EXCELLENCE: TURN UP THE HEAT! by Don Phin How to transform your agency from good to great. Greatness an...

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...

FIND A CHALLENGE AND IMPROVE MORALE TODAY by Grace Bauer With agencies trying to keep up with renewals, remarketing everything, and j...

'We were all raised by mothers who told us we had one chance to make a first impression,' Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut once said. He added, 'And a first impression can last you awhile.' It’s all about first impressions making them and responding to them.

Why all the concern with first impressions? Why do we believe that the first contact makes such a difference? 'No one gets a second chance at making a first impression' — true, or just popular business lore? John Graham looks for the answers in this document.

FORMALIZING THE PLAN A plan is only as good as its execution. It is essential that progress be monitored and adjusted and changes made when necessary. Which means that once you prepare the plan, you ...

Today, an insurance professional must be an information specialist. Access to information can be vital in all specialized areas of insurance. Every agency has numerous books, both those published professionally and those published as company manuals and promotional materials, which are reference tools enabling more effective decisions. But where are the materials when you need them? Ideally, in a library using a database program and an efficient cataloging system.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION by Don Phin In his book No Contest: The Case Against Competition, Alfie Kohn stresses that competition in an organization can become destructive unless it results in ...

The conference report for H.R. 3103, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, provides for changes in the private heath insurance market. The bill guarantees the availability of private heath insurance coverage for certain groups and restricts the use of preexisting condition restrictions. Renewal of coverage will be guaranteed with limited exceptions. Although H.R. 3103 creates federal standards for insurers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and employers who self-insure, the bill permits substantial state flexibility for compliance. This report examines the major features of H.R. 3103 regarding heath insurance.

HEALTH INSURANCE: MODULE V-H OVERVIEW Health insurance has grown into a vast and complicated field involving many types of policies and programs: Group, individua...