(NON-WEB) SITE PLANNING: OFFICE LAYOUT by Virginia Bates 'Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.' -- Will Rogers Many agency princi...

Jenny Brower, marketing manager, Harbor/Brenn Agencies, Petosky, Michigan, wrote to us recently: 'I like everything I'm doing, but it's overwhelming-HELP!' With Jenny's permission...

One of the most common questions we hear during consultation involves compensation for owner/producers, existing producers, and new producers. The principal question is how much and how to pay for production that compensates salespeople fairly and gives them incentives for continued growth.

The answer is complex because the same compensation models don't fit all producers.

CSRs WHO SELL: SHOULD THEY BE TREATED LIKE PRODUCERS? by Virginia Bates Put your money where your mouth is. Whether principals and managers assume that employees unders...

EVALUATING PRODUCERS by Catherine Oak The more effectively your agency evaluates and manages producers, the better for them and you. Whos responsible for sales managem...

Salespeople, like athletes, need planning, practice, and coaching to compete — and win!

It seems as if we all need a good, old-fashioned whack on the head to get our attention. This is a moment when businesses need to connect with the business end of a two-by-four.
Change is in the wind. If there's one lesson the last decade or so has taught us, it's that there's a new economy, and it's global, integrated, and interdependent.

PRODUCER COMPENSATION Producer compensation plans among independent agencies vary tremendously. Pick up several compensation surveys and you'll observe variations that seem to confuse m...

PRODUCER MANAGEMENT: BY THE NUMBERS by Al Diamond A proven method for giving your producers every opportunity to sell. Producers fail because of either a lack of sales ski...

No matter how much management, budgeting, staff training, or sales activity an agency or brokerage under...