GEORGE, THE ETERNAL OPTIMIST by Chris Burand This object lesson shows how NOT to grow your agency. A few years ago, an agency principal let...

HOW IS YOUR COMPENSATION PLAN LINKED TO PERFORMANCE? by Sharon Cunningham Now well into the new year, agencies throughout the country are taking a close look at their year...

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU PAY YOUR PRODUCERS?: PART I by the IIABA Virtual Faculty Whats the average renewal commission that an owner should give his producers? Is there a difference betw...

Personal Lines competition continues to intensify, as more and more players enter the marketplace. However, independent agents can fight back — if they're willing to make some fundamental changes in the way they do business. In this two-part document, Peter van Aartrijk presents 17 ways to help you build your Personal Lines book. If implementing all of them seems impossible, try three or four. But make a commitment, and go for it.

HOW TO HIRE A PRODUCER by Peggy Mika Agency principals must define positions when they set out to hire new producers. Are producers expected to bring in new business, service or round existing accou...

INVEST ESOP DIVIDENDS INTO A 401(k) An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) allows workers to invest a percentage of income into their company. Most stocks produce quarterly dividends in t...

LOOKING OUTSIDE FOR DIRECTORS by George Nordhaus The best-run agencies I know have outside directors. There are lots of good reasons to have them. You get an outside point of view. You get objectiv...

NOW THAT I'VE GOT THEM, HOW DO I KEEP THEM? by Don Phin Employee retention is an issue that affects every company. A host of factors have played a role in retention in recent years: hist...

PAPER FILES: ARE THEY WORTH THE TROUBLE? A TRANSACTIONAL FILING COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS What is transactional filing? Transactional filing is a method of filing paper documents b...

PAYING FOR PERFORMANCE by Carol Hammes Half the agencies responding to our recent Agency Compensation Survey reported paying CSRs additional compensation to reward them for their ...