Well, I have several clients who sell used merchandise, and I've given them the data on insurance costs should they decide to go into selling toys or car seats, etc. They stay away from those products. I know you can just donate them to Goodwill, that's a better option than paying outrageous premiums.

Yes, the biggest issue you will have involves any kind of "equipment" used by babies and children. Car seats, cribs, strollers...many of these products regularly have product recalls issued and now your client has some degree of responsibility to track every item and manufacturer to be sur...

I think just bringing the name "Farmers" into the mix here gets you away from the real issue. Are you sales material or not? I have hired many many producers over the years, and very few of them ever turn out to be long term successful. Why? Well, let's just say the successful insurance sa...

Dysfunctional...yup, that's the word. It's like "hurry up and wait". Well in our office, we won't make a mortgagee change without the go-ahead from the client, no matter what. Too many times we've been burned on that same issue. If the client ok's it, then we do it, and we will print on th...

This is one of my pet peeves. If the insured has leased a vehicle or property, then yes, there is a need for additional insured status. If they merely hold the mortgage, they do not have an interest in the liability operations and should be named loss payee, but not a/i. Sometimes it's like fighting...

My rule of thumb is it's NEW for the first policy term that the agency earns commission...which is generally going to mean the first "renewal" after the AOR.

We've been using Applied Sofware for many years. It tracks everything. Yes, it has a few quirks, and we've looked at other software from time to time, but with most of your revenue coming from the P & C side, it's a good fit. Good luck!

I totally agree with you, in theory. Contingent commissions should be treated as a "wouldn't it be nice if we still got that" bonus. Unfortunately with the economy tanking the past few years, more and more of us have had to rely on them just to keep our heads above water. But I never inclu...

I can only assume from this question that you either don't have any kind of agency management software, or the software you are using is from the dark ages. Agent commissions are one of the easiest things to track with the proper software. What are you using?

I know these guys continually market us, and one of our principals (not me) seems interested, but I agree with the other comments. The cert requests we get here are varied and detailed, and many require close attention to the details of a contract (even a lease contract) to be sure we are "cert...

Your State Insurance division should have specific rules about how long you must keep any and all transactions relating to your customers and their insurance. I know ours does. You don't want to "guess" at this. And yes, unless you live in the dark ages, electronic copies are treated the s...

Not sure about your state, but in my state, the insurance laws prohibit an agent from setting up shop merely to handle family business...better check your laws first, but also agree with the other posts about getting carrier appointments. They aren't handed out to just anyone, and some carriers flat...

I had a prospect call me a few years back, was starting up a business and needed insurance. I began by asking him the usual questions, and when I asked him for his best guesstimate for annual gross revenues, his comment was something like "that's private information, I'm not giving that to anyo...

It's always been a tough class code, but try calling KPD Insurance in Springfield, ask for Dianna 541-741-0550, and tell her Laura sent you! Good luck.

I just had to comment on the issue of whether to leave the proposal with the prospect or not. Wow, how unprofessional it sounds to go to all the effort of developing a great insurance program for a prospect and then tell them you are unwilling to put it in writing. I don't see that building trust. O...