lsquo;IT AIN'T EASY BEING A CUSTOMER ANYMORE!' by Mike Manes The good news about being a poor old Cajun boy (I've been criticized for using this term to describe my...

Stephen Covey wrote a seminal book on how to run your life and your business, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s a must read to fully understand the concepts of this article. Once you've read the book read it again at least once every quarter until you've absorbed these ideas into your psyche and are living those seven habits. One of the seminal habits is “Begin with the end in Mind”. However, an even more important principle of life and business is always do what’s right for the end user.

FIVE KEYS TO ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS by Pamela Millard Plenty of things can distract you from your goals. Its all about making sure your goals meet a few critical criteria: Engagement...

According to Dr. Rollin Glaser, a specific formula can be followed to improve employee performance. It affects five basic areas:
Goal setting
Delegating
Training and development
Coaching and counseling
Performance appraisal interviewing
Having litigated performance issues for the past 15 years, I can tell you that Glaser is right on the money. Let me touch on what he has to say about each of these subjects.

Many agents tell me they're getting plenty of referrals and don't need to cold-call for new business. If you fall into this category, there's no need to read on. But if you want to grow beyond referral business, cold-call prospecting is a necessary means to that end. Yet there's a more effective (and honorable) way to do it than described above. It's all about your goal and your preparation for the call.

THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE INSURANCE AGENCIES by Al Diamond In 1989, Stephen Covey wrote his best seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. These habits...