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...

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

MARKETING ANALYSIS-BY A DREAMER by Michael Manes I'm a dreamer-I think in concepts and gag on concrete details. I see every problem as an opportunity. I'm bored with today...

MARKETING IS A BATTLE OF PERCEPTION - HAVE YOU LOST? by Chris Burand An agent asked me the other day how h...

'ONLY' AN INDEPENDENT AGENT: YOUR VALUE IN TODAY'S MARKET by Chris Burand With so many Web-based insurance sites and direct writers bypassing insurance agent...

Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersma's book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, presents a compelling explanation of why some companies continually outperform their competitors. Their thesis rests on this premise: If a company is going to achieve and sustain dominance, it must first decide where it will stake its claim in the marketplace and what kind of value it offers customers.

SELLING HOPE by Patricia Berry 'Never suffer a sleepless night again!' Theres no shortage of such incredible claims in advertising. Not limited to psychic...

Although the technology is in place to sell insurance via the Net, consumers aren’t giving up the one night a year when they sit in their living rooms and listen to their agent pontificate about the advantages of "Plan A" versus "Plan B."

This dynamic might be changing. Insurers have cleared a huge hurdle for online sales — the need for a customer signature — either by using credit cards to bind coverage until the policy can be issued or by legalizing electronic signatures. Despite this advance, a very low percentage of insurance transactions are being handled online.

SELLING QUALITY IS QUALITY SELLING by Eric Moberg Hello Mr. Jones, Im John Smith with the Smith Agency. Id very much like to offer you a no obligation quote on your i...

SERVICE: FUMBLING THE BALL by Brenda French Part one of this series by Brenda French takes a look at how poor service is costing the industry. The next two articles will discuss th...