What's your agency's standard for quality? It seems unrealistic to expect quality standards of 100% . . . after all, nobody's perfect. Wouldn't life be a lot easier and less stressful if everyone accepted a certain amount of predictable human frailty and built in a margin for error? It could even be called something impressive and positive sounding-'acceptable quality level,' for example.

This is not the time to be passive about company relationships. If you want to stay in business, you must develop and maintain strong company contacts. As you continue to court new markets, also devote time to enhance relations with your current carriers. Remember, decisive interaction with company personnel is a powerful tool in agency-company relations.

Your clients rely on you as their trusted adviser for innovative insurance and financial planning options. Due to recently enacted laws, financial professionals have the opportunity to add a new product to their client services: Life Settlements. Jolene Fullerton explains how this powerful resource can allow you to help your clients maximize the full potential of their Life insurance policies.

The conference report for H.R. 3103, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, provides for changes in the private heath insurance market. The bill guarantees the availability of private heath insurance coverage for certain groups and restricts the use of preexisting condition restrictions. Renewal of coverage will be guaranteed with limited exceptions. Although H.R. 3103 creates federal standards for insurers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and employers who self-insure, the bill permits substantial state flexibility for compliance. This report examines the major features of H.R. 3103 regarding heath insurance.

You've probably received great encouragement-- if not downright pressure-to put your business on the Internet. Whether you already have an Internet presence or are merely contemplating one, you should realize that just having a Web site doesn't guarantee that the people you want to reach will actually see it. You may have hung out your shingle, but the Internet customers you seek might be nowhere in sight.

Check out these proven ways to attract visitors to your site, keep them there, and get them to return.
Turn your agency Web site into a powerful marketing tool by making it easy to find and offering users value-added services and products. These techniques can help you do the job:

If your marketing strategy hasn't changed in the past several years, it might be time to consider it. In this document, Jack Fries gives you seven tips for marketing more effectively in a hard market.

If (when) your agency faces E&O litigation, you’ll need to provide admissible evidence to the court. Laws are standard in most states, with six requirements for the admissibility of evidence. To give your agency the best chance of winning an E&O judgment, you need to comply with these practices:

Unfortunately, all too many office meetings get off track all too easily. Check out this list of common meeting headaches and how you can avoid them:

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.