REACTIVE AND PROACTIVE CSRs by Mary Beth Bolen Some people believe things happen to them, while others believe things happen because of them. Sometimes, people fluctuate between the two extremes...

THE ART OF SALES REFERRALS Patricia A. Berry The top sales technique for acquiring new business does not involve your sales force! Yes, you heard right. If youre not doing referral...

The old marketplace selection process is futile. There simply aren’t enough carriers to go around, it’s not in the client’s best interests, and it doesn’t allow a firm to differentiate itself. To make matters worse, the average hit ratio is a whopping 15%! Rob Ekern recommends (and explains) the Brokerage Selection Process for developing and retaining revenue.

THE LOST ART OF BROKING by Rob Ekern Write quality, profitable business in soft and hard markets alike. I was speaking with a broker several weeks ago about the importance o...

THE PERFECT EMPLOYEE: PERFECT OR NOT? by Grace Bauer I just finished talking to a customer about one of his staff members. 'He's a perfect employee,' the customer said. 'He's ki...

TURN lsquo;REDS INTO GOLD: FIND CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS by Michael Lovas The woman on the right derives great joy from her mental and physical activities. Shes a ...

No matter how hard you try, customers will find fault with you or your staff. How you handle those complaints will determine your account retention and customer satisfaction rate. Here are three key guidelines to help the cause.

WHY BUSINESSES LOSE CUSTOMERS After a 40-year career as an automobile dealer, Martin Bury wrote of his experiences in the book The Automobile Dealer (Damascus Publishing, Gresham, OR). A...

When it comes to prospecting, every agent has done his or her fair share cold calling on the phone, the White Pages in hand,...