By virtue of your getting this newsletter via e-mail, you are participating in the greatest information overload in human history. In 2008, 5 EXABYTES of data was created and transmitted. This is more data than was produced in the last 5,000 years combined. So what do we do to gather the information that is important…
Time and again we encounter successful producers, urban, suburban and rural, who continue to grow regardless of the economic or insurance conditions. These producers invariably follow the same guidelines, although every one of them feels that the guidelines are his/her personal secret. This short article presents three timeless guidelines for producers that will make them…
Buggy whip manufacturers thought they were in the business of selling buggy whips. They failed to realize that technology was passing them by and they were really in the business of providing for the transportation equipment needs of the American public. Agents are at that same crossroads today.
What causes the uncomfortable feeling that many of us get when shopping for a car? How different is the gut-wrenching feeling related to buying a car from the similar feelings expressed by many respondents in our focus groups on shopping for insurance? The answer is that these two exercises appear uncomfortably similar. Both tend to…
Our insurance companies give us lists of their desired markets every year. They claim that they have competitive products and pricing to permit you to sell to those markets. But those markets are suspiciously similar for most carriers. Why?
Many insurance entities, both agencies and companies, simply “exaggerate” or pose vague statements about their capabilities such as “lowest rates” in an effort to attract the consumer’s attention. But the few “gems” in the insurance industry actually have points of differentiation that makes their products and/or services genuinely different and better than that of their…
Over the past decade, bigger, national sized competition has come to Doug’s small town. These big boys have come in with national advertising budgets, recognizable names and low prices that Doug simply can’t match. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t compete.
A very high percentage of agencies have a common complaint: the lack of production staff capable of growing the agency’s book of business. Many agencies ask us for assistance finding producers. But producers are HARD TO FIND. And we think we know why.
In order to compete against the direct writers, we must direct our advertising and marketing toward the most important aspects of the clients’ insurance protection. That is, of course, integrated coverage at a fair price with CHOICES that can only be afforded by a professional that offers a variety of products and coverage options. This…
Most experienced agents have found themselves saving some money when they have good sales months in expectation of lean months ahead. Why is that? Why is it that some producers NEVER seem to have lean months. Their major complaint is that they are busy all of the time. The busy producers are those who have…
