Just when we think we've grasped what's happening in business, something changes to disrupt the precarious balance. It may occur in the economy, an industry, a region, a particular market, or technology that alters even the most flexible business plan.

Establishing a strategy, then staying with it, was possible for most businesses until the last decade. Planning a year or more in advance was relatively easy. Ups and downs would occur but with a high degree of predictability. Hitting sales and revenue targets was almost a natural outcome.

AGENCY RATING FORM On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest possible score, how would you rate [Agency Name] on the following items? ...

CEMENT RELATIONSHIPS TO BUILD RETENTION Service today should center on building lasting relationships-with the customer and with the companies the agency represents. Two fundamental types of CSR con...

CLAIMS QUESTIONNAIRE NAME:______________________________ PHONE #:_____________________ TYPE LOSS:__________________ DATE:___________ COMPANY:___________ The purpose of thi...

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...

HOMEOWNERS AUTOMATIC LIABILITY INCREASE Dear (Customer Name), In reviewing your file, I noticed that your Homeowners policy has Liability coverage of only ($ Amount). In view of today's high court...

I don't actually want to fail. However, the fact is that we learn near to nothing when everything is going...

INTERNET SALES: VALUE TRUMPS PRICE by Steve Anderson I regularly read and follow a number of blogs written by people outside the insurance industry. Seth Godin is one of those people. He ...

Just as the Personal Lines lead form opens the door of opportunity for the Life producer, the Commercial Lines lead form generates potential business.

This letter and questionnaire generated quite a response and helped one agency that sent it learn a lot about their image. The response rate to the letter was 13.23% --...