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...ewhat ready to buy - will lead to profits. What might be less obvious is that ... strengths and preferences match those of your prospect. Bear in m...

... option would be to hire a retired insurance person for this task. TWO NEW STEPS FOR YOUR STAFF Now comes training. Each person in your agency should add two steps to their everyday work. Yes, more tasks — but the learning takes two minutes, and the task will reduce work and pressure. First, have agency personnel (CSRs and producers) ask every client, "Would you grade me and the service you receive from my agency? Do we deserve an A, B, C, D, or F?" Don't have them ask any long questions or have the client answer survey questions. You'll get all the information you need from their answer. Each CSR should get one grade per week from a client, and each producer should get two. If you receive ... an existing one, why do we market for new business before marketing to our own clients, either to round out accounts or take the clients' pulse? About 80% of our income comes from renewals, so don't become complacent about any account. Market to your existing clients at least as much as you market to prospects. Work just as hard to keep them happy as you would to land a new prospect. As Scott Cook, founder of Intuit, says, "If you can't please your current customers, you don't deserve new ones." The Loyalty Effect, the Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value, by Frederick F. Reichheld, reviews various insurers and brokers and concludes that profits are driven by client and employee loyalty — that is, by retention ...

...ose. The “R” zeroes in on agency profitability. It stands for retention, rene...’ll start to receive an endless stream of referrals.

...hen and where did you practice? How often? When you just made a good shot afte...ies or sinking putts, requires a sense of play and creativity. If you want new...

...gency. In the long run, the quality of your salespeople will determine the success of your business. For your sales and earni...uring the search period), plus all out-of-pocket expenses. You'll need to weigh these expenses against the cost of finding and screening candidates you...

... an internship program available if they are planning on college. This approach may provide some high-quality candidates and will help build your agency's image in the schools and the community. Let the placement offices of colleges in your area know that you're interested in both graduating seniors and alumni who may have been out of school for several years. Try to choose candidates with a B' average (those with higher grades tend to be product- rather than sales-oriented) who have proven their motivation by earning at least half of the money to put themselves through school. Free sales seminars in your agency, open to anyone interested in improving his or her selling skills, are another recruiting technique. You can find students from personal observation, from referrals, or by advertising in the local paper. Your top producers ... send each potential recruit a personal letter every month and invite recruits to lunch every six months. Creating a stable of candidates can protect you against the dangers of crisis recruiting. Trying to come up with a qualified producer on short notice and under pressure is extremely difficult. Without a reservoir of recruits you may be forced to hire someone immediately and in haste, which is likely to result in a poor land expensive) choice. A continuous, systematic recruiting program avoids the problems of crisis recruiting and helps put you in charge of your bottom line. Sources for Potential Producers Recruiting salespeople is a matter of prospecting, no different in principle from your effort to maintain and extend your base of potential customers . These guidelines  will show you how and where to seek out future salespeople. Your ...