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... an individual perspective, a shared understanding gives your business an accurate picture of itself and where you're going. Can this exercise in understanding help a company improve its customer relations and better focus its marketing and sales? Absolutely. Consider all the letters and e-mail messages that go out every day. Do they send a common message? One division of a company sent out a fax blast with a message portraying the company in a way that undermined the image it was attempting to develop with customers and prospects. If an outside consultant hadn't caught this message, it would've hit thousands of customers. It's not surprising that the most common question Disney World visitors ask is "Where's the restroom?" But the number two question might cause us to scratch our heads: "What time does the two o'clock parade start?" Even though the answer might seem obvious, the Disney people take the question seriously. Those asking it might mean, "What time does the two o'clock parade pass here? Or just as likely, "When can we expect to see Mickey?" We talk about making sure everyone is "on the same page." That's an important issue, of course. But to get there everyone must use the same "dictionary." There was a time that when you checked into a hospital, the admitting person asked, "What is your religious preference?" Today, some medical facilities ask incoming patients a less invasive question: "How important is religion to you?" Sensitivity to personal privacy might be driving this change. If the patient responds, " ...

... additional value to the product or service you sell, close sales, and retain business. But when a joint call goes bad, the results can be disastrous. Joint sales calls are customer visits with two or more people from the selling organization. Joint visits may include a sales manager who teams up with a sales rep to observe and coach, a support person who accompanies a salesperson to demonstrate the added value of the organization, a technical specialist who helps a customer solve a problem, or an executive who visits with the customer to acknowledge the customer's importance. If you've ever been involved in a joint sales call that's gone awry and want to be sure it doesn't happen again, here are few tips: Don't overwhelm the customer. Nothing is more embarrassing to both customer and salesperson than parading in with an army of people only to find that the appropriate individuals aren't available. Make sure the buyer knows who's coming and why. This gives the customer the opportunity to be sure the right people from their organization attend and that the meeting space is adequate. Have an agenda. An agenda is necessary for all effective meetings, but it's crucial for joint calls. The selling team needs to agree on what topics will be covered and by whom. The duties of the responsible party include being in charge of the assigned portion of the meeting - presenting, providing materials, and answering questions. If a question is asked that's best answered by another team member, the lead person should acknowledge the question, then refer it to the other person. This helps to maintain order and credibility ...

... additional value to the product or service you sell, close sales, and retain business. But when a joint call goes bad, the results can be disastrous. Joint sales calls are customer visits with two or more people from the selling organization. Joint visits may include a sales manager who teams up with a sales rep to observe and coach, a support person who accompanies a salesperson to demonstrate the added value of the organization, a technical specialist who helps a customer solve a problem, or an executive who visits with the customer to acknowledge the customer's importance. If you've ever been involved in a joint sales call that's gone awry and want to be sure it doesn't happen again, here are few tips: Don't overwhelm the customer. Nothing is more embarrassing to both customer and salesperson than parading in with an army of people only to find that the appropriate individuals aren't available. Make sure the buyer knows who's coming and why. This gives the customer the opportunity to be sure the right people from their organization attend and that the meeting space is adequate. Have an agenda. An agenda is necessary for all effective meetings, but it's crucial for joint calls. The selling team needs to agree on what topics will be covered and by whom. The duties of the responsible party include being in charge of the assigned portion of the meeting - presenting, providing materials, and answering questions. If a question is asked that's best answered by another team member, the lead person should acknowledge the question, then refer it to the other person. This helps to maintain order and credibility ...

... ; imaginative. However most marketing and advertising today would be better placed under the category of mundane: typical of, or concerned with, the ordinary. Today's marketing creativity' seems to have evolved into new twists on old techniques. The creative brains toil at new, or better, ways to restate an old message. A catchier print ad, a better letter, a more memorable commercial — the script might change, but it's the same play. Even with such new media as Internet advertising, originality and imagination seem to be sequestered in a closet. Enhancing the holiday spirit was the goal of the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Decoration Contest, which included businesses, as well as homes. James W. Dunn of Clarksville's Dunn Insurance, Inc. had vetoed entering a float in the Christmas Parade due to the immensity of the task. However, he agreed that entering the commercial category of the decoration contest would be less demanding. Little did he anticipate that decision would result in getting Dunn Insurance's name on the front page of the local paper twice, plus a full front page write up ? not to mention extra publicity from a contest within the contest and a new concept 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 ...

... explanations: The insurance consultant is earning his fee, an aggressive broker is selling an unbundled package of services, an association executive is trying to make his mark, or an unusually imaginative insurance committee has done its work. &# 160 In this instance, none of these explanations apply. This association has had a sponsored insurance program for several years. It has changed insurance companies several times. And it has changed its insurance group manager several times. While the process has been frustrating and difficult, the association learned some lessons about the realities of the insurance market. &# 160 Member Needs &# 160 Most importantly, the association has learned what its members really want in an insurance program. It learned from its own experience, from shared experience with other associations, and from a parade of prospective insurance suppliers presenting proposals to the association. This association also learned from one-on-one discussions and from conducting insurance surveys of its members. &# 160 What are members interested in when buying insurance? &# 160 (1 ) Sixty percent of the members are concerned with cost. This comes as no surprise and is one of the constants of business life. &# 160 (2 ) Forty-nine percent of the members want coverages designed for their special needs. They are tired of being asked to learn the insurance business. When prospective insurance suppliers talk about a package designed for their industry, the immediate and enthusiastic response is, Thank heaven, someone in the insurance industry has taken the time to learn about us, and we are not being asked to learn the insurance business. The ...

... arts and crafts, music, parades, dancing, eating, drinking, etc. The...

... a value on time. Every moment is unique, precious, and irreplaceable, although we don't always act that way. For the sake of this discussion let's discuss how much your work time is worth, in real dollars. Here's a rough, but accurate way to identify your time value: Divide your income by 2,000 (50 weeks x 40 hours/week) . If you make $50,000, you earn $25/hour. Make $100,000 and you earn $50/hour. It's estimated that fewer than 5% of us earn $100,000 annually. If you're earning $500,000 a year, that's $250/hour for every hour you work. What hourly pay did you come up with? According to a Parade magazine study, the average physician in America earns $26.80/hour or $53,600 annually. Does that surprise you? I don't know a single doctor who works only 40 hours a week. A garbage collector in New Jersey can earn as much as the average physician. Here's the challenge: If you want to increase your time value, you must do work that pays you more than you currently earn. You must be rigorous in engaging in those activities that produce at least your hourly value, or more. Doing lower value tasks is the surest way to devalue yourself, limit your income, and reduce your profitability. This "negative leverage" will result in you accomplishing less than you're capable of achieving, and earning far less than you're worth. We all do ...

... The creative brains toil at better ways to restate old messages. A catchier print ad, a better letter, a more memorable commercial-the script may change, but it's the same scenario. Even with the new electronic ad media, such as computer networks and CD-ROM, originality and imagination seem to be sequestered in a closet. But every so often comes a breath of fresh air. Someone somewhere does something unique, which provides them with a marketing edge in their community. Every so often' became a reality in Clarksville , TN during the winter of 93. Enhancing the holiday spirit was the goal of the Clarksville area Chamber of Commerce's Christmas Decoration Contest, which had commercial as well as residential participants. James Dunn of Clarksville's Dunn Insurance, Inc. decided against entering a float in the Christmas Parade because of the immensity of the task-but he agreed to enter the less demanding commercial category of the decoration contest. Little did he realize he'd soon be getting Dunn Insurance's name on the front page of the local paper twice, plus a full front-page write-up-not to mention extra publicity from a contest within the contest and a new concept for the agency's Christmas card. In fact, from the grocery store 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 ...

... real part of the agency business that's in decline: The role played by many traditional carriers (headed by many of the very people, presumably, to whom the researchers sent the questionnaire) who've been in denial about what's really happening or who are unable to shift their entrenched cultures in response. This was a novel and provocative observation a few years ago, but it has now become obvious. People who don't know the insurance business very well look at the Property/Casualty marketplace and conclude that agents and brokers are in decline. It reminds me of a child watching a beach erode and concluding that there's no more sand, unaware that it's just moved elsewhere and formed a new beach. I don't mean to imply that insurance agencies and brokerages are rising in unison and marching in some victory parade. Many agencies are in retreat, and there are big changes afoot, along with some failures, heartbreak, and lots of consolidation. Firms that are focused on the customer, willing to learn continuously, and building capital to invest in people and systems can ignore our clucking friends. The sky is not falling. 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 ...

... customers' attention and involvement, you' adds strength to sales pitches and draws the reader into marketing materials. Whether it's you, ' your, ' or you'll, ' customers relate. Remember that 98% of people tune into this station: WIII FM (What Is In It For Me?) . That's what they want to know from the start — so tell them that the marketing message is about their needs, not yours. Interest. Prospects and customers aren't waiting in line to hear what you have to say. You're competing for their attention. Your target customer is busy and distracted. Package and present your message in a way that captures their interest. Take a lesson from advertising icon David Oglivy. You aren't advertising to a standing army; you're advertising to a moving parade. An advertisement is like a radar sweep, constantly hunting new prospects as they come into the market. Get a good radar and keep it sweeping. Free. This is a powerful word, one on which you can base an entire campaign, control the customer, and accelerate the marketing/sales process. It's also one that advertisers too often use improperly and inappropriately. Cell phone ads are good examples of not-so-free offers. First, read the disclaimers (three-year contractual commitment, $149.99 per month, 10¢ per minute) then the headline (Free Phone/Unlimited Calling) . Develop a better appreciation for the power of the free' word and the consequences of misleading information. On the other hand, there's no better word than free' for attracting attention and addressing ...