HERE'S HOW TO REACH THOSE HARD-TO-GET REFERRALS by Bill Cates Here's a little strategy that you're going to love, because it's so easy to use and so effective. I got this from ...

Question: The loan officer asked me for a business plan. What should it include? Answer: The lender uses your...

HOW DO COMPANIES SET THEIR RATES? by Chris Burand The market determines the price of gasoline, toys, and cars. The market, not actuaries, determines the price of insurance, too. Chris B...

PERSONAL PRESENTATION

One of the things that can irritate an already upset person is your personal presentation. If they feel that your grooming and dress are unprofessional or inappropriate, they're more likely to hassle you. Some areas of personal presentation, if not seen to, might have a negative influence on an upset person. Check to make sure that your:

Hair is clean, brushed or combed, and well kept.
Clothing is pressed, neat, clean, and in good repair.
Breath is fresh.
Hands and fingernails are clean, with no chipped polish.
Face is shaved, or mustache/beard is neatly trimmed.
Makeup is applied neatly, moderately, and appropriately.
Stockings are run-free.

HOW TO DEAL WITH A WHOLESALER by Ed Bordenave, CPCU, ARM In today's world of complex and ever-changing exposures, one of your most important allies is an Excess ...

According to Dr. Rollin Glaser, a specific formula can be followed to improve employee performance. It affects five basic areas:
Goal setting
Delegating
Training and development
Coaching and counseling
Performance appraisal interviewing
Having litigated performance issues for the past 15 years, I can tell you that Glaser is right on the money. Let me touch on what he has to say about each of these subjects.

In addition to working in the business, more and more agency principals and managers are working on the business by focusing on technology and workflow improvements. The latest Future One agency survey confirms this trend ― 72% of the agents surveyed responded that core management issues for them are to make their internal operations more efficient and to use technology to conduct business with carriers more efficiently. Jeff Yates shows you how to improve agency workflows with technology.

Dear Dave:

Our agency has hired a full-time Life producer to handle Personal Lines only. We believe we have enough accounts to justify that move. She tested well for personality and potential, but she is fairly new in the Life business. She is closing about one out of four presentations, which sounds fine for a relative beginner, since the closing average for all agents is about one out of three. But since she deals with many Mortgage policies and writes reducing Term policies at fairly low premiums, the bottom-line dollars are low. We need to create more cash flow. What can you suggest?

Many people tend to credit the origin of infomercials to the old, late-night slicer/dicer and Pocket Fisherman commercials. Granted, some tacky infomercials have taken the slicer/dicer format, but the original infomercials began on a higher ground: religion.

Before you haul me off to a padded room, let's define "infomercial."An infomercial is an advertisement for a product or service that has been expanded with information, entertainment, or both to retain the attention of the audience.

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