Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersma's book, The Discipline of Market Leaders, presents a compelling explanation of why some companies continually outperform their competitors. Their thesis rests on this premise: If a company is going to achieve and sustain dominance, it must first decide where it will stake its claim in the marketplace and what kind of value it offers customers.

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE DO WE WALK THE TALK OR JUST TALK? by Al Diamond At least once a month we encounter an agent with the unique problem of losing more customers than theyre ...

SATISFYING THE CUSTOMER by JoAnna Brandi There is much change afoot in American business and much needed change. Nowhere is that more evident than in the quality movement. Even though consumers ...

SERVICE: FUMBLING THE BALL by Brenda French Part one of this series by Brenda French takes a look at how poor service is costing the industry. The next two articles will discuss th...

STRATEGIC PLANNING OF HUMAN RESOURCES by Mary Beth Bolen To develop your human resources, ask yourself these questions. Planning the income strategy for a profit center or depa...

THE GENESIS OF MARKETING by Jack Burke 'In the beginning . . .' there was an idea. Then came the plan. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, the action often comes b...

TWO WAYS TO BOOST COMMISSIONS by Gil Simonds Account size and quality can adversely affect the value of an agencys or producers book, due to a combination of lower revenues,...