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... every aspect of the sales process) . To develop an effective compensation plan, you'll need to set-and stick to-specific standards, then review your CSRs' performance at regular intervals and make mid-course corrections' if needed. You can choose from a variety of incentives: CSRs may earn financial rewards either on an individual bases (such as cash payments for prospects or X-dates, or sales commissions-if the employee is licensed) or as members of the agency (through a profit-sharing plan, bonuses, or a share of contingency commissions) . Non-financial rewards might include anything from free trips, home appliances, or even a car to such warm fuzzies' as a CSR of the month' award. To give you some idea of how creative agents can combine these incentives to develop effective CSR compensation plans, here ... the envelope, with a card asking the insured to return the coin to the agency if they believe their CSR has been giving them good service. Most clients return the coins, which are worth $2.50 apiece. CSRs also earn coins for such in-house functions such as X-dating, prospecting, or writing an account. They can exchange coins for everything from an umbrella to a gift certificate, savings bond, or half a day off. Hawkins Group, Edina, Missouri. The agency sets annual and monthly production goals for each CSR based on average production over the current and previous year. At month's end, each person gets a spreadsheet comparing results with the monthly projection and with the same period in the previous year. The CSR with the highest percentage of increase in her book of business ...

...ll mutual funds, an agent must be licensed. In most cases, there are federal ... invests predominantly in convertible bonds and convertible preferred shares o...

... throughout the office, any employee can handle customer service calls at any time. Producers engaged in selling need not break away to deal with customer service calls. Also, paper files are never lost on someones desk. Ken Jarosz, director of finance for The Harry A. Koch Co. (Omaha, NE) began scanning paper documents in accounting four years ago. The agency scans payroll, licensing, and benefits files. When a mortgage company requests information on an employees earnings for the past three years, the agency can pull the information quickly instead of requesting files from storage, waiting for them to arrive, and conducting manual searches. Access to files is a key issue for our firm, ' Jarosz says. With different office locations and departments sharing client information, its important that ... have as much data as possible available online. This also enables staff members to work from their homes or from other locations. When a bond producer in the companys Lincoln office requested copies of client files, it was clear that the bond department would be a key area to benefit from this technology. A year ago, the Koch agency successfully implemented scanning in Personal Lines. The key to our implementation successes has been to get the users involved, ' Jarosz says. Since CSRs were apprehensive in the beginning, the agency created a dummy file and scanned information to it. They asked the CSRs for their input on file structure and set-up, and made changes based on their comments, creating a feeling of ownership among the CSRs. The agency recently hired a project manager whose key responsibility is to ...

... a chance to network. Closer to the office, what about your telephone system? Does a client on hold hear nothing or are you using a local radio station for music-on-hold? If you answered radio station, ' beware that: (1 ) your clients and prospects might be listening to a competitor's commercial, and (2 ) ASCAP and BMI can levy stiff fines if you haven't purchased a licensing agreement to re-broadcast' the music over your phone system. Don't laugh. Many small, medium, and large businesses have already been caught and fined. The creative answer to this dilemma is a message-on-hold service. For relatively little expense, you can have a professional message tape produced that talks to your clients about your services while they're waiting. Do you fax information to clients and prospects? ... for the annual Christmas card. In fact, from the grocery store to private parties, Dunn couldn't go anywhere without people talking about his agency's entry. James gives most of the credit to his son, Jimmy Jr., who suggested a giant snowman in place of a more traditional outdoor Christmas tree. Centered on the agency's front sign, chicken wire, poly insulation and other odd materials were bonded with glue onto the post. Soon the arms of a giant, 15 foot tall snowman reached upward to hold both sides of the agency sign ? seemingly waving to passersby. To add a dramatic touch, more than 2,000 white Christmas lights were attached to the interior chicken wire, providing a warm, glowing effect. And, of course, the sign was altered to read Seasons ...

... with clients and prospects. Closer to the office, think about your telephone system. Does a client on hold hear silence or a radio station? If you answered radio station, ' beware of a couple of facts: (1 ) that your clients and prospects may be listening to a competitor's commercial; and (2 ) that ASCAP and BMI can levy stiff fines if you haven't purchased a licensing agreement to rebroadcast the music over your phone system. Don't laugh! Some agencies have been caught and fined. This dilemma's creative answer is a message-on-hold service. For relatively little expense, you can have a message tape professionally produced that talks to your clients about your services while they're on hold. Do you fax information to clients and prospects? Do you use a cover page? You've probably ... to private parties, Dunn couldn't go anywhere without people talking about his agency's entry. Dunn gives most of the credit to his son, Jimmy Jr., who suggested a giant snowman in lieu of a more traditional outdoor Christmas tree. Based on Jimmy's styrofoam model, construction began the day after Thanksgiving and took a week to complete. Chicken wire, poly insulation, and other odd materials were bonded with glue onto the agency's front signpost. Soon the arms of a giant 15-foot-tall snowman reached up to hold both sides of the agency sign-seeming to wave to passers-by. To add a dramatic touch, more than 2,000 white Christmas lights were attached to the interior chicken wire, providing a warm, glowing effect. And, of course, Seasons Greetings' was added to the sign below ...

...ble growth of the agency. Must be licensed as a Property/Casualty producer. Sp...

...rer and employs the services of a licensed, recognized fronting insurer. The ...ments are generally met by providing bonds or letters of credit. In some case...

...erform an investment in much safer bonds, especially when 60% to 80% of all ac...

... an applicant is blind or unable to write because of a disability, you are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to supply someone to write for the disabled person. In that case, the candidate can dictate answers to the writer. Avoid asking questions about: AGE OR DATE OF BIRTH. Unless you can prove that the applicant needs to be a certain age to qualify (such as for licensing or driving a car), don't ask. GENDER. The only place this applies is for rest oom attendants. LANGUAGE SPOKEN. Use caution. You may require effective communication, but you may not eliminate a candidate due to a slight accent. PARENTS' OR MAIDEN NAME, CITIZENSHIP, PLACE OF BIRTH, AND COLOR OF EYES OR HAIR. Forget these. They could be used to ... need for reasonable accommodation should not be a factor when considering the disabled individual. You may not ask specifically about a disability, but you can make a job offer that is conditioned on satisfactory results of a post-offer medical examination or inquiry, provided that this condition is made clear to all applicants for the position. ARREST RECORDS. Don't ask. You may ask if the person is eligible to be bonded, since that might be a requirement for certain positions. EDUCATIONAL LEVEL. Since a minimum high school education or its equivalent is essential for most agency positions, the question is permissible. When hiring for a janitorial or filing position, which might not require a high school level skill, eliminate this section from the application. Disclaimer Only the employment contract or intended contract should imply a promise of ...

..., even those who do not have life licenses or life departments themselves, are...