CEMENT RELATIONSHIPS TO BUILD RETENTION Service today should center on building lasting relationships-with the customer and with the companies the agency represents. Two fundamental types of CSR con...

Ten years ago it took $5 million in total agency revenues and about $30 million in Property/Casualty premiums to land on the top 100 agency list. Now an agency needs to have in excess of $10 million in revenues and $60 million in premiums to make the cut. Ten years ago the average independent agency in the country had $250,000 in total revenues with six to seven people. Today the average is close to $600,000 in revenues, also with six to seven people. To use a phrase from Bob Dylan, "the times, they are a changing."

ENCOURAGE A POSITIVE VIEW OF THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY by Mary Beth Bolen What are two 'facts' most customers 'know' about insurance? One, it costs too much. Two, if they make a claim, their po...

Fact Sheet No. OSHA 93-39 FARM SAFETY There are approximately 3.2 million men and women who work on America's 2.1 million farms and ranches. According to Accident Facts published in 199...

To embrace — and benefit from — change, follow these guidelines.
Unrelenting and increasingly rapid change demands that the insurance industry rapidly uncover new ways to evaluate and respond to its marketplace.
I’ve worked with many highly successful insurance companies and agencies, helping them achieve higher levels of profitability through more sales, customer and employee loyalty, and retention. However, in many of these organizations, management remained blind to the dire need to change, despite its apparent desire to achieve higher profits. Managers can’t see the compelling need to change from the ways that allowed the organization to be successful in the first place.

GOT NOVOCAIN WITH THAT CALL LIST? by Chris Burand A study by Sandler Sales Systems (May 19, 2010, Reuters), identified cold calling as worse than giving speeches, and celibacy was prefe...

HANDWRITTEN LETTERS - FORWARD TO THE PAST by Jack Burke Writing a monthly column appears much easier than it is! After all, how hard could it be to string 500-600 words together...

HERE'S HOW TO REACH THOSE HARD-TO-GET REFERRALS by Bill Cates Here's a little strategy that you're going to love, because it's so easy to use and so effective. I got this from ...

What are your legal names? What is the address of the property? Is your home under 40 years of age? What is the year of construction...

As the corporate misdeeds of executives continue to dominate the news, we hear about the curses of greed and immorality. But John Graham calls these executives disloyal. This article focuses on the importance of loyalty in a company and the need to hire loyal employees.
It’s time to get our heads on straight. That 60s phrase is a perfect fit for today’s confused and disturbing business climate, as each newscast brings darker revelations of corporate abuse.