COMPANY UNDERWRITING COMMUNICATION One advantage of computerization is the ability to mass-produce customized information - letters, application forms, or submissions for quotes. How often have you p...

CONSULTATIVE SELLING WORKS! by Al Diamond In a soft market, dont sell your clients - help them! The only...

CONVERT PROSPECTS TO CLIENTS by Bill Cates Many factors go into converting a prospect into a client. However, theres one factor that most people who are trying to make the ...

CREATING SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTIONS by Bill Cates If youve been following my strategies for a while, you know that I view the word referrals as a for int...

CREATIVE DIRECT MAIL by Alan L. Shulman, CPCU Use your agency management system to create effective direct mail marketing packages. Its a virtual certainty that youve us...

I have always been a believer that the best salespeople we have working for us are our clerical staff. The biggest problem seems to be our lack of proper motivational tools to excite them into selling. I have attempted to change their method of thinking, and although our program is in its infancy, it appears to be a step in the right direction.

CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS TO CULTIVATE SALES by Maribeth Kusmeski Cultivating relationships proactively is often an afterthought. Were just too busy trying to get through the workloa...

CUSTOMER/PROSPECT CORRESPONDENCE: CHOOSE RIGHT WORDS TO CONVEY RIGHT MEANING Poor word choice in customer correspondence can alienate prospects and customers. Additionally, jargon can be misint...

After an automated sales center is up and running, it's up to producers to act on the qualified leads that the sales center coordinator, assistant, and support staff have worked on.

Prospecting is an old term; replace it with "business development."

Business development requires a positive attitude, confidence, and discipline. The business development mind-set can be picked up by anyone who has a desire to step to the front line and just do what must be done. Commit to a business development plan of action, then organize and follow through.

DIVIDE SALES DUTIES INTO MARKETING AND SELLING Some CSRs have trouble marketing because they confuse it with selling. The whole concept of persuading a customer to sign an application for a policy ca...