Latest Sales Headlines

All the headlines from our Sales Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Southeast Agencies, Carriers Now Hiring

May 7 2012 // AllstateIn February, Allstate Insurance announced it was looking to appoint 124 new agency owners in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina this year. “We see a significant opportunity in the current...

In East Region, Insurance Sector Hiring Is ‘Slightly Elevated’ in 2012

May 7 2012 // The insurance employment market in the East and Northeast regions — as in most other parts of the country — can be summed up the following way: hiring is “slightly elevated” compared to last year, but there...

How to Create Your Own Raving Fans

May 3 2012 // This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish Results.The Astonish system and company structure are built on many of the principles discussed in Kenneth Blanchard’s Raving...

WARNING: Leveraging the Power of LinkedIn Will Lead to Networking and Growth Opportunities!

May 1 2012 // This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish Results.Since it focuses on business and networking opportunities as opposed to photos and gossip, LinkedIn is sometimes treated as...

Midwest Insurance Employment: Sales Agents, Good Talent Always Priorities

Apr 19 2012 // As in every other business sector, during the past few years organizations within the property/casualty insurance industry have sought to maximize efficiencies and take full advantage of the talent in their existing...

Southeast Insurance Employment: Agency, Carrier Plans Brighten Picture

Apr 18 2012 // Those interested in new or better positions in insurance might want to grab their suntan lotion and head to the Southeast. They might also want to brush up on their Spanish.The unemployment rate remains higher in key...

West Insurance Employment: California Job Market to Stay Soft

Apr 17 2012 // The phrase “Go west young man,” may not apply so well to the insurance industry in the nation’s most populous state.An examination of Bureau of Labor Statistics and Economic Development Department data...

East Insurance Employment: Hiring Is ‘Slightly Elevated’ in 2012

Apr 16 2012 // The insurance employment market in the East and Northeast regions — as in most other parts of the country — can be summed up the following way: hiring is “slightly elevated” compared to last year, but there...

Agency Management Challenges

Apr 2 2012 // Pop quiz: Agency owners, please write down a short list of the management challenges constantly facing your company. The catch – you cannot list increasing new business revenue or retaining current clients. Portfolio...

What’s Your Grofit?

Apr 2 2012 // As you execute on your business plan, are you guided by long term objectives, short term goals or a balance of each? Agency owners often perceive growth and profit as mutually exclusive. In our consulting practice, we...

25 Years in Agency Management

Mar 19 2012 // I have been working with agency owners in one capacity or another for 25 years. During this quarter-century, some aspects of agency management have greatly transformed, while others have not changed at all.Clusters &...

Breathing Life into a P/C Agency

Mar 19 2012 // If someone were to hand you a blank check to enhance your bottom line, would you let it sit on your desk and collect dust? Or, would you fill in a number ending with a few zeroes and take some extra cash for doing no extra...

Breathing Life into a P/C Agency

Mar 19 2012 // If someone were to hand you a blank check to enhance your bottom line, would you let it sit on your desk and collect dust? Or, would you fill in a number ending with a few zeroes and take some extra cash for doing no extra...

How to Breathe Life into a P/C Agency

Mar 19 2012 // If someone were to hand you a blank check to enhance your bottom line, would you let it sit on your desk and collect dust? Or would you fill in a number ending with a few zeroes and take some extra cash for doing no extra...

5 Startup Businesses Agents Should Watch

Mar 1 2012 // It hasn’t been the best of times for America’s Main Street businesses. Often facing overwhelming competition from big box stores, many small businesses face an uphill battle from the outset and more than a few...

Agency Compensation: A General Guideline With Common Sense

Feb 20 2012 // Personnel expenses remain the largest expense for any independent insurance agency today. Typically, personnel expenses account for about 50 percent to 70 percent of revenue. Therefore, smart agency owners should think...

Compensation Freeze Comes to an End?

Feb 20 2012 // It looks like the freeze may be over. For the first time since 2008, independent agency salaries rose in 2011, albeit only slightly.According to Insurance Journal‘s annual Agency Salary Survey, the average salary...

Five Startup Businesses Agents Should Watch

Feb 6 2012 // It hasn’t been the best of times for America’s Main Street businesses. Often facing overwhelming competition from big box stores, many small businesses face an uphill battle from the outset and more than a few...

Agents Creating At-Home Insurance Jobs for Disabled Veterans

Jan 23 2012 // For insurance agents Gary Trippe and Jim Pender, the idea for DVIC, or Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers, which aims to provide disabled veterans with employment in insurance, evolved in part from their own personal...

If an Agency Were a Person

Jan 9 2012 // Most agencies are managed from the perspective of the shareholders and executives. But what would an agency want if it were a shareholder?1. Good health. The foundation of agency health is the balance sheet. The most...