IS CUSTOMER LOYALTY DEAD? by JoAnna Brandi When an agency meets some or all of our expectations we usually say that we're satisfied. When an agency goes a few steps further ...

KEEP THE HUMAN TOUCH IN CUSTOMER SERVICE by Jack Fries For better or worse, electronic commerce is changing the relationship between consumers and vendors. It's often for the worse in cu...

MAXIMIZING OWNERSHIP RETURN by Carol Hammes During the past several years, a relatively conservative investor could have achieved an annual investment return of 25% or more in the stock market t...

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: MAKING THE DEALS by Sharon Cunningham Amid the merger and acquisition frenzy, many agencies believe the value of their businesses might never be higher. Sharon...

MERGERS: A CASE STUDY by Larry Morrison and Gary Jacobson This case study is provided as a companion to our article, 'Mergers: The Six Key Issues.' It shows the financial and legal...

Motivating support staff to help generate sales expands the network of potential customers. Here are some tips for putting together and operating an effective lead-generation campaign.

Reward them for leads as quickly as possible. If the payoff is quick, non-sales employees will be more motivated to provide leads.

PERPETUATION: ITS NOT JUST A MONEY THING by Chris Burand When agency owners think of perpetuation planning, they often think only of the financial aspect: Selling their agencies. I...

PREPARATION IS KEY TO MAXIMIZING THE VALUE OF YOUR AGENCY by Sharon Cunningham Use these guidelines to increase your agencys value and get the best price w...

SELLING: GOT QUESTIONS? by Bill Hoos When you meet potential buyers, do you ask or do you tell? If youre like most salespeople, you probably do the latter. In fact, you probably te...

Chances are, you are like the majority of individuals who have reached middle age. The primary concerns in your life are paying your monthly bills, making sure your children receive a good education, as well as the all-important goal of saving some money every month for retirement. At this point, it seems a long way off, but do not be deceived; it will be here sooner than you think. You might have heard about Long-Term Care insurance, but you probably dismissed it with questions such as “What is it?” or “Who needs it?”