ATTRACTING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD by Sharon Cunningham To hire, and keep, quality workers, follow these guidelines. A consistent trend nationwide is the ...

AUDIT EXPLANATION - PREPARE, PREPARE Dear (Customer Name), THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUDITS . . . As you know, Workers Compensation and General Liability policies are su...

AVOIDING COSTLY MARKETING MISTAKES by Stephen Anderson You can no longer sit back and wait for business to come to you. That's the sure route to becoming a victim of the ch...

BEYOND BEST PRACTICES: ARE YOU EXCEPTIONAL? by Tom Doran What are the five most crucial success factors to which you would attribute your success? This is the fundamental Best Pract...

BOP BUYER'S CHECKLIST Dear (Customer Name): DOES YOUR BUSINESS OWNERS POLICY PASS THIS TEST? 1. Does your Business policy pay for losses based ...

BUILD CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE AND LOYALTY FOR THE LONG TERM by Mary Beth Bolen Historically, it's been fairly easy to write and renew coverage on an account for one to three years, after which th...

Many readers have been asking me for scripts that cover the first phone call to a new referral prospect. Obviously, this first call will vary greatly for a number of reasons: The nature of your business, the circumstances of the referral, and whether or not your client introduced you in some way — just to name a few.

CAN YOU DO BUSINESS AT A FAMILY EVENT? by Bill Cates You can - but be very careful! If your friends perceive you as trying to do business at a wedding, it could hurt your chanc...

There may come a time when your agency's communications needs exceed the capabilities of in-house personnel. You want to concentrate on producing new business, developing products, and servicing clients. Who has the time and expertise to create newspaper or radio advertising-or perform the myriad public relations functions necessary to keep your agency in the public eye?

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MARKET FOR YOUR AGENCIES by Janet Lewis After the work that goes into finding and qualifying prospects, getting in the door, and gathering the proper data to quot...