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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. ...

... 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....

... CompleteMarkets Editor 9/14/2018 12:00:00 AM Ask the Experts: "Please describe the ad campaign that worked most effectively for your agency. What made it so successful?" All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Unleash the Power of Radio Advertising This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Henry Stimpson 3/13/2018 12:00:00 AM It's amazing to think that the first commercial radio station didn't go on the air until 1920- KDKA in Pittsburgh for trivia buffs. From that modest beginning, radio has grown to be a ubiquitous presence in our lives. It wakes you up in the morning and gives you the news. You get in the car, and you probably turn on the radio. It goes to the beach, the ballpark, and the office. It gives everything from "heavy metal" to talk shows to Bach. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) x No Thanks Loading.. Loading.. x No Thanks Loading.. ...

... group, a third of the group will print the message even before reading it, a third will read it and then print it, and only the last third will simply read and delete it. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) Unleash the Power of Radio Advertising This content has not been rated yet. CompleteMarkets Editor , Henry Stimpson 3/13/2018 12:00:00 AM It's amazing to think that the first commercial radio station didn't go on the air until 1920- KDKA in Pittsburgh for trivia buffs. From that modest beginning, radio has grown to be a ubiquitous presence in our lives. It wakes you up in the morning and gives you the news. You get in the car, and you probably turn on the radio. It goes to the beach, the ballpark, and the office. It gives everything from "heavy metal" to talk shows to Bach. All Articles by CompleteMarkets Editor Comments (0 ) x No Thanks Loading.. Loading.. x No Thanks Loading.. ...

... a fire extinguisher? Is the work surface area adequate for the task to be performed? Are employees trained to lift heavy boxes-for instance, paper and supplies? Auto This exposure is to be avoided whenever possible. Ground rules for telecommuters can pay off in lower costs, increased productivity, improved quality of the product, and more satisfied employees. Because home accidents far exceed on-the-job accidents, be prepared to counsel your clients to inspect each work site to identify and eliminate hazards. You can lay the foundation to ensure telecommuter safety. Arthur Moll, CPCU, CLU, CIC is president of CompAudit ServicesÒ . He's an expert in Workers Compensation and risk management and a past president of the National PIA. He can be reached at Compaudit Services, 2509 Egret Lake Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33413, (800) 665-5628, fax (800) 665-5638, 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 you can use for your clients and social media efforts ...

...fences, etc. Stay away from beaches and any open areas of water SU...

... necessitating enhanced coverage features. Conclusion Deciding if multi-year policies make sense for your organization requires careful consideration of all these points. True guaranteed-rate, multi-year polices that are non-cancelable may provide many benefits over traditional annual policies-but keep in mind that in some instances, so-called multi-year policies may be little more than marketing gimmicks designed to lure insureds with the possibility of substantial savings. This information was reprinted courtesy of Gary W. Griffin, ARM with permission from Griffin Communications, Inc. and Warren, McVeigh & Griffin, Inc., which retains the copyright. It is excerpted from The Risk Management Letter, a subscription information service of risk and insurance topics. See the Bookstore for a sample free trial subscription . Risk Management Consultants is located at 1420 Bristol St. N., Ste. 220, Newport Beach, CA 92660, (714) 752-1058, fax (714) 955-1929. 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 you can use for your clients and social media efforts. Ability to attach leads and ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. What's The Biggest Bang For Your Marketing Buck These Days?4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Patricia Czech This content has not been rated yet. With every new innovation in business comes a new theory about how to market them. This information overload makes it hard to know what's real, what works, and what's not worth your time. This document by Patricia Berry gives you an overview of the basic components to marketing anything — including the what, who, where, and why. If I had a dime for every time I saw an article titled How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Marketing Buck' I'd be writing this from a sandy white beach in the Caribbean. Why are so many people writing about this subject? Let's start with Henry Ford's famous quote — at least it's the quote that I've heard for about 20 years. It goes something like this: I know half of my marketing budget is successful, I just don't know which half. There's no doubt that marketing took a twist with the paradigm shift of business startups' in the 1990s. Let's take a historical approach to discuss what happened. Traditionally, most people joined a big company for their first real job. After years of frustration from bureaucratic red tape they left to start their own. They became consultants or started small companies with a product that — with a lot of hard work and selling — would be a success in five to 10 years. Then a little startup called Netscape came along in 1994. If those entrepreneurs could launch a startup and ...