By Wayne Messick

As a professional solution provider do you try to “specialize” in everything? Or do you specialize with every person in your niche, providing the services each of them require? Let me explain.

Years ago a friend of mine, a multiple lines insurance agent, had what he thought was the opportunity of a lifetime. There was a gas station in his community, on the busiest street in the neighborhood - that had gone out of business. The owner of the property could not find another oil company to lease it so he cleaned up the site and began trying to lease the building as a bakery, pizza shop, or small retailer, anyone really.

It occurred to my friend that this would be an ideal location for his insurance agency. It was on the main drag, there was parking in front, and it was on a corner for easy in and out maneuvering. The building was remodeled, the parking lot was re-paved and the original 15 foot high gas station sign was painted with his logo.

It read, “Suburban Insurance, We Specialize in ALL Kinds of Insurance” in a very professional look. And of course his catchy phone number everyone around there would remember easily. How could he lose? With all those people driving back and forth every day? They would see the sign on their way to work, call for an appointment on the way home.

What did the people driving by think? Who knows, no one stopped. He was trying to be all things to all people and it did not work. For three months he didn”t make a sale that could in any way have come from one of those passing motorists. He was faced with the prospect of giving up this really neat space or cutting back elsewhere because he had signed on to a lease based on his untested assumption that people would drive in every day of the week.

During a chance conversation with the owner of an actual gas station in the area a light went on. He realized that he needed to specialize in something, offer something unique or timely - get people to stop in for that one thing, so he could tell them about the other products and services his agency offered.

He returned to his office and found behind the building a portable sign, we”ve all seen them - the kind gas stations roll out by the curb where the passing motorists can”t miss it. He had it painted using his professional theme with the message, “Changing jobs, we have short term medical insurance - don”t put your family at risk” and put it out by the corner.

Not being a savvy marketer he did not know that a major employer in the area was laying off a lot of the very people who were driving by his office twice a day.

Within the next two days nearly 20 drivers stopped in, over a dozen of them bought the insurance - they were about to change jobs and had never heard of this kind of insurance and the other picked up brochures for the short term medical and some of his other products.

Every week or so he would showcase another of his products - travel accident, International medical, errors and omissions, etc. Every time he did that, people would stop in. From the relationships he created he sold the other more complex and more profitable coverages demonstrating that his agency actually did specialize in all kinds of insurance.

For the last twenty years I have seen examples where professionals of all types claim to specialize working with home business owners, small business owners, and executives. They think that by covering the entire waterfront they won”t miss anyone. The opposite if often the result however.

Too often we try to be all things to all people and lose our credibility. Just because we do a lot of different kinds of consulting or coaching, or offer several different and usually complimentary services - people really only want to know if we have what they need right then.

Start by thinking of your audience those people ideally suited for the services you provide. Maybe a should say audiences. Think about your several audiences vs. your specialties. So, if you are a business coach and do sales training, customer retention, and recruitment within one field that’’s not bad if you tie them together under one umbrella firm name providing a range of services for a specific audience/category.

On the other hand, if you position yourself as a marketing expert and as engineering expert, you may want to consider your audiences again and use different materials, literature, etc. for each audience. Savvy professionals have several bios or web sites, not linked together - one they use for speaking for instance, those they use when they are emailing to a specific category prospects, those they use for different audiences they serve.

Remember, you can”t be all things to all people but you can be different things to different people.

About The Author

Successful professionals are always on the lookout for ideas and resources to help them. They are also looking for creative ways of marketing their professional services. Visit http://www.EffectivenessStrategies.com and contribute to the conversation. We learn the best from each other.

By Anthony Peck

When you”re talking about a major transport company, like McLane or Dominion, the question of commercial auto insurance is fairly obvious. When you have hundreds or even thousands of trucks a day that are worth more in dollars and cents than many Americans make in a year hitting the highways in cities like Los Angeles and New York, you want to make sure they”re protected. You don”t want the loss to your investment and/or the huge repair fees that come from an accident, and you can”t afford the loss of time and efficiency that comes from having trucks that can”t be driven. But what about the little guy?

The question of commercial auto insurance for smaller companies often isn”t quite as clear as it is for these major transporters, particularly if the business employs a small number of personnel and those personnel use their own vehicles for company business. Often, business owners believe that because these vehicles are already covered under a personal policy a commercial auto insurance policy would be a redundant waste of profits. Better to allow the auto insurance companies to do what they do best and put their profits to good use.

The catch is, cars that are on the road all day are at a higher risk of an accident than cars and trucks that are used primarily for commuting purposes. Auto insurance companies know that, which is why when they sell their insurance policies they ask their drivers to distinguish between whether their vehicles are used primarily for business or pleasure. They”re (relatively) happy to cover the damages that result from accidents that take place on their personal time, but they may drag their feet over paying a claim that happens on company time doing company business.

Because the last thing you or your employees want to do is get into a six month fight with your auto insurance provider about whether your vehicle is used primarily for business or pleasure because you”ve had an accident while on the road doing company business, a commercial auto insurance policy for your business is the best solution.

Commercial auto insurance comes with a price tag similar to that of a personal insurance policy, although some of the technical aspects are a little different. Your insurance agent can explain the ins and outs of their commercial policy options to you. Trying to do it here would take all day, and as most auto insurance providers have their own takes on commercial insurance policies it would be a waste of time anyway.

What you do need to know is that a commercial auto insurance policy will protect your employees when they”re out on the road doing company business, even if they”re in their own vehicles, and will protect company vehicles when employees slip behind the wheel. That saves your business from the loss of efficiency that comes from having vehicles off the road and your profits from the hard hit of a car accident that can result in tens of thousands of dollars in damages that might not be eligible for coverage under a personal policy.

The bottom line is, regardless of how large or small your business may be the protection offered by a commercial auto insurance policy is going to be invaluable in ensuring the continued success of your company.

About The Author

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and
Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information on commercial auto insurance, please visit
them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.

By Anthony Peck

When no-fault car insurance first hit the streets, there were two major objections. People who had gotten used to the liability (and therefore responsibility) of an at-fault system complained that a no-fault system let too many drivers get away with driving irresponsibly, and the lawyers complained about their loss of profits. While there isn”t much you can do about the legal community, rest assured that irresponsible drivers are still paying the price for not paying attention behind the wheel.

If you”re not familiar with the no-fault system (which most people who move from an at-fault state aren”t, whether they”ve had the option to purchase no-fault car insurance or not), it works like this. Once upon a time, some scholars decided that the current system of having to chase down drivers and their insurance companies, make them admit their guilt (or wait for a judge to do it for them), and hope they got their act together and paid their debts was inefficient and unreliable.

Instead, they suggested a no-fault system. It doesn”t matter whose fault the accident was, each driver would have their claims paid by their own insurance company and that would be the end of that. This would accomplish a number of things:

1) Courts would no longer be cluttered up by drivers seeking compensation not only for the damages to their vehicles, but also for medical bills, pain and suffering, etc. With a no-fault system, any damages that couldn”t be calculated in cold, hard dollars and cents would cease to exist. Unless damages to the driver’’s person and/or vehicle are ridiculously excessive, litigation doesn”t happen at all. (Can you see why the legal community hated this idea?)

2) Car insurance companies and their drivers wouldn”t be frustrated by having to sit around and wait for another insurance company to pay their debts. Drivers would get back on the roads faster, and insurance companies could do business more efficiently without having to wait for claims from months or even years back.

3) It solves the problem of uninsured motorists, because drivers aren”t waiting for those uninsured motorists to pay for their accident expenses.

Of course, as it always does in these types of situations, the issue of responsibility came up. Since drivers weren”t going to be held liable for their accidents they could essentially drive as irresponsibly as they wanted, safe and secure in the knowledge that nothing bad was going to happen to them. The good news is, someone anticipated the poor outcome of that type of car insurance set-up. Although drivers aren”t held liable for the damages they caused they still get to enjoy the same fines, tickets and premium increases that drivers who cause an accident in an at-fault state have to deal with.

So, to answer the question, yes, it’’s still your fault if you have an accident in a no-fault state, and you”ll still be held liable by the legal system and your car insurance provider. You just won”t be at risk for legal action from the driver you hit-which, considering how ridiculous some of today’’s lawsuits have become, might not be a bad thing after all.

About The Author

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and
Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. For more information on no fault car insurance, please visit
them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.

By Jason Haines

If you have a mortgage it is very important that you protect your investment, after all you wouldn”t go out and leave your doors and windows open would you?
However it is surprising just how many people fail to recognise the importance of mortgage life insurance which will protect your mortgage should you pass away.

Mortgage life insurance works by the insured paying a premium each month and this provides life insurance cover for a set term. There are different types of mortgage life insurance that are on the market at the moment and it is up to you to decide what level of cover is the best for you.

Here are some of the mortgage life insurance policies that are available at the moment-

Term life insurance, this provides cover for a set period of time and should the insured die during the term a cash lump sum will be paid out to their family.

Level term insurance, this provides a fixed lump sum if the insured dies during the term of the policy.

Decreasing term life insurance, this provides a lump sum if the insured dies however the amount decreases as time progresses, in line with how a persons mortgage decreases over time.

Family income benefit, this provides the family of the insured a lump sum each month should the insured die during the term. However these lump sums are only payable until the end of the term.

Mortgage life insurance advice
For more information on the mortgage life insurance products above, or to find out about other products you can visit one of many life insurance websites. Or to speak to an independent financial advisor who will be able to give you no obligation advice on the best mortgage life insurance policy for you.

Mortgage life Insurance Quote
Getting the right life insurance policy to protect your mortgage can be difficult as there are so many different policies and cover plans available. One of the insurance policies that is popular is a mortgage life insurance policy as it is one of the cheaper and more straightforward types of mortgage life insurance.

If you take out mortgage life insurance you need to know that you have got the right insurance policy for you and your circumstances. Taking this into consideration it is always a good idea to get a mortgage life insurance quote.

How do I get a life insurance quote?
There are, with any kinds of insurance different ways in which you can get a mortgage life insurance quote, but which is the right way?

Here are the ways in which you could get a life insurance quote-

Telephoning insurance companies - this is very time consuming and also costs you money in the form of your phone bill. For instance if one telephone conversation to an insurance company about mortgage life insurance takes 15 minutes image how long and how much it would cost you to telephone 20 companies.

Checking out one of the many life insurance websites, you can search the whole market in a matter of minutes and compare quotes side by side. Speak to an independent financial advisor give you a mortgage life insurance quote and explain the different options in the plans.

So if you would like to save time and money, compare the whole market and get the best mortgage life insurance quote for you either visit an online life insurance broker or speak to an independent financial advisor .

About The Author

Jason Haines is a protection and mortgage advisor at godirect.co.uk, one of the UK’’s most trusted information site about personal finance.

http://www.godirect.co.uk/life-insurance-quote/mortgage-protection-life-insurance.php

By Mark Burdett

Whether you purchase your cars new or used, use an independent car service repair or a franchised dealer or get your petrol and fuel from a supermarket or a local service station, the one common thing these type of businesses share is their need for protection and peace of mind in the form of motor trade insurance.

Combined Motor Trade Insurance is actually a type of insurance policy that can provide cover for many types of business in the auto industry including those who specialise in service and repair, sales, petrol sales or bodywork. And as the name suggests, a combined policy is designed for motor traders with premises who want a variety of risks covering under one simple to manage insurance policy.

So once a motor trader has established they need a combined policy they really a have options available to them in respect of how and where they buy it. A still relatively new way in which they can look to purchase motor trade insurance is by dealing direct with an insurance company. The benefit of dealing direct is that the trader can sort everything on their own so in the event of a loss and needing to make a claim, they can ring the insurer directly and deal with them until the claim is settled. This control of the policy is favoured by many motor traders who are happy that they understand exactly what they want and are happy to negotiate with insurance companies on premiums and claims settlements.

The second option available when buying motor trade insurance is still the one favoured by the majority of companies and that is to use an insurance broker. The benefits of using an insurance broker are numerous and range from their ability to approach several different insurance companies to in some cases being able to offer you expert advice and guidance which could help reduce your exposure to risk and your insurance premiums. When you combine this with the service that some insurance brokers provide when you suffer a loss in that they will negotiate with your insurance company to make sure your claim is settled quickly and favourably you can see why using an insurance broker is still the desired choice for most motor traders.

There really is no wrong or right decision and whether you deal direct with an insurance company or via an insurance broker who specialises in motor trade insurance is really down to personal opinion. As motor traders you should however be aware of the options available and make the choice on what is best for you and your business. Make the right decision and there is every chance in the current financial climate that your combined motor trade insurance premium could reduce in the coming year.

About The Author

NCi Motor Trade is Motor Trade Insurance Specialists and for details of their Motor Trade Insurance facilities or to get a motor trade insurance quote simply visit the UK Motor Trade Insurance Brokers at http://www.ncimotortrade.co.uk

By Paul Headley

From figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, more commonly known as the DVLA and the Motor Insurance Database, referred to as MID there are an estimated two million vehicles driving on the UK roads without insurance.
Car drivers are not the only motorists which fail to have their vehicles insured, vans and lorries are also guilty of driving on the public highways without insurance or with insurance which is inappropriate.

It is a legal obligation to have valid vehicle insurance, those which are caught without face driving bans, penalty points on their licence and even a prison sentence.

The cost to law abiding citizens is estimated to increase insurance policy premiums by up to thirty pounds a year on every policy sold. Those who are unfortunate to be involved in an accident will be covered in most cases by the uninsured drivers agreement between the government and MID. This joint agreement ensures that innocent victims do not go uncompensated if they suffer personal injury or damage to their property which is a result of an accident involving an uninsured driver.

The police have the powers to confiscate and potentially destroy any vehicles which are on the public highway without appropriate insurance. Alternatively they will return vehicles once the fixed penalty fine has been paid and a valid insurance documents produced.

The enormity of the problem has led to much stricter enforcement by the authorities. Therefore anyone who uses a car, van or lorry as a necessary part of their livelihood would be very unwise to drive without valid insurance.

There are a number of different ways to obtain cheap van insurance. The easiest way is to use online insurance brokers or deal directly with insurance companies online by filling out their online forms to obtain quotations.

When providing any details of the driver or drivers of the vehicle it is an offence to deliberately provide false information of any kind. Those who have a poor driving history and/or driving convictions will probably notice a marked increase in the price of the insurance quotation. This is purely because they will be classed as a high risk by the insurers.

The most effective way to lower insurance costs it to accumulate a no claims discount. Insurers reward careful drivers, as such those who have a proven no claims discount of five years will be offered very generous discounts, sometimes as much as 70% discount will be offered off the annual insurance premium.

Owner-drivers will also find they may be offered cheap van insurance rather then having named or unnamed drivers on the policy. Most insurance companies do not offer van insurance under a company name and therefore the owner will have to insure all vehicles under his or her name.

Businesses which operate more than one vehicle may find a fleet insurance policy a great way of making savings. Contact insurance companies to see whether they will offer cheap van insurance and suggest ways to help lower the annual premiums and reduce your business overheads.

About The Author

Cheap Van Insurance is available from Staveley Head at http://www.staveleyhead.co.uk/van/

By Anthony Peck

Let’’s face it, with over fifty major national competitors out there and who knows how many small, independent agents, choosing the car insurance company you want to protect you when you”re out on the road isn”t getting any easier. In fact, with so many options to choose from it may actually be harder than ever! Fortunately, there are simple guidelines you can use to wade through the pile of car insurance companies lying at your feet to find the one that’’s right for you.

First and foremost, rate isn”t everything-but it definitely matters. When you”re choosing a car insurance carrier you want to make sure you”re picking the one that’’s going to offer you the most value for your money. You want them to offer top of the line services without charging you top of the line prices, which means you”re going to have to shop around. Remember, companies are doing something to be able to offer you super low rates. It’’s important to make sure that something isn”t sacrificing the quality of your insurance coverage before you sign on the dotted line.

Secondly, look for perks. Discounts and “little extras” are what separate good car insurance companies from great ones, and by choosing a company that offers you the best discounts and perks for your premiums you”re going to know you”re getting the best value for your dollar. Take a second to consider your own needs. Do you have a teenage driver in the house? A company that offers a good student discount might be important. On the other hand, if you aren”t already a member of AAA or a similar program an emergency roadside assistance program might be your deciding factor.

Customer service matters! A company with friendly, helpful and knowledgeable customer service and claims representatives is going to be a lot more pleasant to work with 99.9% of the time than the company that hires their representatives straight off the streets and has them working the phones their first day on the job. The same is true of the company that’’s so understaffed their agents are constantly trying to rush you through your questions so they can move on to the next call. Remember, the quality of their customer service is the best possible indicator of any car insurance company’’s dedication to quality as a whole. If they”re willing to sacrifice in one area, what are they giving up in others?

Check out their reputation. You”ll find that consumers are the single most honest assessors of any car insurance company’’s performance. If they”re doing their job, their customers are going to tell you about it-and with the resources of the web at your fingertips, finding those testimonials should be a piece of cake. On the other hand, if they”re not impressed with the company’’s ability to handle questions and claims those consumers are going to tell you about that too. While you can”t please all of the people, all of the time, a company that can”t please any of the people most of the time probably isn”t one you want to be working with.

Your car insurance company should work for you, not the other way around. Don”t be afraid to refuse to settle for second best.

About The Author

Anthony M. Peck is the Senior Developer, Software Project Manager, and
Director of Business Development for QuoteScout.com. To begin hunting for the car insurance carrier that’’s right for you, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.

By Kristi Ambrose

When it comes to having a website’’s online - content is essential. Especially high quality content. You can write the content yourself if you are a writer such as myself. But a lot of people either don”t know how to write or they simply do not have time to sit here and write. This content can be utilized in many different ways and I”m going to list a few of the hundreds! One of the reasons a person might want car insurance articles that are PLR specified (Private label rights is a concept similar to reselling, but the merchant is permitted to modify the product to fit his or her needs) is to use them for their affiliate sites, business websites, and other money making schemes such as something like Associated Content or Triond which pay you for uniquely written articles. PLR content is often used to generate traffic from a website. This is by use of the Search Engines which will “crawl” your website and index the information on it.

If you have a website and you have CPANEL you might notice that “bots” like Google, Yahoo or Ask or constantly scanning your page for information. This is great. But you need content for it to all actually work the way its supposed to work. And that is where the PLR articles come in. Remember, content is king. So if you have quality content on your website(s) the chances of you receiving bots and spiders and getting indexed is higher than the guy who doesn”t. In the case of car insurance articles - these would be superbly used for a car insurance website or insurance in general depending on what the PLR website offers. One website I saw offered all kinds of insurance articles such as accidental death, auto, finance, disability, home owner, health, broker, life, pet, even travel insurance. So if you have a car insurance website or any of the other insurance options available on your specific site, these types of articles will be perfect for you.

You could even take a little extra time and place affiliate links to different affiliate programs such as Kolimbo, Linkshare or Clickbank within the articles using your html coding. I really like this option because I can almost guarantee that people WILL visit my site, and when they do they will click around at all the different links available. And people will buy, and I will profit from something like this. Car insurance articles are cheap and they are quick to install. Simply pay for the package (which includes the above- mentioned categories), return back to the content site and download your package. It takes less than three minutes to do all of this and the articles will be available on your computer for as long as you want them to - or until you delete them! It’’s all very simple and yet very rewarding!

About The Author

This Author is a huge fan of http://great-niche-content.com/insurance.html

By Jason Haines

When you take out a mortgage you are making a commitment to make regular monthly payments at a set amount for a set period of time without defaulting. However life isnt always as straightforward as that and from time to time there could be a reason for you to miss a mortgage payment or make one late. This is usually accepted by your mortgage lender providing you make them aware of this in advance so they can make the necessary arrangements for you to pay late.

What would happen if you became seriously ill and were unable to make your mortgage repayments? There are very few people who can afford to make mortgage repayments without any source of income, and as a result it is important that you have some form of income protection.

What is income protection?
Income protection is form of insurance that covers the insured in the even of them becoming too ill to work. The amount you get paid from your income protection policy could be anything up to three quarters of your usual wage and can be a huge relief knowing that monthly bills can still be met. Payments on an income protection policy will normally continue until the insured is well enough to return to work, reaches pension age or the policy term ends, which ever is sooner.

Pros- You decide how to spend the money you receive each month. If you are the main wage earner in the house you are safe in the knowledge that monthly payments can still be met.If you have a job that does not have sick pay, or you are self employed income protection can be an excellent choice.
Cons- This can be one of the more expensive forms of insurance, especially if you are only ill for a short period of time. There is a minimum deferment period is 4 weeks before you can make a claim.

Mortgage protection insurance
Many people confuse income protection with mortgage protection which is a very basic form of income protection. Mortgage protection is an annual renewable policy and as such the terms and conditions of this type of policy can change each year as too can the premiums. This type pf cover also has restrictions on the maximum payment period for the benefit which is usually a max of 2 years.

Getting an income protection quote.
To get an income protection without the fuss of going to various insurers and facing their hard sell on their income protection you could contact an insurerance broker and speak to an advisor. Perhaps you would prefer to read more information on getting an income protection quote first, if so visit one of the many online life insurance sites.

About The Author

Jason Haines is a protection and mortgage advisor at godirect.co.uk, one of the UK’’s most trusted information site about personal finance.

http://www.godirect.co.uk/life-insurance/income-protection.php

By Shaun Parker

We all have dreams, some have remained since childhood and some enter your subconscious as time goes by. Some dream of living in an exotic place, some dream of being a millionaire, some dream for world peace, some dream for Champions League glory, some dream of getting behind the wheel of an Audi R8. Dreams can come true…

Personal car leasing has grown in popularity, particularly since the global credit crunch as people are realising that there is more value, and less hassle, in leasing a brand new vehicle rather than purchasing one outright. A brand new car depreciates by between 15 and 22 percent after the first year of ownership which, especially in the current economic climate, is one of the factors as to why sales figures for brand new vehicles have nosedived.

Car leasing was once just a method of obtaining brand new vehicles for businesses who wanted their employees to drive clients around in swanky cars, and many businesses lease cars today as they realise that the many miles driven by their employees will affect the car’’s value considerably so there is no point in them purchasing vehicles outright.

Today, personal car leasing is becoming increasingly popular as after an initial downpayment, you will receive the keys to a brand new car of your choice with monthly lease payments to be made. To put personal car leasing into perspective if you were to purchase a brand new MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS C220 CDI Sport would set you back around 27,000 pounds, but to lease the same brand new vehicle would cost just 319.99 pounds per month after an initial payment of 960 pounds. If you bear in mind that the car will depreciate by around 5,000 pounds, by leasing the same car you will effectively be saving money without having the worry of losing out on your investment, and of course without having to put down the capital to buy the car outright.

The other advantage of personal car leasing is that you receive servicing as part of the monthly cost, so you never need to worry about having to foot expensive service charges ever again. And there are no lengthy contracts to worry about either, most car leasing offer begin at a minimum of 24 months, and with initial payments of no more than 4 per cent of the car’’s valuation, there are no huge deposits to pay.

There are many different car types available for personal car leasing including top of the range sports coupes to eco friendly low CO2 vehicles to SUV’’s to economical commuter hatchbacks. You get to choose the colour, the interior, the extras, everything as you would when purchasing a brand new car too.

With the economy the way it is no wonder more people are taking up personal car leasing, why invest money into a brand new car when it is going to lose money as soon as you drive out of the showroom? People are seemingly voting with their feet and joining the personal car leasing revolution, to the detriment of car dealerships, but to the advantage of their pockets at a time where people have less money to throw about in terms of losing out to depreciation.

About The Author

Shaun Parker is an economist with many years of experience in the leasing industry. Find out more about personal car leasing at http://www.ambervehiclesolutions.co.uk