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... PR Newsletters Employees Articles Blog Photos Group Connections Reviews IMMS Library Immerse yourself in our stacks. Take some time and browse through our library. We have thousands of articles, checklists, tip sheets, sales letters, and more! Communications Marketing Customer Service Planning Finance/Accounting Risk Management Human Resources Selling Legal and E&O Technology Life/Financial Services Glossaries Management Resources & Links Categories Popular Recent All Back Happy Employees Increase Efficiency 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM by CompleteMarkets Editor , Grace Bauer This content has not been rated yet. Some employees are actually happy in their jobs these days, and for good reason. The wave is starting to swell as more and more agencies are truly taking care of their employees. From a half-day off per week to allowing them to pick up their kids from school to telecommuting, agencies are thinking about how their employees feel and taking care of their personal needs. Surprise! Employees really are happy. After all, what other agencies or companies these days would even think of such things? Enlightened agencies are identifying their employees' needs and satisfying them. Needless to say, revenue is increasing, morale is up, employees are sticking around, and overall efficiency is increasing. TAKE A HALF-DAY OFF Yes, some agencies are giving employees a half-day off with pay. Agencies pay their employees for a full 40-hour week and give them the half-day off of their choice. Employees can schedule doctor appointments, be at home while a special service is performed, or run errands during that time. Remember those instances when an employee had ...

... x No Thanks Loading.. Happy Employees Increase Efficiency 4/30/2013 by CompleteMarkets Editor , Grace Bauer This content has not been rated yet. Some employees are actually happy in their jobs these days, and for good reason. The wave is starting to swell as more and more agencies are truly taking care of their employees. From a half-day off per week to allowing them to pick up their kids from school to telecommuting, agencies are thinking about how their employees feel and taking care of their personal needs. Surprise! Employees really are happy. After all, what other agencies or companies these days would even think of such things? Enlightened agencies are identifying their employees' needs and satisfying them. Needless to say, revenue is increasing, morale is up, employees are sticking around, and overall efficiency is increasing. TAKE A HALF-DAY OFF Yes, some agencies are giving employees a half-day off with pay. Agencies pay their employees for a full 40-hour week and give them the half-day off of their choice. Employees can schedule doctor appointments, be at home while a special service is performed, or run errands during that time. Remember those instances when an employee had to run home to open the door for the rug cleaners or take one of their children to the doctor? Think about how much more efficiently the agency could run with a consistently full staff most of the time. It could eliminate disruptions throughout the day and result in a higher quality of work. After all, employees know they have their half-day off to take care of personal needs that might otherwise ...

... be like a piñata. Over the years, you've accumulated a lot of goodies, like jewelry, electronic gadgets, and clothes, and maybe you've bought more insurance to cover these acquisitions, like adding a layer of papier-mâché to a piñata (then again, maybe you didn't) . But what happens when you get a really hard whack, like a tornado or flood? Wouldn't you feel better if we put all your goodies into a sturdier container, like a safe? Why Stories? This story illustrates the point you're trying to make to clients - that many people's Homeowner's coverage isn't sufficient. By telling a story, you create visual images in the client's mind. Images are very powerful. No one wants to see all their goodies cascading to the floor with hoards of people scrambling to pick them up. This kind of image evokes powerful emotional responses that lead to pain. A good story can illustrate your point better than all the statistics in the world. Present a client with all the statistics on losses due to inadequate Homeowner's coverage, and you've made a logical case for making a change. You've appealed to their head - but you may have missed their heart. So we use stories and metaphors to teach and to get clients to change their behavior. People Buy on Emotion In one of Zig Ziglar's books is a wonderful diagram showing the concept of emotional buying. A man has a large heart on his jacket. Two lines measure distances in the diagram, one going 24 inches from the man's back pocket to the heart on his jacket and the other going 36 inches ...

... _ Premium/mode ____ ____ ____ Next premium due date ____ ____ ____ Issue date (approx.) ____ ____ ____ Type of policy (O.L., U.L., Term, etc.) ____ Carrier ____ ( ) Smoker ( ) Nonsmoker ( ) Male ( ) Female Overall health: ( ) Excellent ( ) Good ( ) Fair ( ) Poor Agent-of-record letter: ( ) Discussed ( ) OK ( ) Not discussed Appointment set for: Date: ____/ ____/ _____ Time: ____ Address: _____ City ____ State ____ ZIP ____ Phone: ( ) Home ____ ( ) Work ____ Employer: ____ Prospect's title: ____ ( ) Discussed employee benefits ( ) Pick up employee-benefits booklet ( ) Pick up last premium notice(s ) ( ) Pick up recent: ( ) dividend ( ) policy loan ( ) cash-value information ( ) Policies to be picked up / receipted 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 ...

... , you've flattered your centers of influence and given them the impression that your agency is a professional operation. You can also employ the center of influence method with your policyholders. Once a year (or more often) ask each of your 10 Leading Commercial Lines accounts to name the insurance salesperson (besides your own) who has impressed them the most-and why. By definition, these people are effective producers. Even though they may be satisfied in their present position for the moment, they may be ripe for prospecting in the future. This method is also a valuable way to find out who your best competitors are and how they're operating. Choose your centers of influence carefully to develop qualified leads from this source. In general, the quality of the referrer will determine the quality of recruits. Pick only the best sources: those who respect you and will be respected by those they refer. Students can be recruited from high schools as well as colleges. Every spring ask each agency employee to list five graduating high school seniors who they believe might make good producers. Select the top 10 from this group, with help from the school's guidance counselor. Invite these students to a dinner where you and your leading producers describe sales career opportunities with your agency. Let them know that you're looking for one or two producers to join the firm and that you have an internship program available if they are planning on college. This approach may provide some high-quality candidates and will help build your agency's image in the schools and the community. Let the placement offices of colleges in your area know that ...

... , and so forth) . A primary care physician (PCP) will act as a "gatekeeper" who will evaluate your health and recommend referrals to specialists, as needed. As a rule, premiums and co-pays are relatively low, saving you money. On the downside, HMOs offer limited, if any, flexibility for services outside the plan. If your current physician isn't in the HMO, you'll have to pay for his or her services, or select another PCP who does participate in the plan. Also, if you use a provider outside the network, you'll have to pay out of pocket. Preferred Provider Organizations. Like HMOs, PPOs operate through a network of health care providers and institutions, and set relatively low co-payments for medical treatment. However, unlike HMOs, they'll pick up the tab for many (although not all) medical services outside the network. What's more, you can see specialists who participate in the network without going through your primary care physician. Of course, you'll pay a relatively high premium for enjoying this added flexibility. Also, if you get treatment outside the PPO, you'll have to pick up a deductible or the difference between the charges of the plan provider and those of the out-of -network specialist. Point of Service Plans. This option combines elements of HMOs and PPOs. A POS plan focuses on a primary care physician participating in the plan who monitors your health care at the "point of service" and recommend referrals either inside or outside the network. In the former case, the PPO will file a claim with your Health ...

...e summer to grow and be ready for picking in October or November. I had a b...ht the natural cycle of planting and picking - we learn to understand it and w...

... phrases as I see, ' I understand, ' or I agree with that. Develop a sense of timing. Pace your words for maximum effective, slowing down when making a crucial point. A pause, for instance, can indicate reflection. A pregnant pause' can even answer a question. Ten Tips for Telephone Success SMILE! Merely by smiling as you talk, your voice becomes warmer, more cheerful. The telephone eliminates normal communication signals such as body language, gestures, and facial expression. All you have is your voice-and a smile warms that up. BE CHEERFUL! Every phone call offers an opportunity to be of service, to help someone fill a need. Let your enthusiasm at this opportunity carry over in your voice. SET YOUR MIND! Cultivate a positive mental attitude before picking up the phone. Remember, it is an opportunity to help someone. Listening to a motivational tape on the way to work will help set your mind for the day. BE EASY ON YOURSELF! Take time during the day to refresh yourself. If you've just handled a stressful call, take a moment to regroup before proceeding to the next call. BE HELPFUL! Reach out to the other person. Help clients solve a problem or fill a need. Use your expertise to provide solutions, not roadblocks. BE COURTEOUS! Good manners are not an option. Treat your telephone contact as you would like to be treated yourself. Avoid using slang. YOUR MOUTH IS FOR TALKING! The telephone picks up a lot of sounds other than your voice. Gum chewing, sipping coffee, ...

... weekly, how can I be doing this better? According to the dictionary and the laws of physics (I used to study those at one time…), the efficiency of any machine is always less than 100% due to forces such as friction that use up energy unproductively. What forces in your workplace use up your energy unproductively? It's easy to focus on are the tasks or situations that frustrate you (what was the last thing you complained about to a co-worker?) and those that seem to take an inordinate amount of time. If you can't identify such "areas of opportunity," you might need to embark on a more detailed process analysis. Next, after you've become aware of your areas of opportunity, determine the source or reason that caused you to pick those areas. For some of you, this might be very easy. For others (especially those carrying out the details of the tasks in these areas), the reason might not be apparent. If this is the case, ask someone who is detached from these processes or tasks. An objective observer, a co-worker (ok, ok, I'll say it — a consultant) might have a better perspective on what's going on and can help pinpoint the reasons for the inefficiency. Third, brainstorm a way to do things better. Look to others for ideas on this. Try the help files or users' guides for your technology platforms. Turn to experts in the area, blogs, and users groups, or ask questions in forums and other social media and networking sites. ...

... making any headway in alleviating your sense of fear? Let's try the logical approach taught me by my Jesuit educators. All fears stem from losing something we have or not getting something we want. If you find yourself fearful of change, you have entered a philosopher's nightmare. Our fear of change is oxymoronic. We're fearing the wrong thing. False evidence has definitely appeared real and fooled all of us. If change is truly inevitable and necessary for survival, our fears should be based not on change, but on failure to change. If we fail to change, we may lose our business, that valued client, or a special relationship. Similarly, we might not achieve the goals that we've set in our personal or professional lives. I urge everyone to begin exercising their change muscle. Pick anything-from a bad habit to a petty annoyance-and decide to change it. Commit to achieving the change, acknowledging that you may fall short at times. That's OK, as long as you pick yourself up and continue. As with any technique, our change muscle needs exercise and practice if it's to become an efficient tool in our lives. Embrace change! It can open the doors to an exciting world. Jack Burke is the president of Sound Marketing, Inc. and author of Creating Customer Connections. He can be reached at (800) 451-8273 or his Web site www.soundmarketing.com . 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 ...