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.

Closing a sale getting your prospect to say “yes” can sometimes be as easy as asking for it. Once you’ve laid the groundwork by qualifying your prospect, uncovering their needs, and showing how your product or service satisfy those needs, it’s time to ask for the order. Here are five tips to make this procedure simple and successful.

CLUSTER TIPS by Chris Burand Cluster contracts among individual agencies or groups of agencies (not necessarily the major cluster-type agency organizations) are almost alw...

The cluster concept has been a popular one for doctors, dentists, realtors, and others for many years. Insurance agency clusters have been around for a few decades, but interest in them intensified during the hard market of the early 1980s. At that time, smaller agencies banded together to protect themselves against increasing carrier demands brought on by tighter market conditions.

COMMUNICATING THE GRAND VISION by Jack Burke Today, a good friend gave me a phone call that reinforced the importance of communication within an organization. To understand this s...

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: BOARD LESSONS by Jack Burke Are you getting involved in your community? Community involvement is essential for any successful business. Whether you champion ...

Very few employees will leave your agency simply for more money. They will usually have other valid (to them) reasons that, when also combined with a higher salary, push them to seek employment elsewhere. If a review of the compensation survey results (from another Middleton letter) confirmed that your agency is paying people within a reasonable range of 'average,' the level of compensation should not be of major concern. What you do have to worry about is how you are paying those dollars and how your management philosophy and style complement the overall compensation administration plan.

CONSULTANTS: TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR! by Mike Manes A consultant's work should go to the bottom line, not the bottom shelf. Mike Manes presents a set of quest...

CONSUMER ONLINE ACCESS: HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS HELP YOU by Rick Morgan Technology has had a profound impact on our everyday activities from fueling our vehicles to preparing our food ...

CONTRACTORS PRE-APPROACH Dear (Customer Name), Speed is the name of the game in your business, and many contractors simply don't have time to learn a great deal about their insurance programs. Unl...