10 WAYS TO AVOID LOSING THE SALE Many publications are in the business of telling you how to succeed at selling. Guidelines, strategies, and techniques exist in abundance. However, there isn't ...

100 EASY WAYS TO BEGIN A SALES LETTER (PART 1) by Herschell Gordon Lewis Every writer knows the one great truth of direct response letter writing. At the moment reading begins, you're ...

A HEALTHY MARKET? PERCEPTION IS REALITY by Chris Burand A recent study by Zurich U.S. revealed what I believe could cause big problems for agents and brokers in the near future. The probl...

Trying to get fish into the boat before catching them sounds crazy; it wouldn't make...

A TAX BONANZA: S CORPORATIONS AND ESOPs by Robert Nein The 1997 Tax Relief Act has made possible the best of all worlds for insurance agencies. One could not hope for a better opportunity. There ha...

Many of your insureds will be putting a lot of money into annuities this month, next month, and for many months to come. Based on national sales figures, this is a near-guarantee. Will they buy through your agency or from a competitor? If you're an agency decision maker, the answer lies in your hands.

If you're in sales, you can identify with this situation - about two weeks after starting a new job, you begin to doubt your decision. You detect a widening gap between what you were told to expect and what actually occurs. After only a month on the job, you conclude, 'I think I made a mistake.' You're probably right, because salespersons seem to be more prone to selecting the wrong job. Too often, their profession's tendency to stress the positive and minimize negative factors extend into their approach in choosing a job.

AUTO INSURANCE Dear (Customer Name), Isn't it worth a few moments of your time to learn whether you're paying more than you need to for Automobile insurance? (Your Agency Name) will answer that ...

AUTOMATED TO SHOP ALL COVERAGES LET US DO YOUR SHOPPING Dear (Customer Name): Whether it's for Automobile, Homeowners, Boat, or any other type of insurance, we shop the market...

CLUSTER TIPS by Chris Burand Cluster contracts among individual agencies or groups of agencies (not necessarily the major cluster-type agency organizations) are almost alw...