AGENTS: COMPANY MARKETS AREN'T ALWAYS GOING TO COME TO YOU! by Andrew Barile One of the most important responsibilities of agents to themselves and their agencies is to maintain posit...

BRANDING: A SINGULAR IDENTITY FOR A MULTITASKING ENTITY by Jack Burke Mention 'branding,' and people generally think in terms of company names. Or they think of burned flesh on cat...

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.

As your agency grows, you will probably recognize the need for the services of a public relations (PR) advisor to help you get media exposure.
To choose the appropriate PR advisor, you should have a good idea of what to expect in the way of services, what you need (or more accurately, want to accomplish), where to look for an advisor, and how to select one. Not an easy task, but it's a lot more manageable if you plan ahead.

FOCUSING ON CLIENT OR PROSPECT NEEDS by Mary Beth Bolen There's a lot of talk about niche marketing or target marketing today. Many speakers feel that it's imperative to find a certain niche i...

HARD MARKET STRATEGIES by G. Edward Kalbaugh During this hard market, some agencies have been forced to sell, merge, or reduce operations considerably. Other agencies are making the most ...

HOW PEOPLE MAKE BUYING DECISIONS (AND HOW WE STOP THEM) by Michael Lovas Caution: this article contains ideas that might upset you! About 25 years ago, when I began writing profess...

JOIN FORCES WITH A LIFE PROFESSIONAL by Harlan Warthen Harlan Warthen provides a simple, field proven, cost-effective program that you can use to produce a consistent flow of highly qualifi...

Few steps of forming a business relationship have more importance than qualifying the prospect's interest and commitment. It's a high-payoff and high-value use of your time, and leads to a constructive outcome for both parties in the relationship.

THE FIVE WAYS AGENTS GET FIRED! by Rob Ekern Independent agencies and brokerages are facing a growing threat to their middle market Commercial clients. These firms are being squeezed from...