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.

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 ...

AGENCY SALES: SYNERGIES AND LAYOFFS by Chris Burand Employee layoffs after an acquisition mean that an agency has serious management issues. A ...

AGENCY-COMPANY RELATIONS: STAND BY ME by Brenda French What do your companies want and how can you give it to them? In working with your companies, the first quest...

COMMUNITY BANK INSURANCE SALES: THE OUTLOOK by James Campbell Are community banks being left behind as the bank insurance business lurches forward? While nine of every 10 U.S. banks with gr...

CREATE A MARKETING SYSTEM by Steve Anderson Ive been thinking a lot lately about how important a successful marketing program is for an agencys long-term health. It s...

DEVELOP A LEGAL FEE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY BEFORE YOU NEED IT by John Beringer In a significant majority of lawsuits, legal fees outweigh t...

EFFECTIVE GOAL REACHING by Randy Schwantz Follow this four-step planning strategy to reach your goals. The key to achieving anything is to have a plan. More important, you need a ...

The key to achieving anything is to have a plan. More important, you need a plan you believe will work. Companies are willing to pay for sales training because it increases sales, meaning more money.

It's one of the oldest jokes in the world: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? The answer: Practice!. The punch line is obvious; however, so...