COMMERCIAL LINES MARKETING PROGRAM by Al Diamond This documentcovers issues as diverse as agency budgeting, how to post an effective classified advertisement, and marketing carr...

COMMISSION-REDUCTION STRATEGIES by Ken Buehler Commission reductions have been in practice for a number of years and, given the current expense reduction needs of carriers, there are no r...

COMMUNICATING INSURANCE JARGON Good communication skills are necessary to satisfy clients' needs-and that is the most important part of a CSR's job. A common barrier to good communication, an...

COMMUNICATION BUILDS TRUST by Bill Cates Why we all need honest communication in our business and personal lives. In his book Just Be Honest, Steven Gaffney believes that withhold...

COMPANY CONTRACTS: DOUBLE YOUR BONUSES by Chris Burand If one company is willing to pay twice the bonus for the same results, the same book, the same ease of doing busin...

Do you regularly negotiate such contractual issues as commission rates, growth goals, etc. with your companies?

Congratulations to the 57% who responded, “Yes!” Based on those positive responses, it appears that agencies of all sizes are negotiating. Negotiations aren't limited to larger agencies. If these agents weren't succeeding in their negotiations, even in a hard market, they'd be giving up. Although 57% is a good percentage, I'd love to see this number keep growing. If you aren't negotiating contractual issues with your companies, isn't it time to begin?

COMPASSION ON A COMPUTER by Jack Burke I frequently speak on the need to humanize our technology. Efficient processing cannot replace true customer care. All too often, we get caught up i...

COMPENSATING THE CROSS-SELL by John Jaques A simple method for cross-selling employee benefit coverages to Property/Casualty clients is to establish a disciplined program for the ...

CONSULTATIVE BROKERS IN A CHANGING MARKET by Rob Ekern Those of us who entered the business more than 20 years ago have seen two or three market cycles. We had to weather at least one and...

CONSULTATIVE SELLING WORKS! by Al Diamond In a soft market, dont sell your clients - help them! The only...