FINDING THE RIGHT CSR by William Vericker Where, and what, to look for hiring quality CSRs. When clients call, e-mail, or visit your agency, they count on someone to service their bus...

FORMING A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE by Carol Hammes A major challenge facing the Independent Agency System today is to provide quality products and services in a more cost effective and user-frien...

FUTURE SHOCK: THE NEED FOR AGENCY PERPETUATION by Carol Hammes Very few independent agencies in this country have a written perpetuation plan. In fact, most owners have not even pro...

GENERAL AGENCY ADVERTISING by John D. Farr WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON If there's any one common thread among...

Ever since independent agencies were invented, their owners have wondered how to find, motivate, and keep good producers. But according to one consultant, most principals still aren't getting a good deal.

'Across the United States, more employee producers are overpaid yet underproduce,' says Jeffrey Wodicka. Wodicka is president of a consulting firm called Directions Agency Management Resources Limited of Rockville, New York, as well as principal of The Greystone Agency, also of Rockville.

HOW TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN A CHANGING INDUSTRY by Sharon Cunningham Sharon Cunningham's consulting visits with agencies hav...

INDEPENDENT AGENCIES ON SLIPPERY SLOPES? by Victoria Sonshine Pasher There's no letup yet for the independent agency squeeze that's persisted throughout the 1990s. Facing numerous challenges, agen...

LIFE GUIDE FOR P/C AGENCIES: MODULE I LIFE OPERATION OPTIONS INTRODUCTION When you decide to establish a Life operation in your P/C agency, you have different fi...

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MARKETING IS A BATTLE OF PERCEPTION - HAVE YOU LOST? by Chris Burand An agent asked me the other day how h...