There's nothing better for business than a booming economy. Unfortunately, it often encourages faulty thinking and spawns erroneous ideas. When sales are strong and profits meet projections, we're quick to take the credit. When things go sour, external forces get the blame.
A good economy tends to mask distorted thinking and inappropriate ideas. For example, personal computer sales have been drifting downward, even while prices have been dropping. Manufacturers are petrified. Out of near desperation, they jack up power to a sizzling 500 MHz to try to capture customer attention. Just as this happens, free PCs appear. In the midst of all this, one company rediscovers itself. To IBM's credit, it figured out what business it's in: solutions.

A MARKETING MINDSET CREATES CUSTOMERS by John Graham As the insurance organizations marketing meeting began, the president stated, We need more sales. This might see...

Trying to get fish into the boat before catching them sounds crazy; it wouldn't make...

ADVICE ON DEVELOPING A PRODUCER RECRUITMENT PROGRAM 'What advice would you offer an independent agency on a step-by-step basis, for deve...

AGENCY PRODUCER RECRUITING: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS by Sharon Cunningham Its a classic conundrum: As an agency grows in size, it becomes harder and harder for its producers ...

Are two salespeople better than one? Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Well-planned, well-executed joint sales calls can impress customers, add additional value to the product or service you sell, close sales, and retain business. But when a joint call goes bad, the results can be disastrous.

ARE YOUR PRODUCERS DIAMONDS OR LUMPS OF COAL? Are your sales results less than exciting? Maybe your salespeople just don't have the right stuff . . . and never will. One leading psychologist, Mark ...

BOOST YOUR SALES BY 95% Patricia A. Berry Most salespeople can increase their sales by 95%, by using professional knowledge and skills - and anyone who presents ideas, influences dec...

BUILDING PROFITABILITY WITH LIFE AND HEALTH SALES by Carol Hammes Although most independent insurance agencies sell some Life and Health insurance, only about one-fourth of them have a separate ...

Align your marketing program to the needs and desires of today’s online customers.
“Control the customer and you control the sale.” This advice served generations of successful salespeople who knew that they could make any sale once they could get face-to-face with a prospect.