ARE RACETRACKS SUSTAINABLE? by Mike Manes Although Insurance middlemen continue to do well, the landscape has already changed. If the industry doesnt adjust now brokerages will fal...

COMMUNICATING INSURANCE JARGON Good communication skills are necessary to satisfy clients' needs-and that is the most important part of a CSR's job. A common barrier to good communication, an...

The 'Jones Agency' (a fictitious name for a real agency) presented itself as a Multi-line P/C agency. 'Auto-Home-Life-Health-Business Insurance' were proclaimed on its...

Nancy Newbee is the newest trainee for LOCO (Large Old Co.), Inc. She was hired because she's bright, articulate, well-educated, and motivated. She's in her second week of training.

FULL CIRCLE MARKETING by Mike Manes Your agencys marketing program should answer four key questions. Life is a Circle Marketing is about Life! At a...

PRODUCER SUCCESS LESSON 9:

Nothing happens until somebody sells something. To make sales happen, IMMS.com Key Sales Consultant Randy Schwantz has created a comprehensive series of 43 Producer Success Lessons. Used singly or in combination, these powerful tools can help your producers build their skills - and grow their sales.

TELEPHONE PROSPECTING TECHNIQUES THAT GET RESULTS One of the best articles IMMS has seen about getting through to prospective clients was written by a pro, Ed Drake of SAFECO. SAFECO is,...

THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE by Mike Manes A body at rest tends to remain at rest. Is it just human nature to resist change? Mike Manes examines this issue as it applies to independent agenc...

An agency valuation I completed recently came in considerably lower than the agency owners expected. The reason? Their balance sheet was very poor and they were materially out of trust: Meaning that their ratio of Accounts Receivable + Cash to Accounts Payable was less than 1. The agency principals were quite upset that I would decrease their value for this reason. They retorted, “We always pay our companies on time, our companies have never been hurt by this, our customers have never been hurt by this, and our CPA has never found fault with this practice. You're the only one who thinks it matters!”

WHAT IS TARGET MARKETING? by Thomas M. Maher The beat goes on. Yes, target marketing is still up there near the top of the corporate charts. But, according to an ...