Three in five businesses that suffer a major disaster never recover. They go out of business or are sold. Is your agency sufficiently prepared to survive a disastrous event? Jack Fries helps you to ensure that you'll remain open should the worst happen.

PRODUCER CONTRACTS Before new employees are hired into the agency, some sort of understanding needs to be reached regarding the terms and conditions of employment. Verbal 'gentleman's ...

PRODUCER GROUPS: ARE THEY RIGHT FOR BANKS? by Valerie Jordan Are producer groups an effective way for banks to build their insurance sales? Although Valerie Jordan has written this art...

Nothing happens until somebody sells something. To make sales happen, IMMS.com Key Sales Consultant Randy Schwantz has created a comprehensive series of 43 Producer Success Lessons. Used singly or in combination, these powerful tools can help your producers build their skills - and grow their sales.

Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersma's book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, presents a compelling explanation of why some companies continually outperform their competitors. Their thesis rests on this premise: If a company is going to achieve and sustain dominance, it must first decide where it will stake its claim in the marketplace and what kind of value it offers customers.

REACH OUT AND SELL SOMEONE by Gregory Jordahl Think of your telephone book as a roster of almost every potential prospect in town. Flip to the white pages and pick a name. You may h...

REACHING OUT TO SELL SOMEONE by Monica Langley If you think telemarketing is only a bunch of people yakking on the telephone, think again. It lets agents prospect for business from Rapid Ci...

RECRUITING GOOD LIFE AGENTS To the city dweller, the question in the headline may sound silly; Life agents are underfoot everywhere. Even in rural areas, there often seem to be more than enough peopl...

RENEWAL LETTER Dear (Customer Name): Your ( ) insurance is up for renewal and we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you of our commitment to your insurance program. We have provided you wit...

SECRETS OF THE SUCCESSFUL: FOCUS AND COMMITMENT by Al Diamond The IIABA publishes an excellent Best Practices study that prov...