Description
Duffy Insurance, a leading insurance agency in Massachusetts, is actively seeking a highly organized executive assistant who wants to join a company that offers a friendly working atmosphere with opportunities for growth. The position currently available is for a self-motivated individual who works to create lasting relationships with clients and co-workers.

We are looking for an organized, well rounded person to service personal insurance customers. This person must demonstrate the ability to multi-task, interact with and service insurance customers, and work well independently.

Job Description
This executive assistant will process new business and policy changes for the sales team in our Peabody office. He or she will maintain an organized, streamlined system of processing payments and agency paperwork. This executive assistant will also work with the sales staff to maintain and develop agency management systems. Finally, this account executive will process inbound telephone calls.

Key Responsibilities

• Issue and monitor insurance new business and policy changes
• Process commissions associated with insurance policies
• Applying Payments as necessary
• Maintain Up to date Client Contact Information
• Process incoming calls
• Manage Agency Interfaces internally and externally
• Maintain and develop prospect databases

Requirements

• Positive attitude
• Extremely Organized
• Ability to multi-task
• Motivated to learn
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment
• Prior property casualty insurance experience preferred.

Compensation
Duffy Insurance offers competitive salary for executive assistants. We also offer paid holidays and personal days. 401k Matching available for full-time employees.

To apply for this position kindly send resume, cover letter and list of references.

If you are interested in a challenging position and want to advance with a growth oriented company simply send your resume to: marc@duffyins.com or fax it to 978-854-0018

With your questions coming in more frequently lately, we thought it was a good time to post on the Duffy Insurance blog directly from the Mass DOT. 

Transferring a Registration

Please refer to this section if you have purchased a new or used vehicle and want to transfer your existing registration to that vehicle. If you are applying for a new registration, refer to the Applying for a New Registration section.

Fees
To transfer a plate from one vehicle to another of the same type, the fee is $25.00 (effective 5/12/2008). A $75.00 title fee and the applicable sales tax will also be collected.

An individual, corporation or company may transfer an existing registration from one vehicle to another if the following conditions apply:

• The registration is active.
• The owners on the registration will not change.
• Both vehicles conform to the same plate standards.

Is there a Grace Period for Transferring a Registration?
If you own a vehicle or trailer and purchase a new vehicle or trailer from a dealer or purchase a used vehicle or trailer from a private party, you may transfer your registration to the newly acquired vehicle. Massachusetts allows a grace period of seven (7) calendar days from the date you dispose of your previous vehicle to register your newly acquired vehicle.

Under this grace period, the following conditions must be met:

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• The newly acquired vehicle or trailer must be of the same type and have the same number of wheels as the previous vehicle or trailer.
• You must carry the transfer documents, which show the registration number to be transferred, in your vehicle.
• You must have lost possession of or disposed of your previous vehicle.
• The registration plates must be attached to the newly acquired vehicle.

Please note, there is no grace period if you do not currently have a registered vehicle or trailer. The RMV does not issue temporary registration plates.

For more information about the Seven-Day Registration Transfer Law(MGL c.90, Sec. 2), refer to our FAQs About the Seven-Day Transfer Law.

Kirsten was kind enough to sit down with us here at Duffy Insurance to discuss her success in telling the Melting Pot story via the social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. 

1. Tell us a little bit about the Melting Pot Story?

The Melting Pot is a nation-wide fondue restaurant chain. The company was founded 35 years ago, but locations in Massachusetts & Rhode Island are relatively new. Dining at the Melting Pot is a unique experience. Dipping into cheese, entrée and chocolate fondues is fun and interactive and perfect for any occasion. We have 3 locations in MA: Bedford/Burlington, Boston & Framingham and one in Providence, RI. Each location is locally owned and operated.

2.   With 1200 Twitter followers and more than 1100 Facebook Fans for each of your Mass. and RI locations alone, clearly you are communicating this story well via social media.  How have you gained so much traction in communicating this story?

This past March, the 4 local Melting Pot locations and I decided to make a concerted effort to grow our social media presence. Facebook and Twitter cater to two of our major target markets: Women, ages 25-54, and young urban professionals. Each store had already had Facebook pages/Twitter accounts for about a year, but we weren’t optimizing them. We knew that it would require a lot of effort to do it properly so we reallocated a good portion of marketing budget to do so. It is clear that social media is one of those initiatives that you cannot engage in half heartedly.

One of the most import things is to consistently engage your fan base so that you are always top of mind and their connection with your brand is perceived as being valuable. I make sure that I am not only posting/tweeting about interesting content, but that I involve our fans as much as possible. As such, we have hosted sweepstakes and smaller scale contests on a regular basis. We have provided exclusive fan/follower discounts and also regularly invite fans to post their opinion about anything from fondue to their favorite Brady Bunch episode.

I think that Facebook and Twitter are two completely different animals. For us, Twitter has been a fabulous networking tool. We have been able to establish lucrative business connections without having to meet all of these people in person which could take a lot more time, otherwise. Twitter is all about reciprocity, and we try to help our Twitter contacts out as much as they help us. #FollowFriday is one quick and easy way of doing this on a regular basis. We also invited local food bloggers to a fondue Tweet Up which helped us further solidify these relationships.

3. What turned The Melting Pot onto the Social Media Scene?  How early did The Melting Pot jump into the social media arenas?  Any mistakes you have made?  Any successes?  How does this work with traditional marketing and networking?

The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. provides a lot of guidance to local franchises when it comes to marketing. Late last year, they hired a national social media director to create a nation-wide social media campaign and the tools necessary for each individual store to participate locally. This investment of The Melting Pot Inc.’s part, encouraged us to give social media serious consideration. That, coupled with the fact that our target demos are well represented on both Facebook and Twitter, led us to create a concrete plan of action, with regards to Social Media.

When we had initially created Facebook pages back in March of 2009, we had made the mistake of creating Facebook profile pages rather than business-based fan pages. When we finally decided to do this “right,” we had to go through a very tortuous process of creating new pages and converting old “friends” to new “fans.” In the end, we are glad we did it as we now utilize all the business-base benefits of a fan page on a regular basis. Another mistake we made was randomly following Twitter accounts. Twitter has a cap on follows if you don’t have a certain number of accounts following you back. Be strategic in your follows, don’t follow people who haven’t tweeted in the last 6 months, that aren’t in your target demo, and that don’t have interests that are relevant to your brand. Big successes for us have been our Tweet Up (as mentioned above), our Pacific Islands Escapes sweepstakes (which unfortunately just ended), and paid Facebook advertising in conjunction with giveaways.

We still haven’t quite mastered how to properly measure our return on investment from social media. It is a branding tool, but also has some of the benefits of say, a customer loyalty program. I still believe that traditional marketing mediums are important, specifically for us, because social media doesn’t necessarily reach all of our potential audience.   

4. Your monthly “Ladies Night” and “Date Nights” seem to be very popular.  Tell us a little bit about this.  I assume you use social media as a promotional platform?

Yes, social media is definitely a promotional platform for us, although, we try not to spam our fans/followers with constant promotions (that’s why the content and engagement is so important). Girls’ Night Out is our signature event. We host it consistently in all 4 locations here. We offer a discounted menu (varies by location) and often feature girl friendly vendors like henna tattoo artists, psychics, massage therapists, jewelry and handbag vendors. Fondue is fun and interactive so it makes for a perfect reason to get together with the ladies. A couple of times a year, the 4 MA/RI locations also offer a Double Date Night special. Offerings vary per location, but, if two couples come in that evening, one couple basically eats for free. It’s pretty much the best deal we offer all year.

5. Finally, we hear the Melting Pot is Giving away a trip to Hawaii.  Tell us more about this.

Yes, we were, but this giveaway has already ended. We teamed up with the Melting Pot location in Maui to give away a trip for 2, including airfare, resort accommodations, meals, luau, a snorkeling trip and more. We currently have a Pacific Islands-themed Big Night Out menu that is only in restaurants for another 3 weeks. So, we thought the giveaway was a great way to highlight the menu. The sweepstakes were incredibly successful for us and we highly recommend other businesses doing something similar, even if they can’t do something on such a grand scale. We have been successful giving away dinners for 2 and a Girls’ Night Out meal for 4 ladies. Wildfire, Inc. has a user friendly tool for administering these types of giveaways via Social Media. We are hoping to host more sweepstakes in the future, we’re looking into possibly giving away free fondue for a year….stay tuned.  

 Thank you Kirsten for taking the time to discuss how restaurants can leverage social media to grow their businesses!

 About Duffy Insurance Duffy Insurance is not your typical insurance agent.  With locations north of Boston, Duffy Insurance has become one of the premier family insurance agents in Massachusetts.  Duffy Insurance works with its commercial clients to help them promote and grow their business as a value added service.  For more information on Massachusetts restaurant insurance from Duffy Insurance, visit our web site www.duffyins.com

Home insurance rates are determined by a number of different factors. Many of the different factors are under your direct control and can be influenced favorably with some preventative work and using some common sense.   The following tips can save you money and time when shopping around for home insurance rates.

Home Insurance Tip #3- Make sure to have an idea of what the replacement cost of your home is before you shop around for Mass. home insurance rates or try to determine how much coverage you need.  Replacement often differs greatly for what the market value for a home may be.  Market value is the price a buyer is willing to pay for a home in the real estate market.  The replacement cost of a home is the money it would cost to rebuild a home from the foundation up. The replacement cost valuation can vary greatly from company to company.  When you already have an idea of what it would cost to rebuild your home in the event of total loss, you are ahead of the game. It also gives you an extra insight on determining your home’s potential insurance exposure.

Home Insurance Tip #4   Home insurance policies have numerous deductible options that include: $250, $500, $1,000, and $2,500. (Other options may be available through your local independent agent)  Consider the last time you had an insurance claim and if it was at least 5 to 6 years ago or you’ve never had a claim then you need to consider a higher deductible.  Increasing your home insurance deductible is an easy way to save money on your home insurance policy. A home insurance deductible is the money you need come up with up front for a claim. For example, if you had a small home fire in your kitchen and it caused $4,000 worth of damage and you have a $500 deductible the insurance company payout for a covered loss would be $3,500. In the end the most important factor is your budget and what you can afford in the event of a loss.

As many of you know, Massachusetts auto insurance rates for newly licensed drivers are quite high.  If you have any surcharges on your record, such as a speeding ticket or an at fault accident, the rate climbs even higher.  Parents have learned this fact as they have added their kids onto their auto policies as they become licensed and start to drive.  According to the rating guidelines, a driver with less than 3 years experience is considered a new driver.  If a newly licensed driver decides to obtain their own vehicle, they have to open their own auto policy.  Many companies in Massachusetts refuse to write a policy on a newly licensed driver since newly licensed drivers are riskier to insure.  In these cases, the only option is the assigned risk pool, or the MAIP, as it is referred to in the business.  The MAIP rates are set by the state and the system randomly assigns a company that must take the business as the law requires.  The MAIP rates are typically higher than any voluntary rate.

However, there are a few companies that will voluntarily write a new driver as long as it fits into their underwriting parameters.  The only way to know is for an agent to go through the quoting process.  Drivers must share their driver’s license number, address, and vehicle information to the agent for an accurate quote.  Here at Duffy Insurance, we have 7 different voluntary auto insurance carriers that we can access.  We have found that some of the companies that we represent often have the best rates for newly licensed drivers.

If you are a newly licensed driver, or know someone who is, and are looking to purchase an auto insurance policy, please call Duffy Insurance to have one of our agents seek out the proper coverage you need.

The first key is cash flow.  Most businesses go out of business because they have a lack of money.  It takes time for a new pizza operation to build up a reputation and establish itself before they become profitable.  Like most businesses that depend on foot traffic, location is important.  Good visibility and parking accessibility are keys to driving people into your establishment.  Please make sure the space you are buying or renting has the correct permits to run the business.  Also, if renting, make sure your contract protects you against early termination to prevent losing your space just as your business is growing.

The quality of the food is also key.  Better ingredients improve the taste but also increase your costs.  Owners should consistently taste their own products just to make sure they are being prepared correctly by the staff.  Pricing is important and lower does not mean better.  People will pay more for a great tasting product.  

Staff quality can make a big difference in repeat business.   A positive, friendly attitude starts with the owner and rubs off on the staff.   Be sure to come to work looking clean and expecting the same from the employees.  If there are staffing concerns, address them so that a cloud of negativity does not take over.  A negative, unfriendly staff can drive business away.

You will need to determine what type of operation you will be running.  Will it be mainly eat-in, delivery, or a combination?  If you wish to have an eat-in facility, you want to make sure the place is clean, inviting, and safe!  Safety (food, physical, and environmental) is extremely important because one accident can put you out of business.

These are good first steps to analyze when making a career altering decision to open up a pizza establishment.  Restaurant Insurance is another step to consider so please feel free to contact us here at Duffy Insurance to get expert advice on making sure your new business is properly covered.

Home Insurance Tip #2- Be aware of where your home is located and how it relates to your coverage and costs when shopping for home insurance. For example, a person with a home near the ocean can have a much more difficult time finding reasonable insurance prices.  This is because a homes distance to the water can increase potential for a claim and thus is more risky to insure.  Homeowners close to the ocean must make sure they have the proper coverage in place in the event of a natural disaster.

Another geographic factor for you could be; is the area where your home is located prone to earth quakes and/or minor tremors. Earthquake coverage can be purchased as an endorsement on a Massachusetts home insurance policy. Not considering earthquake coverage can be a big mistake considering most home insurance policies do not cover earth quakes automatically. If you have a sizable mortgage this can be a costly oversight. New England, for example has long been overdue for a quake and since they do not happen often not many consider buying quake coverage.

Speak with your neighbors.  Find out who they use for insurance, if they have any specific endorsements added to his or her policy, and finally a ball park of what they are paying monthly.  This will give you an idea of what your home insurance should cover and cost.

Home insurance rates are determined by a number of different factors. Many of the different factors are under your direct control and can be influenced favorably with some preventative work and using some common sense.   The following tips can save you money and time when shopping around for home insurance rates.

Home Insurance Tip #1- When were the major systems in your home last updated?

When shopping for home insurance a number of different factors help determine home insurance costs. Find out when all the major systems in your home were last updated and what work, what doesn’t work, if any, and what needs to be done to fix or update them. (Major systems in your home include: electrical system, plumbing, heating, the roof, and the exterior siding.)  These are some important factors in helping determining home insurance prices.

With older homes the year built of your home need not cost you extra money. Keeping your home properly maintained and updating the major systems in your home is an easy way to save money and gain access to more voluntary markets for insurance that an older home would normally not have access to. With new home this is not as much as an issue.

As people spend more and more time on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites, small and large businesses alike are jumping into the social media circuit to try to cash in on this unprecedented opportunity.  

So the billion dollar question is, how can a business make money using these new social networking tools?  And really the answer depends on what line of business you are in. As an insurance agency located in Boston, we have a different set of uses for social media than an IT company in Nebraska.  

As an insurance agent, social media is a natural fit.  All insurance agents will tell you that we are in a relationship business.  Insurance agents are only as good as the relationships that they have with their customers.  

At Duffy Insurance we are interacting with our customers, friends, colleagues, and employees on the social media scene on a daily basis.  Interaction is the key.  Because the only way a relationship works is with positive interactions.  And again, the only way our business works is if we have good relationships with our customers.  That means that we are not putting out sales pitch after sales pitch.  We react to what others are saying and are proactive in posting engaging, humorous and worthwhile content.  Below take a look at some of the photos we have posted on customer’s walls, commented on, and shared with our followers.  Notice that none of them are insurance related on the surface. 

When customers send us a referral, we make sure to thank them and post this cool pup on their wall for all of their friends to see!

A friend of our posted this hilarious picture during a recent heat wave, we shared it with our friends

We posted this to inform our Facebook friends and twitter followers of a law in Massachusetts that has produced thousands of tickets for Bay State Drivers.

So the moral of the story is as business owners and business professionals, we have 8 billion minutes per day to connect with our clients, customers, friends, and basically anybody we wish via social networking.  To waste this opportunity would be a huge blunder.  The key is to figure out how you can positively interact with the people who are important to you.