RESOLVING CUSTOMER PROBLEMS by Al Diamond When I became a quality consultant, I took on a responsibility to advise management whenever I either receive excellent service or substandard service....

Here's a letter I received recently:
Dear Dave:
I work for a $3.5 million P/C agency with about 60% Commercial and 40% Personal in premium volume. One in-house Life producer handles Commercial and Personal lines, sometimes with outside help. But she doesn't write any Disability policies at all; she considers Disability insurance a specialty that she doesn't want to sell. Should I try to talk her into it, pressure her into it, or just let it go? I don't want to add another full-time Life agent unless he/she would become profitable early on; it took two years for my present Life agent to reach profitability. What are my alternatives?

SEVEN MANAGEMENT KEYS GO BEYOND SURVIVAL by John Jaques For independent agencies to thrive in today's tough economic environment, agency management must actively and strongly implement sev...

SIMPLE WAYS TO DIFFERENTIATE YOUR AGENCY by E. Al Diamond Every year, I see agencies struggling with the problem of how to differentiate themselves from their competition. This is an especi...

Although the reasons to plan are as endless as the individual needs of each agency, there are a number of common factors. Jack Fries reviews the importance of planning to your agency's success.

THE NEW SMALL AGENCY by Steve Anderson Theres never been a better time to start a new insurance agency than today. This might seem like a strange comment, given the current state o...

THREE WAYS TO LOWER YOUR AGENCY VALUE by Bill Schoeffler and Catherine Oak When you sell your business, heres what youre really selling. When agency owners sell thei...

TO BOOST PROFITS, CUT AGENCY EXPENSES: PART II by Jack Fries and Gary Holgate This second installment in a three-part article focuses on the major techniques for controlling your agency e...

TWO CLAIMS SCENARIOS SHOW VALUE OF ELECTRONIC PROCESSING by Sharon Cunningham If you have any doubt about your automation systems ability to improve your agencys claim...

Is selling the same as prospecting? Is selling the same as quoting?

No to both questions. In the insurance business, selling is comprised of two components, but neither of them involves prospecting or quoting.