10-STEP REFERRAL PROSPECTING SYSTEM: SELLING/PROSPECTING/LEADS by Bill Cates You can create a steady flow of high-qual...

Historically, a hard market is part of the cyclical nature of the insurance industry. At one time, these cycles occurred fairly consistently at about seven year intervals. However, the last significant hard market came in the mid-80s.

A hard market is characterized by increasing rates and/or reduced industry capacity, which leads to affordability and/or availability problems. In addition, both underwriting and claims adjusting usually become more stringent. In the current marketplace, these conditions are exacerbated by increased uncertainty about such loss exposures as terrorism, mold, etc., and by a reinsurance market significantly strained by the events of September 11.

FRAUDBUSTERS: ASK A LICENSED PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR Part 3 Q: I'm currently working on a case that has several named defendants. Recently, I received a telephone call from an investigator who h...

BASIC FACTS ABOUT REGISTERING A TRADEMARK Part 2 of 5 Use of 'TM,' 'SM,' and 'r' Symbols Anyone who claims rights in a mark can use the TM (trademark) or SM (service mark...

BOOST YOUR SALES BY 95% Patricia A. Berry Most salespeople can increase their sales by 95%, by using professional knowledge and skills - and anyone who presents ideas, influences dec...

After an automated sales center is up and running, it's up to producers to act on the qualified leads that the sales center coordinator, assistant, and support staff have worked on.

Prospecting is an old term; replace it with "business development."

Business development requires a positive attitude, confidence, and discipline. The business development mind-set can be picked up by anyone who has a desire to step to the front line and just do what must be done. Commit to a business development plan of action, then organize and follow through.

DOES YOUR PREPARATION EXCEED YOUR PRESENTATION? by Preston Diamond Do you compare your presentations to a startup funding request for venture capital? How much money did you ask fo...

EMPLOYEE EVALUATION INTRODUCTION While the job description is the basis of the employee evaluation, the evaluation also affects the job description, helping to keep it flexible an...

ESTABLISHING A TELEMARKETING DEPARTMENT You need to make two more decisions once you have definitely decided to set up a telemarketing unit within your agency. The first is whether your ...

GETTING CLIENTS OR PROSPECTS BACK In a suburb of Philadelphia-Langhorne, to be precise-is an unusual retail operation. It's a car dealership, but the difference is the firm's philosophy that no one...