AVOIDING THE DANGERS: ITS NO TIME TO TRIP! by John Graham It happened on Thursday after lunch as I ran up five steps to the office holding a cup of coffee. On the second step, I tr...

When a bank buys an insurance agency it's a marriage made in heaven. At least, it seems that way. On the agency side, principals have the opportunity to cash out at a time when values are declining. For those wanting to remain in the business, a bank offers a needed infusion of capital.

BANKS AND P/C INSURANCE AGENCIES REALITY CHECK PART I: DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE by Chris Burand Do bank stockholders benefit from acquisitions of P/C agencies? The answer? Yes,...

BANKS, INVESTMENT FIRMS, AND INSURANCE AGENCIES: IT'S THE CULTURE! by Michael Manes James Carville, the 'Ragin' Cajun' of political consultants, achieved fame by observing,'It's the...

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Chris Burand Many agency owners lament their staffs lack of a work ethic. Agency owners typically judge their employees work ethic against t...

BONUS/COMPENSATION PLANS: PART ONE by Jack Fries An incentive or bonus program requires many variables to be successful. Such programs too often reward work that wouldve been done...

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...

Stephen Covey wrote a seminal book on how to run your life and your business, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a must read to fully understand the concepts of this article. Once you've read the book read it again at least once every quarter until you've absorbed these ideas into your psyche and are living those seven habits. One of the seminal habits is “Begin with the end in Mind”. However, an even more important principle of life and business is always do what’s right for the end user.

Align your marketing program to the needs and desires of today’s online customers.
“Control the customer and you control the sale.” This advice served generations of successful salespeople who knew that they could make any sale once they could get face-to-face with a prospect.

CAUSE-RELATED MARKETING: BOLSTER YOUR IMAGE BOLSTER IMAGE WITH PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS Pepsi Cola spends millions of dollars on television advertising to burn that image into the minds of so...