lsquo;IT AIN'T EASY BEING A CUSTOMER ANYMORE!' by Mike Manes The good news about being a poor old Cajun boy (I've been criticized for using this term to describe my...

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.

A POTPOURRI OF E&O TIPS by Curtis Pearsall Now that the hard market is upon us, theres no doubt that the Excess and Surplus Lines (E&SL) marketplace will be used to an even g...

AGENCY BROCHURE ENCLOSED Dear (Customer Name): Thank you for letting us take the opportunity to review your insurance program. Before we meet, I thought I would share a little of our firm's backgro...

AGENTS: COMPANY MARKETS AREN'T ALWAYS GOING TO COME TO YOU! by Andrew Barile One of the most important responsibilities of agents to themselves and their agencies is to maintain posit...

AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM by Mike Manes I was listening recently to a business owner talk about an employees attitude problem. Initially, I took the comments at face value....

ANALYZING EMPLOYEE BENEFIT LEVELS by John Jaques Many agency managers spend a great deal of time reviewing and setting staff and producer compensation levels, but often underst...

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...

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...

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...