Whether you’re running a mega-agency or a boutique, following these proven management guidelines makes sense.
Learn what motivates each of your employees
Use this information to help manage their performance. Although status, power, or additional authority might motivate some people, others might be more excited by the opportunity for tapping into their flair for creative, job-related activities or more face-to-face contact with customers. Rewarding good employees with assignment that speak to their unique motivations, interest and long-range career goals can help you retain them.

Deadlock is to dealmakers what cliffhangers are to TV couch potatoes — frustrating yet compelling, as the impasse challenges each side’s negotiating maturity, skill, and acumen. This document by Patricia Berry offers 10 key methods for jump-starting a stalled exchange.

Becoming accustomed to a growing economy is easy and dangerous. Although there are always pockets of problems, we forget that success is often more the result of a good economy than our business acumen. If everyone else is doing well, our major challenge becomes how to pull ahead of the pack. Unfortunately, many business people tend to get a bit lazy-and that's when we can get caught.
There are ways to become more successful, keep business booming, and give companies the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Here are 15 ways to develop an extra edge:

This article should challenge your thinking and management style and create new opportunities for you to build more Personal Lines sales. To improve your sales, your staff must change how they see themselves, develop their own reasons for doing what you want them to do, establish strategies to use the skills they already have, and adopt new ways of communicating.

APARTMENT OWNERS - 'WE'RE THE LOCAL SPECIALISTS' Dear (Customer Name): YOU'VE GOT MORE TO WORRY ABOUT . . . than the average property owner - if you're not insured with (Your Agency ...

ASK EMPLOYEES FOR SUGGESTIONS ON IMPROVING PERFORMANCE Paul Serwinek, Ph.D. A...

BUILD SAFETY AWARENESS Most business owners or managers spend their days (and probably nights, too) working on and thinking about ways to reduce risk in your workplace. Unfortunately, all of it...

CAN YOU DO BUSINESS AT A FAMILY EVENT? by Bill Cates You can - but be very careful! If your friends perceive you as trying to do business at a wedding, it could hurt your chanc...

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? by Al Diamond Conflict Resolution in Insurance Agencies You tell your clients and your carriers that your agency staff is not just professional and expert in the...

CONSULTATIVE BROKERS IN A CHANGING MARKET by Rob Ekern Those of us who entered the business more than 20 years ago have seen two or three market cycles. We had to weather at least one and...