TARDINESS - WHAT TO DO WITH THE INHERENTLY TARDY? by Al Diamond Although you want everyone to be at work on time, yo...

If you offer a policy review, your agency must be prepared to handle responses. The first 10 seconds of a phone call may be crucial in forming the caller's impression of your professionalism. Depending on the agency's system for routing incoming calls, we advise that Life calls be handled by Life staff. In emergency situations, enough information should be obtained on the first call to enable the Life producer to reach the caller again, even if communications are difficult; don't lose the caller!

THE AGENCY MISSION STATEMENT An agency mission statement is a simple outline of the agency's overall goal. It should be phrased in terms of meeting the needs of current and potential cl...

Use this proven technique to turn Commercial Lines prospects into clients.
Does this sound familiar? You go into a sales interview telling your prospect that you work for one of the best agencies in town. You tell them you give great service, represent 14 markets, and would like a chance to prove your value. As a result, they give you the chance to bid on their account, and you feel like you’ve got your first victory. Incidentally, when you asked if there were any problems that you should address, they said, no — they just wanted you to do what you could to keep their insurance costs low.

USING PUBLICITY TO ENHANCE YOUR AGENCY'S IMAGE by LuNell Gilliland As money gets tight, many agencies instinctively react by cutting back advertising. To save money, they decrease the si...

Does the sterile anonymity of Internet-commerce and 1-800-BUY-THIS leave you a little cold? In this document, Emily Huling reminds us not to lose our human touch when conducting business in person. Her observations provide useful insights for anyone in your firm who interacts with clients.

COMMERCIAL INSURANCE QUOTATION PROCEDURE There is an old saying that states: 'You never get a second chance at a first impression.' When providing a quotation for a prospect, it is important t...

WORKING TOWARD THE PERFECT LIFE OPERATION If you could design the perfect program for Life production in a P/C agency, what qualities would it have? See if this matches yours: 1) PROFIT-lots of it; ...