Peer Benchmarking Review Groups
Ann Nerney - Group Facilitator
Ann Nerney - Experienced Business Peer-Mentor
Ann has participated in and been the leader of peer mentoring groups for more than 20 years. Her expertise in training agents and her broad industry experience have benefited numerous clients, including Allstate Insurance Company. Allstate hired Ann to improve the performance of their network of brokers and agents. As a top producing agent and owner of an award-winning agency for 17 years, Ann had identified and implemented best practices that could be leveraged by other agents to sell more insurance and service clients better. Combining her own best practices along with other proven methods shared by successful agencies, Ann helped develop the group and individual consultation practice used by Allstate.
Results
During peer group meetings led by Ann, agents shared the numbers they had achieved over the last 12 month and 24 months for key metrics, such as retention, policies per household, new production, and overall agency growth. By sharing hard numbers-peer benchmarking-revealed that the top performers were achieving numbers that average agents thought unattainable.
How well did peer mentoring at Allstate really work? Agents who attended outperformed those who did not by 120% in several key areas, including overall agency growth.
Method
Ann is a powerful and stealth moderator. Her method uses an interactive dynamic of stimulating dialogue between participants. Discussions are based on empirical data and include a deep examination of the how and why that makes something work. Each participant brings a unique set of experiences and perceptions to the group. As an experienced peer to peer moderator Ann is able to identify the material elements, balance fact and fiction and facilitate the development of individual strategies that can help owners grow their businesses.
Key to the success of the peer to peer session is the fact that participants agree to share information. All participants come to the session prepared with data, ideas and an understanding that even a well run business has areas that it can improve. Each participant will come with their own best methods. In exchange for one or two of their existing practices they will leave with more than 10 specific and actionable ideas!
About Entrepreneur Ann Nerney
Ann grew up in a small town in Virginia, the only daughter of a business owner. Her father modeled the entrepreneurial spirit in his hard work, determination, and networking for his successful business. Ann graduated from Virginia Tech with degrees in math, science, and education. Currently a business owner and having been a teacher, agency owner, and consultant, Ann's experiences provide unique insight and powerful tools.
Following her teaching experience, Ann started an insurance agency from scratch and grew it to be one of the largest in the area. She won awards for quality and retention, as well as agency growth on a territorial basis. After 17 years of agency ownership, Ann sold her agency and was hired immediately by Allstate to help other agencies grow. She hired and trained new agents, getting them off to a fast start. Because of her record of successful agency building, Ann was also assigned some of the largest Allstate agencies in Texas. Along the way, Allstate asked her to develop a consulting model, and she worked with Allstate executives on a company-wide plan to consult with agency owners in groups and individually. Data gathered before and after these consultations and group sessions show they worked. On average, agents that participated outperformed their peers in new production, retention, and agency growth.
Ann currently owns two businesses. She regularly consults with business owners who wish to improve the bottom line. Ann's insurance designations include CIC, CPCU, and CSA, and she holds series 6, 63, and 7, as well as the agent's license and a life license for sales.