The Business Development Plan - Part 3 Of 4

THE PRICE OF GROWTH: COMPENSATING NEW PRODUCERS by Lee Schexnayder When agency owners discuss hiring producers, the question...

THE SERVICE CEILING: WHAT CAUSES IT, HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT, HOW TO BREAK THROUGH IT by E. Al Diamond We have a small Middle-Eastern restaurant in our neighborhood that is family ope...

THIS OFFICE MAKES ME SICK! by Neil Carlson, Tom Kapfer, and Arif Quraishi Studies have shown that most Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors and that this environment is significan...

TOP 10 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR AGENCY PLANNING by John Jaques Use these planning guidelines to grow sales and earnings. In case you didnt create a New Years resolution lis...

VALUATION AND STRUCTURING OF BUSINESS COMBINATIONS by Carol Hammes There are three key elements that must be considered when valuing and structuring a business combination between insurance agen...

WHAT TO DO WHEN AN OWNER RETIRES by Al Diamond Retirement should never be a spur-of-the-moment decision, even if the temptation is frequent when carriers, customers, or em...

WHY CAN'T WE GET ORGANIZED AROUND HERE?! by Al Diamond I wouldn't want to count how often we have heard that sad lament from insurance agency principals. The place looks a mess, and the sta...

WHY PROCEDURES? by Grace Bauer I often hear, 'Why does our agency need procedures? We've been in business this long without them.' If you can answer 'yes' to any of the followin...

I spent many years coaching high school football. Whenever a team was underperforming, we went back to basics: blocking and tackling. If your agency’s sales and retention are suffering from the current economy, or if you wish to enhance your performance, it’s time to reinforce the fundamentals of any sales organization: asking for referrals and developing accounts.