THE GENESIS OF MARKETING by Jack Burke 'In the beginning . . .' there was an idea. Then came the plan. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, the action often comes b...

In spite of those who claim that “marketing costs too much,” John Graham provides four major reasons why just the opposite holds true.

THE ILLUSION OF SERVICE by Al Diamond I recently tried a little experiment. Two agencies that I encountered expressed a great deal of pride in the degree of service provided by their staf...

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTRACTS by Al Diamond I have just completed expert witness testimony in a trial of a specialty insurance agency against two former employees and a large firm accused o...

Are independent insurance agents on the verge of extinction? On the MisFortune 500 list of endangered occupations? You might think so after reading some of the press. For a different perspective, Kevin Stipe offers his observations of current and past trends and market conditions to prove that we’re not necessarily going the way of the dinosaur and the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

THE KEY TO PROFITABILITY by Mary Beth Bolen To be successful in business, carrier marketing managers must thoroughly understand what business they are in, why they are in it, and ho...

THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: SALES by Al Diamond As with so many inventions, improvements, and business successes, the keys to the kingdom in sales offer basic common sense soluti...

THE LU AND THE TORPEDO: A TALE OF TWO PRODUCERS by Chris Burand To paraphrase Robert Louis Stevenson, 'All men are salesmen, selling themselves, its just that not all men kn...

THE MIXED-PERPETUATION SANDWICH: INSERTING A NON-FAMILY LAYER by Brian Burke Discussions about the perpetuation of family-owned agencies often assume that the offspring always bu...

There is a lot to be concerned about when you own a business. You must keep track of and file your tax documents on time, and you must accept and file compliance documents for your business.