ARE YOU IN BUSINESS TO MAKE A SALE OR MAKE A PROFIT? by Chris Burand The title of this article comes from a popular seminar Ive given throughout the nation. Ive asked this q...

ARE YOU MAKING THESE MARKETING MISTAKES? NINE HUGE INCOME BUSTERS FOR INSURANCE AGENTS by Michael Jans You've heard it before. You've read about it in trade magazines. Most important, you pr...

Jenny Brower, marketing manager, Harbor/Brenn Agencies, Petosky, Michigan, wrote to us recently: 'I like everything I'm doing, but it's overwhelming-HELP!' With Jenny's permission...

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE? IT'S HERE! by Paul Bronow Consolidation within our industry is going much faster than we anticipated a few short years ago. The number of players is shrinki...

I recently read four news items that relate to how consumers perceive Life insurance:
Insurance companies are “horrible” at getting people to understand what they’re talking about.
Surveys show that insurers are at, or near, the bottom of simplicity ratings.
More than 60% of people who own Life insurance have no idea what they own or how it works; and 29% said that although they need more insurance, no one has asked them about it.
More than one in four (26%) of Americans prefer to buy Life insurance through the internet, mail, or over the phone.

ARE YOUR MESSAGES REMEMBERED LONG TERM? by Patricia Berry Here we stand: The possibilities of e-mail messaging in one hand, the nature of memory in the other. Here's the critical quest...

ARE YOUR PRODUCERS SUBSIDIZED? by Chris Burand If you dont think youre subsidizing your producers, you might need to think again. The average agency spends b...

AS GOES AGENCY GROWTH, SO GOES VALUE by Chris Burand Growth is a key factor in an agency's value. Chris Burand explains why poor or erratic growth is a risky investme...

ASSESSING YOUR FIRM'S RESOURCES by Bill Schoeffler and Catherine Oak Today, it is critical for insurance agents and brokers to plan their own destiny. One can never be quite c...

Those who own a business hold their peers in high regard. You might dislike someone personally, but give them a thumbs-up when it comes to running a company. Those who survived the recession deserve a special commendation. Only the native outsider thinks otherwise.