VENTURE CAPITALISTS ARE LOOKING FOR FAILURES by Maribeth Kusmeski Did you know failure is one of the biggest indicators of future success in an entrepreneur? According to an article in th...

VIRAL MARKETING: WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO YOU WANT IT? by Patricia Berry Put this powerful techno-marketing technique to work for you. In a recent poll among our opt-in list subscr...

VOODOO VALUATIONS by Chris Burand People pay dearly for simple answers. And many insurance agencies pay dearly for 'voodoo valuations' because they offer a quick and inexpensive way t...

Follow this six-step program to keep ahead of the pack.
The idea of 'value-added' is changing. The term has become so overused that it's now of little value to most customers. So-called value-added resellers stay in business by discounting, rather than adding anything significant to their products. In service businesses, value-added usually means a few bells and whistles rather than extraordinary service.

WHAT BRANDING IS NOT by Patricia Berry Developing a consistent message is difficult when consumers can share their exp...

WHAT IS AN AGENCY WORTH? by Roy Phillips, CIC, CPIA Check out these four ways of determining an agencys value. Agency management cons...

WHAT MAKES A GREAT OWNER? by Catherine Oak If the role of an owner was treated like any other position in an agency, what would the job description look like and what are the key characteri...

WHAT TO DO WHEN AN OWNER RETIRES by Al Diamond Retirement should never be a spur-of-the-moment decision, even if the temptation is frequent when carriers, customers, or em...

Are your office meetings successful or ineffective? Without proper planning and execution, they can end up wasting everyone’s time. Jack Fries offers solutions to nine common problems that can arise in office meetings.

WHATS MY AGENCY WORTH? by Al Diamond Why is an agency worth different amounts in different valuation scenarios? The value of a business (including an insuranc...