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 HARDENING MARKET: PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY? by Jack Burke I never sold an insurance policy in my life, unless you include Credit Life insurance and Automotive Extended Care c...

P/C agents often have reviewed contracts and leases in conjunction with writing Contractual Liability coverages. In many cases, agents will advise clients to reject hold-harmless clauses which place undue hardship on them. Yet insurance agents themselves may be in the grip of hold-harmless clauses, which could lay immense financial burdens on them, even if they are totally innocent of any wrongdoing. We refer to the producer or general agent (GA) contracts of some-not all! -- Life carriers. Unfortunately, some of these carriers are among the best-known career or brokerage companies and, even worse, agents often aren't aware of the poisonous clauses until it's too late and they're sued.

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 KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: SALES by Al Diamond As with so many inventions, improvements, and business successes, the keys to the kingdom in sales offer basic common sense soluti...

THE PHONE: CURSE OR COMMISSION INCREASE? by Preston Diamond You conduct 60% of your business over the phone-but how many of you actively practice phone courtesy and technique? Having worked...

THE QUALITY SCORECARD by Al Diamond Without industrywide efforts to improve, the insurance industry will continue to be susceptible to alternative markets, alternative-distribution channels, an...

Many marketing managers and representatives may ask: "Why is a sales center important to me? Isn't it designed for niche- or target-marketing? How would this fit into my company, that wants Main Street business?"

Having a marketing-representative background provides me with a unique perspective on sales centers. I know that the marketing representative is much more than a "go-for" problem-solver, running down endorsements, acting as portable shrink between underwriters and agents, or being "the official news agency TAS," spouting party line. I know that marketing is the precursor to selling.

THE SERVICE CEILING: WHAT CAUSES IT, HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT, HOW TO BREAK THROUGH IT by E. Al Diamond We have a small Middle-Eastern restaurant in our neighborhood that is family ope...