Management

How to earn the confidence and commitment of your employees, customers, and stakeholders in today’s changing world.

We’ve all heard this joke: A local “hayseed” tries giving directions to a tourist, becomes frustrated, and ends the inquiry by saying simply, “You can’t get there from here.” The humor of this scene lies in its absurdity.

10 BASIC PLANNING INITIATIVES THAT WILL ADD TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE by Ken Buehler The need for planning has never been greater. While planning focuses on profit...

Selling insurance isn't easy. Agency principals, producers, and staff can still reap rewards, but their ranks are thinning under pressure from lower premiums, reduced commissions, and greater demands from carriers and clients. Add to this the ever-increasing expense of technology.
The formula for a great insurance career used to be simple: 'Work hard for 20 years building the book of business, and the book will take care of you for the 20 years after that.' Not anymore.

10 RULES FOR FAMILY-RUN BUSINESSES by Catherine Oak Family businesses can be a blessing or a disaster. The root of a well-run family business depends on treating it like a business, not a...

10 STEPS TO OVERCOME COMPETITION by Jack Burke Remember the first time you experienced a Chinese box set? As each box opened to reveal a smaller box, you wondered with childlike curiosi...

10 TIPS FOR RENEWAL RETENTION by Ken Buehler Follow these guidelines and watch your retention rate (and bottom line) grow. Much has been said and written about the costs ...

Whether you’re running a mega-agency or a boutique, following these proven management guidelines makes sense.
Learn what motivates each of your employees
Use this information to help manage their performance. Although status, power, or additional authority might motivate some people, others might be more excited by the opportunity for tapping into their flair for creative, job-related activities or more face-to-face contact with customers. Rewarding good employees with assignment that speak to their unique motivations, interest and long-range career goals can help you retain them.

10 WAYS TO FIGHT TELEPHONE FRAUD by Peter van Aartrijk Jr. Telephone industry analysts estimate that telephone fraud in the United States costs businesses and residences as much as $4 billion pe...

10 WAYS TO IMPROVE IN-HOUSE TELEMARKETING by Peter Belanger Follow these proven principles and watch your telemarketing program grow sales and earnings. The mistakes that agen...

What's your agency's standard for quality? It seems unrealistic to expect quality standards of 100% . . . after all, nobody's perfect. Wouldn't life be a lot easier and less stressful if everyone accepted a certain amount of predictable human frailty and built in a margin for error? It could even be called something impressive and positive sounding-'acceptable quality level,' for example.