CREATING INITIATIVES AND OBJECTIVES Your planning meeting should focus on the areas that need atte...

DESIGN YOUR OWN FUTURE by Diane Herbert and Pamela Millard If youre failing to plan, youre planning to fail. What if we told you that companies with written busines...

DEVELOP JOB PERFORMANCE STANDARDS by Troy Campbell Successful companies have documented expectations of their associates' performance. They also have staff members who continually strive to do thei...

DIRECT SALES EFFORTS TO POSITIVE GOALS While theres no magic formula for success, your agencycan improve its chance of profitability by implementing a more discipline...

DIRECTING AGENCY SALES EFFORTS by Carol Hammes Follow this four-step process and watch your sales and earnings grow. Sales management doesnt have to be complicated. I...

As your agency grows, you will probably recognize the need for the services of a public relations (PR) advisor to help you get media exposure.
To choose the appropriate PR advisor, you should have a good idea of what to expect in the way of services, what you need (or more accurately, want to accomplish), where to look for an advisor, and how to select one. Not an easy task, but it's a lot more manageable if you plan ahead.

FORMALIZING THE PLAN A plan is only as good as its execution. It is essential that progress be monitored and adjusted and changes made when necessary. Which means that once you prepare the plan, you ...

GETTING IT STRAIGHT
Marketing may be second nature in large companies, but smaller firms tend to have a tough time implementing, managing, and monitoring an effective marketing strategy. The title of 'marketing director' is often conferred on the person designated to answer requests for sales literature, or the title is added as an afterthought to the role of the sales manager who thinks that marketing is just an alternative spelling of 'sales.'

HIRING, COMPENSATING, AND TRAINING TELEMARKETERS Hiring Telemarketers What do you look for when setting out to hire a telemarketer? Your first thought might be to go out and hire an experi...

Marketing may be second-nature in large companies, but smaller firms often have a tough time implementing, managing, and monitoring an effective marketing strategy. The 'marketing director' title is often conferred on the person designated to answer requests for sales literature, or given as an afterthought to the sales manager (who thinks that marketing is just another way of spelling s-a-l-e-s).