'BOOT CAMP' FOR INSURANCE AGENCIES by Dana Falardeau Why does the Army hire people with no experience? Could it be that they want to train them the right way at the start? Coul...

BOTTOM-LINE APPROACH Dear (Customer Name): PUT OUR 'BOTTOM-LINE APPROACH' TO WORK FOR YOU! If you do, you'll have the most accurate, scientific, and comprehensive m...

BRAIN TISSUE AND SCAR TISSUE by Michael Manes A wise friend of mine often talks about brain tissue versus scar tissue. I agree with him that these are the two ways that we learn. Brain tis...

Why Is the Referral Process the Most Powerful Way to Sell?

Without question, selling through referrals is the most powerful way to build your practice; not to mention the most enjoyable. Producers who really love prospecting for business through cold calls are rare birds. My guess is that you're not one of them. In this age of voice mail, increased competition, and everyone being super busy, cold calling has become less effective.

Bob Kerrigan, one of the most successful agents alive, says, "The way of the world is to meet people through other people. And the referral is the warm way we get into their lives."

Stephen Covey wrote a seminal book on how to run your life and your business, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a must read to fully understand the concepts of this article. Once you've read the book read it again at least once every quarter until you've absorbed these ideas into your psyche and are living those seven habits. One of the seminal habits is “Begin with the end in Mind”. However, an even more important principle of life and business is always do what’s right for the end user.

BUYING A BOOK OF BUSINESS by Richard Bergsund During the past nine years our executive search firm has been involved in a substantial number of assignments to find superior performers for internatio...

Many readers have been asking me for scripts that cover the first phone call to a new referral prospect. Obviously, this first call will vary greatly for a number of reasons: The nature of your business, the circumstances of the referral, and whether or not your client introduced you in some way — just to name a few.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? by Al Diamond Conflict Resolution in Insurance Agencies You tell your clients and your carriers that your agency staff is not just professional and expert in the...

CHANGE SERVICEPROCEDURES THROUGH PARADIGM THINKING by Mary Beth Bolen Paradigms are the rules, standards, and boundaries within which we live and work. With todays volatile e...

There may come a time when your agency's communications needs exceed the capabilities of in-house personnel. You want to concentrate on producing new business, developing products, and servicing clients. Who has the time and expertise to create newspaper or radio advertising-or perform the myriad public relations functions necessary to keep your agency in the public eye?