A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR SMALL AGENCIES by Chris Burand Independent agencies, even small ones, definitely have a bright future. Offer better service related to a specific product or offe...

A HEALTHY MARKET? PERCEPTION IS REALITY by Chris Burand A recent study by Zurich U.S. revealed what I believe could cause big problems for agents and brokers in the near future. The probl...

ACQUISITIONS: IS BIGGER REALLY BETTER? by Chris Burand Although, in general, growth is essential for agencies to retain markets and profitability, unrestrained growth via ac...

When communicating your message, don't let familiarity breed indifference...

DOES EVERY CUSTOMER'S OPINION COUNT? NO! by Chris Burand A customer at a luxury car dealership complained to the salesperson, 'These additional features are unnecessary and certainly n...

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

Paying attention to business is one of the major benefits of a recession. Ford figured it out. So did Starbucks by bringing back the founding CEO, closing nearly 1,000 marginal stores and most significantly introducing their own instant coffee. This could be a brilliant move. While proudly passing up their $4 cup of coffee, we take the instant stuff home and keep a little Starbucks in our lives.

FIVE STEPS TO MARKET RESEARCH by Patricia Berry Patricia Berry offers five market research tactics that can help ...

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HOW DO COMPANIES SET THEIR RATES? by Chris Burand The market determines the price of gasoline, toys, and cars. The market, not actuaries, determines the price of insurance, too. Chris B...