Welcome to the summer edition of Retail Remarks, our broker newsletter

Success at BIBA 2011

Allianz's approach to this year's BIBA conference was embracing the concept that 'knowledge is power' and our stand focused on the idea that by 'knowing more we can achieve more'. The stand was designed with designed with our brokers in mind, allowing people to stop by the stand, take a break and relax and talk to our senior leadership team in a comfortable atmosphere.

The Allianz stand attracted a lot of interest, particularly with the arrival of our very special Team Allianz guests, Rebecca Romero and Andy Hodge. The athletes were warmly received by both delegates and exhibitors with many brokers stopping by the stand to meet the athlete's. Many delegates stopped by to compete on our Batak wall and on our interactive sports quiz where they could test their physical and mental ability and speed of response against others, including Rebecca Romero!

Brokers were able to download a QR reader and gain access to exclusive information on our range of products and services. For more information please visit www.allianzretail.co.uk

Meet Team Allianz

As they approach 2012, each member of the team is looking to raise their level of performance. They all have stories to tell and experiences to share about their determination to be the best in their chosen field. For some, their dreams have been realised, for others, 2012 is the opportunity to prove themselves to be the outstanding performer in their event. Team Allianz will be led by two renowned former Olympians, Steve Cram and Sharron Davies, who were outstanding performers in middle-distance running and swimming respectively, Olympic medallists and are now successful and respected broadcasters.

Steve Cram MBE

Name:

Steve Cram

Discipline:

Middle-distance runner

Achievement:

Set world records at 1500m, 2000m and the mile during a 19-day period in 1985

Date of birth:

14 October, 1960

Age:

50

Career highlights:

World championship gold in 1983. Voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1983. Awarded the MBE in 1986.

Early potential:

Silver medal at European Junior European Championships in Italy, aged 18.

He says:

"When I was pushing 30 and beyond, I'd like to have been more competitive, but I was repeatedly injured and it became terribly frustrating."

Interesting fact:

He founded the charity COCO in 2000, working on education and healthcare initiatives that make a big difference to children living in poverty throughout the developing world. It has since raised more than £2million.

Olympic experience:

Moscow 1980: 1500m finalist. Los Angeles 1984: silver medal at 1500m. Seoul 1988: fourth in 1500m final.

Sharron Davies MBE

Name:

Sharron Davies

Discipline:

Swimming

Achievement:

Broke over 200 British swimming records

Date of birth:

1 November, 1962

Age:

48

Career highlights:

Gold medal in Commonwealth Games at 200m and 400m medley. Silver medal in 1980 Olympics. Awarded MBE for services to swimming in 1993.

Early potential:

Swam for British national team aged just 11.

She says (talking about all the training):

"The biggest lesson swimming taught me was discipline. It taught me that if I want something I have to work hard for it."

Interesting fact:

A bronze statue of a mermaid, modelled by Sharron Davies, can be seen on the sea wall of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Olympic experience:

Montreal 1976: unplaced. Moscow 1980: silver medal in 400m medley.

Aaron Cook

Name:

Aaron Cook

Discipline:

Taekwondo

Ranking:

World No 1

Date of birth:

2 January, 1991

Age:

20

Career highlights:

First Taekwondo athlete to hold European titles at all levels: cadet, junior, under-21 and senior. Current British champion. Youngest-ever taekwondo athlete to represent GB at Olympics, he reached semi-finals in Beijing. Defeated five-times world champion Steven Lopez in 2009.

Early potential:

Gold medal in 2005 Cadet European Championships, Italy.

He says:

"Winning a home Olympics would tick all of the boxes. I will then hopefully go on to be one of the greatest of all time."

Interesting fact:

He left home aged just 15 to join the Great Britain Taekwondo team, then based in Loughborough.

Olympic experience:

Beijing 2008: he finished fourth.

Alistair Brownlee

Name:

Alistair Brownlee

Discipline:

Triathlon

Ranking:

World No 1

Date of birth:

23 April 1988

Age:

23

Career highlights:

Seven times Yorkshire cross-country and fell–running champion. Became the first ever person to win the ITU world Triathlon titles for junior men (2006), under-23 men (2008) and senior men (2009). Won the 2009 Triathlon world championship by finishing first in all five of the season's events in which he competed. 2010 and 2011 European Triathlon Champion.

Early potential:

2006 junior triathlon world and European champion.

He says:

"Triathlon used to be seen as a sport that only nutters do. Now it's a mainstream Olympic event."

Interesting fact:

His younger brother Jonathan is competing in the triathlon too.

Olympic experience:

Beijing 2008: finished 12th.

Andy Hodge MBE

Name:

Andy Hodge

Discipline:

Rowing

Ranking:

World No 1

Date of birth:

3 March, 1979

Age:

32

Career highlights:

Won Boat Race for Oxford as stroke in 2005. Gold in coxless four at last Olympics. 11 World Cup gold medals.

Early potential:

Part of Great Britain eight that reached finals in 2003 world championships.

He says (talking about all the training):

"All you've got to do is to think back to what it was like singing the national anthem on a podium watching thousands of people singing with you. The concept of joy was completely redefined for me."

Interesting fact:

He's appeared on Ready, Steady, Cook!

Olympic experience:

Athens 2004: 9th in the eights. Beijing 2008: gold medal in coxless fours.

Andy Turner

Name:

Andy Turner

Discipline:

110m hurdles

Ranking:

In world's top three

Date of birth:

19 November, 1980

Age:

31

Career highlights:

Gold in 2010 European team championships. Gold in European championships. Gold in 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Early potential:

Running 14.24, aged 17, at an under-20 event.

He says:

"I'm not satisfied with where I am. I want to be challenging the world's best and there's no time to waste."

Interesting fact:

He was once offered a trial to play rugby for England.

Olympic experience:

Athens 2004: eliminated in heats. Beijing 2008: reached quarter-finals.

David Weir MBE

Name:

David Weir

Discipline:

Paralympics athlete

Ranking:

World No 1 at several distances

Date of birth:

5 June, 1979

Age:

32

Career highlights:

Five times London Wheelchair
Marathon Champion.
Four medals, including two golds at Beijing Olympics.
Holds the British record at all track distances up to 5,000m, as well as on the road at 10km, half-marathon, and marathon.
Winner of 2011 London Wheelchair Marathon, first in 2010 New York marathon.

Early potential:

Aged just eight, taking part in trials for the London mini-marathon.

He says:

"Growing up, the fact that my legs did not work like all the other kids never stopped me. I went in goal in the football games, and in the playground, I'd sit on the floor in goal."

Interesting fact:

His carbon-fibre racing chair costs around £5,000 and weighs just 7kg, including the wheels.

Paralympic experience:

Atlanta 1996: 4th in 4x100m, 7th in 100m.
Athens 2004: silver and bronze medals.
Beijing 2008: Two gold medals - 800m & 1500m, a silver and a bronze..

Eleanor Simmonds MBE

Name:

Eleanor Simmonds

Discipline:

Paralympics swimmer

Ranking:

World No 1 at several distances

Date of birth:

11 November, 1994

Age:

16

Career highlights:

At 14, she was appointed an MBE in the 2009 New Year Honours – is the youngest person to have ever received this honour. Competed in five events at Beijing Olympics, winning gold in two events. Won the 2008 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

Early potential:

At the age of 13 Eleanor was the youngest British athlete at Beijing in 2008.

She says:

"I train extremely hard and don't let anything get me down."

Interesting fact:

Taking her GCSE coursework with her to trials for the European Championships in Berlin.

Paralympic experience:

Beijing 2008: gold medals at 100m and 400m freestyle; fifth in 200m individual medley.

Jodie Williams

Name:

Jodie Williams

Discipline:

Sprinter

Ranking:

World Youth Champion in 100m and 200m

Date of birth:

28 September, 1993

Age:

17

Career highlights:

Gold at 100m and 200m in 2009 World Youth Championships. Gold medal in 100m and silver in 200m at 2010 World Junior Championships. Shortlisted for the 2010 Young Sports Personality of the Year, for the second time.

Early potential:

Her father spotted her sprinting talent when she was still very young and says, "Jodie would have finished while her nearest rival was still only about halfway up the track."

She says:

"I want to focus on the here and now, and not get too carried away with everything."

Interesting fact:

Was allowed to take part at European indoor championships in Paris this month (where she came fourth in the 60m, her "worst event"), on the proviso that she completed her A-level maths homework.

Olympic experience:

2012 will be Jodie's first Olympics.

Rebecca Romero MBE

Name:

Rebecca Romero

Discipline:

Cycling

Achievement:

Only the second woman to win two medals in two Olympic sports

Date of birth:

24 January, 1980

Age:

31

Career highlights:

Awarded an MBE in 2009.
Won world championships at both cycling and rowing.

Early potential:

Within eight months, while studying for her A-levels, she went from novice standard to being selected for Great Britain for the 1998 Junior world rowing championships.

She says:

"I think it is great that the British no longer think silver is enough. People used to suggest I was freaky being so obsessed by gold, but now they are beginning to realise that there is no point in being the plucky underdog."

Interesting fact:

She won't be able to defend her title in 2012 because the individual pursuit has been dropped from the Olympic programme.

Olympic experience:

Athens 2004: silver medal in quadruple sculls.
Beijing 2008: gold medal in individual and team pursuit.

William Fox-Pitt

Name:

William Fox-Pitt

Discipline:

Equestrian rider

Achievement:

The first British rider to become World No 1

Date of birth:

2 January, 1969

Age:

42

Career highlights:

Six team golds in European Championships.
Team Gold Medal and Individual Silver medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Five wins at Burghley Horse Trials.

Early potential:

Individual silver medal at European Junior European Championships in Italy, aged 18.

He says:

"I never expected or dreamed of a career as a top event rider."

Interesting fact:

His father, mother and both sisters have all represented Great Britain in equestrian.

Olympic experience:

Atlanta 1996: unplaced.
Athens 2004: silver medal in team eventing.
Beijing 2008: bronze medal in team eventing.

Allianz Clear product range

Allianz is constantly looking for ways to work with brokers to grow your account profitably through product development, service enhancement and pricing. That's why we've made a large investment in our pricing capability and have launched our new Clear product range inclusive of Clear Private Car, Clear Home and
Clear Commercial Vehicle.

1 Clear Home – are you switched on to Allianz Clear home insurance?

We offer three levels of notionally rated, full cycle EDI home insurance covers designed exclusively for brokers.

Clear Essentials Our most basic home and contents insurance for price sensitive clients who want to cut-out the cost of non-essential covers.

Clear Advance A well-rounded home and contents policy designed for clients seeking protection against more than just the major events.

Clear Complete It's all in the detail with more cover and higher limits. The best Allianz has to offer. Clear Complete has earned an impressive 5-Star Rating from Defaqto (independent financial research company), for its robust homes and contents cover.

Our latest home insurance offering is designed to cater for a wide range of clients' needs. Allianz Clear provides three levels of high quality cover with the flexibility to add extra covers if required. Please visit our comparison centre to see how our products measure up against each other as well as the competition. www.allianzretail.co.uk/compare

2 Clear Private Car - a rolling success

Allianz has successfully completed the full roll-out of our Clear Private Car product and are now open for business on all software houses. This has allowed over 3,000 brokers access to our new product. Please visit our website to see the benefits of choosing Clear Private Car www.allianzretail.co.uk/privatecar

3 Clear Commercial Vehicle – delivering enhanced cover at a competitive price

Following the success of the Clear Private Car product, we have designed a new Clear Commercial Vehicle product, which made it's debut on Insurecom in March and has recently launched on SSP. Our new cover has been fully loaded with benefits to meet your clients' needs including personal accident benefits, accidental misfuelling cover and the option to protect no claims discount is available at all levels fsrom year one.

More to Come

The next roll-out is taking place later this month when our new product will be available to Open GI users. Further software house roll-outs are planned throughout 2011, please check our website for details on when the product will be available to you www.allianzretail.co.uk/clearcv

Using the internet to grow your business

Many brokers are aware that marketing their business is a vital discipline and the digital marketing area can provide an opportunity for brokers to have more consistent communication opportunities with clients and prospects. Check out our tips on how to use the digital space to promote your business.

Use social networking media

Your business can use social media to build your network.

• Social media creates connections between people
• You can search for people you know and 'add' them as friends
• Your network can include current and former colleagues, friends and clients.

It all depends on who you want to communicate with and who is using that social media platform.

The most well-known business-focused social network is LinkedIn. Facebook and Twitter (www.twitter.com) are widely used by small businesses to engage with customers.

Keep up with the competition through research

It is easy to find out about your competitors online, use the following quick tips to gain advantage over your competitors:

• Check your main competitor's website regularly
• Remember to sign up to any newsletter they offer
• Search blogs, forums and social media to see if they are mentioned
• Careful searching may allow you to identify some of a competitor's clients
• You could then get your sales team to target them with special deals
• Careful searching may allow you to identify some of a competitor's clients
• Sites like Alexa with give you indicative traffic levels for a competitor's website.

Using search engines

Search engines are the main way people find information online.

There are some basic search operators which can produce a more specific set of results.

• Search operators tell the search engine to narrow or broaden the search
• For instance, if you enter a search term in quotes ("), most search engines will only return pages which contain the exact term
• Putting a plus sign (+) in front of a word usually tells the search engine that all results must contain that word.

Similarly, a minus sign (-) means pages containing that term will be excluded.

Each search engine will list its search operators in the help section. For more in-depth information about visitors to a competing site, you could consider purchasing data from a company like Hitwise.

In the insurance market, few brokerages have adopted a digital marketing strategy. With the field completely open, whichever broker takes the initiative here will have the edge – so why not make that broker you?

Please visit our Business Information Centre to gain more information on how grow your business www.allianzretail.co.uk/businessinformationcentre

If you have any further queries, please contact your Allianz Retail Account Developer or your Broker Service Team.

Team partnership with MercedesGP Petronas Formula One™ Team

Allianz has announced its new partnership with the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One™ Team which includes the branding of the Official Formula One™ Safety Car and Medical Car, both of which are provided by Mercedes-Benz.

The partnership underlines Allianz' commitment to road safety, FormulaOne™ and the automotive industry.

Raised awareness leads to safer driving, which means less injuries and loss of life on the roads,

says Andrew Torrance.

In Britain alone, there were 2,222 people killed on roads in 2009 and more than 222,000 reported casualties of all severities. As a global insurer of more than 50 million cars, Allianz has a significant interest in reducing the frequency and severity of accidents. Allianz, in its Formula One™ partnership, can create links between the safety of Formula One™ drivers and the everyday safety of drivers worldwide.

No one had branded the Safety and Medical Cars before Allianz did," says Andrew. "This visible commitment to road safety is very important to us as a signal to our 75 million customers all around the world.

Allianz has been a partner of Formula One™ since 2000. Most recently, it was partnering with AT&T Williams. This successful partnership ended in 2010.

If you have any queries, please contact your Allianz Retail Account Developer or your Broker Service Team.

Raising the bar in your broker service team

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide you with the best service possible, we are constantly listening to the feedback that you give us.

We appreciate how busy you are on a day to day basis and that it's not always convenient to receive a phone call from us. In order to make this contact easier, we have developed a new process whereby we will request additional information by email. You can then simply click reply and complete the required information, at a time of day that suits you.

Our new way of working is already in use and has received hugely positive feedback from our brokers.

For your brokerage to take advantage of this new process, please send the information below to brokerservice@allianz.co.uk, referencing 'working with you' in the email subject field:

• Your name and the name of your brokerage
• Your address and postcode
• The central administration email address or dedicated person that you would like to receive these emails.

Once you have provided this email address to us, please ensure that it is checked regularly.

If you have any queries about this process, please contact your dedicated broker service team.