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... released some marvelous advertising material recently, but the material constantly refers to the agent as he. In our particular agency, the chief executive officer is a woman, and virtually all the first-line agency people are women. So the material that refers to an agent as a man does not apply to our situation. The material needs to be rewritten to fit our agency. Also, you shouldn't run pictures furnished by companies or national associations that show everyone in a suit and tie if you don't happen to wear suits and ties. LOOK FOR CREATIVE IDEAS You always want to check other advertisements for ideas. One simple creative idea can catch more attention and do more for you than all the year-round advertising you could dream up. One of the greatest ad programs was done by a Denver man who sells beach towels nationwide.The company that makes the towels sent people to see him to find out what his secret was. He simply took high-quality beach towels and printed Beech Aircraft' on them, and then invited people to come see a Beech airplane and pick up a beach towel. No one sells more beach towels than he does, and he's a thousand miles from the nearest ocean. Sometimes ideas like this can hit. If you find something that may work, capitalize on it. Look for a concept. One of the highest forms of intelligence is to take an idea and add to it. RADIO ADS When you're working with a radio station or a newspaper, they immediately try to tell you that you should advertise regularly. They of offer discounts if you do. Negotiate with them. ...

... released some marvelous advertising material recently, but the material constantly refers to the agent as he. In our particular agency, the chief executive officer is a woman, and virtually all the first-line agency people are women. So the material that refers to an agent as a man does not apply to our situation. The material needs to be rewritten to fit our agency. Also, you shouldn't run pictures furnished by companies or national associations that show everyone in a suit and tie if you don't happen to wear suits and ties. LOOK FOR CREATIVE IDEAS You always want to check other advertisements for ideas. One simple creative idea can catch more attention and do more for you than all the year-round advertising you could dream up. One of the greatest ad programs was done by a Denver man who sells beach towels nationwide.The company that makes the towels sent people to see him to find out what his secret was. He simply took high-quality beach towels and printed Beech Aircraft' on them, and then invited people to come see a Beech airplane and pick up a beach towel. No one sells more beach towels than he does, and he's a thousand miles from the nearest ocean. Sometimes ideas like this can hit. If you find something that may work, capitalize on it. Look for a concept. One of the highest forms of intelligence is to take an idea and add to it. RADIO ADS When you're working with a radio station or a newspaper, they immediately try to tell you that you should advertise regularly. They of offer discounts if you do. Negotiate with them. ...

... advertise uses that particular ink; instead, they substitute various other similar' colors. Not only did the firm lose consistency in their branding, but the metallic ink increased their letterhead costs considerably. Use a competitive analysis to gain a competitive advantage. Do your research. Find out who your competition is. Learn what they look like and how they market their products and services. Learn from their mistakes. Then create a unique and compelling look and image for your business based on who you are and what you do. Keep true to what makes you unique. Own your corporate look before someone takes it. Make it a priority to trademark or copyright what is yours, now. Take the necessary steps to make sure you're protected. Illustrator Katherine Walter, doing business since 1978 as Pearl Beach, used a small shell and pearl logo on her business cards, ads, and promotional postcards. In 1998, Mattel, Inc. used the name Pearl Beach Barbie for its pool and beach' Barbie. Walter brought a suit against the toy maker, yet despite the similarity of name and sandy print with large seashell' logo, a court ruled for Mattel because Walter hadn't trademarked her business name. Pepperidge Farm, which has made gold-colored fish-shaped cheese crackers since 1962, sued Nabisco over trademark dilution and won. Apple Computer wasted no time in filing a lawsuit when personal computer manufacturer EMachines introduced the eOne computer with an iMac-inspired design. Ringling Brothers Circus' trademarked slogan The Greatest Show on Earth' was protected and won a court decision when the Utah Division of Travel used the tag ...

... something to "get over with." It's the bread and butter of what makes a great agency; hiring great people. Let go of the losers so you can focus on the winners As we all know, some accounts just aren't worth the time and effort. Sometimes it's because it's a one-policy account or the premium is so low; in other cases, the client needs so much hand-holding that the account is a money-losing proposition. Send these accounts to the competition, so they can lose money over there. In the same way, you have to be adamant about keeping "the right people on the right seat of the bus," as Jim Collins says in his excellent book Good to Great. I remember that Les Breedlove, the owner of Slaton Risk Management (West Palm Beach, FL) had all of his employees read Good to Great, and then gave each employee a miniature yellow bus with the Slaton logo to place on his or her desk. There was no doubt about the importance of excellence at that agency. If somebody isn't performing at your agency, the first question to ask is, "Why not?" Did you hire a misfit to begin with? Did you allow the employee to turn into a dinosaur because you didn't insist that he or she get training? Does the employee have the skill set but not the team attitude you're looking for? Here's my question, whether it's for a client or an employee: If they quit, would you be relieved or upset? If the former, then why are they still there? Do ...

...tropical rain forests, are dying. Beaches are fouled by oil spills and wastes....

... from #21, This is disgusting and you're the one to fix it, ' because You're in trouble' is a direct accusation of existing involvement instead of a command for post-trouble involvement. You're in trouble' or You and I are in trouble' is loaded with dynamite, and that should be a caution as well as a challenge. The driver of a dynamite truck usually gets a bonus for safe delivery . . . and a funeral for steering into an accident. As you undoubtedly already concluded, this opening explodes with force when used for fund raising and politics. The first sentence should include the word your' or our. A fund-raising letter should begin: Right now, our oceans are in serious trouble. Coral reefs, the marine equivalent of tropical rain forests, are dying. Beaches are fouled by oil spills and wastes. Fisheries are in decline. Many species of sea mammals are in danger of extinction. Is this an example of opening #27? Partly. In my opinion the writer decided to soften the opening; in my opinion softening also softens personal impact; in my opinion, softening personal impact reduces response, and that's the way we keep score. You or I might have opened the letter this way: We're in trouble, you and I. Our oceans are dying. Yes, dying. Look at any beach. Chances are it's fouled by oil spills and wastes. Fish can't even breed. Sea mammals? Take a good look while you can, because a few years from now they might be added to the melancholy list of extinct species ...

... If you know your employees are following agreed-upon procedures, put an employee in place to oversee the office and train your employees to think like you, so you can take a vacation! If you just can't do it for a full-length vacation, start off smaller. Try it for one day. Then increase it to two. Remember, don't call the office and don't take work home-and if you must, leave a number that is only to be used in the event of a real emergency. The fact is, the world will spin along nicely without you-and so will your office. Don't wait until you've worked your way into a hospital bed before realizing this. If you have to be flat on your back before concluding that you're dispensable, it's much more pleasant when you're lying on a beach! Grace Bauer helps insurance agencies put together customized insurance procedural manuals to secure consistency, protect against errors and omissions, attain security, and increase efficiency. She can be reached at The Grace Bauer Group, Inc., P.O. Box 08121, Fort Myers, FL 33908, (800) 896-4226, fax (239) 489-1525, E-mail [email protected] . Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & ...

... PGA golfer. Move on to your next call and try again. Three coaching calls in one day should give you plenty to learn and think about. Plan to get coaching on an ongoing basis. Like the pros, you'll become a true student of your profession — not just another doofus walking around day by day repeating the same small mistakes that you aren't even aware of. All pros accept help. Finally, remember Peter Drucker's observation, "The greatest knowledge that doesn't result in action is meaningless data!" Bob Ayrer is a successful survivor of corporate life who now consults to organizations on building top performing sales programs. Bob is a popular speaker at conventions and sales rallies. He can be reached through REA Performance Consultants, Inc., 9082 Bermuda Dr. Suite A, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, (714) 968-4136 Fax (714) 962-1889, E-mail [email protected] , Web site www.ImprovingSales.com . This article is reproduced, with permission, from the VuPoint Newsletter of the IIABA Virtual University. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online insurance industry reference library for - Personal Lines Professionals Commercial Lines Professionals ...

... . Teach all employees the rules for handling the press. Try to keep news coverage to a one-day story. The less time a crisis is in the public eye, the better. Be prepared, and try to answer as many questions as you can within a fairly short time frame. If remedial action is needed, the faster you handle it, the sooner the controversy begins to die. For example, if a product recall is required, the media will be more inclined to cover the announcement of the recall rather than the recall itself. Use one primary spokesperson. This helps keep information flow direct and focused and avoids contradictory messages. &# 160 This article is reprinted with permission of Griffin Communications Inc. They can be reached at 1420 Bristol Street N., #220, Newport Beach, CA 92660, (949) 752-1058, toll-free (800) 205-6218, fax (949) 955-1929, Web site www.griffincom.com , e-mail: [email protected] . Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online insurance industry reference library for - Personal Lines Professionals Commercial Lines Professionals Life/Health & Benefits Professionals Online newsletters and content ...

... coordinate efforts following a disaster. BENEFITS OF REGIONAL BUSINESS ALLIANCES Where do your local fire department, utility planners, and municipal disaster recovery strategists place your business or neighborhood on the list for recovery triage? Knowing how things are expected to work can help you strengthen or refine your own disaster recovery plan and response training. Disaster planners from major utilities target ways to help businesses restore communications, reconnect with suppliers, and resume production. Insurance industry representatives offer strategies on rebuilding and insurance matters. The key is to coordinate municipal disaster recovery responses in ways that do the most to protect the community and its businesses after a catastrophe. A version of this article appeared in RiskVue and is reprinted with permission. Griffin Communications Inc. can be reached at 1420 Bristol Street N., #220, Newport Beach, CA 92660, (949) 752-1058, toll-free (800) 205-6218, fax (949) 955-1929, Web site www.griffincom.com , e-mail [email protected] . Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers, wholesalers and service providers. Negotiate lucrative contracts with carriers and wholesalers. Net result. More revenue for your agency! Clients & Prospects will research you, your co-workers and your agency here. The most comprehensive online insurance industry reference library for - Personal Lines Professionals Commercial Lines Professionals Life/Health & Benefits Professionals Online newsletters and content that ...