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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, " ...

...ttention by the media, museums or parades? The answer is obvious. People are d...

... accounts (i.e., trust account) to finance the producer's raise. After all, his dry spell was only temporary. A few months later, the company reps began showing up pressing for growth commitments. Times were tough. George turned some of his accounts over to the producer to supplement his income and to give George room to write more. However, he wasn't as aggressive as he used to be. To keep up his conspicuous lifestyle, he made a few more withdrawals from the agency's trust fund. Although his bookkeeper warned him about having a trust ratio of less than one, George knew that she didn't understand the needs of an agency owner. Besides, sales would soon skyrocket as the producer started to get customers. That fall, the marketing reps again began their annual parade into his office. The meetings went much like those of the past several years, with George promising to hit the unrealistic goals set by the companies. The meetings got him thinking about sales. His producer's sales hadn't increased much after he'd sent him to that one-day sales school a few months back. He would start spending more time with his producer in January. The holidays were a bad time for starting anything new. George started going on sales calls with his producer in March. Although his producer was good with customers and prospects and had strong technical knowledge, he just wasn't selling. Their relationship grew weaker as both became frustrated. In November the producer left. He had built his book to $110,000 in commissions, including what George had given him, over the ...

... ; 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 ...

... 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 ...

... of your prospective company is the mix and location of your book of business. You should be able to produce this information: Location of accounts (by ZIP code) Type of business written, including numbers of accounts and premiums (by SIC codes if possible); Agency target markets or controlled association business Account development activities (both in place and projected) Amount of business written by line, including percentage of overall premium volume When preparing these reports, remember that companies are interested in premiums — not commissions! Agency Image. One of the most overlooked areas in securing a company contract is the projecting a professional business image. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. A professional image includes: The structure of meetings with company personnel. Agency staff missing or parading in and out of meetings doesn't give the impression of control or professionalism. Office appearance. Too many agencies look like they're a sloppy supply room instead of a business office that provides a professional service. The sight of piles of paper on desks or falling out of file cabinets and covering the principal's desk doesn't create a positive impression. Timely submission of information. Many an agency has lost an appointment because it failed to meet deadlines in obtaining and reporting information requested by the company. To help project a professional image, focus on these areas: House cleaning (if possible, standardize workstations; eliminate clutter; conceal phone lines and printer cables, etc, and clean equipment periodically) Structure of meetings in the agency, including: Attendees (Make sure all agency personnel are on time) ...