BROCHURES: TELL IT TO THE PRESIDENTby Patricia Sheppard You've got to hand it to David Collins of Collins Insurance, Longmeadow, MA. His brochure demonstrates imagin...

BUILD CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE AND LOYALTY FOR THE LONG TERM by Mary Beth Bolen Historically, it's been fairly easy to write and renew coverage on an account for one to three years, after which th...

Why Is the Referral Process the Most Powerful Way to Sell?

Without question, selling through referrals is the most powerful way to build your practice; not to mention the most enjoyable. Producers who really love prospecting for business through cold calls are rare birds. My guess is that you're not one of them. In this age of voice mail, increased competition, and everyone being super busy, cold calling has become less effective.

Bob Kerrigan, one of the most successful agents alive, says, "The way of the world is to meet people through other people. And the referral is the warm way we get into their lives."

A FIRE CAN DO MORE THAN JUST DAMAGE YOUR BUILDING Dear (Customer Name): If a serious fire occurred at your ( ), your first thought would probably be for the immediate...

Stephen Covey wrote a seminal book on how to run your life and your business, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a must read to fully understand the concepts of this article. Once you've read the book read it again at least once every quarter until you've absorbed these ideas into your psyche and are living those seven habits. One of the seminal habits is “Begin with the end in Mind”. However, an even more important principle of life and business is always do what’s right for the end user.

'BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO ADVERTISE!' by Al Diamond Why on earth would agency principals pay a consu...

BUYING A BOOK OF BUSINESS by Richard Bergsund During the past nine years our executive search firm has been involved in a substantial number of assignments to find superior performers for internatio...

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 YOU DO BUSINESS AT A FAMILY EVENT? by Bill Cates You can - but be very careful! If your friends perceive you as trying to do business at a wedding, it could hurt your chanc...

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...