Latest Sales Headlines

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

Avoiding the Half-Million Dollar Mistake

Dec 1 2003 // Hiring the wrong producer is what I call a $500,000 mistake. In fact, in analyzing the fallout from hiring the wrong producer, the mistake can often be greater than one-half million dollars. Believe me, I’ve been...

Safeco Adds Workers’ Comp Policies to Online Sales Platform

Nov 25 2003 // Seattle-based Safeco Business Insurance (SBI) has expanded its online sales platform to make it faster and easier for agents to sell workers compensation insurance to small businesses.The update means agents can go online...

Agency Salary Survey 2003

Nov 17 2003 // The following agency compensation survey and commentary appeared in the March 2003 Middleton Letter, which was previously published by the late Carol Hammes, and is now produced by Marsh, Berry & Co. Inc. in...

Recognize the Diamonds in Your Own Backyard

Nov 17 2003 // Acres of Diamonds,” by Russell H. Conwell, is a story with an ageless moral of a man who dreamed of finding riches and fruitlessly traveled the world for decades in search of a diamond mine. Exhausted, tired, broke...

Do Not Call Legislation: Are You in Compliance’

Nov 17 2003 // In this ever-changing world of privacy regulation and legislation, many in the insurance industry are left wondering, ‘Where do I fit in?’ There are a number of insurance agencies that use telemarketing to...

Agency Salary Survey 2003

Nov 17 2003 // The following agency compensation survey and commentary appeared in the March 2003 Middleton Letter, which was previously published by the late Carol Hammes, and is now produced by Marsh, Berry & Co. Inc. in...

Recognize the Diamonds in Your Own Backyard

Nov 17 2003 // Acres of Diamonds,” by Russell H. Conwell, is a story with an ageless moral of a man who dreamed of finding riches and fruitlessly traveled the world for decades in search of a diamond mine. Exhausted, tired, broke...

Do Not Call Legislation: Are You in Compliance’

Nov 3 2003 // In this ever-changing world of privacy regulation and legislation, many in the insurance industry are left wondering, ‘Where do I fit in?’ There are a number of insurance agencies that use telemarketing to...

Structuring a Transaction: Winning Strategies for Both Sellers and Buyers

Nov 3 2003 // So what is the going rate for agencies nowadays?” is the question we often hear from interested buyers and seller of agencies.Our answer always includes that the price paid is not directly related to the net...

Insurance Journal 80th Anniversary

Oct 20 2003 // One-on-One with Mark Wells, Publisher of the Insurance JournalBy Charles E. Boyle Despite his still somewhat boyish appearance, Mark Wells has been the publisher of the Insurance Journal for 33 years, a long time in any...

Insurance Journal 80th Anniversary

Oct 20 2003 // One-on-One with Mark Wells, Publisher of the Insurance JournalBy Charles E. Boyle Despite his still somewhat boyish appearance, Mark Wells has been the publisher of the Insurance Journal for 33 years, a long time in any...

AMS Responds to Customer Wants with PS4 Plus Version 2.5

Oct 20 2003 // Responding to a wish list of customer wants, AMS Services Inc. released Version 2.5 of PS4 Plus, chock full of new features to make agent’s lives a little bit easier. PS4 Plus is a commercial point of sales process...

The Rule of 55

Oct 6 2003 // When the Rule of 55 was first explained to me in 1981, it didn’t have much impact. In fact, I had never heard of the rule. After all, I was 42 years old and in charge of a rapidly developing insurance agency. I...

Communications, People and Technology Ride High on Canter’s ‘To Do’ List

Oct 6 2003 // Louise “BeBe” Canter, senior vice president of Patterson/Smith Associates, Falls Church, Va., was installed as president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc. (IIABA) during the...

Communications, People and Technology Ride High on Canter’s ‘To Do’ List

Oct 6 2003 // Louise “BeBe” Canter, senior vice president of Patterson/Smith Associates, Falls Church, Va., was installed as president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc. (IIABA) during the...

Are Your CSRs Providing REAL Customer Service’

Oct 6 2003 // What is customer service?Customer service in an insurance agency is made up of four specific functions: Processing, Professional Advice, Production and Positive Communications. Processing For most CSRs in an agency,...

IIABA Urges Fed to Clarify Reach of Anti-Tying Provisions for Bank Holding Company Act

Oct 2 2003 // Bank subsidiaries must remain bound by all state insurance laws, including anti-rebating laws, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) told the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) in response to the...

Worksite: An Opportunity to Boost Revenue, Broaden Portfolio

Sep 22 2003 // In the face of rising healthcare costs, agents and brokers who sell employer-paid benefits might consider adding worksite to the mix.Worksite — a way of selling individual insurance policies to groups of employees at...

Ten Ways to Attract and Retain Great Employees

Jul 7 2003 // Today, more and more organizations are changing the way they view and pay their employees. The move is away from the traditional “cost-of-doing-business” concept. Successful businesses are developing creative...

Ten Ways to Attract and Retain Great Employees

Jun 9 2003 // Today, more and more organizations are changing the way they view and pay their employees. The move is away from the traditional “cost-of-doing-business” concept. Successful businesses are developing creative...