What we say does matter. Unfortunately, most of us don't listen to the words that we use. They might seem harmless, but what messages are we sending to others about ourselves and how we perform our jobs? In this article, John Graham looks at some of the words and phrases that we all utter on occasion. Very often, we use these phrases as excuses about why something didn't get done.

THE KEY TO PROFITABILITY by Mary Beth Bolen To be successful in business, carrier marketing managers must thoroughly understand what business they are in, why they are in it, and ho...

There is a lot to be concerned about when you own a business. You must keep track of and file your tax documents on time, and you must accept and file compliance documents for your business.

These guidelines by Jack Fries can help you hire and train new employees.

The No. 1 Reason Why Most Sales Managers Fail! by Patricia Berry The primary reason for failing as a sales manager seems to be invisible to most managers. This article provides the reason ...

THE OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID CSR by Grace Bauer Agency principals need to realize how overworked and underpaid CSRs really are. Look around the office. Are employees coming in early to get ...

THE SIX -STEP SALES TRAINING PROGRAM FOR THE CSR by Dana Falardeau, CIC Train your CSRs to sell and watch your revenues grow! Who speaks to your customers more than anyone els...

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE by Al Diamond I. Do things right-every time.Of course everyone tries to process items correctly. Why do we need to be so absolute in this command...

Check out these proven ways to attract visitors to your site, keep them there, and get them to return.
Turn your agency Web site into a powerful marketing tool by making it easy to find and offering users value-added services and products. These techniques can help you do the job:

Use this proven technique to turn Commercial Lines prospects into clients.
Does this sound familiar? You go into a sales interview telling your prospect that you work for one of the best agencies in town. You tell them you give great service, represent 14 markets, and would like a chance to prove your value. As a result, they give you the chance to bid on their account, and you feel like you’ve got your first victory. Incidentally, when you asked if there were any problems that you should address, they said, no — they just wanted you to do what you could to keep their insurance costs low.