You just completed an insurance continuing education course and you learned loads of new information. Now what?

If you can apply that newly learned knowledge on the job right away, you’re more likely to remember it long-term. But sometimes that’s not feasible. But all is not lost – social media can help!

A previous article on this blog recommends talking about what you’ve learned to help you remember it (If You Wanna Remember It, Talk About It). While there are memory benefits that come with physically talking about what you’ve learned, some of those same benefits can be reaped by using social media to participate in online discussions.

Contributing to online discussion forums is not only an effective way to reinforce your learning, but it can also help you get noticed by colleagues and potential clients!

How will this help you learn?

Here are a few of the reasons using social media can help you learn:

• Applying new information in a practical way. When discussing newly learned information in an online discussion, you’ll probably present that information in your own words. You may even offer personal examples to enrich the discussion. This can help solidify that information in your memory.
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• Exploring knowledge from a different perspective. Online discussions tend to attract a variety of perspectives. A comment from another participant might prompt you to view an issue in a different light, thus deepening (or perhaps broadening) your insight into the topic.
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• Repeating what you’ve learned. In order to discuss newly learned information in an online forum, you must recall it again. If you visit that forum more than once and leave multiple comments, the repeated exposure can help to gradually make the topic feel more familiar.

How do I join one of these discussions?

Personally, I think that LinkedIn is probably the easiest outlet to join or initiate an informative, professional online discussion.

Suppose you’re interested in discussing an “ah ha” from an insurance continuing education course. First, you should join a LinkedIn group or two for insurance professionals (such as Global Insurance Professionals or Insurance Professionals of America). Then, browse through the discussion forums for a relevant topic. Or, better yet, start a new discussion thread on your topic.

If you opt to take advantage of social media to enhance your learning, put thought into what you say. Every comment you post should offer an informative perspective (in other words, avoid simply saying “I agree with Shelley” or “Good point”). If you initiate a new discussion thread, visit it regularly. Comment on what others say and act as a moderator for the discussion. This type of behavior might even prompt others to view you as an expert in the field.

If you’re not a fan of LinkedIn, you can apply these suggestions to other social media outlets too. Consider Twitter, industry blogs, and other social networking sites.

Are you new to social media? Don’t be shy…give all this a try by posting a comment on this blog!

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If you appreciate these ideas, it’d be swell for you would share them (button below) or subscribe via the feed.

Click here for 5 reasons why you should subscribe!

Interested in sales?  Perhaps Insurance, Real Estate, or Finance is your calling.  Click here to get licensed.

Need your Insurance Continuing Education?  Click here to take your continuing education classes online.

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Shelley A. Gable is an instructional designer and freelance writer. She has developed training for functions such as financial services, call centers, and engineering education. Shelley has written articles on topics related to training and management for print and online publications. Visit Shelley’s website at http://shelleygable.webs.com.

InternetCE Affiliate Program Now Available.

Companies and organizations are now able to provide exclusive offers to their members and clients, while earning referral fees for the same.

Raleigh, North Carolina — February 4, 2010 — InternetCE, a nationally approved provider of continuing education (CE) for insurance professionals, announced the immediate availability of its online CE courses for affiliate members.

“We are excited!  For a long time, solid organizations and reputable companies have asked us for a way to offer tangible value and benefits to their members, via our insurance continuing education products, while earning a referral for the new business.  It’s really a win-win!  I’m really excited to partner with groups, far and wide, to learn, grow, and become the best we can be.”, said Aaron Loring Davis, InternetCE.com CTO.

Becoming an affialite is easy. InternetCE handles all customer support, filing, and regulations while you can concentrate on what you do best.

The referral fee is 15% of net profit. Affiliates can view their accumulated referrals via their control panel at any time.  No contracts are needed.

Follow these steps to get started:

1. Fill out the application to be considered for the program.
2. Your application is reviewed by InternetCE staff.
3. Upon approval, a unique ID and link set are provided to you as an affiliate.
4. Share the link via email, blog, website, social media,  etc. with those you wish to benefit from the offer.
5. A referral fee for every person that signs up is credited to your affiliate account.
6. InternetCE pays referral fees, once at least $50 has been accumulated, monthly via corporate check.

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If you would like more information, please call 800-835-5314, email InternetCE at info@internetce.com or visit the website at internetce.com.

About InternetCE

Founded in 1991 by Cliff Davis, MBA, CLU, InternetCE has grown to be one of the top providers of Insurance Continuing Education in the United States. InternetCE’s clients include prestigious associations, groups and companies looking for steadfast professionalism and top-level expertise. Thousands of students and professionals have benefited from InternetCE’s convenient course offerings, including a wide variety of public and private training classes. More information is available at the company’s website,www.internetce.com

By Aaron Loring Davis

When we get our license, there are suggestions for all kinds of tools – a cell phone, business cards, a nice pen..the list goes on and on.  However, as the world looks toward the Internet for everything from wacky cat videos to yes, insurance, it is now essential to have a website.  Read that again – Essential!  The good news for the technically-challenged, it can be had in under 20 minutes and there is tons of support when you get stuck.  A self-managed site is yours for as little as $10 a year or for a bit more, you can have it built for you…seamless!

With staggering rates of websites and blogs created every day, the programmers of said technologies have made it nearly dummy proof.  Plus, when the relatively intuitive systems do not jive with our thinking, there are hosts of free resources to figure things out.  Support forums host a wealth of community knowledge and their members always seem to be willing to lend a hand.

Where does one start? There are two ways to go -

Self-hosted – You will manage your website and configure it yourself.  Don’t worry, it’s less daunting than it sounds.

1.     Register a domain name – Visit godaddy.com or register.com to reserve your address on the web.  Cost – $10 or less

2.     Pick a host – AFMU.com provides free websites and your registrar may as well. Cost – Free

3.     Install a template or blog software. I like to use WordPress to manage all of my sites, because they are so dang easy, but you may opt for Joomla or Typepad.  Cost – Free

Hosted - Tthe site will be hosted and managed by a third party

1.     Register with a hosting site – WordPress.com or Blogger.com. Cost – Free

- Or -

2.     Register with a premium agent website hosting company – Agent Methods has a superior product! Cost – $39 and up

What should it include?

1.     Welcome page with your message and instructions to find other resources

2.     Contact page with all of your contact details.  A lot of folks like to include phone numbers, mailing and office address, email addresses, links to other profiles such as Facebook and Twitter, and perhaps a contact form

3.     Information page(s) – This should include information about you, your company, and the products you provide.  It can be as brief or robust as you choose.

That just about sums it up.  Not so bad, huh?  Remember, it can be as simple as a business card or incredibly complex with calculators and multimedia.  The point is that as a professional salesperson, it is essential to reserve a place for you and your business on the web.

If you need a hand setting yours up, please do not hesitate to ask.  I am happy to help.

Onward and upward!

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If you appreciate these ideas, it’d be swell for you would share them (button below) or subscribe via the feed.

Click here for 5 reasons why you should subscribe!

Interested in sales?  Perhaps Insurance, Real Estate, or Finance is your calling..  Click here to get licensed.

Need your Insurance Continuing Education?..Click here to take your continuing education classes online.

Aaron Loring Davis is the CTO of InternetCE.com , provider of insurance continuing education, and Editor of this blog.  He holds a Bachelor or Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and enjoys just about anything that can be done outdoors. Visit Aaron’s personal website at www.aaronloringdavis.com.

I recently added the ability to print our blog posts in a format that is suitable for printers and while I was at it, I added a mobile edition as well.

Simply point your mobile phone browser to blog.internetce.com and you’ll get all the goods, in a format designed for your phone.  Don’t worry, it’s set to detect your phone to display correctly.

Perhaps sooner than later, InternetCE will offer insurance continuing education via a mobile interface as well

If you have a suggestion on how we might be able to improve our business, please do drop us a line.  We take advice very seriously.

Onward and upward!

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If you appreciate these ideas, it’d be swell for you would share them (button below) or subscribe via the feed.

Click here for 5 reasons why you should subscribe!

Interested in sales?  Perhaps Insurance, Real Estate, or Finance is your calling..  Click here to get licensed.

Need your Insurance Continuing Education?..Click here to take your continuing education classes online.

Aaron Loring Davis is the CTO of InternetCE.com , provider of insurance continuing education, and Editor of this blog.  He holds a Bachelor or Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and enjoys just about anything that can be done outdoors. Visit Aaron’s personal website atwww.aaronloringdavis.com.

Click here to send me an email.

Big thanks to Charles W., of Cary, North Carolina for suggesting to us that it would be nice to be able to print posts, without all the formatting issues associated with clicking ‘Print’ in your browser.

Done and done!

At the bottom of each post, you’ll find a ‘Print This Post’ link and
icon.  Remember though, be nice to the trees and only print when you really have to.

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If you appreciate these ideas, it’d be swell for you would share them (button below) or subscribe via the feed.

Click here for 5 reasons why you should subscribe!

Interested in sales?  Perhaps Insurance, Real Estate, or Finance is your calling..  Click here to get licensed.

Need your Insurance Continuing Education?..Click here to take your continuing education classes online.

Aaron Loring Davis is the CTO of InternetCE.com , provider of insurance continuing education, and Editor of this blog.  He holds a Bachelor or Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and enjoys just about anything that can be done outdoors. Visit Aaron’s personal website atwww.aaronloringdavis.com.

Friday will be the kickoff, and while I hope you’ll be able to join me, have no fear, all of the good stuff will archived so that you can come back any time you like.

I plan on reviewing books that I’ve read and get a kick out of, in addition to reviewing courses that we offer, in summary form of course, such that folks will be able to better choose which ones are best for them.

I’ll also be offering some tips and tools that I find helpful as a sales associate and as a business owner.

Expect to laugh a bit and learn a lot.

Keep the dial locked

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If you appreciate these ideas, I’d appreciate it if you would share them (button below) or perhaps subscribe to my feed.  Many thanks!

You may find more information about the event here and you can register for the event here.  It is free.

Topics covered will include:

When in a classroom, I have an opportunity to ask real time questions and lean over to ask my fellow student what the teacher just said…perhaps an extra explanation.  I also have an opportunity to stay after class to meet in study groups and debate on what will be on the next test.  Now, get wired..How does twitter and facebook allow for the same?  Do white boards and chat rooms provide this dialog?  If these tools were fundamentally integrated into an e-learning platform, would it accelerate our ability to absorb and retain?  I have explained the importance of having and using a facebook/twitter/linkedin account if one is in sales, given the sheer number of people that use these tools, so if most folks are already dialed in, will having these resources a part of the mix continue to evolve e-learning?

I believe the answer is a resounding, yes!

The future ain’t what it used to be.  - Yogi Berr

• Smart Phone – A Blackberry is my first choice (it’s built for business), but I have also toyed with an Iphone and was a Palm guy for many years.  This tool is essential.  My blackberry is my office.  I use it to communicate via telephone, text, email, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.  I use it to record my thoughts via short text notes, pictures, and voice.  It contains my calendar and task list, which is wirelessly synced to my computer, or any computer (via google…more on that in this list).  I use Maps utilizing GPS constantly, given I travel quite a bit.  $200-$450
• Google – Google search is simply the best and quickest way to get relevant information on just about anything.  Gmail, perhaps the most robust and spam free email protocol, is also the gateway (you need a gmail account to access most their jazz) to most of the other products they produce.  Reader allows me to stay up to date on blogs that I am interested in.  Maps helps me find my way.  Analytics provides me with the valuable data to see how my websites are clicking along…whats working, and more importantly, what isn’t.  Documents is the platform for collaborative writing and saving, such that I can access my documents from anywhere.  I could go on and on, but this list can help bring it all into focus with regards to using the platform with productivity in mind. Free.
• Blog – I use WordPress, but I also like blogger (google owns it).  Your clients want to know what you have to say.  By blogging, you are giving yourself a voice.  Not only are the folks you already know curious about what’s on your mind, so might the client you have yet to acquire.  Blogging is a best practise for achieving solid SEO (search engine optimization) and to show the world or you neighbor that yes, you do know what you are talking about…and more importantly, you are capable of providing them with the service you claim to be able to provide. If you do not write well, hire someone that can.  Cathy Miller is excellent! Free – $500/month.
• Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter – 300,000,000+ people, as of this writing, is a lot of folks.  Period.  If you haven’t already got a profile setup, get one.  If you already do, use it to your advantage.  Sales pros go on and on about the value of a referral.  I’m not aware of a quicker way to find XYZ than to post the question to my profile pages and allowing my trusted friends send me in the right direction…and I’ve asked not only for the best headphones, but also a solid mortgage broker (for my mother), a business manager (for a client), and real estate agent (for myself).  Free.
• Su.pr, Ping.fm, Delicious.com – You’ve got a blog, a Facebook page, a Linkedin profile, and several other mediums to let the world know you’re still alive and kicking…and working…update them all with one click and then, view your analytics to see which ones are doing the most for you.  Get the most from your efforts.  Make more money.  That sounds nice. Free.
• Evernote – “Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or device you use. For free.”  That’s their tag line and I think it sums it up.  They’ve got apps for your phone and its easy like Sunday morning.  Driving in the car and you need to call abc client, but now isn’t a good time, given you’ve got groceries getting warm, a baby getting hungry, and ball game that is getting gone…text, speak, or snap a photo to remind yourself when you get back to the lab (office). Free.
• Pandora – I just cannot get through my day without some tunes.  Sitting at my desk I soothe my aching brain to ambient beats and in the car jam out to some good ole rock and roll. Digital, commercial free, and well…free.
• Alltop – Your online magazine rack.  Find top blogs on just about everything, from industry trends to jobs (not Steve) to fishing.  Crucial in my efforts in staying abreast to what my clients, and competitors, are learning and being exposed to. Free.
• Zenhabits – If tough out there.  Sometimes its downright dreadful…this, this life/work/play balancing act.  I have found that this site is great for helping me keep it all in perspective. Free.
• Morning coffee, alone, for 10-15 minutes outside – High tech, low tech, I love Shrek…I allow myself an opportunity to set my intention for the day.  I let go of yesterday.  I breath deeply.  It is medicine. $.05-$5.00, depending on if your at home or Intellegentsia.
• Bonus, but a given – Computer.  I use a Dell laptop, so I can take my business with me, but there is no excuse for not having access if you live in the United States.  You can buy a netbook for under $200 from Dell and the public library and probably your cousin has one you can use for free.  You can find free seminars at that same library to learn to use it.  In fact, as this point in innovation, computers are often times an accessibility tool for the disabled, so no more excuses.  Log on, get connected, and get to work!

Don’t get me wrong, I am an advocate of unplugging.  I still use a Moleskine from time to time in addition to that aforementioned legal pad, but I believe I’d be missing out if I were not taking advantage of the free, easy to use tools listed above.

Do you know of other tools that you could not get by without?  Please let me and other reader know by listing them in the comments section.

Onward and upward!