer is to stick around. And cross-selling can be easy; a lot of times, all it takes is for the agent to ask their customers about other vehicles they own."
Vieregg offers agents these cross-selling tips to the more than 30,000 independent agencies representing Progressive:
- Ask your customers about their summer vacation plans to find out about additional vehicles that you could write and place with Progressive. Some people insure their boats by endorsing them onto their homeowners policies, which generally don't offer the coverages available with specialized policies.
- Ask customers who have seasonal businesses, such as contractors and landscapers, specific questions about their vehicles. Many times, small business owners may not have the best coverage for their needs.
- Let customers know that Progressive has specially trained claims representatives to handle their claims from beginning to end with one goal in mind: to get them back on the road (or in the water) — fast. Progressive also trains its claims representatives for each type of insurance it sells. This can be especially important during the short summer season when customers will be anxious to get a motorcycle, boat or RV repaired and back in action quickly following a claim.
Vieregg added that it may be easier than ever to cross-sell with rates for insurance going down. Since the second half of 2006, Progressive has taken rates down for its motorcycle, boat and RV products in 33 states, with customers in 16 states seeing double-digit rate decreases.
While agency principals are eligible for the vehicle prizes, the folks who work in their agencies can also get in on the fun. Customer service representatives (CSRs) and producers can participate by completing an online cross-selling training module. Then, one CSR or producer from each state will win a $100 Target® gift card every two weeks in random drawings.
About the Prizes:
Every two weeks, starting June 18 and ending September 10, Progressive will award a vehicle to an agent in random drawings of eligible agencies. Agents receive one entry for each cross-sold customer since January 2007, but need to have cross-sold at least five to gain entry into the contest.
Prize |
Description |
MSRP |
ATV |
2007 Honda® FourTrax® Rancher ES ATV |
$4,699 |
PWC |
2007 Honda® AquaTrax® F-12 |
$9,999 |
Motorcycle |
2007 Harley-Davidson® DynaTM Super Glide® |
$14,010 |
RV |
2008 Jayco® JayfeatherTM EX-PORT 17c |
$15,000 |
Boat |
2007 Bayliner® Bowrider 185 |
$13,995 |
Car |
2007 Ford Mustang® |
$19,995 |
Truck |
2007 Ford F-150® XLT 4x4pick-up truck |
$24,045 |
About Progressive
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, now celebrating its 70th year in business, is the country's third largest auto insurance group and largest seller of motorcycle and personal watercraft policies based on premiums written, and is a market leader in commercial auto insurance.
Progressive is committed to becoming consumers' #1 choice for auto insurance by providing competitive products and rates that meet drivers' needs throughout their lifetimes, superior online and in-person customer service, and best-in-class, 24-hour claims service, including its concierge level of claims service available at service centers throughout the United States.
Progressive's Agency Business sells Progressive Drive Insurance private passenger auto insurance through more than 30,000 independent agencies. Progressive agents also sell the company's other products including Progressive Commercial, Progressive Motorcycle, Progressive RV, etc. The Agency Business companies make up a group that is the largest writer of auto insurance through independent agents and brokers in the U.S., based on premiums written. Agents and brokers can log in to ForAgentsOnly.com to get an at-a-glance summary of everything they need to manage and grow their business, including referrals, quotes, customer policy information, state and countrywide news and more. Consumers can find an agent at www.driveinsurance.com. Progressive and Drive are registered trademarks.
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