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...ages of change against those of retirement. If the pain of change is more ominous than the pain of retirement (or merging out of existence), the ...

...e of ways to put money away for retirement. People who are living on tight budgets without room for ent...tting up production units and profit centers, the bonus systems are becoming m...

...ned as earning a high standard of living for as long as the principal remains ...mething more than a high standard of living through self-employment. Value in ...

...ell and stock-redemption plans; retirement and deferred-compensation programs;...or no profit means the agency is not living up to its potential. Life activity...

...wners could move into a virtual retirement mode at about age 45. Following suc...red. Dealerships will become service centers. Travel agencies and ...

...kies and preparing veterans for retirement? Do you celebrate...

... infomercial concept, without even being aware of it. Such firms put on topical seminars to solidify their client relationships and attract new clients. They book a conference room and present valuable information to gain more business for their agency. Agency X may sponsor a seminar on retirement planning to attract customers for its financial planning services; Agency Y may conduct a wellness workshop to promote its Health insurance markets. These seminars are nothing more than "live" infomercials with a limited audience. If a camera crew were to videotape the seminar, ... could be edited for television viewing. Similarly, an audio technician could adapt the recording for radio. Other agencies have produced marketing videos or audiotapes to sell their services and expertise to potential clients. Such productions can also be considered infomercials, merely employing a different method of distribution. Aggressive agents in a number of markets have been airing insurance shows on the radio for years. In some cases, they've purchased the time slot and broadcasted live or pre-recorded shows every week or month. Some talk only about insurance; others accept phone ... television, arrived on the scene, preachers began purchasing half-hour or larger blocks of air time to carry their message to a larger audience, replacing the traditional basket with a plea for donations. Profitable? You bet! Many such ministries built huge cathedrals, multi-media production centers, and even their own television stations from the revenues generated by "religious" infomercials. In the meantime, people marketing products and services just rambled along as usual, purchasing 30- and 60-second time slots for their commercials. For a long time this worked ...

... make an all-out effort to get things back on track. It takes a strong commitment and a lot of hard work to break away from a growth plateau. And the strength of that commitment will largely depend on the personal goals of the principals: remaining years before retirement; chances of children coming into the agency; desire to perpetuate internally; need for large amounts of retirement income, etc. Principals who are not in agreement with what the others want to do or who have decided that they are ready to slow down should ... 15 PM by CompleteMarkets Editor , Carol Hammes This content has not been rated yet. AGENCY GROWTH AND THE PERPETUATION DILEMMA by Carol Hammes Despite the incredible deepening of the commercial soft market, many independent agencies have continued to grow and have been quietly providing a very comfortable living for their owners. Although continually faced with market, organizational, and personnel challenges, these agency principals have found a way to deal with problems before they become crises. In the presence of such a calm and effective management style, enough new business is produced ... start to slow down and excuses increase from producers about no more accounts to write' is to gather the statistics to figure out if there is indeed any more desirable business to target. It may be that a more direct approach to sales will be necessary with sales centers, target marketing, and cold calling. If a concerted sales effort has not been launched in the past, the saturation argument' might only be an excuse. But saturation may indeed be reality. In that situation, the owners must decide: whether to ...

...es to fund their own Individual Retirement Accounts. Under the new law, a marr...rs it takes to invest in their own retirement plans. You can motivate your CS...

...ency X may sponsor a seminar on retirement planning to attract customers for i...reviewing how to plan finances for retirement, or on health and wellness. Fir...