In spite of 19th-hole braggadocio about rising sales figures, bottom-line results, and upcoming prospects, businesses do stall and stagnate. Streamline.com was a raging Internet stock until it ran into a wall. Kodak used to be a Wall Street favorite, and now it's struggling to find itself. P&G once had 99.44 % acceptance; now the tide seems to have turned. For years, Xerox set the standard; then it lost direction.

BANKS, AGENTS, AND PROFITS by Paige Proctor A recent survey by the IIAA and ABA (American Bankers Association) showed that 70% of bankers and 57% insurance agents think they can operate together and...

BANKS, INVESTMENT FIRMS, AND INSURANCE AGENCIES: IT'S THE CULTURE! by Michael Manes James Carville, the 'Ragin' Cajun' of political consultants, achieved fame by observing,'It's the...

BUILDING PROFITABILITY WITH LIFE AND HEALTH SALES by Carol Hammes Although most independent insurance agencies sell some Life and Health insurance, only about one-fourth of them have a separate ...

CLAIMS MANAGEMENT: AN IMPORTANT PART OF A SUCCESSFUL INSURANCE PROGRAM by Elizabeth Shaw, CPCU This writing is based on one simple premise: The integration of claims management into a commercia...

Successful marketing of Commercial Lines requires a detailed plan. The first step is to assess where you are right now. In this first of a three-part series, Jack Fries examines the preliminary steps that an agency should take in marketing Commercial Lines.

The previous article (Creating A Successful Plan For Marketing Commercial Lines Part I), presented information about the matrix of the agency book of business, the review of the book of for account development, and a review of company programs and products. In this second of a three-part series, Jack Fries focuses on selecting a proper market.

Now that you’ve decided on the markets to pursue and your marketing approach, it’s time to initiate the plan. In this final article of a three-part series Jack Fries discusses the steps you’ll take to implement a successful marketing and sales strategy.

COMPENSATION: MODULE III-B INTRODUCTION Producers and CSRs must be compensated for Life production, but how? It seems there are as many ways to structure a compen...

DEVELOPING A MARKETING PLAN (IN A DISTRESSED AGENCY) by Ken Buehler It is an uphill battle for a distressed agency to get back on track and sustain any level of growth if it f...