American Agent & Broker February 2007
Cover Story
How Checklists Can Help You Evaluate Competing Quotes
When you obtain multiple, dissimilar quotes, you can't make an apples-to-apples comparison. (This article was derived from Ms. Danoff's presentation at the AAMGA University Weekend, which was held in August in Scottsdale, Ariz.) ONE OF my
Features
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When It Rains, It Pours-and Sometimes Floods
IN AN AREA that annually receives only about 17 inches of precipitation, you might think there wouldn't be much need for flood insurance. But if that area happened to be Sacramento, you'd be wrong. While we don't often get rain,
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Characteristics of Top Producers and Their Agencies
(The following article was derived from Ms. Cunningham's presentation at the 2006 ASCNet "TENcon" annual meeting, which was held in September in Dallas.) ONE OF THE biggest challenges agents face today is achieving organic growth.
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Environmental Insurers Look to Expand Range of Clients in 2007
BY SOME accounts, the property-casualty insurance industry has just closed the books on one of its most successful years in the last 50. Record profits, fueled by a generally quiet hurricane season and overall national economic growth, have enabled
Columns
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What's Going On: The Other Shoe Drops in Mississippi
NORMAN and Genevieve Broussard are among the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in coastal Mississippi who returned to their homes following Hurricane Katrina and found nothing but a foundation. When they filed a claim with their insurer, State
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Policy Issues: Don't Forget That Expertise is Only a Means to an End
MAYBE OBI-WAN was right. Once you start down the path to the Dark Side, it will forever rule your destiny. This seems to be true--at least if you go by my experience in seminar teaching. Clearly many insurance folks--once normal,
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Agency Technology: Issues To Consider Before Upgrading Your Browser
(Editor's note: This month, we introduce a new Agency Technology columnist. Ted Baker, president of Advanced Automation, an agency consulting firm, takes over for Ed Higgins, an independent agent who wrote the column for four years. We thank Ed
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Strictly Sales: Using a Personal Web Site to Promote Your Own 'Brand'
A QUESTION I commonly pose to workshop audiences is, "What's your brand?" Answers vary. Attendees may name an agency, company or spokesperson (live or animated). I rarely receive the answer I'm seeking. I keep hoping an entire
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For The Manager: You Need a Sales Process to Support a Sales Goal
EARLY in my insurance career, my company sent me to its Deming Management Program in Chicago. I greatly admired Dr. W. Edwards Deming and had studied his teachings. Knowing my company could improve by using his methods, I was disappointed when the
Departments
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Down To Cases
A spectacular example of being out of trust and its consequencesWhen an insured writes a check to his insurance agent or broker, he expects the funds to be paid to the insurer. Professional agents and brokers keep these funds in a trust account at a
