OSHA HANDBOOK FOR SMALL BUSINESSES PART 4 V. ASSISTANCE IN PROBLEM SOLVING FREE ON-SITE CONSULTATION A source of help now available in all states is free on-site consult...

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO AGENCY GROWTH by Carol Hammes Deal with agency growth problems before they reach a crisis point. Unfortunately, this agency scenario is all too common. Enough new bu...

All producers know that overcoming objections is part of the selling process. However, many forget that making objections is just as intrinsic to the buying process.

To identify the root causes of objections, producers should put themselves into the buyer's shoes. You also buy in your personal life, so use your own experiences to sharpen your expertise.

Though faced with the realities of dramatic economic change, the reconfiguration of the business landscape, and globalization, U.S. companies continue to go down the wrong path. Former U.S. Treasury Department official Michael Jacobs calls it "business myopia."

It may be argued that "enhancing shareholder value" drives the myopic vision of publicly-traded companies, but "shareholder demand" is perhaps more accurate. In privately held companies, myopic thinking results from a desire to increase market share or simply beat last month's figures.

OWNERSHIP ISSUES AND COMPENSATION by Carol Hammes During the past several months we have been addressing methods for compensating agency staff, managers, and salespeople. How should...

OWNERSHIP, PERPETUATION, AND MANAGEMENT by John Jaques The succession of ownership and management for your organization for the mid and long term is as important to your firm as ...

NONDISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT AGREEMENT made this ____ day of ________, 20__, by and between THE SELLER INSURANCE AGENCY, INC., a Massachusetts corporation having its principal pl...

PARTNERING WITH CARRIERS by Al Diamond Trust between you and your carriers must be a two-way street. Agencies have given carriers as many reasons to distrust their commitments ...

PATHS TO UNDERWRITING PROFITABILITY by Becky Lathrop and Jon Persky Many agencies focus their efforts on new production and overall growth in order to achieve their objectives. Although this i...

Are you trying to figure out how much to pay your producers by asking, 'What's the agency down the street paying?' Beware!