Many readers have been asking me for scripts that cover the first phone call to a new referral prospect. Obviously, this first call will vary greatly for a number of reasons: The nature of your business, the circumstances of the referral, and whether or not your client introduced you in some way — just to name a few.

CAN YOUR AGENCY BECOME PARTNERS WITH A BANK? by Roger Thomas Are you an agent who wants to sell to, or partner with, a bank? If so, you're probably searching for a banker who is in...

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? by Al Diamond Conflict Resolution in Insurance Agencies You tell your clients and your carriers that your agency staff is not just professional and expert in the...

A soft insurance market is often used as an excuse for ignoring certain issues. Why bother figuring out whether to retain risk or transfer it to...

CAREER DEVELOPMENT - AGENCY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 'What career development guidelines would you suggest for a young person entering the industry, and what steps would you recommend to an ag...

Independent Agency System carriers that rank high on the Gomez insurance Web site index probably congratulate themselves on their achievement - the result of hard work, creativity, and spending in the nine or ten-digit range. But what if these high-ranking carriers are scoring well in the wrong game?

Suppose Gomez and other Web ranking services have no idea what they’re talking about? What if they base their evaluation criteria on an implicit misunderstanding of the insurance business? What if "winning" means embracing a bankrupt business strategy?

CARRIERS PUT THE SQUEEZE ON AGENTS by Edward Curry If you're an agency owner wondering why your carriers are making it so difficult to do business with them, you're not alone. While...

CASH BONUSES AND EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION by Chris Burand Would you be surprised to learn that not everyone is motivated by money? When it comes to offering employees an inc...

CATASTROPHE CHECKLISTS: BE PREPARED! by Grace Bauer Believe it or not, most agencies don't consider catastrophes an area of concern until disaster strikes close to ...

CATASTROPHE PLANNING: IS YOUR AGENCY REALLY PREPARED? by Grace Bauer After talking to a number of agents, I've learned that only 10% of agencies are truly prepared for a catastrophe! Sur...