Study Looks at Importance of Insurance Agents

In a study looking at the importance of insurance agents, Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4d7223/perceptions_of_ins) announced the addition of the "Perceptions of Insurance Agents in the United States 2008" report to their offering.

In an era in which everything from Christmas shopping to finding a date has been transformed by the Internet, it's easy to conclude that insurance selling by agents is on the way out, replaced by consumers' round-the-clock access to "free" Internet advice and transactional capabilities. But comprehensive consumer research demonstrates that much of the public values agent relationships and that agents have connected with a mere sliver of their potential markets.

This report provides a concise overview of industry trends shaping agent recruitment and retention, followed by survey findings on such issues as:

• Percentages of consumer markets-segmented by demographic niche and insurance product-that have been contacted by an agent during the past five years
• How consumers prefer to communicate with their insurance agent
• Preferred insurance marketing channels
• Perceived advantages of buying insurance from agents/brokers
• Consumer attitudes towards agents and the insurance purchasing experience

Key Topics Covered:

• Scope and Themes
• What you need to know
• Scope of this report
• Data sources
• Consumer survey data—methodology
• Abbreviations and terms
• Terms
• Executive Summary
• Image management opportunities
• Marketing niche opportunities
• Electronic opportunities
• Sales management opportunities
• An overview of the agent distribution channel
• Frequency of agent contacts with consumers
• Consumer preferences for company/agent communications
• Purchase of insurance products
• Descriptions of agents/brokers
• Advantages of buying via agents/brokers
• Consumer perceptions of agents and purchasing experience
• An Overview of the Agent Distribution Channel
• Key points
• Dimensions of the agency force
• Agent compensation
• Challenges in recruiting agents
• Generational differences among agents
• Current advertising themes
• Advertising expenditures by category
• Companies Mentioned