THE ART OF AWARD-GIVING by Jack Burke Recently I had the privilege of attending the annual conference of the Association of Image Consultants International. Attendees, consider...

THE CUSTOMERS OF AN INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCY by Gary Holgate As a consultant, the first questions I ask agency owners concern their customers. This provides me with a feel for the agency and...

THE ELECTRONIC LOBBY by Jack Burke How the telephone can convey a positive first impression of your business. Salespeople who call upon businesses have a saying: The owner is the one outsi...

THE ELEPHANT HUNTERby Al Diamond Before you acquire an agency, make sure you acquire agency experience. I was recently contacted by a smart young agent who had come into the bus...

THE IMPORTANCE OF RESOURCES: HOW CONSULTATIVE BROKERS DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES by C.R. Ekern Consultative brokerages develop spheres of resources to provide their clients a higher level of expe...

Are independent insurance agents on the verge of extinction? On the MisFortune 500 list of endangered occupations? You might think so after reading some of the press. For a different perspective, Kevin Stipe offers his observations of current and past trends and market conditions to prove that we’re not necessarily going the way of the dinosaur and the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

THE LU AND THE TORPEDO: A TALE OF TWO PRODUCERS by Chris Burand To paraphrase Robert Louis Stevenson, 'All men are salesmen, selling themselves, its just that not all men kn...

THE NEGLECTED ART OF SALES MANAGEMENT -HOW MUCH IS IT COSTING YOU? by Bill Hoos Why your agency cant afford not to have an effective sales manager. Im c...

THE PERFECT TEN: GOOD UNDERWRITING SUBMISSIONS GUARANTEE MORE SALES by Thomas Carpenter, CPCU The better your underwriting submissions, the better for you, your companies and your clie...

THE POWER OF GOALS by Grace Bauer Do you feel that you're getting 100% out of each employee in the office? When t...