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... shared his experiences, telling us a number of stories. I believe that two of these should qualify for CE credits for all professions. Unfortunately I'm reasonably certain that neither story would be approved. They're separate, yet linked. These experiences are about innovations that have saved millions (if not billions) of dollars in productivity costs, but have probably never been studied at the Harvard Business School. These were lessons learned in fields with weeds, not in buildings with ivy-covered walls. &# 160 Lynn explained that when he first started in the timber industry, the companies would cut the timber, clear the land, and then replant new seedlings. The supervisor at each plant would stress the importance of lining the seedlings up in "perfect" rows so that the machine could cut them at harvest time. Lynn became curious because he knew that trees weren't cut with machines, but by men with band saws. One day he asked the supervisor about these new tree-harvesting machines. &# 160 The "boss" explained that, although these machines currently didn't exist, if we planted the trees right — in perfect rows — the machines would be invented some day because straight rows and a large supply of trees would facilitate their invention. This supervisor understood the future. I'd bet all I own that this guy had very little "schoolin'" (brain tissue), but I'm equally certain that he had great experience (scar tissue) . &# 160 Lynn then took us back to the future. He told another story — and he's a master storyteller — about a timber ...

... shared his experiences, telling us a number of stories. I believe that two of these should qualify for CE credits for all professions. Unfortunately I'm reasonably certain that neither story would be approved. They're separate, yet linked. These experiences are about innovations that have saved millions (if not billions) of dollars in productivity costs, but have probably never been studied at the Harvard Business School. These were lessons learned in fields with weeds, not in buildings with ivy-covered walls. &# 160 Lynn explained that when he first started in the timber industry, the companies would cut the timber, clear the land, and then replant new seedlings. The supervisor at each plant would stress the importance of lining the seedlings up in "perfect" rows so that the machine could cut them at harvest time. Lynn became curious because he knew that trees weren't cut with machines, but by men with band saws. One day he asked the supervisor about these new tree-harvesting machines. &# 160 The "boss" explained that, although these machines currently didn't exist, if we planted the trees right — in perfect rows — the machines would be invented some day because straight rows and a large supply of trees would facilitate their invention. This supervisor understood the future. I'd bet all I own that this guy had very little "schoolin'" (brain tissue), but I'm equally certain that he had great experience (scar tissue) . &# 160 Lynn then took us back to the future. He told another story — and he's a master storyteller — about a timber ...

... producers build their skills - and grow their sales. I remember the time I first understood the concept of a system. It was mid-May, and my dad was planting cotton on our farm. I asked him why we planted cotton in late April. Dad told me that way, the cotton would have the summer to grow and be ready for picking in October or November. I had a brilliant idea: Why not plant the cotton in March, or even February? Then it would be ready in July, and we could beat everyone else to market. I excitedly explained this to Dad, who listened patiently, then gave me my first lesson in farming. Son, everything has a time. You have to plant when it's time, water and weed when it's time, and harvest when it's time, ' he said. You can't rush the first step, or you'll be planting in the wrong season, and your seeds will die. For the same reason, you can't forget to water and weed, or your plants will die. And you have to pick cotton at the right time, or it falls off the plant and is useless. So we don't fight the natural cycle of planting and picking - we learn to understand it and work with it. The best farmers are the ones who know the system, then take care to perform each step well. Years later, I found that this held true for selling as well. All you have to do is understand the system, be careful to cover each step, and harvest at the right time. ...

... hand laborers in the field; to provide each employee reasonable use of the above; and to inform each employee of the importance of good hygiene practices. U.S. Department of Labor Program Highlights Fact Sheet No. OSHA 92-25 OSHA'S FIELD SANITATION STANDARD &# 160 SUMMARY Requires employers of 11 or more field workers to provide toilets, potable drinking water, and handwashing facilities to hand laborers in the field; to provide each employee reasonable use of the above; and to inform each employee of the importance of good hygiene practices. EFFECTIVE DATES May 30, 1987 for potable drinking water July 30, 1987 for toilets and handwashing facilities SCOPE OF COVERAGE Any agricultural establishment hiring 11 or more workers for hand labor. Includes work done by hand or with hand tools during cultivation, weeding, planting, and harvesting of vegetables, nuts, fruits, seedlings, or other crops including mushrooms, and the packing of produce in the field into containers, whether performed on the ground, on moving machinery, or in a shed. Does not cover logging operations, the care and feeding of livestock, or hand-labor operations in permanent structures (e.g. canning facilities or packing houses) . POPULATION COVERED An estimated 471,600 farm employees, about one-fourth of whom are migrant workers, on roughly 54,000 farms with 11 or more employees. From 25 to 30 percent of these workers are women; the number also includes young adults and children under 18. The greatest number of field employees covered tend or harvest fruits and nut trees (175,000) . Others tend vegetables and melons (137 ...

... producers build their skills - and grow their sales. I remember the time I first understood the concept of a system. It was mid-May, and my dad was planting cotton on our farm. I asked him why we planted cotton in late April. Dad told me that way, the cotton would have the summer to grow and be ready for picking in October or November. I had a brilliant idea: Why not plant the cotton in March, or even February? Then it would be ready in July, and we could beat everyone else to market. I excitedly explained this to Dad, who listened patiently, then gave me my first lesson in farming. Son, everything has a time. You have to plant when it's time, water and weed when it's time, and harvest when it's time, ' he said. You can't rush the first step, or you'll be planting in the wrong season, and your seeds will die. For the same reason, you can't forget to water and weed, or your plants will die. And you have to pick cotton at the right time, or it falls off the plant and is useless. So we don't fight the natural cycle of planting and picking - we learn to understand it and work with it. The best farmers are the ones who know the system, then take care to perform each step well. Years later, I found that this held true for selling as well. All you have to do is understand the system, be careful to cover each step, and harvest at the right time. ...

... for cards was a small idea. Giving them away is a really big idea. David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Capital added, People expect a lot of things for free. And if you don't give it away, some other start-up will. So free' doesn't mean that the companies have to lose out. Advertisers are now paying visitors to visit their sites. 14. There will be no more hunters. In selling, the image of a hunter' (a male) going in for the kill remains intact. The notion of the gatherer' (a woman) as a salesperson is disdained. Now this notion is crumbling like the Berlin Wall. The Internet turns the tables- the successful salesperson will be the gatherer. Selling today requires nurturing prospects, and the gatherer uses a cultivation and harvesting process to make the sale. There's an interesting implication in all this. With such dramatic changes in buyer behavior, it's probable that sales, like other professions, will be rejuvenated by people in whom the traits necessary for cultivating and harvesting are often observed: Women. 15. It's 24/7 for everyone. Although some people erect firewalls between work and their personal life, the direction is toward a blending of the two. A wired world sets no boundaries on place or time. This translates into changing customers' expectations. In an amazing about-face, customers are less willing to travel to make purchases. Online buying is breaking the back of a deeply ingrained 50-year shopping-center mentality. You might want to check out the luggage at 7:35 a.m., browse again at 12 ...

... business strategy, you want to focus on the events that are about technology exclusively. They range from small (100 or so) meetings that offer panel discussions, lectures, and networking opportunities to the major technology shows (several thousand) like Comdex. There are also a few insurance or financial services technology events that provide education and, at times, an eclectic showcase of exhibits. The wired world is a confusing place. The challenge for ACORD is to bring people from different parts of the industry together. We build the standards necessary for processing business and communicating from end-to-end is no simple matter when the industry resembles a patchwork quilt of isolated special interest groups. Association leaders driving industry technology agendas on behalf of a constituency must reach out to others doing the same thing. We need to harvest good ideas from everyone, forge a consistent industry direction, and encourage trade associations to work more closely together on technology and standards. Industry trade associations must share information, listen to each other, and perhaps merge limited resources to accomplish more. There's such a glut of information that it has become difficult to separate fact from fiction. Don't take everything you read at face value. What you read and what people believe is largely influenced by perceptions, attitudes, and self-interest. Remember: The future is shaped and influenced to a great extent by those who have the most to gain or lose. Gregory A. Maciag is president and chief executive officer of ACORD, the non-profit industry association based in Pearl River, N.Y. ACORD develops and maintains standards for the insurance and related ...

... go hand-in-hand these days. One is largely ineffective without the other. Clients will Google you to find your website and prospects will Google you to see if you exist. Clients and prospects will Google you to see if you are competent on a specific product. Carriers and Wholesalers will search for you to see if you are on the map. You website needs to be simple, succinct, mobile friendly and be ably supported by social media, blogs, articles, micro sites (a smaller version of your website on insurance related websites), relevant online directories and local review websites. Read my supporting article on insurance agency websites - which was first published on RoughNotes Magazine. 2. Social Engagement - Social media used to be the most cost effective and powerful way to communicate with clients and harvest prospects. A lot has changed in the past few years - most significantly, cutting through the fog and paid advertisements on people's news feeds has presented the most challenges. If you cannot get your great information to the top of people's social media news feeds, then it loses its efficacy very quickly. So, you either need to start paying for prime real estate or invest more resources into staying at the top (very similar to organic SEO on search engines) . However, Social engagement remains in the top 5 as the most effective way to brand, re-brand, engage, communicate and energize your users and prospects. It will probably remain a mainstay (and a modern fundamental) for a long while, although with social media website vertical breakouts you will need to do some analysis ...

... amount of information that can boost our business at the click of a mouse. The growth in available data has skyrocketed over the past few years, and although data is available, are you using this wealth of information to its optimal potential? No matter what industry you are in, you need to use information smartly to gain benefits to your business. Why collect data? Data is collected by businesses to gain a better understanding of how to provide a service of value to their customers, and drive forward efficiency and productivity from within their organization. While this all sounds good, with this knowledge comes an increase of risk of liability should it not be handled correctly and securely. Businesses that are data-driven have the competitive edge over those companies that do not. Companies that recognize the importance of harvesting data, are more likely to succeed and use innovative ways to realize its full potential in terms of productivity. .. 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 ...

... !8/10/2018 by CompleteMarkets Editor , John Jaques This content has not been rated yet. With summer approaching, the lull in autumn's new business results can't be far behind. September, October, and November are the weakest months for revenue and sales for a majority of agencies. Theories abound as to the reason, but probably it's because too many producers take the summer off from new account prospecting, or they spend their time continuing to round existing accounts. Sunshine, golf courses, and family take priority, and little new business is set up to be written in the fall. To counteract the fall fall-off, try putting the following three-step program in place. Some work in May will help energize new business activities in June, July, and August, so you can harvest new revenues in September, October, and November. Step 1. Have each producer review any "add-on" products available to you for rounding out coverage for existing clients. For every Commercial account in the producer's book of business, have the producer identify at least one add-on coverage to sell the client. Regardless of the expiration date of the account's primary coverage, the producer should send a letter, followed by a phone call, followed by a "service" visit (when warranted by premium size) specifically pitching the identified coverage. Step 2. Have the producer or the agency's sales coordinator prepare a list for each producer of prior-year unsuccessful quotes and lost accounts with inception dates of July 1 through November 30. The producer should call each prior-quoted client to schedule a visit to review ...