What's your agency's standard for quality? It seems unrealistic to expect quality standards of 100% . . . after all, nobody's perfect. Wouldn't life be a lot easier and less stressful if everyone accepted a certain amount of predictable human frailty and built in a margin for error? It could even be called something impressive and positive sounding-'acceptable quality level,' for example.

AGENCY COMPENSATION SURVEY by Carol Hammes As of this writing, the government has determined that the insurance industry as a whole has 2.2 million workers who earn an average of $3...

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE? IT'S HERE! by Paul Bronow Consolidation within our industry is going much faster than we anticipated a few short years ago. The number of players is shrinki...

ARE YOU SURE OF YOUR COVERAGE? Dear (Customer Name), ARE YOU SURE OF YOUR COVERAGE? You're a prudent business owner. Naturally, you've protected your assets with insurance. But did you ...

BE AWARE! AVOID DANGER ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION by Bill Kliewer Bill Kliewer explains how situational awareness and a personal contingency plan can enhance your chance of avoiding or surviv...

Why Is the Referral Process the Most Powerful Way to Sell?

Without question, selling through referrals is the most powerful way to build your practice; not to mention the most enjoyable. Producers who really love prospecting for business through cold calls are rare birds. My guess is that you're not one of them. In this age of voice mail, increased competition, and everyone being super busy, cold calling has become less effective.

Bob Kerrigan, one of the most successful agents alive, says, "The way of the world is to meet people through other people. And the referral is the warm way we get into their lives."

CHANGE IS A CERTAINTY by Al Diamond Attempting to maintain the same old business practices in a changing environment is as futile as trying to sit stationary in a rising tide. As ind...

CHEMICAL SPILLS by Scott Lawson Many companies establish spill-response plans to comply with the HAZWOPER standard (CFR 1910.120), yet fail to develop a program that addresses their specific hazards...

COMPENSATING YOUR SALES CENTER COORDINATOR By Darren Clevenger One of the most critical factors that can make the difference between an average sales center coordinator and a great ...

Very few employees will leave your agency simply for more money. They will usually have other valid (to them) reasons that, when also combined with a higher salary, push them to seek employment elsewhere. If a review of the compensation survey results (from another Middleton letter) confirmed that your agency is paying people within a reasonable range of 'average,' the level of compensation should not be of major concern. What you do have to worry about is how you are paying those dollars and how your management philosophy and style complement the overall compensation administration plan.