The determination of adequate compensation levels for the staff is one of the most difficult issues...

One of the most common questions we hear during consultation involves compensation for owner/producers, existing producers, and new producers. The principal question is how much and how to pay for production that compensates salespeople fairly and gives them incentives for continued growth.

The answer is complex because the same compensation models don't fit all producers.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: WHOM SHOULD YOU lsquo;WOW? by Steve Anderson Ive been reading quite a bit lately about how to create a customer experience that will WOW clients and k...

DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCERS byCarol Hammes The most serious challenge facing the Independent Agency System today is...

DIRECT SALES EFFORTS TO POSITIVE GOALS While theres no magic formula for success, your agencycan improve its chance of profitability by implementing a more discipline...

DON'T LOSE YOUR WAY WHEN NAVIGATING CUSTOMER CURRENTS by Al Diamond Recently, the people at Motorola, the electronics giant, announced that they had 'lost their way.' This innovative c...

Rarely will you get something for nothing. But how do you know if you’re getting what you should out of your marketing program? This document by John Graham provides you with the guidelines to properly evaluate your marketing efforts.
Getting something for nothing seems to be a universal human desire that extends into the business arena. For example, company owners and managers often ask, 'What should we expect to get out of our marketing program? How will our dollar investment translate into increased sales?

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW Your level of preparation for emergencies will determine how well your workers and your facility survive these incidents. Of course, the n...

ETHICS IN LIFE INSURANCE AND RELATED FINANCIAL SERVICES by Samuel H. Weese, Ph.D., CLU, CPCU and Egnar F. Jensen In recent years, ethics has become a highly visible issue in the world of financial ...

It used to be the $1 million ceiling. That was the level of revenue at which an individual performing agent with a few helpers had to become a business with different people handling different clients and responsibilities. Everyone still worked for the agent, but the agent no longer made every decision.

However, running an agency as a business doesn't automatically result in growth and a high quality of professional service. By the time the agency reaches $2 million, it runs into another "invisible ceiling."