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...sential, as well as the building, parking areas, and entrances. Lighting is a ...

...a sale that hinged on providing a parking space out back on company property f...seller never did quite get around to parking his RV in that spot that seemed s...

... ensure positive cash flow through difficult periods. To help with the top line, seek out GAs that can provide assistance with markets and other sales related functions. To help with the bottom line, follow the basic principles of cash management. G. Edward Kalbaugh is a partner with Allegent Growth Strategies, a full-service consulting firm specializing in services to the insurance industry. Allegent is located at 100 Crossways Park Dr. W., Ste. 104, Woodbury, NY 11797. He can be contacted at (516) 364-7034, or at [email protected] . The company's Web site is www.allegentgsi.com . This article originally appeared in Rough Notes magazine and is reproduced by permission. Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join ... addition, GAs add another layer between the agency and the insurance company that sometimes impacts the agency's customer service negatively. Nevertheless, in a hard market, agencies should seriously consider gaining access to the markets provided by GAs, for both Personal and Commercial lines. Accessing GA markets enables the agent to keep or get business that would otherwise be lost. When entering into arrangements with GAs, agents should structure the relationship to achieve longer-term goals, not just immediate market access. Here's what Allegent Growth Strategies recommends. Establish business goals for using GA markets. Identify GAs that could write the agency's business. Interview GAs to determine the best fit and negotiate agreements based on long-term goals. The agreements should include guidelines for submissions from the agency, level of service expectations for the GA, and provisions for ...

...es work off site, your office and parking space requirements decrease, reducin...

... any officers, partners or employees furnished an automobile for personal use? Are owned vehicles used for towing special equipment (air compressors, concrete mixers, etc.)? Are operations periodic or seasonal, resulting in the lay-up of any vehicles for 30 consecutive days or more? Are any automobiles equipped with cellular telephones, two-way radios, citizens band radios, or similar devices? How many automobiles are parked in one location overnight? Does the applicant lease/rent vehicles to others with operators? What is the maximum/average radius of operation? Is there a hired/non-owned exposure? The symbol on the policy indicates what vehicles the coverage includes. The applicable symbols (expressed in numbers), range from "1 " to "9 ," with symbol "1 " being the broadest ... any auto. Thus, if your customer were to lease a vehicle for a particular job, symbol "1 " would provide coverage. On the other hand, symbol "7 " is only for vehicles listed on the policy. There would not be coverage for leased or non-owned vehicles with this symbol. Consequently, getting answers to these questions from your customer will help when requesting that coverage be structured appropriately. Symbol "9 " is only for non-owned vehicles. Other items to consider "Named Insured" status/"Drive Other Car" coverage. It should be standard practice to offer the owners of the business (where the business is the named insured) additional "Named Insured" status or "Drive Other Car" coverage. If a business owner suffered an injury as a pedestrian ...

... are surly or unable to answer questions with some degree of authority; they will have to be able to say no' when acting as CSRs. Expect producer candidates to rise to an important selling opportunity: selling themselves. 3. Questions and answers: Ask questions that verify candidates' personality types. Producer candidates should have been competitors all of their lives-competitiveness should not have been learned driving into the parking lot before the interview. CSRs should have always been supportive and conservative in activities and achievements. Divide the interview process between three people, giving each person a 20-minute interviewing assignment. This not only saves valuable time, it also provides three heads and three points of view on a subject. The interview is also an excellent training ground for up-and-coming managers. If the agency is small and only ... supervisor who was not given as a reference by the candidate by asking: What is the name of the candidate's closest workmate or supervisor? ' d. Tell the reference, The position the candidate is applying for demands (for the CSR) a lot of patience, detail-orientation, and telephone work . . . (for the producer) an ability to self-manage in the field and operate without much structure. We want to be sure that there is every chance of success. . . . ' Listen for a strong confirmation that there should be no problem. PERSONALITY TESTING Look for a statistically high probability that a candidate scores or profiles in a personality test like people who have performed in a certain kind of position successfully. The profiling service selected should not be lengthy or clinical-that kind of testing ...

...r objects from heights (whether structures or buildings) until proper precauti...

...ave been learned driving into the parking lot before the interview. CSRs shoul...