[S]omething we see way too often in agencies [is] the lack of alignment between the various departments. Think of these departments as wheels on a car … . To achieve a 2X growth rate, all four must be properly lined up. Winning Strategies By Roger Sitkins THE ROAD TO PREDICTABLE GROWTH REQUIRES ALIGNMENT Integration of goals with varying roles is key Creating predictable and systematic—not sporadic—growth is one of
Management
CONGRATULATIONS AND CHEERS! Five tips to conquer the wine list at your next business function By Chris McQueen Congratulations! You’ve finally land-ed your first big account after spending years chasing every plausible lead imaginable. And, of course, you know what that means. With all the fanfare comes the fancy celebration at a high-priced restaurant where you’re expected to pick up the check! But that’s not even the real challenge.
Professional Development RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING! Consulting firm’s podcast advises agencies on how to make an impact By Christopher W. Cook The word “amazing” makes me recall certain things from throughout my life. I remember the game A-Maze-Ing for the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A computer (my first computer system as a child), where you would control a mouse trying to escape a maze, with the options of gathering cheese along the way or
THE TRUTH ABOUT INSURANCE AGENCY NETWORKS A look at characteristics and value of the groups-and some misconceptions about them By Steven Pearson, Rene Swan, and Michael Strakhov The Greek mathematician Euclid’s first axiom, things equal to the same thing are equal to each other, applies only when things are actually equal to the same thing. In the insurance networks arena, this plays out in that the significant differences between specific
E&O: FACTS TO KNOW Considerations regarding errors and omissions in relation to mergers and acquisitions By Mark Angelucci, CPCU, ARM, AIDA Insurance-agency-reported mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have set records each year since 2013. Based on publicly reported M&A activity, 15% of the agencies that existed in 2012 have been acquired. While the publicly traded brokers and private equity aggregators get the headlines, privately held agencies are also active in
