LOOK CLOSELY AT THE CORPORATE IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM by Richard Barry There are plenty of good and bad ideas that will dictate the direction of a corporate identification p...

LOVE THEM OR LOSE THEM: CUSTOMER RETENTION IN ACTION! by Lynn Thomas Here's the bottom line for retaining customers: You have just one choice -- Love your customers or lose them. Peri...

This is not the time to be passive about company relationships. If you want to stay in business, you must develop and maintain strong company contacts. As you continue to court new markets, also devote time to enhance relations with your current carriers. Remember, decisive interaction with company personnel is a powerful tool in agency-company relations.

Where's your business headed this year? This article by John Graham offers recommendations on setting your priorities.

If we listen to half the politicians, everything will be coming up profits this year. They tell us to stop worrying about the economy. We're heading towards a new sunrise, they say. The other politicians paint a darker and far less optimistic picture. Where does that leave us? What are we to believe in 2004?

MAKING THE MOST OUT OF AN AGENCYBUSINESS COMBINATION by Carol Hammes Its what comes after the handshakes that counts. INTRODUCTION Youve done the groundwork for a ...

A few months ago, a client came to us with a last-minute project that required the services of...

MANAGING COMPANY RELATIONS by Carol Hammes In recent reports, I have addressed the changing nature of the relationship between the American agency companies and the independent a...

MANAGING DOWNSIZING, LAYOFFS, AND RIFS by Don Phin Many companies are facing the reality that they have no alternative to eliminating hours, reducing pay, or terminating employees nd...

MANAGING RISK: A GUIDE FOR YOUR BUSINESS CLIENT Part 4 of 4 INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT This is the generally accepted sequence of risk management activities: The risk of...

MARKETING CLUSTERS - A MEANS OF GROWTH AND SURVIVAL by Jack Fries The benefits, drawbacks, and formation of a marketing cluster. Clustering has been around for ...