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.

A CPA firm spends $11,200 on a Web site that attracts only a handful of visitors. An insurance agency invests $80,000 in an advertising campaign and no one sees the ads. An alternative health clinic sends out 8,000 direct mail fliers and gets 26 responses. A manufacturer spends $28,000 on an attractive brochure that no one uses.

14 TIPS FOR SENDING EFFECTIVE PRESS RELEASES by John Hewitt Know whom to send it to, not just where. Find out who the editor or reporter is for the section you want your release to a...

Just when we think we've grasped what's happening in business, something changes to disrupt the precarious balance. It may occur in the economy, an industry, a region, a particular market, or technology that alters even the most flexible business plan.

Establishing a strategy, then staying with it, was possible for most businesses until the last decade. Planning a year or more in advance was relatively easy. Ups and downs would occur but with a high degree of predictability. Hitting sales and revenue targets was almost a natural outcome.

Despite fax, e-mail, and Web site marketing, direct mail remains one of the most effective methods for conveying your company’s message to prospective clients. John Graham provides tips for making your direct mail efforts as powerful as possible in this document.

No matter what their size, many businesses use most of their available energy just keeping things running on a day-to-day basis.
Unfortunately, there seldom seems to be much time for those tasks that can have a profound effect on a company's future, such as communicating the company's message and projecting its image.

Getting your company’s message out to the buying public doesn’t have to be complex or expensive. Direct mail is perhaps the most targeted and cost-effective vehicle for communicating to an audience.

AGENCY INTRODUCTION Dear (Customer Name), Allow us to introduce ourselves: We are (Your Agency Name) and have been doing business in (Name of City) for over ( ) years. We are an independent ins...

Ask the Experts: "Please describe the ad campaign that worked most effectively for your agency. What made it so successful?"

AUDIT EXPLANATION - PREPARE, PREPARE Dear (Customer Name), THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUDITS . . . As you know, Workers Compensation and General Liability policies are su...