Resources for a better tomorrow...

• Technology Ideas for the Luddite Agency Manager
• What's the point of following good procedures?
• Finding a Great Professional Advisor
• Work Ethic
• The Credit Crisis, Accounting Standards and Insurance
• Lessons from the Credit Crisis
• What have you done to protect your agency?
• Cross-Selling Realities
• An Eye-Opener
• Market Availability
• Long-Term Planning
• Growth vs. Profitable Growth
• Use Benchmarks With Care!
• Coverage Checklists and E&O
• Following the Rules
• Tradeoffs
• Loss Leader Accounts
• Dedicated Agency Management
• Managing Personnel Issues
• Hiring Success
• Good Hires
• Snow Trees
• What Business Are You Really In?
• Mistakes Well Worth Avoiding
• Manufacturing Accounts: Prepare for Change
• The Great Compromise
• Success Brings Challenges
• A Bright Future for Small Agencies
• George, the Eternal Optimist
• Boilerplate Answers
• First Isn't Always Best

• What do Magazines and Insurance Companies have in Common?
• The Key to Insurance Company Growth
• Insurance Companies Can Add Value to Agencies
• Claims Paying Ratings versus Actual Company Stability
• Insurance Company Strategic Success
• Carrier Relations: Getting off to a Good Start
• Whence Comes Insurance Company Pricing?
• Insurance Company Ratings
• Company Stability: Are Early Warning Valuable?
• The Value of Relationships
• Choose the Right Company and Watch Your Profits Skyrocket!
• Does Specific Company Representation Increase Agency Value?
• Company Contracts -- A Good Read!
• When Big Really is Better than Huge

• Why is Insurance Considered a Commodity?
• The Importance of Service
• Startup Agencies
• Complexity, Intangibles & Insurance
• Want to Grow Profits? Build Trust
• The Follies of Cross-Selling
• A Mouse is a Mouse and a Lion is a Lion
• The Retention Myth
• Become a Preferred Source of Insurance
• Provide Risk Management -- NOT Insurance
• Become a Preferred Source of Insurance
• Marketing: A Battle of Perception. Are You Winning?
• Only an Insurance Agent
• What Business Are You Really In?
• Why Buy Insurance From You?
• Losses Loom Large
• The General Store
• The More Things Change the More Things Stay the Same
• The Value of Making Mistakes
• The Upper Hand
• Perception is Reality
• Customer Expectations
• Does Every Customer's Opinion Count? NO!
• Train those Customers!
• The Value of a Satisfied Customer
• The Value of Trust
• What do Customers Want?
• Who are your Customers?

• The Balance Sheet Does Matter
• Trust Accounts: Does It Really Matter?
• Beyond Budgeting
• Agency Financial Management
• The True Cost of a Sale
• Hit Ratios Drive Costs
• How Much to Charge Your Brother-in-Law?

• Agency Valuations: Which Definition is Best for You?
• Voodoo Valuations
• The Pitfalls of EBITDA
• Highest Price is Not Always the Best Offer
• Does Specific Company Representation Increase Agency Value?
• Cluster Tips
• Tips for Buy/Sell Agreements
• Stick to the Basics
• Is Big Really Better?
• Does a Banking Relationship Make Sense for You?
• Banks and P&C Insurance Agencies: A Reality Check

• Give Your Kids a Chance to Succeed
• Building Better Partnerships
• Partnerships: Planning Required!
• Agency Perpetuation -- A Company's Perspective
• Next Generation Success
• Why Worry About Retirement?

• Why Do Producers Fail?
• Productivity Killers
• Getting Salespeople Back on Track
• Are You Still Overpaying Your Producers?
• Abuse and Misuse of Productivity Benchmarks
• A $200,000 Minimum
• Creating a Sales Environment
• Production and Profits
• River Rocks
• Producers and Quarterbacks
• Sharks Wanted!
• Are Your Producers Subsidized?
• Producer Compensation
• Producer Compensation and Misleading Industry Statistics
• Setting Producer Goals
• Is $200,000 gross commission per producer a dream or reality?