Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA

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  5 Ways to Grow Agency Profitability

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  April 1, 2013

  The hardening market has agents working smarter and harder as insurers demand more. Here are five tips that are relatively easy to implement and can create immediate revenues.

• Integrate Success

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  January 1, 2013

  Structure sales, budget business activity and understand renewals

• Round-Up Time

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  October 1, 2012

  Shift to hard market is the perfect time for cross sales, account rounding

• 10 Characteristics of a Leader

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  March 28, 2012

  The return of the hard market stresses need for leadership

• NU Waves

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  October 1, 2011

  More “NU NU” agencies yield a new breed of entrepreneur

• Sitting on a "Goal Mind"

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  April 1, 2011

  To avoid irrelevancy, rethink your dated sales approach

• Take Steps Toward Success

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  June 2, 2010

  It was the perfect storm, wasn't it? Sales and payroll projections were significantly reduced, employees were laid off and vehicles were parked, leaving hundreds on gated lots with only comprehensive coverage.

• Strictly Sales- Follow steps to logical process of qualifying

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  November 9, 2009

  In September's article, I challenged you to create 60 or so questions to use as basic preparation tools for beginning the sales process.

• Strictly Sales- Good questions give agents a leg up

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  September 1, 2009

  In the insurance sales process we often talk about the need to gather information before providing solutions to a problem. Otherwise, there is a chance our solutions and the prospect's problems are a mismatch.

• Strictly Sales: Sales train for the next hard market

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  April 1, 2009

  In the world of sales training, failure traps many companies. More than half of the sales team, while open to change, lack the focus, discipline and skills to retain and change behavior over the long term.

• Strictly Sales: Taking Action-Create Plans to Achieve Growth

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  October 31, 2008

  In October's Strictly Sales column, we discussed how to know prospects and establish rules. In this second of a two-part series, let's explore how to implement prospect revenue growth plan and take the

• Strictly Sales: To cope with the soft market, try 'Seven and Seven'

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  February 28, 2008

  Have you ever used little tricks to help you remember important facts? It's time to use one again. Let's take a look at an old recipe for success that's being overlooked in the soft market. I call it the "Seven and Seven" rule, and I use it to remind

• Strictly Sales: Nine steps to a better sales presentation

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  September 1, 2007

  I've written on a number of subjects over the years, but little about presenting. It's time I did, because I can confidently say from dealing with the 450 agencies in my two regions that the presentation is often the weakest link in the sales chain.

• Strictly Sales: Ten Steps to Becoming Your Area's Market Leader

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  March 16, 2007

  The most successful producers aspire to become the market leaders in their territories. There's still more than three- quarters of the year left, which is enough time for you to make great strides toward becoming the market leader in your area

• Strictly Sales: Eleven traits of successful salespeople

  By Tom Barrett,CIC, AIA  |  September 1, 2006

  In working with half of the top 50 public brokers through our sales training company, we've noticed that successful salespersons consistently exhibit certain traits that help them stay at the top of their game. Here is what we've