Insurance – advertising. At first glance, it doesn't seem as ifthese two industries have a lot in common. But since millions ofviewers and I spend an hour every Sunday night immersed in the 1966world of ad man Don Draper and his compatriots on “Mad Men,” it's inevitablethat the doings at SCDP should teach us some lessons about modernbusiness.

Because your independent insurance agency actually does havesome very basic things in common with SCDP. For starters, both arebuilt upon the vision and leadership of their founding partners.Roger, Bert, Don and Lane may not have a lot in common, butcollectively they represent the business DNA, the brand of theagency. Both SCDP and your agency succeed by developing intimatecustomer relationships in which you must know everything about theinner workings of your customer's business. And both ad agency andinsurance agency rely on a team of professionals with very distinctdisciplines to deliver the final product.

With that in mind, here are some business tips that could havebeen imparted by Don Draper himself:

1. Roll with the changes. Whether it's the civilrights movement, the sexual revolution or the British Invasion,history changes business, from the inside out and the outside in.When the “Mad Men” series opened in the year 1960, the agency'sprincipals and creative staffers were all male and all white. By1966, SCDP's employees include a female copywriter, a Jewishcreative and a black secretary–a pretty big deal for the time.Change may not be easy, especially in a risk-averse business likeours, but it's the only way to succeed in any industry.
2. Technology doesn't sleep. From theintroduction of the IBM Selectric typewriter to embracingtelevision as a powerful advertising medium, SCDP recognizes theneed to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Insurance may havebeen a little behind the curve in this area, but with the boom overthe last several years in social media and real-time technology,that's changing quickly.
3. Understand what's best for the customer. SCDPclient Heinz may have wanted the Rolling Stones to sing “Heinzis on our side” for a commercial, but “you can't always getwhat you want.” Smart ad (and insurance) professionals know theyneed to do a deep dive on the customer's business operations andcome up with the best, most creative answer to their needs.
4. Share the credit. Up-and-coming partner PeteCampbell has made a lot of enemies among his coworkers this seasonby taking excessive credit for landing the Mohawk Airlines account.Don't make the same mistake. The agency principal may be the faceof the business, but it's the producers, underwriters and CSRs whoburn the midnight oil to deliver the goods.
5. Empower everybody. Peggy Olson started out asDon Draper's secretary being bossed by the formidable Joan. But Donwas smart enough to recognize potential when he saw it. He promotedPeggy to copywriter, and she's now one of SCDP's top creativetalents. Roger Sterling promoted Harry Crane to head of media afterHarry demonstrated the growing importance of TV ad placement, whicheventually became a huge part of SCDP's business. Empoweringemployees makes the whole organization stronger.
6. Embrace both youth and experience. PeteCampbell's ongoing feud with elder statesman Roger Sterling isproving to be very disruptive to the agency (and when was the lasttime one of your executive meetings ended in fisticuffs?). AlthoughPete thinks of Roger as a has-been, Roger's extensivenetwork of war-vet pals and skill at schmoozing prospects overthree-martini lunches is a large part of SCDP's success.Everybody recognizes the importance of young blood, but smart MadMen don't underestimate the value of seasoned vets.
7. Always keep an electric razor, clean white shirt and abottle of scotch in your bottom desk drawer. Because younever know.