Agent’s Sales Journal December 01, 2006

Short Takes

  • 3 Secrets to Tapping into the Asian-American Market

    By Larry Moskowitz

    Long before the Hispanic marketing juggernaut took off in the early 2000s, a number of leading insurance companies had already begun developing a smaller but no less compelling niche group of consumers -- the Asian-American market. For over a

  • Answering the Call of the Female Demographic

    By Susan W. Sweetser

    For too long, the financial services industry has largely neglected the female demographic. Financial services companies -- with a few rare exceptions -- have often turned a deaf ear toward the opportunity presented by the growing number

  • Serving the Hispanic Demographic

    By Jorge Vielledent

    Recently the media has focused on the significant number of baby boomers approaching retirement. If you're a baby boomer, the financial services industry is demanding that you concentrate on building your nest egg. As a group, this category

  • The Multicultural Market: 4 Ways to Add Minorities to Your Clientele

    By Simon T. Bailey

    The faces and the fortunes of America are changing. Minority populations are growing at astonishing rates, and as these groups assimilate more and more into the American culture and marketplace, they are gaining significant economic power, as well.

  • Coordinating Your Marketing Plan with Online Training Courses

    By Keith Ouellette

    The Internet is quite possibly the most ubiquitous technological tool in our society today. Nearly every consumer and business owner uses it for information gathering, business, and contact management. Insurance industry professionals are no

  • Making Online CE Work for You

    By Melissa Ondo

    The year is quickly coming to a close, and many of you must complete your continuing education (CE) credits by the end of the calendar year in order to maintain licensure -- and online CE courses are becoming more popular among insurance

  • How to Create a Great E-Newsletter

    By Lisbeth Wiley Chapman

    Communicating with your clients, prospects, and centers of influence is important for your practice. Electronic newsletters are an opportunity to send your message to a list that you select and constantly refine, and it also gives you an opportunity

  • Is Your Web Site a Powerful Marketing Tool?

    By Margot Teleki

    What does your Web site tell customers about you? To make it effective, your Web site must speak to people's needs in as few words as possible, answering questions and showing how their needs will be fulfilled. It's imperative to speak

  • Making Better Presentations with Point-of-Sale Software

    By Jeremiah Desmarais

    Point-of-sale (POS) software could change the way that insurance is bought and sold. It can make agents more productive, allowing them to immediately show customers what their financial situation looks like, what types of coverage they need, and

  • Finding the Right AMS Tool for Your Practice

    By Frank Stastny

    When searching the Internet, one will find numerous insurance software programs that are available to large agencies and brokers. Most of them appear to be quite expensive and usually require extensive training before the user can incorporate them

  • A Producer's Guide to Greater Efficiency

    By Christina Pellett

    Ten years ago, insurance agent Sal Cocco used technology in his practice -- barely. Now 51, Cocco says he took advantage of just enough tools to get by; his office administrator handled most things on the electronic end. And when he met with

  • How Can You Help Drive Improvements in Industry Technology?

    By staff writer

    There are many ways to do this. One way is to get involved in industry activities. Take part in national, state, and local association technology events. Attend user group meeting locally and nationally. Or volunteeer to be part of AUGIE (ACORD-Us

  • Women Owners Want Workers in Succession Plans

    By staff writer

    Researchers at the Center for Women's Business Research found that female business owners are somewhat more likely than men to prioritize the welfare of current employees when they consider selling their businesses. The survey targeted

  • IMSA Releases New Compliance Standards for Annuities, Life Insurance, and LTCI

    By Imsa

    Suitability standards for annuity products and long term care insurance that will apply nationally are the centerpiece of new standards just issued by the Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), the premier standards-setting organization

  • MDRT Summit to Focus on Boomers

    By Mdrt

    To help lead the development of financial solutions to one of the most critical issues facing life insurance and financial services organizations today, the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) is convening Boomertirement, an industry summit focused on

  • Aetna To Cut 650 Jobs

    By staff writer

    Aetna announced in October that about 2 percent, or approximately 650, of the company's total workforce of 30,000 will be terminated, including nearly 200 employees in management positions. The company says this is part of its drive to

  • Bada Bing! Life Insurance Needs Ain't So Easy to Figure Out

    By staff writer

    If someone will suffer financially when you die, you need life insurance. But figuring out how much you need is not always straightforward. When asked who needs the greatest amount of life insurance coverage, one in four Americans say that Tony

  • Eight Regional Conferences Focus On Selling LTC

    By staff writer

    A series of one-day conferences will teach insurance and financial professionals the latest ways to confidently present and sell long term care insurance. The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance and Agent Media Corp., publisher of the

Sales Review

  • Laughter is the Best Medicine and Other Advice

    By Amy Bell

    Life insurance agents arguably have one of the most difficult jobs in the world. After all, most people don't want to think about their own death, and considering purchasing life insurance forces them to do just that. No one understands this

Perspectives

  • The Technological Rage

    By Christina Pellett

    It's time I confessed: I have a problem with technology. This isn't an uncommon issue, yet it's just as stressful as if I was the only person in the world dealing with this. I curse and scream when confronted with the task of

Marketing

Hot Products

Front Page News

  • Critical Illness Sales Primer

    By Jay Drucker

    Many individuals today are in need of disability income (DI) protection and, for various reasons, are ineligible for coverage, unable to purchase coverage, or are limited in how much they can purchase. Critical illness insurance is supplemental

  • Four Steps for Better Servicing Your Book of Business

    By Brad Coffin

    There's no doubt about it: Successful agency owners have a knack for making the sale. But it's also true that even more successful owners have a knack for managing and servicing their book of business. These agents understand the

Sales From The Darkside

  • Dog Days of Selling

    By Dan Seidman

    Russ finds out how high his heart rate runs. "I'm cold calling a 'hot' lead on a humid summer day with an associate in rural Iowa. "Driving up to the farm house, the crunch of dirt and gravel is the

Objection of the Month

  • Objection of the Month December 2006

    By staff writer

    How would you respond to a prospect who says "I appreciate your time, but I just don't buy the first thing I take a look at. I want to look around to see what else is out there. I want to shop a little bit." Too many insurance

From The Agents Desk

  • Joe Dokes, CLU Licensed Insurance Agent

    By David Douglas Ford

    Dear Santa: In all honestly, I haven't really been all that good this year, but I have a long list for you anyway. I'm afraid some of my more unusual requests here will require that old "Santa Claus magic" ,?? but just do what you can