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... independent agency in the country had $250,000 in total revenues with six to ...n easily turn into a big fire that can and will consume every one in the agency.

...very business faces not only the traditional challenges of competition and ra...getting drawn into employment disputes and litigation. It’s crucial to try to...

... , Shroeder says. So how can you avoid hiring a victim? According to Burnham, thousands of successful public and private corporations of all types and sizes have benefited from these "best practices" for hiring: ALTERNATIVE HIRING PROCEDURES With today's low unemployment rate, newspaper ads generally don't attract the best applicants. Consider alternative recruiting sources, such as trade and vocational schools, community colleges, and local universities for recent graduates who are highly motivated and willing to learn. Also look into these options: Employees with excellent performance records often ... Loading.. About Us Services Jobs PR Newsletters Employees Articles Blog Photos Group Connections Reviews IMMS Library Immerse yourself in our stacks. Take some time and browse through our library. We have thousands of articles, checklists, tip sheets, sales letters, and more! Communications Marketing Customer Service Planning Finance/Accounting Risk Management Human Resources Selling Legal and E&O Technology Life/Financial Services Glossaries Management Resources & Links Categories Popular Recent All Back Follow Smart Hiring Practices 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM by CompleteMarkets Editor ... litigation. Most of those 5% have victim mentalities. They believe that they're entitled to a job and salary regardless of their performance; they blame others for their shortcomings; or they refuse to accept responsibility for their actions or inactions, according to Tony Burnham, executive vice president of Employment Council for Abbott Resource Group Inc. "This is happening all across the nation. Companies are experiencing an explosion of employment-related claims based on sexual harassment and discrimination, wrongful termination and a host of other human resources issues," says Beth ...

... agencies that have come to this realization have then sold the business that they can't deal with profitably to other agencies that can. As part of the creation of this new sales culture, use your advertising and promotional dollars wisely. For a niche market program, put ads in magazines to which businesses are likely to subscribe. In Personal Lines, take pictures of homes in areas that you want to write business and send them to the prospects. If you sponsor a sports team, take pictures and send them to family members to ... 115 million in premiums. If agency management teams vow to be one of the survivors they must be willing to accept the changing environment and do whatever it takes to adapt to the new and very different reality of life in the retail insurance business. As the Commercial market continues to harden, some agency principals seem to be developing a complacent attitude and are starting to forget the disciplines that they learned during the past decade. It's extremely important to keep the cutting edge sharp and to continue to run your agency as though commissions per ... on the client rather than the producer. Hire a qualified service person to help the producer sell and service the account and to keep the pulse of the account to know when it might be necessary to send the producer out for a visit. But have an Account Executive, Account Manager, or Senior CSR handle most of the routine servicing and even much of the renewal preparation. Organize workflow and servicing functions so that people with the most experience and expertise handle the technical functions while trainees tackle clerical functions. This type of stratification ...

... agencies that have come to this realization have then sold the business that they can't deal with profitably to other agencies that can. As part of the creation of this new sales culture, use your advertising and promotional dollars wisely. For a niche market program, put ads in magazines to which businesses are likely to subscribe. In Personal Lines, take pictures of homes in areas that you want to write business and send them to the prospects. If you sponsor a sports team, take pictures and send them to family members to ... 115 million in premiums. If agency management teams vow to be one of the survivors they must be willing to accept the changing environment and do whatever it takes to adapt to the new and very different reality of life in the retail insurance business. As the Commercial market continues to harden, some agency principals seem to be developing a complacent attitude and are starting to forget the disciplines that they learned during the past decade. It's extremely important to keep the cutting edge sharp and to continue to run your agency as though commissions per ... on the client rather than the producer. Hire a qualified service person to help the producer sell and service the account and to keep the pulse of the account to know when it might be necessary to send the producer out for a visit. But have an Account Executive, Account Manager, or Senior CSR handle most of the routine servicing and even much of the renewal preparation. Organize workflow and servicing functions so that people with the most experience and expertise handle the technical functions while trainees tackle clerical functions. This type of stratification ...

...heir existing personnel, or hire an additional administrative or customer service person to take over additional duties. Others find that the in... TELEMARKETING STAFF COSTS ...

... Expertise: A good bureau is often run by experienced, capable managers in the telemarketing field. And they often offer experienced telemarketing personnel who are already well versed in the ins and outs of selling by phone. In addition, some bureaus offer their services in creating ads, writing scripts for the telemarketers, and other tips that help you get a good response to your campaign. Simplified Monitoring and Testing: A service bureau is often the best place to conduct a test of a new program. Advanced testing procedures can help you ... retention, and total-account sales into many agencies. Many agencies establish a Sales Center with their existing personnel, or hire an additional administrative or customer service person to take over additional duties. Others find that the increased efficiency of a Sales Center allows them to expand their marketing efforts, and they hire an in-house or outside telemarketing staff to keep leads coming in to producers. Your options will be covered in this section. Included are materials on: Sales Center Concept Sales Center Structure Sales Center Expectations Hiring a Sales Center Staff Sales Center ... In an in-house operation, you hire, train, and pay telemarketers to work out of your offices. In an outside service bureau situation, you pay a preestablished fee to a vendor that manages all these functions for you from an off-site location. Many anxious account executives and sales managers prefer the control that an in-house operation offers, and it's true that telemarketing consultants advise this type of operation for many businesses. But there are insurance agencies that use an outside service with great success. On the other hand, many overzealous service ...

... Expertise: A good bureau is often run by experienced, capable managers in the telemarketing field. And they often offer experienced telemarketing personnel who are already well versed in the ins and outs of selling by phone. In addition, some bureaus offer their services in creating ads, writing scripts for the telemarketers, and other tips that help you get a good response to your campaign. Simplified Monitoring and Testing: A service bureau is often the best place to conduct a test of a new program. Advanced testing procedures can help you ... retention, and total-account sales into many agencies. Many agencies establish a Sales Center with their existing personnel, or hire an additional administrative or customer service person to take over additional duties. Others find that the increased efficiency of a Sales Center allows them to expand their marketing efforts, and they hire an in-house or outside telemarketing staff to keep leads coming in to producers. Your options will be covered in this section. Included are materials on: Sales Center Concept Sales Center Structure Sales Center Expectations Hiring a Sales Center Staff Sales Center ... In an in-house operation, you hire, train, and pay telemarketers to work out of your offices. In an outside service bureau situation, you pay a preestablished fee to a vendor that manages all these functions for you from an off-site location. Many anxious account executives and sales managers prefer the control that an in-house operation offers, and it's true that telemarketing consultants advise this type of operation for many businesses. But there are insurance agencies that use an outside service with great success. On the other hand, many overzealous service ...