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Michael Averill
Independent Insurance Professional
Professional Background
Michael "Mike" Averill is a seasoned professional with over 45 years of extensive experience in the insurance industry. Currently serving as an independent consultant and as the co-founder and Executive Vice President of BEY MGA, Inc, Mike is a well-respected authority in various aspects of the insurance field. His repertoire includes providing expert opinions on complex insurance cases that encompass policy intent, claims handling, record retention, and agency administration, among other pertinent issues.
His expertise is further underscored by his significant role as a consultant where he works on critical components such as product development, regulatory affairs, state filings and compliance, and company startup and expansion licensing. Mike has also worked extensively on market conduct examinations, underwriting reviews, business continuity planning, and record retention which showcases his commitment to the highest standards in the insurance sector.
Before establishing his consulting practice in 2002, Mike held the prestigious position of Assistant Commissioner of Insurance for the State of New Hampshire. His responsibilities included overseeing all property and casualty (P&C) operations within the state. His impressive career trajectory at the New Hampshire Insurance Department also included acting as the Department's P&C Actuary, where he skillfully managed financial operations and the supervision of The Home, a significant P&C entity under state oversight.
Education and Achievements
Mike’s educational background is as distinguished as his career. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics/Math and earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1980. Further showcasing his dedication to education and professional development, Mike pursued a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at Rivier College and graduated with high distinction in 2000. These educational qualifications complement his extensive practical experience, reinforcing his authoritative understanding of both the theoretical and applied aspects of the insurance industry.
In addition to his advanced educational credentials, Mike has been instrumental in promoting industry standards and regulatory frameworks throughout his career. He played a critical role in the establishment of robust departments concerning Government and Industry Relations at The Home, contributing significantly to developing and implementing state filing, product development, and residual market units that have since become industry benchmarks.
Notable Achievements
Throughout his illustrious career, Mike has navigated several demanding yet rewarding roles. Notably, his tenure at The Home Insurance Company marked a turning point in enhancing operational efficiency and regulatory compliance in the state of New Hampshire. Mike managed The Home until he recommended its liquidation and subsequently oversaw the establishment of The Home's Liquidation Office, a testament to his strategic mindset in challenging situations.
Before his impactful role in New Hampshire, Mike contributed significantly to the growth of a company catering to Lloyd’s of London admitted program business in the US, increasing its servicing capabilities from $3 million to over $150 million in program business within a span of merely six years. This accomplishment underscores his exceptional skills in product development and implementation, as well as his ability to drive growth in competitive markets.
Not only did Mike excel at a strategic level, but he also actively participated in shaping policy regulations that influenced the insurance landscape nationwide during his time at Insurance Services Office (ISO), where he was responsible for drafting and implementing key insurance policies including the Personal Auto Policy and various lines within the Commercial Casualty arena.
Professional Affiliations
Over the years, Mike has immersed himself in various prestigious organizations within the insurance sector. He is the proud owner of Michael L. Averill Consulting, LLC, which reflects his commitment to continuing his influence and expertise in the industry. Mike has also served as the Vice President in several capacities at Home Insurance Companies and as Assistant Insurance Commissioner, illustrating his leadership capabilities and depth of knowledge. His connection with ISO as a former manager paints a broad picture of his professional journey, showcasing his extensive understanding of the complexities involved in insurance operations on both a state and national level.
Conclusion
Michael Averill exemplifies an impressive blend of extensive experience, educational achievement, and active involvement in the insurance industry. His long-standing career has equipped him with a wealth of knowledge and expertise that is invaluable not only to his current consultancy endeavors but also to the broader insurance community. Mike's commitment to excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic growth positions him as a leading figure in the insurance landscape, making him a sought-after consultant and advisor for various insurance-related matters.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.