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As we all know, contingent commissions have come under attack in the wake of investigations by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and other state attorneys general. Among other things, those investigations focused on whether such

'Twenty-five percent growth guaranteed!" boast some consultants, Web sites and advertisements. Headlines these days are all about fast growth. Magazine covers tout it, articles walk you through how to achieve it and agency conferences build

An agency recently purchased another for far more than it was worth. My attempt to talk the buyer out of paying so much failed. The "logic" expressed was: "By combining operations, I can eliminate two CSRs, 100% of the seller's rent and other

A RECENT article in Fortune magazine explained why efforts to create executive management "dream teams" often fail. I found one reason fascinating: Participants don't want the truth, but rather just a positive message. The author

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

My June column addressed many of the causes of poor agency valuations--and apparently struck a chord with readers. Most of the e-mails I received asked for more information regarding why working capital is so important to an agency's

When asked, "What do you like least about your job," many agency owners reply, "HR!" Most are born salespeople. They like selling, helping customers, building relationships and making people happy. It's what makes them tick. These same agency

When a P&C agency and a benefits agency--or even two such divisions of the same agency--think about exchanging referrals, several factors should be considered to increase the odds the arrangement will work. The success of such efforts is