General Articles

Referring to Wal-Mart's upcoming redesign of its Web site, one analyst said it will give retailing a "jolt" and another said it will "change Internet retailing." Evie Black Dykem, of Forrester Research, Inc., said, "It will be the shot heard round the retail world." When the world's largest retailer stakes its claim on the Internet, many predict that life will never again be the same. "The power to navigate the world at the click of a mouse is a force that is transforming our lives like none before," wrote the editors of Business Week. A few paragraphs later, they added, "Anyone with a computer is a citizen of the world-and a richer world at that."

Before you buy an agency, check out these tips. If you're planning to purchase an agency, these guidelines are essential...

How do you become an insurance agent? How do you get clients? Do you need to be educated in order to sell insurance? Do you need to know about Instagram Ads? These are all questions that many potential insurance agents have, but they shouldn’t stop them from getting into the industry. With the right attitude and some helpful advice, you can succeed as an insurance agent regardless of your experience or lack thereof. Here are six tips that will get you started on the path toward success as an insurance agent.

Confusion over agency bill vs. direct bill options has caused an E&O claim or two. Curtis Pearsall illustrates the consequences of this confusion with an example.

Up until 20 years ago courts did not treat insurance agents as professionals and as a result agents...

Ask the Experts: "Please describe the ad campaign that worked most effectively for your agency. What made it so successful?"

If you want to improve your career and come up with one of the best ideas that will help you to achieve success, you need to make sure you find the right career for you. This is something that you need to make sure you focus on as much as possible, and there are a lot of things that play a role in this process moving forward.

Producer: Hello, (PROSPECT NAME), this is (PRODUCER NAME) from (ABC AGENCY). I enjoyed meeting with you in (MONTH), and I was...

Are two salespeople better than one? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Well-planned, well-executed joint sales calls can impress customers, add additional value to the product or service you sell, close sales, and retain business. But when a joint call goes bad, the results can be disastrous.

This article is adapted from the new publication The Survival Guide for the Evolving Insurance Crisis and the video Are You Ready for Insurance Dot Com?, both written and produced by Edward Curry. The article appeared in Missouri Agent magazine and is reproduced by permission.