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.

COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL WHEN IS COMPREHENSIVE NOT SO COMPREHENSIVE? Dear (Customer Name): As a prudent business owner, you no doubt have protected your assets with insurance - probab...

CONSULTATIVE SELLING WORKS! by Al Diamond In a soft market, dont sell your clients - help them! The only...

CONTINGENT BUSINESS INTERRUPTION Dear (Customer Name): You're in a business that depends heavily on ( ) in order for your revenues to continue. If you depend heavily on one company, you could be he...

CROSS-SELLING: ARE YOU MAXIMIZING YOUR INCOME POTENTIAL? by Harlan Warthen Too many agencies are missing out on this key marketing opportunity. The income potential from cross-...

CUT WASTE FROM ADVERTISING This advice on reducing the cost of your advertising program by eliminating 'waste' comes from...

DO ADVERTISING AND MARKETING WORK? by Al Diamond It never ceases to amaze me. Even though the Independent Agency System is totally sales driven, too many agents do an abysmal job in ma...

DON'T GET BURNED IN THE OVERHEATED ACQUISITION MARKET! by Chris Burand Wall Street has definitely cooled, but agency mergers and acquisitions have not. ...

DRUG TESTING IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY WORKING PATTNERS 'The quicker that companies implement a drug-free workplace, the better,' says Dan Burazin, Operations Manager at D.G. Beyer, Inc., a commer...

EFFECTIVE GOAL REACHING by Randy Schwantz Follow this four-step planning strategy to reach your goals. The key to achieving anything is to have a plan. More important, you need a ...