11 SUREFIRE TACTICS TO GAIN CONTROL OF RECEIVABLES by Ken Buehler If you have a receivables problem, now is the best time to contain it. Most agencies with receivables problems believe th...

Historically, a hard market is part of the cyclical nature of the insurance industry. At one time, these cycles occurred fairly consistently at about seven year intervals. However, the last significant hard market came in the mid-80s.

A hard market is characterized by increasing rates and/or reduced industry capacity, which leads to affordability and/or availability problems. In addition, both underwriting and claims adjusting usually become more stringent. In the current marketplace, these conditions are exacerbated by increased uncertainty about such loss exposures as terrorism, mold, etc., and by a reinsurance market significantly strained by the events of September 11.

Before you buy an agency, check out these tips. If you're planning to purchase an agency, these guidelines are essential...

24-7 SERVICE PAYS by Pegi Flahault A recent survey indicated that the vast majority of agents surveyed believed their customer base did not want 24/7 service, voice mail, e-mail or anyth...

But, this article is about the fundamentals of marketing and communications for an insurance agency (or any consumer facing business's marketing). In my opinion, if you can stick to nurturing these fundamentals regularly, then all the advanced and future enhancements will come naturally. It doesn't matter whether the role you play in the agency is Principal, Producer, CSR, Admin or any customer facing role, in more ways than one, these fundamentals should apply to you.

A lsquo;FAILED PLAN AND THE SOLUTION By Al Diamond This letter from an Agency Consulting Group client, together with my reply, speak for themselves: Dear Al, I...

A BALANCED APPROACH TO MARKETING by Steve Anderson Just like you, each week I receive e-mails and read articles from different business and marketing experts. A common theme Ive no...

A CASH-FLOW BUDGET FOR AN INSURANCE AGENCY by Zachary Berhau Some agencies show a paper profit year in and year out. Suddenly one day, they're in financial difficulty. How can an agency makin...

A CHRISTMAS CONTRIBUTION Clients appreciate receiving Christmas cards and letters. It's nice to know that someone out there cares and wants to be remembered. Several years ago, IMMS received a me...

Suppose a local bedroom community just finished an Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classification inspection and was...