It takes more than a job title and a loud voice to get an agency team to function properly. This applies to owners, managers, and supervisors alike, says Jack Fries.

ARE YOUR PRODUCERS DIAMONDS OR LUMPS OF COAL? Are your sales results less than exciting? Maybe your salespeople just don't have the right stuff . . . and never will. One leading psychologist, Mark ...

ASSESSING YOUR FIRM'S RESOURCES by Bill Schoeffler and Catherine Oak Today, it is critical for insurance agents and brokers to plan their own destiny. One can never be quite c...

AVOIDING COSTLY MARKETING MISTAKES by Stephen Anderson You can no longer sit back and wait for business to come to you. That's the sure route to becoming a victim of the ch...

CUSTOMER SERVICE: ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE by Patricia Czech No doubt, you've heard of the 3-11 Customer Rule. It holds that a happy customer will recommend your business to three peop...

Finance, it is often said, is the language of business. This may well be true, but there are a lot of us who don't understand the language and could be described as 'financially illiterate.' It doesn't have to be that way and you don't need an accounting background to become financially literate.

DON'T FAIL TO ADDRESS CUSTOMERS' WANTS AND NEEDS Your customers and prospects do not care about you and what you want or need. Does that sound harsh? It may, but it's also true! Your ...

GENERATIONAL MARKETING by Patricia Czech Each generation has its own characteristics (ways of speaking, acting, and believing). Patricia Czech helps you to categorize them as marketing tar...

Most people do not look forward to planning the distribution of assets upon their death. However, it is a task that all of us must face. And, that’s where trusts enter the estate-planning arena. A trust is simply an arrangement whereby one person holds legal title to an asset and manages it for the benefit of another. In one form or another, it may be used in personal financial planning.

PREVENTING VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE by Douglas Henderson Violence in the workplace has become all too common in American business. It's a concern for every employer, who should take precaution...