ARE YOU REALLY DERIVING BENEFITS FROM AUTOMATION? by Sharon Cunningham Although many agencies have invested heavily in automation systems, many firms have yet to deri...

ARE YOUR CLIENTS' HOME-BASED BUSINESSES COVERED? by James Cuprisin Many people are now running businesses out of their homes. With the advancements in computers and telecommuting technology, ...

BONUS/COMPENSATION PLANS: PART ONE by Jack Fries An incentive or bonus program requires many variables to be successful. Such programs too often reward work that wouldve been done...

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...

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 ...

At least 30,000 attorneys in the U.S. claim that they're practicing employment law. Statistically speaking, what holds true for any profession is true for employment lawyers: Half are above average and half are below average. How do you distinguish one from the other? How can you find out which lawyers or firms are in the top 5%? Don Phin discusses the questions you should be asking.

Ever since independent agencies were invented, their owners have wondered how to find, motivate, and keep good producers. But according to one consultant, most principals still aren't getting a good deal.

'Across the United States, more employee producers are overpaid yet underproduce,' says Jeffrey Wodicka. Wodicka is president of a consulting firm called Directions Agency Management Resources Limited of Rockville, New York, as well as principal of The Greystone Agency, also of Rockville.

Instead of hiring telemarketers to work within your agency just for you, you could choose to pay an outside vendor to provide telemarketing services. These...

PRIMER ON INSURER/AGENCY RELATIONSHIPS The following illustrates some of the common practices that many Life/Health carriers follow, why such practices are troublesome to P/C agencies, and the simple...

PRODUCER CONTRACTS Before new employees are hired into the agency, some sort of understanding needs to be reached regarding the terms and conditions of employment. Verbal 'gentleman's ...