MAKE MEETINGS WORK This seven-part recommended agenda should be followed at each meeting. Adaptation will be necessary by department, but the general content and structure should be similar for all d...

MANAGING SMALL COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS by Cindy Brady, CIC In many agencies, 'small' Commercial accounts get over-serviced while larger accounts are under-serviced because both are treated the same. S...

MAXIMIZE PERSONAL LINES PROFIT WITH BEST PRACTICES TIPS by Shirley Lukens Many agencies are looking at Personal Lines as an important source of revenue. In the current Best Pr...

One of the toughest financial decisions agency owners face is how much to pay themselves. It's especially tricky for agencies with multiple principals, because it's rare that all owners make identical contributions to the organization. Deciding what's equitable compensation for each individual may cause unnecessary conflict.

PERSONAL LINES RECORDS INCREASE REVENUE! by Grace Bauer People don't pay much attention to Personal Lines when it comes to account rounding, the yearly renewal review, and new busin...

PERSONNEL AND COMPENSATION DILEMMA by Carol Hammes Its never been easy to attract the best young people to the insurance industry. In a competitive job market, it becomes almost impossi...

PRODUCER COMPENSATION: A COMMON-SENSE APPROACH by Paige Proctor The basis for a good producer compensation system for today's independent agencies and brokerages rests on two very...

PRODUCER CONTRACTS Before new employees are hired into the agency, some sort of understanding needs to be reached regarding the terms and conditions of employment. Verbal 'gentleman's ...

PROTECTING YOUR AGENCY'S MOST VALUABLE ASSET by Diane Herbert and Pamela Millard As an insurance agency, your focus is on developing new business and retaining customers. You need to do bo...

The following section is a varied and important one to a profitable independent agency. In it, you will learn the basis of the Sales Center concept and how Sales Centers have brought increased profitability, retention, and total-account sales into many agencies.

Many agencies establish a Sales Center with their existing personnel, or hire an additional administrative or customer service person to take over additional duties. Others find that the increased efficiency of a Sales Center allows them to expand their marketing efforts, and they hire an in-house or outside telemarketing staff to keep leads coming in to producers.