ADJUSTING EXPECTATATIONS --- AND THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND by Jon Persky Back in the 1960s and 1970s, it wasnt unusual to find people who worked for the same company for their entire...

CUSTOMER SERVICE TESTS by Bill Wilson Customer service is critical to agency profitability and growth. Outstanding customer service leads to customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction lead...

ENCOURAGING STAFF INPUT TO SPUR PROFITS by John Jaques How many opportunities for increasing business do you overlook everyday? This document by John Jaques provides a great way for you...

EVALUATIONS AND COMPENSATION by Al Diamond When you mention employee evaluations in most insurance agencies, the owners begin to fidget, admitting that they do them spora...

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 ...

IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY TO INCREASE NEW SALES by Carol Hammes When setting your agency's production goals for the coming year, don't rely on help from the marketplace. In fact, it...

PUTTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE: EXECUTE! by Chris Burand The cover of a recent issue of Fortune boasted a picture of a small army of spiffily dressed, famous CEOs under the tit...

THE FOUR FACES OF PROFITABILITY: PART II by Diane Herbert and Pamela Millard The first part of this article focused on two faces of agency profitability: Pretax profit and Cash Flow from ...

Many marketing managers and representatives may ask: "Why is a sales center important to me? Isn't it designed for niche- or target-marketing? How would this fit into my company, that wants Main Street business?"

Having a marketing-representative background provides me with a unique perspective on sales centers. I know that the marketing representative is much more than a "go-for" problem-solver, running down endorsements, acting as portable shrink between underwriters and agents, or being "the official news agency TAS," spouting party line. I know that marketing is the precursor to selling.

WORKING HARDER? MAKING LESS? by Jon Persky During the past few years, many agency owners have been saying, Im working harder than I ever have, but making less money. ...