It's easy to lose sight of the fact that agencies are in the service business. But consider that all agents sell the same product-insurance. Why do some agencies blossom while others wilt? Service and marketing are keys. Too often, getting new customers (through marketing) is emphasized at the expense of keeping customers (through service). You have to do a first-rate job at both to have first-rate growth and to control expenses

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!

TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES by Mary Beth Bolen A business telephone is like a window: The telephone allows a person to 'see' into your company without ever walking through its doors. Moreover, you ha...

VOICEMAIL MESSAGES THAT GET RESULTS Patricia A. Czech The more technology we introduce to help us communicate, the less we actually communicate. Most businesspeople will only return 20% o...