Historically, a hard market is part of the cyclical nature of the insurance industry. At one time, these cycles occurred fairly consistently at about seven year intervals. However, the last significant hard market came in the mid-80s.

A hard market is characterized by increasing rates and/or reduced industry capacity, which leads to affordability and/or availability problems. In addition, both underwriting and claims adjusting usually become more stringent. In the current marketplace, these conditions are exacerbated by increased uncertainty about such loss exposures as terrorism, mold, etc., and by a reinsurance market significantly strained by the events of September 11.

COMMERCIAL LINES MARKETING PROGRAM by Al Diamond This documentcovers issues as diverse as agency budgeting, how to post an effective classified advertisement, and marketing carr...

LinkedIn IMPROVEMENTS by Steve Anderson LinkedIn is one of our favorite tools for researching and finding information about prospects and clients. Over the last several months, LinkedIn h...

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Salespeople, like athletes, need planning, practice, and coaching to compete — and win!

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With summer approaching, the lull in autumn's new business results can't be far behind. September, October, and November are the weakest months for revenue and sales for a majority of agencies. Theories abound as to the reason, but probably it's because too many producers take the summer off from new account prospecting, or they spend their time continuing to round existing accounts. Sunshine, golf courses, and family take priority, and little new business is set up to be written in the fall.

SUPER SERVICE: A PROCESS, NOT A PROJECT by George Nordhaus We often see 'service' as a magic word-the 'open sesame' that will somehow ensure customer retention and build bottom-line profits....

WHAT DO LIFE CUSTOMERS EXPECT? There might be some surprises in an article addressing this question which appeared in Resource, the magazine of the Life Office Management Association (LOMA). Based on...