As your agency grows, you will probably recognize the need for the services of a public relations (PR) advisor to help you get media exposure.
To choose the appropriate PR advisor, you should have a good idea of what to expect in the way of services, what you need (or more accurately, want to accomplish), where to look for an advisor, and how to select one. Not an easy task, but it's a lot more manageable if you plan ahead.

FINDING MARKETS: THE SPECIALTY PROGRAM CONSULTANT by Andrew Barile While a reinsurance intermediary operates between the ceding insurance company and the reinsurance company market, the...

FINDING THE RIGHT CSR by William Vericker Where, and what, to look for hiring quality CSRs. When clients call, e-mail, or visit your agency, they count on someone to service their bus...

'We were all raised by mothers who told us we had one chance to make a first impression,' Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut once said. He added, 'And a first impression can last you awhile.' It’s all about first impressions making them and responding to them.

Why all the concern with first impressions? Why do we believe that the first contact makes such a difference? 'No one gets a second chance at making a first impression' — true, or just popular business lore? John Graham looks for the answers in this document.

FIVE STEPS TO MARKET RESEARCH by Patricia Berry Patricia Berry offers five market research tactics that can help ...

To embrace — and benefit from — change, follow these guidelines.
Unrelenting and increasingly rapid change demands that the insurance industry rapidly uncover new ways to evaluate and respond to its marketplace.
I’ve worked with many highly successful insurance companies and agencies, helping them achieve higher levels of profitability through more sales, customer and employee loyalty, and retention. However, in many of these organizations, management remained blind to the dire need to change, despite its apparent desire to achieve higher profits. Managers can’t see the compelling need to change from the ways that allowed the organization to be successful in the first place.

Are you using video to connect with prospects, clients, referrals, and potential alliances? Did you know that a website...

FOCUSING ON TARGET MARKETS by Al Diamond 'Target marketing' became the buzz phrase of the '90s, yet successful agents were targeting markets for years before. Why? Because it work...

FORMALIZING THE PLAN A plan is only as good as its execution. It is essential that progress be monitored and adjusted and changes made when necessary. Which means that once you prepare the plan, you ...