PUBLIC RELATIONS AND SELLING: HOW TO BE A MODEST SELF-PROMOTER by Rob Keane 'Articles, not advertisements.' This is the first rule I learned in journalism school. Eight years later, I made t...

PUT CUSTOMERS FIRST Without competition, producers would eventually become complacent and ineffective. Competition is necessary for growth. If salespeople had an exclusive product or service with ex...

REFERRALS: GO FROM A 'ME' TO A 'WE' PROCESS by Bill Cates For many years, the referral process has been taught as a...

TAX BENEFITS FOR S CORPORATIONS by Al Diamond Many insurance agencies have chartered themselves as sub-chapter S corporations over the years. The 'S Corp' was created so that companies co...

THE CONCEPT OF SHARING IN MENTORING AND MARKETING by Jack Burke When writing an article for IMMS subscribers, I often feel like I'm preaching to the choir. ...

THE EIGHT DEADLIEST WORDS AND PHRASES IN INSURANCE by Gary Blake Many of us become so dependent on templates and fill-in-the-blank processes for communicating that we sometimes overlook the ...

THE VALUE OF A SATISFIED CUSTOMER by Chris Burand Every agency has three types of customers. First are those who will leave for a lower price. Second are those on the fence; they're not tr...

TORNADOES AND THUNDERSTORMS by Douglas Henderson Tornadoes are spawned from powerful thunderstorms that often precede an advancing cold front. They exist in other areas of the world but are mos...

Dear (Customer Name): You've always trusted my advice because I've worked with you.

There’s a lot of misinformation these days, with attorneys and employer groups recommending that employers not use such character assessments as DISC, Profiles International, Kolbe, ZeroRisk HR, McQuaig, and so forth. The concern is that these tests might trigger some type of discrimination or breach-of -privacy claim. In reality, there have been only a handful of claims based on using character assessment tools.