How to earn the confidence and commitment of your employees, customers, and stakeholders in today’s changing world.

We’ve all heard this joke: A local “hayseed” tries giving directions to a tourist, becomes frustrated, and ends the inquiry by saying simply, “You can’t get there from here.” The humor of this scene lies in its absurdity.

10 STEPS TO OVERCOME COMPETITION by Jack Burke Remember the first time you experienced a Chinese box set? As each box opened to reveal a smaller box, you wondered with childlike curiosi...

AGENCY BROCHURE ENCLOSED Dear (Customer Name): Thank you for letting us take the opportunity to review your insurance program. Before we meet, I thought I would share a little of our firm's backgro...

AGENCY VALUATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW by Larry Morrison Before putting a value on your agency, read this article. INTRODUCTION Every agency owner must learn certain basics abou...

ALTERNATIVE RISK FINANCING: SIZE DOESNT MATTER Most medium-sized and smaller companies protect themselves against their property and liability exposures by purchasing Commercial insuranc...

AUTO DEALERS - 'WE UNDERSTAND YOUR BUSINESS' NO ONE KNOWS YOUR BUSINESS BETTER THAN YOU Dear (Customer Name): Every business is special. In the auto dealer business, you have your own t...

AUTO INSURANCE Dear (Customer Name), Isn't it worth a few moments of your time to learn whether you're paying more than you need to for Automobile insurance? (Your Agency Name) will answer that ...

In spite of 19th-hole braggadocio about rising sales figures, bottom-line results, and upcoming prospects, businesses do stall and stagnate. Streamline.com was a raging Internet stock until it ran into a wall. Kodak used to be a Wall Street favorite, and now it's struggling to find itself. P&G once had 99.44 % acceptance; now the tide seems to have turned. For years, Xerox set the standard; then it lost direction.

Linking up Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time. A comprehensive PR campaign can begin with just one activity. In seminars, workshops...

BONUS/COMPENSATION PLANS: PART TWO by Jack Fries Do you provide your employees with a year-end bonus? Do you want the bonus to mean something to your key employees? This document by Jack ...