GOOD COMPENSATION PLANS ATTRACT GOOD PEOPLE by Mark Shlien Many agencies have had to change their approach to compensation during the recession. Faced with declining revenues and profits,...

GOODWILL VALUE IN AN INSURANCE AGENCY by Al Diamond If you think 'Goodwill Value' has something to do with the amount you contribute to the March of Dimes every year, you better t...

GOOGLE ADDS SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOL by Steve Anderson Google has released a new service called Google Friend Connect that makes it easy for Web sites to add social networking features tha...

GOT NOVOCAIN WITH THAT CALL LIST? by Chris Burand A study by Sandler Sales Systems (May 19, 2010, Reuters), identified cold calling as worse than giving speeches, and celibacy was prefe...

GREAT ARGUMENTS FOR TRANSACTIONAL FILING By George Nordhaus IMMS is convinced that transactional filing works - and many agencies are moving in that direction. But don't take IMMS' wor...

GUIDELINES FOR FIRING EMPLOYEES by Don Phin When employers ask if they can terminate employees, theyre really asking, If I fire them, can they sue me? Before y...

HANDWRITTEN LETTERS - FORWARD TO THE PAST by Jack Burke Writing a monthly column appears much easier than it is! After all, how hard could it be to string 500-600 words together...

HAPPY EMPLOYEES INCREASE EFFICIENCY by Grace Bauer Some employees are actually happy in their jobs these days, and for good reason. The wave is starting to swell as more and m...

GETTING IT STRAIGHT
Marketing may be second nature in large companies, but smaller firms tend to have a tough time implementing, managing, and monitoring an effective marketing strategy. The title of 'marketing director' is often conferred on the person designated to answer requests for sales literature, or the title is added as an afterthought to the role of the sales manager who thinks that marketing is just an alternative spelling of 'sales.'

HELP YOUR EMPLOYEES HELP THEMSELVES by Don Phin More and more employers are discovering the advantages of helping employees through todays rough times. Don Phin explains...