Third-party endorsements inspire confidence and increase your credibility. Make letters of recommendation part of your marketing mix. In this document, Bill Cates tells you how and when to ask for letters of recommendation.

LinkedIn IMPROVEMENTS by Steve Anderson LinkedIn is one of our favorite tools for researching and finding information about prospects and clients. Over the last several months, LinkedIn h...

LOSING THOSE MEETING BLUES by Jack Burke Meeting, noun. 1. A coming together; assembly. 2. A joining. 3. A hostile encounter, as a duel. (Webster's American Dictionary) Meeting, n...

LOSS CONTROL SERVICES LETTER Use this letter to prospect for offering loss control services. Dear CUSTOMER NAME: If you read the newspapers, you know the problems that most...

Where's your business headed this year? This article by John Graham offers recommendations on setting your priorities.

If we listen to half the politicians, everything will be coming up profits this year. They tell us to stop worrying about the economy. We're heading towards a new sunrise, they say. The other politicians paint a darker and far less optimistic picture. Where does that leave us? What are we to believe in 2004?

MAKING A SALE VS. HAVING A CUSTOMER excerpted from an article by Stephen Anderson While you as a CSR might not be directly responsible for selling new business, you are often asked to hel...

MANAGE DIRECT MARKETING by Ed Drake Most agencies that use direct marketing successfully to generate sales have something in common - an effective system to handl...

A few months ago, a client came to us with a last-minute project that required the services of...

“Moments of truth” occurs whenever CSRs and producers talk to a customer on the phone or in person. It’s important that each member of the agency be prepared for this contact. The impression left with the client or prospect will determine their future relationship with your agency. Because the ultimate goal of any business is to obtain and retain customers, it’s essential for you to create the proper image at the moment of truth. Some of the key factors in managing the moment of truth are:

Jack Fries looks into the differences between agencies that sell and retain a lot of business and those that don't. This applies to not only the sales people, but to the CSRs, who have the responsibility of account development.