'THE CONVERSATION': DOING IT RIGHT by Don Phin Should you let problem employees go - or grow? I cant tell you how many times clients have posed this scen...

THE CREATIVITY FACTOR by Jack Burke Every so often, theres a breath of fresh air in a marketing or customer service technique. Every so often, someone somewhere does somethi...

THE CUSTOMER LIFE CYCLE AND HOW IT INFLUENCES YOUR SUCCESS by Lynn Thomas Your customers have four distinct stages in their life cycle development with your agency. Lynn Thomas explain...

THE DECISION AND THE QUESTIONS by Mike Manes IMMS Consultant Mike Manes strives to facilitate change, communication, learning, and positive results. To that end,...

Follow these guidelines to develop a comprehensive, effective e-marketing program.
With spam at epidemic levels and phishing and virus attacks threatening the industry, e-marketers face the challenge of getting their messages through to the right audience, while following e-mail marketing best practices.
Although many of the principles that govern print and broadcast media apply to e-mail, e-marketing has its unique set of opportunities and pitfalls. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts to consider:

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 FIVE WAYS AGENTS GET FIRED! by Rob Ekern Independent agencies and brokerages are facing a growing threat to their middle market Commercial clients. These firms are being squeezed from...

THE FOUR FACES OF PROFITABILITY: PART I by Diane Herbert and Pamela Millard Even if you see a healthy profit when you look at the bottom line, you might want to consider your profitability...

THE FOUR FACES OF PROFITABILITY: PART II by Diane Herbert and Pamela Millard The first part of this article focused on two faces of agency profitability: Pretax profit and Cash Flow from ...