To figure out how much and what kind of coverage you need, consider possible accidents; hopefully, nothing untoward will befall your business or your home, but you should plan for any eventuality so you will not suffer financially if something comes to pass.

If a fire were to destroy your home and office, consider where you would work until your home was rebuilt. You would probably need to rent a temporary office space somewhere. Does your current insurance policy cover this?

Do you retain any sort of client information, either on your computer or in files? If your computer was ravaged by a virus, or your files damaged in a fire, and you didnt have copies of all that information, your clients might hold you liable for the loss.

If you have clients visit you in your home office, your homeowners insurance might not cover their medical expenses should they trip and fall down your stairs or some such.

Do you have any employees? Even part-time employees may affect the kind of home business insurance you need.

As you can see, there are number of factors you need to take into consideration when insuring your home business. Talking to your current homeowners insurance agent can probably get you started in the right direction. You might not even need separate home business insurance. Depending on your business, you may be able to receive coverage for it simply by enhancing your current homeowners insurance policy.

Tip: If you bundle your policies (i.e. car, homeowners, business), you may qualify for a discount.

As more and more people pursue home-based businesses, insurance companies are starting to offer more comprehensive coverage at better rates. Make sure to talk to a number of insurance agents to find out who has the best rates, most options, and best coverage.

TC Thorn writes content for numerous web sites, including a number she owns such as http://www.homesecurityinformation.com where you can find more information on homeowners insurance and home security.br
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February 1 2004–This comprehensive report provides insight into the travel insurance market size and its current and future growth and profitability. Underlying travel trends and changes in travel behavior following recent global events are examined along with the changing distribution patterns of travel insurance and current competitors, providing the reader with a thorough understanding of this sector.

This report provides:

-A comprehensive guide to the travel insurance markets incorporating market sizing based on industry interviews

-Determines the leading competitors for each product type and forecasts market growth to 2008

-Discusses the key issues affecting future market development and the likely catalysts for premium income growth

-Includes ABI data, government statistics and the findings of our exclusive survey to

creditor insurance competitors

The report also highlights that:

43 per cent of Britons fail to take out adequate insurance on short breaks. Approximately 2.4 million trips a year could therefore be uncovered. This area therefore represents significant growth opportunity for travel insurers.

Reasons to purchase the report

-To gain the inside track on the real issues affecting these markets courtesy of our access to leading industry executives

-To understand consumers’ needs and concerns through the examination of the factors driving up product penetration

-To identify your company’s strengths and weaknesses by benchmarking against the

strategies of other insurance competitors in the market

For a complete index of this report click on

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/42844

About Research and Markets Ltd.

Research and Markets Ltd. are Europe’s largest resource for market research. R&M distribute thousands of major research publications from the world’s leading publishers, consultants and market analysts. R&M provide you with the latest forecasts on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest market trends.

For additional information on ResearchandMarkets.com, their range of reports or their value-added services, visit their web site at http://www.researchandmarkets.com or mailto:press@researchandmarkets.com

Having an Anti-Emergency Fund?? allows you to be prepared in advance for those expenses you never expect.

Do unexpected car repairs, quarterly insurance payments or those darned property taxes find you hard pressed to squeeze one more dollar out of an already stretched monthly budget? Or do you usually end up reaching for the plastic in your wallet to make up the difference? Those inevitable expenses can put less stress on your bank balance — and your mind — if you learn to expect them and save in advance.

Too often, irregular occurring expenses get left out of our financial equation. Our income stretches to cover the regular monthly expenses and the remainder trickles away toward little things like the morning espresso or lunches out or a dozen other daily splurges. We choose not to think about the brakes that are getting spongy or the plumbing that’s beginning to make strange noises. And we end up riding a financial roller coaster, never knowing when the next crisis will throw us for a loop.

Planning and saving for those events can help prevent an ordinary life from turning into a crisis and can also cut down dependence on credit cards. Not having savings is a major reason people get into debt — event when they don’t have problems controlling their spending.

An Anti-Emergency Fund?? is the way to anticipate and save for those irregular events that are anything but unexpected. The Anti-Emergency Fund?? is the foundation of the three-part savings plan we’ll be discussing in this and coming issues of Financial Fitness. With a little advanced planning, a broken water heater, a high winter heating bill or the family vacation don’t have to result in financial emergencies. An Anti-Emergency account helps in saving for those variable expenses, both expected and unexpected, that inevitably occur.

Some people call this their “emergency fund,” but it’s really a savings fund that helps you prevent financial disasters. No, you can’t predict when your car is going to break down, but you can predict that it will occasionally need maintenance and repairs and set aside a little money in advance for those events.

Here are some steps to help you get started on your Anti-Emergency Fund??:

Identify your irregular expenses. Take an inventory of those variable expenses that occur throughout the year. Looking back at checking account registers and credit card statements can help you do this. Some examples of these include property taxes, insurance premiums, vacations, car tune-ups, holidays and birthdays. List as many of your non-monthly expenses as you can remember.

Write the anticipated amounts on the calendar. In many cases, you will know when the expenses are due to occur. In others, you won’t. But you know that sooner or later a car will have problems or an appliance will break down. Try to anticipate these expenses and list them somewhat earlier than you actually expect them to come up. Be sure to update your calendar as you discover more expenses.

Include money in your monthly spending plan for non-monthly expenses. If your car insurance, for example, is due in May, set aside a small portion each month starting in February. That way, when May rolls around you can transfer the expense to your spending plan and have money available to pay it. Setting aside even a few dollars each month for foreseeable expenses can make it easier to manage your money throughout the year.

You may think you don’t have any “extra” money during the month to set aside, but repairing your car or paying your insurance are not optional expenses. By setting aside small amounts ahead of time, you’re avoiding larger money woes ahead. So you may need to find ways to reduce your regular monthly spending. By tracking your expenses, you may discover areas where you can trim your monthly spending with only small sacrifices. Costs of twice-weekly trips to the drive through or a professional manicure can add up quickly over a month. The important thing is to start today. It may be discouraging at first if you find that you don’t have enough money to fully fund your Anti- Emergency Fund??, but you’ll begin to succeed the minute you start the process. Small amounts of savings add up quickly and start compounding immediately!

One of the mistakes people make when trying to get their finances under control is not having a savings account. They may reason that it’s better to put money toward reducing credit card debt at 18 percent interest than to toss it into a low-interest regular savings account. The problem is that if you don’t have money set aside for those unavoidable bills, you inevitably end up adding to your credit card balance to cover the difference.

Stabilizing your debt means agreeing not to incur new charges and to begin paying down what you owe. A savings account is a key element in making that happen — and in improving your financial fitness!

Next: Build your own Safety Net Savings

Let’s face it: Most people spend way too much money on things
they don’t really need. The more money we make, the more we tend
to spend. This endless cycle of materialism has led many people
to confuse the word “need” with the word “want.” As in, “we need
a big-screen TV for our new home theater.” Or, “I need a new
pair of shoes to go with my new outfit.” If you want to achieve
your vocational passion, where every day you jump out of bed and
can’t wait to go to work, then you need to re-order your
priorities. Stay away from the purely material. The pursuit of
material success often is the root cause of burnout at midlife.
In fact, a recent study at the University of California at
Berkeley found that people primarily motivated by the love of
their work grow dissatisfied as they begin to make more money.
The first step to breaking free from the materialism trap is to
understand the difference between “need” and “want.” We need
food, clothing, shelter, reliable transportation, education,
enrichment, and the technology necessary to do our work. Also,
we need the occasional small indulgence to treat our children
and ourselves. We do not need 500 cable TV channels, brand new
luxury cars, 5,000-square-foot homes in exclusive neighborhoods,
lavish ski vacations, and smart phones that do everything but
think for us. There is nothing wrong with wanting these things.
But understand that these things do not make us happy, in and of
themselves. And, they are often links in the chains that bind us
to jobs we despise. Often, those who make a leap to vocational
passion end up making more money over the long term. But in the
short term, income usually declines. It may even go away for a
period of time. Typically, the first two years of a career
change – in particular, one motivated purely by vocational
passion – are financially difficult. Major lifestyle and
attitude adjustments are critical to making the money last while
you pursue your dream. The amazing thing is that once you learn
to live on less, it becomes a habit. The peace of mind that
comes from relying less on materialism to define success usually
leads to a greater and deeper happiness. Getting Real About
Money So. Now we understand that pursuing vocational passion
requires a major adjustment in our attitude toward money and
material comfort. The next step is getting down to the details.
What does it take to transform yourself and your family from a
unit that consumes as much as it earns to one that respects
money and makes it last? The trick is to look at all expenses,
both big and small. Leave no stone unturned. No savings is too
small, and no category of spending should be free from scrutiny.
Those looking to leave a job to pursue a vocational passion face
two core issues: raising enough money to fund a career change,
and changing spending patterns to make the money last. Raising
the money can be a tremendous challenge, depending on your
financial resources. Savings, bonds, securities, IRAs, home
equity, jewelry, valuables, and family resources are all avenues
for raising capital to sustain your family during this
transition. Consider these options to cut down your burn rate.
Some will seem dramatic. But if you have decided that your only
chance at happiness is to pursue a vocational dream, small
measures won’t cut it. ? If you live in a “McMansion,” consider
selling it. You could use the proceeds to buy a smaller house in
a less expensive neighborhood. That would leave you with no
mortgage or a much smaller “nut” to make each month. Whatever
the size of your home, you can go a step further and use 100% of
the proceeds of a home sale as working cash for the transition,
then rent a house instead. Seeking the advice of a tax attorney
or a financial planner may be wise, particularly when you are
selling your home or using it as security on a loan. But, do not
let these advisers sway you from your core decisions. They are
there only to give you advice on the smartest way to pursue the
path you have chosen. ? Consider part-time or project-based work
in the field you are moving out of to supplement your income
during the transition. Also, look generally to part-time work as
a way to slow your burn rate. Ask each eligible member of your
family to contribute toward supporting the household. ? Evaluate
your home, car, and health insurance costs. Are you
over-insured? Can you raise your deductibles? This often can
reduce premiums significantly. Also, health insurance rates for
small businesses, even those with one or two employees, are
often more favorable than individual policies. ? Take a look at
what you drive. Is it a “badge” brand imported car? Is it a
“suburban assault vehicle?” There are many presentable,
economical cars with good long-term reliability that can be
purchased used. Sell your status symbol and buy one of these
other cars instead. You will save on car payments, gas and
insurance. You will be better off the minute you stop trying to
impress people with what you drive. ? Let your children fund a
little more of their own college education. Student loans are
not a lifelong burden, and in fact many successful people have
paid for their education this way. So can your children. They
will still love you. ? Sweat the small stuff. Look at every
element of your daily spending and ask whether it is necessary.
Do you have features on your phone service that you never use?
How many videos do you rent every week? (They are free at the
local library, by the way.) How important are those premium
cable channels? How many pizzas did you order last month? How
much do you spend every day on designer coffee, soft drinks, and
fast food? How much do you spend on dinners at nice restaurants?
Take a look at what’s in your grocery cart. How much of it is
snack food or impulse buys that are both bad for you and a waste
of money? If you still need a reason to quit smoking, the
$5-plus per pack you are spending ought to finally get you to
give up that habit. Is your home well insulated, or does money
in the form of energy fly out the window? Do you turn out the
lights when you leave a room? How much do you waste each year on
late fees for credit cards or overdue videos? How necessary is
each short trip you take in the car? Can you combine trips, or
make small, local errands on foot or on your bike, (which saves
money and burns calories)? Make the effort to evaluate
everything you do. You’ll be amazed by the amount of money you
can save.

Anyone that has read some of my articles can probably tell that I have a bitter taste in my mouth as it relates to Corporate America. The reason I have this view is because I am not a Corporate America person, but I am in a Corporate America position.
Why do I refer to work as adult daycare? Simple. There are a bunch of people that have to go to a place for 9 hours a day (usually much more). While you are there you are dealing with people who are petty, extremely sensitive and their feelings are easily hurt. They talk about people behind their back like kids do with the weird kid playing in the corner by himself. There are people in upper management that get upset when you don’t agree with them and they pull a power trip like the kid in the neighborhood that took his ball and went home when he didn’t get his way. And, there are bullies. The people who stink at their job but try to intimidate people into thinking they are someone important.
I said before that I am not a corporate guy and that is because I am honest. I say what I feel and what I mean. I don’t pull any punches. I make my opinion known in a professional way and I have refused to do some things my manager has asked me to do simply because I did not agree and thought they were wrong. There is something very ironic about my situation and that is, for anybody that has kids you are constantly teaching them to be honest and not to lie to people. But, when you get older and get into the “real world” all you deal with on a daily basis is lies and deception. I guess it is also ironic that it is called the “real world” too. What is real about it?
I have a little girl turning 2 years old next month and I would spend all my time with her over adults any day and that is because she is honest. If she is at her daycare she is honest with her classmates. If one of them has a “booooga” (as she pronounces it) she tells them. If someone hits her she tells them, “I no like that!” My friends all have kids now and they are a bit younger than my daughter but they are rapidly approaching that honesty stage. If we have a cookout this summer there is a good chance I will be found playing with the kids because the honesty is just refreshing. Not that my friends aren’t honest, because they are for the most part, but because they are not honest like a toddler is honest.
I called the article Work: The Adult Daycare not because we are babysat at work, although in some cases we are, but because it is everything a child daycare is without the honesty. At what point in life is it not OK to be honest anymore? Why do our parents teach us the importance of being honest when they are most likely participating in the lies at Adult Daycare?
I work for Liberty Mutual Insurance, for about 3 more weeks. I am on probation. I am on probation for being honest. I have expressed my concerns about the way we handle homeowner’s insurance. Refer to my article, The Scam We Call Homeowner’s Insurance. There are many other examples of my being honest. One other big one has to do with the Massachusetts Auto Insurance “Program” we implemented last spring. I will be writing an article about that very soon as well. But the biggest reason I am going to be fired is for being honest with my manager.
I know what it takes to be successful. You need to play the “political game”. I am not oblivious to this, I just don’t agree with it. Because of this I have begun my work-from-home business and will soon be doing it full-time. At least then I will be able to say I work for someone I respect.
Scott Bianchi operates http://www.best-internet-bargains.com He writes on a variety of topics. If you would like to be added to his distribution list for his new articles when they are published just send an email to articles@bestinternetbargains.com.

ST PETE BEACH, FL August 2, 2004 — As the travel season gears up, many travelers are concerned about the current worldwide instability. Now one Web site compares every major travel insurance product, making it easier to travel while minimizing the risk. Launched this week by www.quotetravelinsurance.com the site allows travelers to compare every travel insurance product instantly, research insurance plans and carriers and purchase — all from one simple interface.

“We have taken great care to create a comparative travel insurance quote engine that is simple, elegant and fast,” said Chris Harvey, President of Quotetravelinsurance.com. “No other site out there matches quotetravelinsurance.com’s sheer speed and ease of quote or depth of information.”

quotetravelinsurance.com visitors can obtain quotes from over 40 plans by answering just eight questions. Visitors enter their travel dates, trip cost, area of residence and ages of travelers; the site instantly returns applicable insurance policies, visitors can then compare plans side-by-side, view each plan separately, or purchase plans directly.

Travelers who require in-depth information before making a purchase can choose to research from 18 different lines of coverage, ranging from bankruptcy protection to non-emergency medical insurance. Those wanting more information before purchasing policies can research insurance carriers and view full policy certificates online. All carriers are hand-picked based on insurance industry watchdog AM Best ratings, state insurance commissioner feedback, and other criteria.

“Quotetravelinsurance.com is an independent travel insurance

agency. Each member of our team has over 15 years’

experience in the insurance marketplace,” Pat Healey, CMO of Quotetravelinsurance.com explained. “We provide quotations only for products and companies that meet our standards of excellence. If a company has made it to our list, travelers can rest assured we will stand behind our recommendations. If they ever feel the service they receive does not meet their expectations, we will not hesitate to intervene on their behalf with the insurance carriers.”

quotetravelinsurance.com also offers a free affiliate program to Web site owners; affiliates do not need to be licensed travel insurance agents. Having already appointed their first Premium Partner, Quotetravelinsurance.com is also actively seeking more travel-related companies to become Premium Partners by using the customized quotetravelinsurance.com comparative quote engine on their own Web sites.

“The bottom line is that quotetravelinsurance.com is one more tool, savvy travelers can use to make sure their vacation plans go off without a hitch,” Harvey finished. “Even if terrorism or other major problems arise tomorrow, travelers with the right travel insurance policies won’t be out a dime.”

Kevin Herlihy, National Account Manager for Travel Insured International, which is one of the top travel insurance carriers in the USA, stated, “This is one of the best travel insurance quote engines I have seen. We are excited to be a part of it.”

For more information contact Chris Harvey at 727-363-3731 or charvey@quotetravelinsurance.com.com, or visit http://www.quotetravelinsurance.com.

CONTACT:

Chris Harvey

Quotetravelinsurance.com

866-874-7226

charvey@tripinsuranceusa.com http://www.quotetravelinsurance.com

A foreign student looking for short-term and permanent health insurance needs to know what she is paying for with her premium. The level of risk changes from place to place as you leave your home country for semesters abroad. You cannot afford to purchase foreign student health insurance that does not provide adequate coverage while you are away from the comforts of home. There are several coverage areas that should be included with your monthly premiums.

One of the virtues of foreign student health insurance is medical evacuation despite geographical barriers. Most health insurance providers who cover students abroad provide protection for emergency services in foreign lands. You need to know the level of medical evacuation available if you are injured in remote locations. There are some providers who offer coverage beyond basic ambulance services including helicopter and boat services.

Students who head overseas need health insurance with accidental death and dismemberment benefits to protect their limited assets. Most students who head to foreign lands to learn new cultures live on a narrow margin until they graduate. Accidental death and dismemberment benefits are necessary to protect your family from incurring the full brunt of student loan and credit card debt.

The problem of lost bags and luggage can be remedied with the help of foreign student health insurance. Insurance companies work with airlines to retrieve luggage for policy holders before providing funds for replacement clothing and items. You need to keep an eye on replacement luggage limits before you head overseas to determine if your foreign student health insurance covers the full value of your possessions.

Mechanical problems, airline delays and other problems make trip cancellation coverage a necessity for foreign students. Your foreign student health insurance should cover the costs of getting replacement airline tickets if your original flight is cancelled. You can get the most out of your premium if your insurance covers fares for buses, trains and charter aeroplanes in remote locations without major airports.

A final area that should be covered by foreign student health insurance is mental and psychological treatment during emergencies. The stresses of studying and travelling overseas can be difficult to students with pre-existing conditions. It is important to have access to psychologists, clinics and hospitals overseas that can treat these conditions in an efficient manner. This portion of your foreign student health insurance may require in-depth research in your policy documents because it is not a high priority for most insurers.

Most of the publicity about the dismal job market has focused on big corporations. But an even greater effect has been felt by small businesses. The local diner, the neighborhood “Joe the Plumber” and the hometown newspaper have also drastically reduced employees. Whether you are a financial analyst at a big bank or a waiter at a local restaurant, there’s a real possibility that your job is in peril.

As we are all learning, the entire work landscape has shifted. In what we now refer to as “the good old days,” measurable factors like education, training and experience trumped intangibles like attitude, enthusiasm and cooperation when it came to employment status. But in these challenging times, the decision to keep someone on the payroll often has less to do with degrees and diplomas than with personality and attitude.

You may not have even thought about this before, but this is the time to spend a few minutes looking at life from your boss’s perspective. If you do, here’s what you may discover:

Most bosses hate to lay off employees. It’s no fun to sit across from someone who needs, wants and sometimes even loves a job and hand them a pink slip. Letting someone go is not a power trip. It is a painful part of being an executive, manager or business owner.

Most bosses don’t need or want more headaches. These are tough times for everyone, including your boss, and he or she probably has serious problems that you are not aware of. For this reason, an employee who doesn’t add to that long list of irritants, has an advantage over one who does.

This is not the time to be “high-maintenance” or “complicated.” If you, say, have a temper or a tendency to miss those Monday morning sales meetings, you may find yourself out of work sooner rather than later. This economic climate can’t accommodate workers who have personal issues that interfere with the smooth running of an office or a business.

Check your ego at the door. It would be nice if we lived in a world where our concerns, priorities and egos were important to everyone with whom we came in contact. But until that new world order arrives, our best job insurance is to slap a smile on our face, be as helpful and cheerful as possible, and go out of the way to make life as pleasant as possible for the people who sign our paychecks.

Lots of people who never imagined that they would be out of work now find themselves unemployed. The good news is that these tough times will eventually pass, and the economy will stabilize. But the bad news in that we are all facing challenges for which we are unprepared.

Whoever thought that banks would fail, Starbucks would become a “treat” rather than an “essential,” foreclosures would hit our block, or layoffs would affect our family? One of these days, we’ll look back on this recession and consider the way we all had to recalibrate our coping skills.

You’re smart and you’ll manage to re-educate yourself about the coping skills needed to ride out these rough times. The same way you now “pause” before parting with your hard-earned cash, you’ll soon learn to shift gears when at work. These are the times when great employees and great companies go into an survival mode, and now is the time to make sure that your boss considers you absolutely, positively essential to his or her wellbeing.

Best selling author Connie Glaser is one of the country’s leading experts on gender communication and women’s leadership issues. Her recently published book, GenderTalk Works, provides an upbeat guide to bridging the gender gap at work. A popular keynote speaker at corporate events, she can be reached at http://www.connieglaser.com

Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance to help you against a scam of slip and fallers. Some entrepreneurs call them slip and fall professionals. The scout out the area, bring friends as witnesses trip and fall and then file a lawsuit, go to their chiropractor who is best friends with a lawyer and soak you or your insurance company out of tens of thousands of dollars. If you own a service company and you work on site, do not think for one minute you are safe from these insurance scams. In a service company you will have completed operations, Slip & Fall insurance and a large amount of liability insurance, you may find a rare person who thinks they can target you for a lawsuit.
Having been in the mobile car wash business we had people all the time try to scout us out. You’ll be washing a car and they’ll be looking around for witnesses. As soon as they see them, they’ll try to slip on the water from your wash process. We use to tell our crews;
“If you notice someone around your washing area, say aloud ‘WATCH OUT, THE WATER’S SLIPPERY’.” And once you say that, their case is shot, especially since any near-by witness close enough to see a slip & fall will be able to hear you, too.
But do not think we are the only type of service business they will try this on. Cable, Phone companies and contractors are also obvious targets. These kinds of slip and fall professionals are more likely found in shopping center parking lots and retail outlets, and likely won’t be hanging around office buildings or similar complexes. Nevertheless, if you see someone suspicious – or even a woman in high heels walking towards your work vehicle, warn her to be careful as she might twist her ankle. If someone does slip it doesn’t mean they are looking to collect money. Ask sincerely if they are ok and offer to help. Usually the problem disappears at that point forever. But be aware they are out there and they are looking for a target. Think about it.
“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

This is not another story about my UPS man, but it is related. (See Signature Selling) I had the privilege of going Pheasant Hunting in Kimball, South Dakota. I traveled with my father-in-law and brother-in-law, and a few others for a total of eight. Now there are more than hundred lodges across America from which to choose, and I happened upon this place called Wings of Thunder while surfing the internet. The plane travel would be somewhat easy and the daily price seemed right. After speaking with the proprietors on the phone, our date was set. We would hunt three days and spend four nights – in February in South Dakota. Cold!
The accommodations were comfortable and fun. We had a pool table, big screen TV, card tables and a restaurant style cooler for our beverages. The staff was courteous each and every day. They told us how things were and there were no changes. Each wonderful meal was served promptly whether you were there or not. Hunting each morning and afternoon was fun because the birds were plentiful. And during the times we didn’t want to shoot birds, we could skeet shoot on a challenging course. The overall experience had us talking about the place for weeks. In short, we had fun and we will return.
Upon reflecting on the trip, it wasn’t that they blew us away with customer service, fed us good food or put us on thousands of birds. What made the trip a memorable experience was that they chose to do CERTAIN things extremely well, and others they didn’t do at all! We were on our own getting to the place – no help there. If you wanted to skip a tasty meal, you waited until the next feeding time to eat. The staff was courteous, but they run a hunting lodge and expected the rules to be followed. Therefore, they were not very flexible, and not your best friends. After all, you’re supposed to bring your friends with you. And the pricing was a bit high if you went over your daily limit of three birds. But we didn’t travel 1,000 miles to shoot three birds, and they knew that.
Now this is not a commercial for Wings of Thunder, but more of a case study. It is evident that they strive for differentiating their lodge from the other lodges across South Dakota as well as the rest of the country. The overall experience is packaged as a spectacular Pheasant Hunt.
Ok now, here are a few important questions that will require an answer by the time you finish reading this. What distinguishes YOUR business from everybody else in the financial services industry? How do you package your business that has people talking about you for weeks after they do business with you? And what makes people want to do business with you over and over again? If you can respond to those TODAY – you’re set. If you don’t have an immediate answer, then there is a lot of room for improvement in your practice. The neat thing is that making those improvements will pay immeasurable dividends in the long run. You just have to take the time to develop, communicate, package and deliver your distinguishing characteristics.
The best place to start is by calling your top five clients (who bought more than two times from you, not just earned you a big pay day) and asking why they do business with you. Take the time to listen and write down the answers they give you. Compile the answers from all five and there you have a foundation of why people like doing business with you, and no one else. Now you can start telling that story to prospects.
It is painfully obvious that what you offer in this wonderful financial service industry is a commodity – we can all buy insurance and invest our money with any licensed individual. What you MUST do is differentiate yourself. Wings of Thunder did. So much so that I wrote about it and will make it a priority to go back.
About Jay Stubbs
Jay Stubbs is an experienced Financial Services Sales Director and Qualifying Member of the Milion Dollar Round Table.
Jay offers FREE Consulting and Speaking for Financial Service Professionals
For more information, sales ideas, advice and free consumer articles, visit Jay’s website.
http://www.salesjive.com