Deadlock is to dealmakers what cliffhangers are to TV couch potatoes — frustrating yet compelling, as the impasse challenges each side’s negotiating maturity, skill, and acumen. This document by Patricia Berry offers 10 key methods for jump-starting a stalled exchange.

AGENCY TECHNOLOGY: NEW TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS THAT CAN HELP YOU GROW Ted Baker Most conversations about technology tend to focus on what specific tasks it should do, could do or is not d...

Rarely will you get something for nothing. But how do you know if you’re getting what you should out of your marketing program? This document by John Graham provides you with the guidelines to properly evaluate your marketing efforts.
Getting something for nothing seems to be a universal human desire that extends into the business arena. For example, company owners and managers often ask, 'What should we expect to get out of our marketing program? How will our dollar investment translate into increased sales?

ELECTRONICS FIRMS - 'YOUR NEEDS ARE DIFFERENT' Dear (Customer Name): YOU CAN'T BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE . . . AND NEITHER CAN WE. That's why you're a specialist - because that's wh...

FACEBOOK EXPANDS ADVERTISING OPTION by Steve Anderson As a follow-up to a recent TAAR article, 'Facebook Advertising' (October 2009), the company has expanded its demographic options t...

In 1976, 12 insurance executives spent a day trying to pinpoint the reasons for their success. Their large insurance agency had doubled in size over the last three years. The company's employees had worked hard to achieve a high rate of referrals and were aggressive in their roles as producers. But what factors led to their astonishing success? How did they attract a client? And most of all, what made each client buy and renew year after year?

HOW TO SELL WHEN THE CUSTOMER IS IN CHARGE OF THE SALE by John Graham It only takes a few words to describe the dramatic change that confronts every sale...

IF I WERE A MARKETING MANAGER FOR A DAY by Delbert Hawkins Once upon a time, a marketing representative was an ex-underwriter who went into the field because he or she was too youn...

LEARNING PLANS FOR CSRs by Mary Beth Bolen Customer service is a dynamic, changing field. A stick-in-the-mud agency that clings to outdated practices often stays right where it started - in the ...

LIFE INSURANCE FOR P/C CUSTOMERS One agent had this question: 'One of our P/C insureds is carrying a $1 million Life policy, and he is paying about $50,000 a year in premium. Unfortunately, we didn'...