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... doesn't receive more attention. The good news: Sloppy industries are ripe for agencies that can deliver quality! Let's first establish the extent of the sloppiness. Insurers manufacture only paper and when claims occur, they manufacture checks and legal defense. Some sophisticated agencies manufacture loss control (risk management) The industry does not manufacture complex machines. In fact, even the forms used are usually standard, boilerplate commodities. Yet, there are insurance companies that can't print and mail, or even e-mail a policy before the effective date, even on renewals where nothing changes. These policies are not merely a day late, a week late, or sometimes even just a month late. I have personally received my business owners policy (BOP) renewal nine months late. That's a longer delay than a space shuttle launch. Keep in mind the complexity of a space shuttle. My BOP had one custom item: my name. That's sloppy. Agencies spend small fortunes checking insurance policies delivered by carriers and brokers for errors. They do this because the error rate is still too high. Years ago, after writing an article about carrier error rates, I received a call from the head of quality control for a major insurer, told me that her company never made mistakes. I have told this story many times to agents, especially agents who represent this company. They roar with laughter; they know better. One reason this industry is so sloppy is that denial is the favorite reaction of too many insurance executives. Of course, this makes these companies vulnerable to smarter competition because it's tough to ...

... the fastest route between two points, you might be missing some interesting scenery. Jack Burke illustrates the importance of approaching your problems and possible solutions with an open mind. I seldom write about employee issues, but as I emphasize in the book Creating Customer Connections your employees are your primary customers. How you treat them is how they treat your customers! Every owner, no matter how enlightened, can relate to employee problems and morale issues. A former employer turned client was experiencing just such problems and I'd like to share how we arrived at a creative solution. You might or might not identify with the problem or the solution, but I hope that you'll see the value of using creative problem solving to break out of the traditional envelope. In the mid-80s National Coach Corp., a shuttle bus manufacturer, was recovering from an automotive recession while simultaneously dealing with substantial growth issues. All of this resulted in a concerted effort to maintain high visibility on a face-to-face basis with their clients. This meant that the sales division was spending a lot more time on the road than usual. THE PROBLEM Although the commissioned' sales executives were making a lot of money (more contact = more sales), morale was dropping to an all-time low. The spouses were extremely agitated over the increased travel time. Their complaints were taking a heavy toll of emotional stress on the sales personnel. So the problem was: How do you fix a personal family issue that involves non-employees, occurs mostly in the homes — not the worksite — and results from actions that are absolutely essential to corporate survival ...