BOTTOM-UP PLANNING by Ted Silver When an agency understands what individual agency employees want to accomplish from a production standpoint in terms of new and renewal business as ...

When communicating your message, don't let familiarity breed indifference...

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.

FROM GOOD TO GREAT: ONE AGENCY'S ODYSSEY TO IMPROVED CUSTOMER RELATIONS by Edgar J. Higgins Jr., CPCU For nearly 10 years, our agency has focused on improving efficiency and changing int...

Sustainable earnings are the 'bottom line' of agency value. It's important for agency owners to...

According to popular mythology, most Americans would rather die than give a speech. Whatever the actual statistics, the idea of standing in front of an audience is avoided at all cost.
Since the fear of speaking in public is so deep, most of us should be understanding of those who put themselves to the test and make presentations. Actually, just the opposite prevails: While we'll do just about anything to avoid a podium, we're more than willing to criticize those who don't.