ADDING VALUE TO A FAMILY BUSINESS by Pegi Flahault A long time ago, agencies thrived by simply writing enough policies, attending enough meetings, making enough contacts, and re...

AGENCY TELEPHONE PROCEDURES: TELEPHONE EXCELLENCE by Karen Flaherty If you ask a group of customer service representatives to talk about problems they encounter on the job, the agency tel...

AGENCY TELEPHONE PROCEDURES: TIME MANAGEMENT by Karen Flaherty Transferring Telephone Calls There are calls you will not handle personally but will transfer to supervisors or co-wo...

AUTOMATION'S IMPACT ON MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS by Angela Bemiss The agency management system of both players plays a critical role in making the deal. With so many agenc...

AUTOMATION'S IMPACT ON MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS by Angela Bemiss With so many agencies looking to merge with or acquire other agencies, automation has become increasingly impo...

Ten years ago it took $5 million in total agency revenues and about $30 million in Property/Casualty premiums to land on the top 100 agency list. Now an agency needs to have in excess of $10 million in revenues and $60 million in premiums to make the cut. Ten years ago the average independent agency in the country had $250,000 in total revenues with six to seven people. Today the average is close to $600,000 in revenues, also with six to seven people. To use a phrase from Bob Dylan, "the times, they are a changing."

CSR SELF-ANALYSIS AND CAREER GROWTH by Mary Beth Bolen How CSRs can help themselves and their agencies grow. In the past, most people spent their entire work lives in one or...

CSR TRAINING Often people newly hired to work in an agency are given a quick tour of the office and briefly introduced to their associates. They may be given a copy of the office manual (if there is ...

LEVERAGE YOUR TIME! by Mitch Axelrod Time is the most important leverage point because, next to our health and loved ones, time is our most precious resource. Once we use it...

MANAGE-ABILITY: MANAGE YOUR ACTIVITIES AND MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME EFFECTIVENESS by Mitchell Axelrod 'People who would never think of committing suicide think nothing of dribbling life awa...