Business and Industry in Norwich

Once famous for the manufacture of cloth, worsted in particular, the trade has almost ceased to exist in Norwich. Just about the only reminder of the trade in cloth are the tall three story buildings, with dormer windows, that were used to house the looms used in its production. Norwich is now mainly dependent on the service economy for its employment opportunities; the city has attracted over 50 national or regional headquarters of major UK firms and has four of the UKs fastest growing businesses based there. With a total of some 3,000 employers in the area around Norwich, over 75% of them employ five people or fewer. Hence, small businesses are of vital importance to local employment opportunities. Whilst agriculture, another historically important activity in the area, is still important in terms of contributing to the local economy, it now employs only about 8% of the local residents.

Norwich Union is undoubtedly the most famous company in Norwich and it is also the largest employer, employing 8000 local residents. The company is involved in the insurance, assurance, finance and health sectors of the economy and has assets in excess of £300 billion. It is estimated that overall one in four people in Norwich work in a finance or business related environment. Being the city where Barclays bank first started doing business it is perhaps fitting that Virgin Money has its registered office in Discovery House on Whiting Road in Norwich. Virgin Money, with assets in excess of £2.5 billion, is part of the hugely successful Virgin group and was launched in 1995 by the owner, Richard Branson. Virgin Money employs over 400 people in Norwich and the Virgin group employs 35,000 people world-wide. Moneyfacts is a paper and electronic publisher of unbiased financial data, based in Norwich which employs about 115 people. Another company working in the finance sector is Central Trust, which is sited at Austen House in Stannard Place, and employs approximately 350 employees. The company is a provider of financial services, loans, and has assets of around £50 million.

Currently owned by the Malaysian car manufacturing company Proton, Group Lotus has for more than 50 years been renowned for producing sports cars of quality and distinction. Its current range of models are the; Elise, Exige, Europa and the 2-Eleven which re-introduces the motoring philosophy of the old Lotus-7. Whilst the glory days of F1 motor-racing are gone for Lotus, it is still an important employer in Norwich. Its staff of about 1000 produce over 3000 cars a year. The high reputation in which Lotus Engineering, another arm of Group Lotus, is held can be demonstrated in the fact that 10% of all car engines sold in Europe were designed by Lotus. Group Lotus is located at Potash Lane in Hethel. Lotus are not the only company working in the motor trade near Norwich, Racing Technology (Norfolk) Ltd employs 40 people in a purpose built factory at Hingham and designs and manufactures composite bodies, mainly for racing cars, for customers such as Audi, Volkswagen and Bugatti. The company employs around 100 staff including managers, designers and marketing staff. Another company, Triking Cycle Cars Ltd, specialises in making three wheeled 'kit' cyclecars.

The Norwich Research Park is typical of the forward looking attitude that the city is taking to its future employment prospects. The park is a site of concentrated research sponsored by several companies into Health, Food and Environmental sciences and provides employment for around 9000 people. Other hi-tech companies located in Norwich include Syfer Technology Ltd, located at Arminghall in 'state of the art' premises, who are acknowledged as a world leader in the production of multi-layer components to the electronics industry. This essentially means they produce capacitors and filters for electronic circuit boards. Located nearby in Diss is Hamlin Electronics, they manufacture position and movement sensors that are important to features of car safety. Adobe, the company behind many software applications, has one of its two European development centres in Norwich.

Whilst the number of people working in agriculture has fallen, the farming industry still provides employment opportunities through companies involved in processing locally grown produce. Most famous of the food producing companies must surely be Bernard Matthews. Involved in both the farm rearing of the birds and the processing of them Bernard Matthews is a house-hold name in the UK when it comes to any fowl related produce. With its head office and processing plant at Great Witchingham Hall outside Norwich, it employs close on 1000 people locally and some 6000 world-wide. Started in 1950 by Bernard Matthews the company is now the biggest producer of turkeys in Europe and has an annual turn-over of more than £400 million. The company takes great pride in using farms in the east of England to rear the turkeys that it processes at its 12 hectare centre of operations.

One recent success in this area has been the development of Kettle Foods. With its registered office on Bowthorpe kettle Foods are best known for their range of potato snacks that they produce which contain "absolutely nothing artificial". Unilever has a factory in Carrow, Norwich, producing Colman's Mustard, a product that has been made in the city for over 180 years. Coleman's has been owned by Unilever since 1995 and is the oldest established arm of the company.

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C-NCAP Certification for the Chinese Automotive Industry

The constant media squabble over C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) doesn't annoy Mr Zhao Hang at all. As the Chief Director of China Automotive Technology Research Centre (CATARC), Zhao has paid a great deal of efforts to develop this program, a vehicle crash test known as "Chinese new car safety evaluation standard". "Safety, environmental friendliness and energy saving, we need to have them all," he said.

Big Brother of the automotive industry

CATARC was originally a research institute directly belonged to government departments, but now it has become a state-owned enterprise to make its own decisions. Apart from assisting in setting automotive industry policies, CATARC also conducts research in a few core automotive technologies, such as partnering with Tianjin FAW Xiali Motor, Hafei Automobile Group and Yunnan Hongta Group to develop alternative energy cars.

"For every aspect of China's automotive industry, we all have a corresponding service institution. This includes pre-production tasks such as project establishment, factory site selection and factory construction planning, and production related processes such as auto products, standards, information, testing, certification, quality system establishment and staff training. We also get involved in market establishment, second-hand car market, automotive finance, car rental and vehicle scrap recycling," said Zhao.

The C-NCAP

Although CATARC has such a wide-ranging function, most people currently are interested in its C-NCAP crash test. This controversial test was launched two years ago, and there have been many supporters as well as critics. Controversy is actually what Zhao has hoped for, and he even doesn't mind posting negative media comments onto CATARC's official website. The fact that many automotive companies are interested in C-NCAP and asking for trial tests, has demonstrated that C-NCAP results do have some market merit.

NCAP, or New Car Assessment Program, originated from the US in 1

970s, and it became further recognised in developed countries such as Japan, Europe and Australia in the 90s. a common feature of NCAP is that all the test cars have to be bought from the market, ie, assessable by ordinary consumers. It is an independent test for the benefit of consumers, without the intervention from automotive producers.

"The automotive industry in China is big, but few people really understand cars. Common criteria such as engine displacement, inside space and door numbers don't really matter, what's important is how safe when you are sitting in the car." Zhao suggested that the creation of C-NCAP is to provide star ratings on safety, so that there can be a standard for consumers to choose cars. The chief purpose of conducting C-NCAP tests is to prompt vehicle producers to upgrade their technologies and improve car safety.

"C-NCAP is a new car assessment program, not just a new car SAFETY assessment program. We do have to go through crash tests initially, but then we add up other results to establish a systematic evaluation standard for new cars, including safety, displacement and oil consumption tests." Zhao said that as China is a large energy user with insufficient energy supply, and for the environmental consideration as well, it is necessary to conduct displacement and oil consumption tests in the Program.

Industry recognition

C-NCAP can become a guideline for Chinese automotive manufacturers, said Zhao. "Many manufacturers are now designing products for the next 5 or 10 years by referring to C-NCAP. For example, once fuel consumption limits of passenger cars are given, product designers have to follow these limits. In addition, C-NCAP's analytical results, which are based on existing road and traffic accident statistics, will also serve for future standards setting, so this could also be guidance for manufacturers."

A cooperative deal with PICC (People's Insurance Company of China), China's largest property insurer, was another successful initiative by CATARC. Last year, a vehicle safety crash test laboratory sponsored by PICC was opened, and PICC had also provided US$2 million to C-NCAP as crash test funds. For an independent assessment institution like CATARC, its cooperation partners have to be without vested interests, so the country's number 1 insurer could be an ideal partner.

Despite being an incorporated entity, CATARC is not really run like a company, as many of its projects are non-for-profit in nature. At the same time it still has to pay for its own operating expenses. The government has set a limit on CATARC's profits, whose excessive components have to be retained for future projects or public causes. So the cooperation with PICC did give CATARC some funding relief.

What kind of vehicle certification system does China need?

Zhao said that there are significant differences between China's certification system and those internationally, in terms of methodologies and organisational management. "China has not yet had a truly formal certification system. The existing rules can only be called 'access system', which only determines whether a particular car model is allowed to enter the market. While in developed countries, government certifications are built around the three major criteria, namely safety, environmental friendliness and energy saving."

Take the example of safety. China has more than 100,000 traffic death tolls and about 1 million injuries. There are only about 200 Chinese cities with more than 1 million population each, so the casualty number is equivalent to eliminating a medium Chinese city every year. Therefore it is an urgent task for regulators to solve vehicle safety problems and improve auto product qualities.

CATARC plans and drafts national vehicle standards in China. Zhao suggested that China do have good and enough standards, but not enough when it comes to execution. And there are rules to follow, but not followed strictly. "Market competition cannot be in the absence of monitoring. Low price competition has now become a major problem in China's automotive industry, as many manufacturers try to reduce costs by jerry-building. Such vicious competition is harmful to the industry. Many vehicle models can pass quality certification when they are in the factory, but not the case when they go to the outside market. If a certified product is not the one sold to consumers, what's the use of certification?" said Zhao.

"Therefore, it is not enough for the automotive industry to just have an access system, and too many certification programs will not be helpful, either. We need to strictly monitor basic aspects, such as vehicle safety, environmental friendliness and energy saving, but leave other tasks to the market and consumers. This could be a really effective and realistic method for the industry," Zhao concluded.

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Future Visions of the Auto Industry and Automotive Advertising Based on What Was and What Is

Auto industry social networks all have different rules and protocols to create their unique identities in the auto industry and the inter-dependent automotive advertising industry. While there are differences in format, content and contributors they share the common goal to educate their community members by sharing best practices and insights with the concept that a rising tide floats all boats. To provide clarity and share my vision of the future of the retail auto industry and automotive advertising it must be framed it in the context of our changing geo-political and economic environment. Once the foundation of today is built on the broad picture of our world economy and politic, then the role of the Internet and related technologies can be applied to the one constant that we can all depend on -- human nature -- to help define tomorrow as I see it.

Any competitive business model must be built to accommodate tomorrow as well as today. Today is obvious. Sales volume, profit margins and inventory are down across all brands. Consumer confidence is falling as unemployment is rising even in the face of the expected temporary increase when the million plus census workers and various government employees -- such as the sixteen thousand IRS agents to police our new health care system -- are artificially added to the equation. Wholesale and retail credit lines are restricted by both natural business cycles and government intervention. Our economy is directly linked to the world economy along both monetary and political lines and the United States as well as our European trading partners are faced with excessive debt and unstable monetary systems. Our monetization of our debt -- basically the fact that we loaned ourselves the money we needed to fund our growing debt by printing more money, since no one else would lend it to us -- has insured the inevitable inflation of our dollar or some similar correction to our monetary system. This anticipated correction is already supported when observing the situation maturing in Greece, Portugal, Spain and other European Countries tied to the Euro and the International Monetary Fund, (IMF). No one has a crystal ball, so the only way to plan for tomorrow is to recap today's critical issues that didn't exist yesterday. It is these changes in -- what was -- vs. -- what is -- that will likely define -- what will be and the actions that auto dealers and automotive advertising agencies must take to remain profitable and competitive in unchartered waters.

The current administration was voted in on a platform of hope and change with the expectation that the promised transformation of America would take place within the confines of our constitution and in consideration of our established belief in a free marketplace. The redistribution of wealth was understood by most to reflect the giving nature of the American people as a moral and sharing society. Unfortunately, the transformation began in ways that could not have been imagined by the majority that voted for it with an agenda that is only now coming to light. The inherited financial burdens on our banking system that justified the need for change were matured across Republican and Democratic party lines -- as evidenced by the contributions of Fannie May and Freddie Mac to our mortgage crisis and the preferred treatment enjoyed by the unions, Goldman Sachs, AIG and other entities on Wall Street supported by the progressive political movement that is represented within both parties.

By way of disclaimer, I recognize that approximately 30% of our population believes in the collective -- We the people -- and the associated movement for the -- workers of the world to unite -- vs. the framers of the constitution that defined it as the individual -- We The People -- and the rights of the individual as a contributing member of the whole. That said, as the President has clearly stated, elections have consequences and I will attempt to limit my comments and future visions to only those actions that have or will have a direct impact on the auto industry and the automotive advertising agencies that are engaged to serve it.

The empowerment of the unions in the formation of Government Motors is already impacting the marketplace even while it is being challenged in the courts. The mandated consolidation of the retail distribution channels for General Motors and Chrysler preserved the interest of the unions over the guaranteed bond holders and independent dealers contrary to established rules of law. This precedence diluted expectations of both investors and corporations to rely on binding contracts and individual rights in favor of the collective we that our evolving society is expected to serve. Recent adjustments to the language in a variety of Federal powers have impacted previously accepted State and individual rights which must also be considered when projecting the future of the auto industry and automotive advertising -- if not our country as a whole.

For example, the change in the definition of eminent domain from taking personal property -- for public use -- to the new definition -- for public good -- has already resulted in private and commercial property being taken at distressed market values and given to other individuals that promised a higher tax base to the governing authority based on their position that the additional tax revenue was for the public good. Similarly, the ownership of water rights in the United States has been changed from the previous Federal ownership of all -- navigable waterways -- to include -- all waterways -- such as ponds, surface streams and basically any water that the government determines can be used for the public good. The potential impact on the farming industry and our food supplies evidence a shift in government control of society that must be considered when projecting the future of any industry -- including our beloved auto industry.

Given the government takeover of the banking industry, General Motors, Chrysler, Health Care and Student Loans that are now part of our history, the point becomes self evident. These single word changes and government takeover of entire industries for the public good dilute individual and corporate rights in favor of the rights of the collective. This is a basic step in the process of redistributing the wealth in accordance with Socialistic and Marxist principles. I am not judging the validity of any of these differing political philosophies since it would risk my ability to remain unbiased in my evaluation of present and pending opportunities in the auto industry. My intent is not to defend our previous constitutional republic over the shift to a Socialistic or Marxist democratic society, but rather to apply them when preparing a business model moving forward for my auto dealer / vendor clients and affiliated automotive advertising agencies.

For example, the recess appointment of Craig Becker as member of the five seat body of the National Labor Relations Board, (NLRB), suggests the intent of the administration to resume its push for the Card Check Regulation that is designed to facilitate unionizing all businesses in the United States. Recess appointments are an accepted practice used by previous administrations to bypass the Congress and the Senate to fill cabinet positions with individuals that are often blocked by partisan agendas. However, Mr. Becker was challenged in a bi-partisan manner based on his role as a senior attorney for the Unions including the CIO and the Service Employees International Union, (S.E.I.U), just before his appointment. The NLRB decides cases involving workers' rights which directly impacts larger issues between Democrats and their labor allies vs. stated Republican party interests and those of the corporate world When coupled with the intent of Card Check regulation to eliminate the right of workers to a private vote to determine if a business can be unionized, the likelihood that retail auto dealerships will be forced to become union shops becomes a real possibility. The regulation also allows the government to intervene in the event that an employer challenges a union take over with a Federal administrator enforcing the union proposals as to wage and other terms and conditions of employment pending a final determination. Based on reduced sales volume, profit margins and increased costs of doing business the inevitability of these privately held dealerships collapsing under the financial weight of union demands is painfully obvious to any auto dealer that understands his cost of sales line items and their impact on his shrinking bottom line.

Similarly, the administration's success in manipulating the processes in the Congress to pass its version of Health Care reform will increase expenses to auto dealers regarding insurance costs for their employees either in the form of forced coverage or penalties which must now be factored into projected operational expenses. These expenses may pale in comparison to other increases in the cost of doing business if the administrations' next stated goal to enforce Cap and Trade regulations are passed. This legislation promises to raise the cost of electricity and other costs of goods in America on many energy related fronts.

For those not familiar with Cap and Trade regulations, think of it as a tax on carbon emissions that would be collected by yet another government controlled body to pay restitution to third world countries who have been breathing our pollution and suffering from its impact on global warming. Of course the same scientists that collected the evidence that global warming exists which supported this legislation have since reversed their position while confessing that they manipulated the data. However, that revelation has not slowed the administrations' desire to move forward. In fact, they have empowered the Environment Protection Agency, (E.P.A.), to intercede and impose carbon taxes by claiming that carbon is a poisonous gas which they are authorized to restrict. Either way, the taxes will be imposed on American industry while other industrialized countries have already reversed their positions on imposing these same fees. This inequity in manufacturing costs will further reduce the ability for American manufacturers to compete in the world economy and will likely force the exit of many carbon producing industries to countries that do not impose these additional costs while taking their jobs with them.

Itemizing -- what is -- vs. -- what was -- has little value other than to cause panic when people realize that there is little that they can do to reverse the changes that they voted in. However, if properly framed in a problem solution format it can provide an opportunity for those that accept -- what is, forget -- what was, and work towards -- what can be. Now comes the good news!

The solution to surviving the promised redistribution of wealth from the perspective of auto dealers and automotive advertising agencies lies in their use of technology to reduce and even eliminate certain fixed and semi-variable expenses. Brick and mortar facilities are often financed with mortgage terms and/or rent factors that were based on now dated real estate values and anticipated sales volume and profit margins to carry the debt service. The commercial real estate bubble of over one trillion dollars coming due over the next eighteen months with no current resource of funds to replace maturing commercial mortgages promise to exasperate already reduced equity positions for auto dealers. The related unsustainable debt service demands a change in the ways that vehicles are sold in the United States; can you say Internet!

Similarly, current staffing needs are often related to processes that are labor intensive. The associated human resource expense and exposure is based on a business model that is antiquated in the face of potential union intervention and government controls; can you say Technology!

Tax consequences resulting from LIFO credits that impacted auto dealerships who could not maintain inventory levels projected in their annual computations due to issues beyond their control are eliminating annual profits. As a direct result of all of these cumulative issues, even captive lenders are balking on maintaining floor plan credit lines or real estate mortgages. Minimum working capital requirements for auto dealers faced with reduced sales, profits and equity to present as collateral for much needed financing has severely limited dealer options to acquire funds to maintain operations.

As already hinted, the solution lies in shifting the focus form brick and mortar facilities to new online virtual showrooms and other Internet based applications that provide more efficient selling processes. Of course real world facilities for sales and service are still part of the projected solution as are the people that will be required to staff them. All processes start and end with people and human nature has and will survive on the Internet. However, the allocation of these resources and the associated expenses must be reduced in the face of the changes already in place as well as those being contemplated to accommodate our new role in a world economy.

Today's car sales person must be educated to use new technologies and Internet based selling systems much like previous generations needed to be trained with the skills of a mechanized society versus an agricultural one. Computers are already an integral part of our culture so the transition shouldn't be as hard as some may perceive. Similarly, large central distribution channels that used to provide efficiencies for manufacturing and retail outlets have been replaced by more cost effective online linked resources across the World Wide Web that reduce fixed and semi-variable expenses in a shared manner that didn't exist before the Internet Super Highway.

Consumers have already been empowered by the Internet to bypass the auto dealer in both the real and the virtual world as the source for the information that they need to purchase a vehicle. Seeking the path of least resistance to satisfy a need is an established element in human nature. An auto dealers ability to accommodate their customers preference to be in charge of their vehicle purchase will be the key to their survival now and in the future. Online customer interaction platforms already allow a dealer to accommodate a two way video communication with real time interaction with the online shopper/buyer sourced from data on the auto dealer's DMS and linked to their CRM. The transparency of this negotiation process allows the dealer to crash through the glass wall of the Internet with the ability to push and pull the same material that they can at their dealership. The result is the opportunity to accommodate an online transaction with the inevitable ability to reduce staff and facility needs in the real world along with the associated expenses and increased profits.

Social networking is another technology based solution that capitalizes on human nature which promises to change the face of the auto industry and the resources available to automotive advertising agencies to help their auto dealers sell more for less in the future. Consumer centric inventory based marketing platforms fueled by social networking communities that provide word of mouth advertising to virally extend the auto dealer's branding and marketing messages represent the next generation of applied social media. C2C marketing messaging to social networking communities from the inside out vs. the now dated attempts to market to online communities with B2C messages from the outside in builds on established protocols in social media. Next generation platforms promise to monetize social media for automotive advertising agencies with integrated Ask-A-Friend / Tell-A-Friend features that allow online shoppers to solicit opinions from friends and family. Customer driven posts on their Face Book page drags the dealership and their vehicle into the conversation with the obvious advantage of the increased exposure and the associated viral coefficient to extend their message and online footprint for potential customers linked to the initial online shopper. Google agrees as evidenced by their weighted consideration of real time social media which quantifies the R.O.I. for the dealer with improved S.E.O. for the sourcing dealer's expanding virtual showroom.

Other technology based solutions that improve online marketing processes converts the pictures on an auto dealer's web site to professional quality videos with human voice placed on the auto dealer's site, all third party marketing sites and even the search engines through a dedicated API with You Tube -- further evidence the ability of auto dealers to expand beyond the limitations of their brick and mortar facilities and in-house support staff. Extended social networking platforms which allow an auto dealer to empower their sales staff to develop their own websites to market to their spheres of influence with management controls to moderate content and monitor use to prevent employee abuse exist today with the promise to be more widely used tomorrow to build the vision of what will be in the face of a challenging economy.

To extend my vision for the auto industry beyond the technologies that exist today requires a similar understanding that expenses and staff need to be consolidated beyond current expectations. Limited resources for consumers to purchase, finance and/or lease their vehicles won't eliminate their need for transportation. Future financial instruments that are a hybrid of a lease and a rental agreement could allow consumers access to a pool of vehicles in a convenient central location where their Drivers License could act as a key and a charge card to apply charges against pre-paid transportation credits deducted by their employers and controlled by the government to track personal activities and location along with socially accepted consumption of our limited resources. I recognize that the big brother flavor of that vision may seem foreign in the context of what was and is, but we are talking about what will be based on the new collective society that our country has moved towards.

As for the role of the OEM and the auto dealer in the future, it would be reasonable to accept that the government's existing control of the auto and banking industry will extend into the energy industry which will set the stage for the government determining which vehicles could be manufactured and/or imported and placed into the transportation pools with the locations determined by public transportation hubs that link to local distribution centers. The government currently owns 51 % of all real estate in the country through their mortgage interests in Fannie May and Freddie Mack and the pending commercial real estate bubble promises to shift a great deal more to public control. In addition. the government has recently changed the funding available to both organizations to be considered unlimited with the full faith and backing of the United States Treasury. That action coupled with the previously stated changes in eminent domain and the fact that millions of acres of resource rich land was recently acquired by the government to build additional -- national monuments -- suggests that land will be made available as needed to accomplish this community transportation system for the public good. Of course government employees will be needed to manage and staff these transportation hubs which would likely represent the auto dealer of the future.

Simply put, my future visions of the auto industry and automotive advertising is built on the past and the present with a recognition of what will be if we continue on the path that we have already chosen. I assume the constant of human nature and the role of technology in our evolution to date with the expectation that neither will change. Of course, there are consequences to elections so I suppose that I should update my projections after November, 2010 and the presidential election in 2012. In any case, the movement from the real to the virtual world has already started and will surely continue so that part of the vision should remain clear.

Philip Zelinger is a former auto dealer principal with an earned reputation as a nationally recognized automotive advertising expert specializing in the technology sector. His philosophy that a rising tide floats all boats motivates him to listen and learn so he can presume to teach. To that end, Philip shares best practices on the respected automotive advertising resource networking portal -- http://AdAgencyOnline.Net -- as well as the blog talk radio station featured on the site -- WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time -- http://blogtalkradio.com/adagencyonline.

For a complimentary consultation on your automotive advertising needs, or to share your wisdom and insights with the online automotive advertising community hosted by Ad Agency Online, L.L.C.. visit the portal and contact Philip Zelinger directly. To quote Philip, "Help is only a click away because -- after all, what are friends for!"

Business and Industry in Liverpool

The commercial life of Liverpool has been developing over many centuries. Originally a small fishing port it went on to become one of the great ports of the world. Now, as is the case with many large cities that developed during and after the industrial revolution, Liverpool acknowledges that some of its old industries are gone and others are changed forever. With that attitude the city is promoting itself as a city that national and international companies would want to invest in. The following are some examples of the industrial and business life of the re-developing Liverpool.

Liverpool has for many decades had automotive industry companies working in it. The Ford plant at Halewood employs a little under 1000 people and is currently used as an assembly plant for Jaguar X-Type vehicles and production of the GetRag transmission system for Fiesta, Fusion and Transit models. The biggest automotive plant in Liverpool is currently the GM plant at Ellesmere Port which was opened in June 1964 to produce the Vauxhall Viva. The plant is currently used to produce models of the Vauxhall/Opel Astra and its 5,500 employees produce around 180,000 vehicles a year.

As a major UK port, the importation of food and drink through Liverpool inevitably led to the growth of food and drink businesses in the area. Almost a speciality of Liverpool was the sugar trade from the West Indies, so it is of little surprise that The Billington Food Group, who import and trade in sugar, should be located in Liverpool. Convenient for transatlantic trade from Canada the port of Liverpool was also convenient for landing Salmon fish; subsequently in the 1880s Simpson and Roberts founded the Princes Foods Company, a name synonymous with canned fish products in the UK. The company now deals in a range of food products and with a turn-over of £750 million a year the company plays an important part in the local Liverpool economy. Another nationally well known food name is Jacobs, of Cream Cracker fame. Now part of the United Biscuits it still has a major production plant at Aintree along with the Groups Business Centre at Binns Road in the city.

Professional and financial services accounts for over 20% of the Merseyside gross domestic product. Liverpool city offers the perfect centre for these operations enabling rapid networking and development. Amongst the more well known names in these sectors with bases in Liverpool are - in accounting: Deloitte and Touche, Earnst and Young, KPMG and Price Waterhouse Coopers. In finance - Coutts and the best known insurance company in Liverpool is The Royal Liver Insurance Services. Now a multi-billion pound company it was founded in 1850 primarily to give the poor an opportunity to ensure they could afford a decent burial for their loved ones. So successful was their business that by 1911 they had built and moved into the Royal Liver building, at Pier Head, which was to become a symbol for the whole of the city attaining an iconic status to Liverpool residents. Liverpool has become a magnet for UK based call-centres with companies as large and diverse as BT, United Airways, Barclays Direct Loan Service, Norwich Union Direct and Swiss Life all being located there.

The Merseyside area is well known as the home of petro-chemical companies with ICI having a large plant across the Wirral in Cheshire. GlaxcoSmithKline is one of the larger pharmaceutical / Life Sciences companies with a base in Liverpool. Others include Novartis and ML Laboratories in nearby Warrington. In total, Life science companies employ over 4000 people in the area.

Across Merseyside nearly 2000 people are employed in the creative industries of music, film, drama. The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts attracts students from all over the country to study in its world class facilities. The expansion in media companies wishing to use Liverpool has resulted in the city council operating a Liverpool Film Office to support and co-ordinate filming events. Liverpool is also the home of Lime pictures which produces 'Hollyoaks" alongside other well known national TV programmes. Telecommunications and ICT companies bring in about £1 billion to the local economy every year. The continuing growth in this sector being one of the key drivers behind the regeneration of Liverpool. BT, Cable & Wireless and Marconi being amongst the companies with development centres in the area.

An industry vastly changed from what it was even 20 years ago is Liverpool's maritime industry. Whilst it now only employs 6000 people, compared to nearly 40,000 in the early 20th century, the Port of Liverpool is the third largest port in the UK by tonnage handled and is in the top 10 of container ports in northern Europe. Whilst the days of large transatlantic liners docking at Liverpool are over, the port is still used by P&O Ferries for its routes to and from Ireland.

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Overview of Bangladesh Garment Industry

Agriculture, as the case in India, has been the backbone of economy and chief source of income for the people of Bangladesh, the country made of villages. Government wants to decrease poverty by getting highest productivity from agriculture and achieve self-reliance in food production. Apart from agriculture, the country is much concerned about the growth of export division. Bangladesh have accelerated and changed her exports substantially from time to time. After Bangladesh came into being, jute and tea were the most export-oriented industries. But with the continual perils of flood, failing jute fibre prices and a considerable decline in world demand, the role of the jute sector to the country's economy has deteriorated (Spinanger, 1986). After that, focus has been shifted to the function of production sector, especially in garment industry.

The garment industry of Bangladesh has been the key export division and a main source of foreign exchange for the last 25 years. At present, the country generates about $5 billion worth of products each year by exporting garment. The industry provides employment to about 3 million workers of whom 90% are women. Two non-market elements have performed a vital function in confirming the garment industry's continual success; these elements are (a) quotas under Multi- Fibre Arrangement1 (MFA) in the North American market and (b) special market entry to European markets. The whole procedure is strongly related with the trend of relocation of production.

Displacement of Production in the Garment Industry

The global economy is now controlled by the transfer of production where firms of developed countries swing their attention to developing countries. The new representation is centred on a core-periphery system of production, with a comparatively small centre of permanent employees dealing with finance, research and development, technological institution and modernisation and a periphery containing dependent elements of production procedure. Reducing costs and increasing output are the main causes for this disposition. They have discovered that the simplest way to undercharge is to move production to a country where labour charge and production costs are lower. Since developing nations provide areas that do not impose costs like environmental degeneration, this practice protects the developed countries against the issues of environment and law. The transfer of production to Third World has helped the expansion of economy of these nations and also speed up the economy of the developed nations.

Garment industry is controlled by the transfer of production. The globalisation of garment production started earlier and has expanded more than that of any other factory. The companies have transferred their blue-collar production activities from high-wage areas to low-cost manufacturing regions in industrialising countries. The enhancement of communication system and networking has played a key role in this development. Export-oriented manufacturing has brought some good returns to the industrialising nations of Asia and Latin America since the 1960s. The first relocation of garment manufacturing took place from North America and Western Europe to Japan in the 1950s and the early 1960s. But during 1965 and 1983, Japan changed its attention to more lucrative products like cars, stereos and computers and therefore, 400,000 workers were dismissed by Japanese textile and clothing industry. In impact, the second stock transfer of garment manufacturing was from Japan to the Asian Tigers - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore in 1970s. But the tendency of transfer of manufacturing did not remain there. The rise in labour charge and activeness of trade unions were in proportion to the enhancement in economies of the Asian Tigers. The industry witnessed a third transfer of manufacturing from 1980s to 1990s; from the Asian Tigers to other developing countries - Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China in particular. The 1990s have been led by the final group of exporters including Bangladesh, Srilanka, Pakistan and Vietnam. But China was leader in the current of the relocation as in less than ten years (after 1980s) China emerged from nowhere to become the world's major manufacturer and exporter of clothing.

Bangladesh Garment Sector and Global Chain

The cause of this transfer can be clarified by the salary structure in the garment industry, all over the world. Apparel labour charge per hour (wages and fringe benefits, US$) in USA is 10.12 but it is only 0.30 in Bangladesh. This difference accelerated the world apparel exports from $3 billion in 1965, with developing nations making up just 14 percent of the total, to $119 billion in 1991, with developing nations contributing 59 percent. In 1991 the number of workers in the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh was 582,000 and it grew up to 1,404,000 in 1998. In USA, however, 1991-figure showed 1,106.0 thousand workers in the apparel sector and in 1998 it turned down to 765. 8 thousand.

The presented information reveals that the tendency of low labour charges is the key reason for the transfer of garment manufacturing in Bangladesh. The practice initiated in late 1970s when the Asian Tiger nations were in quest of tactics to avoid the export quotas of Western countries. The garment units of Bangladesh are mainly relying on the 'tiger' nations for raw materials. Mediators in Asian Tiger nations build an intermediary between the textile units in their home countries, where the spinning and weaving go on, and the Bangladeshi units where the cloth is cut, sewn, ironed and packed into cartons for export. The same representatives of tiger nations discover the market for Bangladesh in several nations of the North. Large retail trading companies placed in the United States and Western Europe give most orders for Bangladeshi garment products. Companies like Marks and Spencers (UK) and C&A (the Netherlands) control capital funds, in proportion to which the capital of Bangladeshi owners is patience. Shirts manufactured in Bangladesh are sold in developed nations for five to ten times their imported price.

Collaboration of a native private garment industry, Desh Company, with a Korean company, Daewoo is an important instance of international garment chain that works as one of the grounds of the expansion of garment industry in Bangladesh. Daewoo Corporation of South Korea, as part of its global policies, took interest in Bangladesh when the Chairman, Kim Woo-Choong, offered an aspiring joint venture to the Government of Bangladesh, which included the growth and process of tyre, leather goods, and cement and garment factories. The Desh-Daewoo alliance was decisive in terms of getting into the global apparel markets at significant juncture, when import reforming was going on in this market following the signing of MFA in 1974. Daewoo, a South Korean leading exporter of garments, was in search of opportunities in nations, which had hardly used their quotas. Due to the quota restriction for Korea after MFA, the export of Daewoo became limited. Bangladesh as an LDC got the chance to export without any constraint and for this cause Daewoo was concerned with the use of Bangladesh for their market. The purpose behind this need was that Bangladesh would rely on Daewoo for importing raw materials and at the same time Daewoo would get the market in Bangladesh. When the Chairman of Daewoo displayed interest in Bangladesh, the country's President put him in touch with chairman of Desh Company, an ex-civil servant who was seeking more entrepreneurial pursuits.

To fulfil this wish, Daewoo signed a collaboration contract with Desh Garment for five years. The contract also incorporated the fields of technical training, purchase of machinery and fabric, plant establishment and marketing in return for a specific marketing commission on all exports by Desh during the contract phase. Daewoo also imparted an exhaustive practical training of Desh employees in the working atmosphere of a multinational company. Daewoo keenly helped Desh in buying machinery and fabrics. Some technicians of Daewoo arrived Bangladesh to establish the plant for Desh. The end result of the association of Desh-Daewoo was important. In the first six years of its business, i.e. 1980/81-86/87, Desh export value increased at an annual average rate of 90%, reaching more than $5 million in 1986/87.

It is claimed that the Desh-Daewoo alliance is a significant element for the growth and achievement of Bangladesh's entire garment export industry. After getting linked with Daewoo's brand names and marketing network, overseas buyers went on with buying garments from the corporation heedless of their origin. Out of the opening trainees most left Desh Company at several times to erect their own competing garment companies, worked as a way of moving knowledge all through the whole garment sector.

It is essential to identify the outcomes of the process of moving production from high pay to low pay nations for both developing and developed nations. It is a bare fact that most of the Third World nations are now on the way to industrialisation. In this procedure, workers are working under unfavourable working environment - minimal wages, unhealthy place of work, lack of security, no job guarantee, forced labour etc.

The route of globalisation is full of ups and downs for the developing nations. Relocations of comparatively mobile, blue-collar production from industrialized to developing nations, in some circumstances, can have troublesome effects on social life if - in the absence of efficient planning and talks between international organisations and the government and/or organisations of the host nation - the transferred action encourages urban-bound relocation and its span of stay is short. Another negative result is that the rise in employment and/or income is not expected to be satisfactorily large and extensive to lessen inequality. In connection with the negative results of relocation of manufacturing on employment in developed countries, we realize that in comparatively blue-collar industries, the growing imports from developing nations lead to unavoidable losses in employment. It is held that development of trade with the South was a significant reason of the disindustrialisation of employment in the North over past few decades.

After all employees who are constantly working under unfavourable circumstances have to bear the brunt. Work is under-control across the Bangladesh garment sector. Appalling working atmosphere has been brought to light in the Bangladesh garment industry.

A research reveals that 90 percent of the garment employees went through illness or disease during the month before the interviews. Headache, anaemia, fever, chest, stomach, eye and ear pain, cough and cold, diarrhoea, dysentery, urinary tract infection and reproductive health problems were more common diseases. The garment factories gave bonus of different diseases to the employees for working. With a view to finding out a link between these diseases and industrial threats, health status of employees has been examined before and after coming in the garment work. At the end of examination, it was come out that about 75 percent of the garment workforce had sound health before they entered the garment factory. The reasons of health declines were industrial threats, unfavourable working environment, and want of staff facilities, inflexible terms and conditions of garment employment, workplace pressure, and low wages. Different work-related threats and their influence on health forced employees to leave the job after few months of joining the factory; the average length of service was only 4 years.

The garment sector is disreputable for fires, which are said to have claimed over 200 lives in the past two years, though exact figures are tough to find. A shocking instance of absence of workplace safety was the fire in November 2000, in which almost 50 workers lost their lives in Narsingdi as exist doors were closed.

From the above analysis of working atmosphere of garment sector, we can state that the working environment of most of the Third World nations, particularly Bangladesh remind us of earlier development of garment industries in the First World nations. The state of employment in many (not necessarily) textiles and clothing units in the developing nations take us back to those set up in the nineteenth century in Europe and North America. The mistreatment of garment employees in the birth period of the development of US garment factories reviewed above is more or less same as it seen now in the Bangladesh garment industry. Can we state that garment employees of the Third World nations living in the 21st century? Is it a return of the Sweatshop?

In a way, the Western companies are guilty of pitiable working atmosphere in the garment sector. The developed nations want to make more profit and therefore, force the developing nations to cut down the manufacturing cost. In order to survive in the competition, most of the developing nations select immoral practices. By introducing inflexible terms and conditions in the business, the global economy has left few alternatives for the developing nations.

Right Time to Make a Decision

There are two alternatives to tackle the challenge of the competitive world initiated by the continuous pressure of global garment chain. One can continue to exist in the competition by adopting time-honoured work systems or immoral practices. But it is uncertain how long they can continue to exist. In connection with the garment industry of Bangladesh, we can say that this is the right time to follow a competitive policy, which improves quality. If the MFA opportunities are eliminated, will it be feasible to keep the competitiveness through low-wage-female labour or through further drop in female wages? Possibly not. Since the labour charges are so minimal that with such wage, a worker is not able to maintain even a family of two members. Enhancing the efficiency of female workers is the only solution to increased competition. Proper education and thorough training can help achieve these positive results. To rule the global market, Bangladesh has to come out of low wage and low output complex in the garment industry. Bangladesh can enhance labour output through constant training, use of upgraded technology and better working environment. Bangladesh should plan a strategy intended for promoting skill development, speeding up technology transfer and improving productivity height of the workers.

Another method is to adopt best system or ethical course. Those companies, which react to heightened competition by stressing quality, speedy answer of the customers, fair practices for labourers should have the most innovative practices. We think that we are now living in the age of competition in producing improved quality over cost-reduction policy. The objective of change efforts at the workplace has been modified over the time - from making the job humane in the 1960s, to job satisfaction and output in 1970s, to quality and competitiveness in the 1980s. It is necessary for a company to pursue a competitive policy that improves quality, flexibility, innovation and customer care. If they rely on low costs by dropping labourers' wages and other services, they will be bereaved of labourers' dedication to work.

Strength

. Considerable Qualified/keen to learn workforce available at low labour charges. The recommended minimum average wages (which include Travelling Allowance, House Rent, Medical Allowance, Maternity Benefit, Festival Bonus and Overtime Benefit) in the units within the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones (BEPZ) are given as below; on the other hand, outside the BEPZ the wages are about 40% lower:

. Energy at low price

. Easily accessible infrastructure like sea road, railroad, river and air communication

. Accessibility of fundamental infrastructure, which is about 3 decade old, mainly established by the Korean, Taiwanese and Hong Kong Chinese industrialists.

. FDI is legally permitted

. Moderately open Economy, particularly in the Export Promotion Zones

. GSP under EBA (Everything But Arms) for Least Developed Country applicable (Duty free to EU)

. Improved GSP advantages under Regional Cumulative

. Looking forward to Duty Free Excess to US, talks are on, and appear to be on hopeful track

. Investment assured under Foreign Private Investment (Promotion and Protection) Act, 1980 which secures all foreign investments in Bangladesh

. OPIC's (Overseas Private Investment Corporation, USA) insurance and finance agendas operable

. Bangladesh is a member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) under which protection and safety measures are available

. Adjudication service of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Dispute (ICSID) offered

. Excellent Tele-communications network of E-mail, Internet, Fax, ISD, NWD & Cellular services

. Weakness of currency against dollar and the condition will persist to help exporters

. Bank interest@ 7% for financing exports

. Convenience of duty free custom bonded w/house

. Readiness of new units to enhance systems and create infrastructure accordant with product growth and fast reactions to circumstances

Weakness

. Lack of marketing tactics

. The country is deficient in creativity

. Absence of easily on-hand middle management

. A small number of manufacturing methods

. Low acquiescence: there is an international pressure group to compel the local producers and the government to implement social acquiescence. The US GSP may be cancelled and purchasing from US & EU may decrease significantly

. M/c advancement is necessary. The machinery required to assess add on a garment or increase competence are missing in most industries.

. Lack of training organizations for industrial workers, supervisors and managers.

. Autocratic approach of nearly all the investors

. Fewer process units for textiles and garments

. Sluggish backward or forward blending procedure

. Incompetent ports, entry/exit complicated and loading/unloading takes much time

. Speed money culture

. Time-consuming custom clearance

. Unreliable dependability regarding Delivery/QA/Product knowledge

. Communication gap created by incomplete knowledge of English

. Subject to natural calamities

Opportunity

. EU is willing to establish industry in a big way as an option to china particularly for knits, including sweaters

. Bangladesh is included in the Least Developed Countries with which US is committed to enhance export trade

. Sweaters are very economical even with china and is the prospect for Bangladesh

. If skilled technicians are available to instruct, prearranged garment is an option because labour and energy cost are inexpensive.

. Foundation garments for Ladies for the FDI promise is significant because both, the technicians and highly developed machinery are essential for better competence and output

. Japan to be observed, as conventionally they purchase handloom textiles, home furniture and garments. This section can be encouraged and expanded with continued progress in quality

Threat

. The exporters have to prepare themselves to harvest the advantages offered by the opportunities.

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Scam Alert - Cosmetic Dentistry Secrets The Dental Industry Doesn't Want You To Know

Are you considering getting some cosmetic dental work done? Before you plunk down the big money, there are certain things you should know about this type of dentistry that will not only benefit your health but also save you a lot of money.

Although there are dentists and dental offices that specialize in performing cosmetic dentistry, it should be noted that there is no such thing as a "Cosmetic Dentist" as the American Dental Association (ADA.org) only recognizes 11 areas of dental specialties ; Dental Public Health, Pediatric, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

Because of the growing market of people who want "cosmetic" (or restorative as it's properly called) dentistry done on them such as bleeching, contouring, esthetic partials, veneers, porcelain crowns, teeth reshaping, caps, etc., there are those dentists who are trying (and succeeding!) in exploiting their patients by getting them to pay more money than they have to for procedures which, in many cases, can be done by a regular dentist (crowns, bridges, caps) for a lot less money.

The bottom line is don't just assume you need to see a "cosmetic dentist"; have a regular DDS or DMD dentist examine you first and if they can't help you, have them recommend a dentist who specializes in restorative dentistry.

Four Most Popular Types Of Cosmetic Dental Work

Porcelain Veneers - It is a known fact that veneers (porcelain laminate veneers, technically) are gaining in popularity, especially among wealthier folks. Veneers are very thin porcelain 'false fronts' for your teeth. They are custom-made from a meticulous mold of your teeth, which are then applied directly to the fronts of your teeth to produce instant perfect whiteness. They are most often used to cover stains that cannot be removed through other methods, to fill in gaps, and to cover surface damage. In the world of cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers are just about the most expensive solution. Prices vary considerably, depending on the renown of the dentist you use and where you live. Expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $1,000 per tooth. While some people have all their teeth done, the vast majority who choose this option have just their front six teeth done (top and bottom). This translates to a total price tag of $4,800 to $12,000.

Professional Tooth Whitening - These days tooth whitening is the most popular form of cosmetic dentistry, by far. Millions of Americans have this procedure done every year. The process involves applying a gel mixture containing about 35% hydrogen peroxide directly to the teeth via a mouth tray (similar to mouth guards worn by football players). Your dentist then uses a plasma arc light or laser to quickly heat the hydrogen peroxide, which then oxidizes the stains on your teeth. You usually have a choice between having the teeth whitening done in the dentist's office, or using an at-home system that he or she devises and manages. The in-office procedure is more expensive, but is also quicker and often produces more whitening. At-home systems are slower and may not produce as much whitening, but they are less costly. In-office whitening will run you $450 to $1,200, while at-home systems generally add up to $300 to $750.

Tooth Shaping - This type of procedure is becoming popular as a way for people who have generally good teeth to fine-tune their smiles. Some people have long teeth or maybe their canines are too sharp for their liking. A very simple and relatively inexpensive procedure in the pantheon of cosmetic dentistry at just $30 to $70 per tooth, the entire process is painless and can be finished in as little as thirty minutes and one office visit. The dentist uses an instrument to essentially file or sculpt the teeth in question to the agreed upon shape. Only bits of enamel are removed, and the tooth's nerve is not disturbed, so no pain is involved.

Gum Lifting - Gum lifting is another increasingly popular form of cosmetic dentistry. A small portion of the gum line (usually the upper gum) is removed in an effort to make the gum line appear uniform. You've probably seen people with 'gummy' smiles, where the upper lip exposes most (or at least too much) of the upper gums. This procedure reduces the amount of gum showing when a person smiles, as well as making the gum line even across the teeth. Gum lifts are done tooth-by-tooth, and involve a mild local anesthetic to deaden the nerves in the gums. Patients generally report only very mild discomfort for a day or two after the procedure. This can be a fairly expensive procedure, depending on the number of teeth that need to have the gums above reduced. A gum lift will set you back $70 to $200 per tooth.

Making Cosmetic Dental Care More Affordable

Most people who get cosmetic dentristry done these days pay out-of-pocket for this service. This is because very few dental insurance policies cover so-called "elective procedures", even though some of these procedures (ie. braces, dentures, root canals) would be considered anything but "elective" by most people. However, there are a couple of steps you can take to reduce how much you will pay for cosmetic-related dental procedures, especially if these procedures are not covered by your existing dental insurance coverage;

(1) By far the best way to reduce what you pay for cosmetic dentistry is to shop around. Don't be taken in by fancy newspaper advertisements of glowing testimonials about how much better a person feels about themselves after they've went to this dentist or that dental office, do some old-fashioned comparison shopping. Start by going to a dentist that you trust and after explaining to them the type treatment you're looking for, ask them what your options are and how much they will cost. Then if you need to go somewhere else for treatment, ask your dentist for a referral.

(2) Another easy way to save money on cosmetic dentistry is to enroll in a discount or reduced fee dental plan. These plans allow members to save 15%, 20% and in some cases as much as 25% on any cosmetic procedure done by a dental specialist (Periodontist, Orthodontist, Oral Surgeon, etc). The problem with these type of plans is that unless you live in or near a large-size city, the chances are that you'll find few if any specialists in your area who will accept a discount dental plan, so before you join any plan, make sure that plan has at least one orthodontist, periodontist and oral surgeon within a reasonable driving distance from where you live.

Choosing A "Cosmetic Dentistry Friendly" Plan

But how do you know which discount dental plan is best for you and your specific cosmetic dental needs? There can literally be dozens of plans to choose from, each one with their own participating dentists, monthly premiums and dental fee schedules, so it can be easy to pay too much for a plan. The National Association of Dental Plans (NADP.org) reports that 68% of all buyers pay too much for their dental coverage which is why its a good idea to shop around for the plan that's best for you.

Murray Glick is a webmaster with DiscountDental4u.net and frequently writes about issues dealing with dental coverage. He insists that the time to buy a dental plan is not when you get a toothache, but well before you need any type of emergency dental insurance. With the current choices in discount dental plans, the cost of going to the dentist is more affordable for everyone so before you this for delay getting dental work done because you're afraid of the bill, visit http://www.discountdental4u.net to learn what your options are.

If you want help finding a "cosmetic dentistry friendly" discount dental plan in your area, send an email to webmaster@discountdental4u.net

The Development of the Australian Life Insurance Industry

Three major trends, each of which has been the result of government intervention, have shaped today's Australian life insurance and retirement savings landscape: i) the introduction of superannuation and the unbundling of risk and savings products; ii) deregulation and the emergence of bancassurance models; and iii) demutualization and changing business models.

With the emergence of superannuation onto the Australian financial landscape, risk and savings products effectively became unbundled. Compared to the rest of Asia Pacific, where there is still significant opaqueness in product structures and, therefore, high embedded margins in life policies, Australia presents the opposite picture.

To understand this, one must appreciate a bit of history. Superannuation schemes were introduced in Australia after World War II as a way of providing for servicemen in retirement. During the 1960s, these schemes emerged as major competitors to the traditional savings and risk management products of life insurers. By the end of the 1960s, superannuation had taken over from traditional products as the way Australians thought about savings and retirement.

To address this new form of competition, Australian insurers responded through innovation in product design. In particular, during the 1970s, they started to unbundle traditional life insurance products into separate risk and savings products. There were a number of reasons for this. Unbundling produced products made them much easier for retail consumers to understand. The new products could then compete directly with those from the superannuation industry. Furthermore, it allowed investors the opportunity to better tailor their product portfolio and have greater control over decisions, such as where their funds were invested.

Also, government intervention has completely changed the face of the insurance industry through concessionary tax treatments and the introduction of compulsory superannuation contributions in 1992. Compulsory superannuation quickly enlarged the size of the industry to such an extent that it is now a fundamental element in the Australian financial system. Many Asian governments have studied the superannuation scheme, and a few countries have actually put mandatory systems in place, such as the Central Provident Fund (CPF) in Singapore and the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) in Hong Kong. The impact of superannuation schemes in Australia is an interesting study in the effect of government intervention on a nation's financial system. However, the extent to which superannuation took off in Australia and "crowded out" retail financial products is truly unique. None of the markets has anything close to the 360-kilo gorilla that superannuation has become in Australia.

To find out more information regarding United Insurance Company of America, visit: General Insurance Company of America.

Is Disability Insurance a Mature Enough Industry That You Need to Trust in Its Ability to Assist?

Disability insurance, in case you look at it, need to figure on our list of issues to do, just like a lot as medical care insurance does, shouldn't it? About one in five Americans experiences some form of injury each and every year that keeps them from working for a period of time. Depending on who is advertising, it is possible to get to hear figures anywhere between 30% and 80%, as an estimation of your personal chances of being struck by some form of disability in your lifetime. Disability insurance exists, to produce up for whatever shortfall in salary you experience, whenever you can't function. And all of this, is when most of all Americans get by with no disability insurance of their own. They can count themselves lucky if their employer occurs to cover them, but which is all. Most individuals who cover themselves paying premiums out-of-pocket, never can afford enough.

The disability insurance industry, can consider of no far better method to respond to all of this, than by inflicting grisly advertisements on us, that make them sound like vultures circling inside sky. They put out statistics that go, 'Every second in America, there's a new disability that occurs". They get that figure from the National Safety Council that has sort of a broad definition for disability injury. If you ever get anything that keeps you away from any everyday activity for a lot more than one day, they call that a disability injury. For instance, in the event you feel you cannot go to the movies one night, due to the fact you were roughhousing with your kids, and got punched inside nose, that counts being a disability injury. Lots of persons look at to put in fake claims to obtain their hands on some undeserved disability payouts as well, to generate points worse. For whatever reason, doctors seem to acquire a great deal of disability insurance for themselves as well, and they claim on them generally. If most of our estimates of how likely we are to need to have disability insurance comes from those who take these into account, how do we actually know just how much we require it?

There's not a whole whole lot of independent info on the subject. There was a book known as How to Insure Your Income, released a lot more than 10 years ago, that gave you statistics that weren't all that various. The site of the Council for Disability Awareness has an on the internet quiz, that says that if you've an office job, you just have a 10% chance of getting that unlucky. So just how much is enough? About one in three workers inside the country has some form of coverage that their employers pay the premiums on. Everybody has Social Security, but you don't get far more than a couple thousand dollars a month, and it's extremely, quite hard to qualify. If you're counting on worker's compensation, they'll only care if you're truly injured whilst at your post. Private disability insurance, even if you ever do purchase it, could be challenging to claim on. They have all kinds of exclusions to look at to disqualify you. They'll test to tell you, "Oh! so you cannot work as a lathe turner anymore? We cannot pay you, unless you attempt (and fail) at finding do the job as being a holiday gift wrapper at the mall". Seeing as how complicated it's to come by correct coverage, perhaps it's just very best to let items take care of themselves.

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Long-Term Care Insurance Industry - 2009 Forecast and Trends

As we enter 2009, some significant trends are impacting the long-term care insurance industry.

Heightened consumer awareness, younger buyers, reformulated products and the intensification of multi-life sales -- have led to a steady growth of long-term care insurance policies. Despite some adverse factors -- in particular, the weakened economy -- we anticipate that sales for the just-ended year will be in the 385,000 policy (and group certificate) range, with premiums up several percent over the prior year. For 2009, our predictions all point to continued growth in the number of Americans who are purchasing this form of protection.

What's driving the continued growth of new policy sales, and how can insurance professionals capitalize in the year to come? The industry is benefiting from heightened positive coverage within consumer print and broadcast media about the importance of long term care planning. More importantly, many of the reports convey important information about the best ages to start planning (with a slant toward pre-retirement) and what constitutes appropriate and affordable coverage. News stories are actually telling consumers when and how to procure insurance protection.

Once primarily a senior product, buyers of long term care insurance continue to get younger. As recently as 2000, the average policy was written on a 67-year-old. Last year, according to Association studies, some 83 percent of all new individual applicants were under the age of 65, while the average age was 58. As a result of the significant demographic shift, leading insurers have retooled their product offerings to address the two primary concerns of younger buyers: affordability and the concern about paying many years for something that might not be needed.

The result has been the introduction of a variety of "life stage" long term care insurance policies that enable policyholders to lock-in their health insurability and purchase a more limited level of protection with the future ability to purchase additional coverage periodically in the future. Provisions for these policies vary, and it's fair to recognize that the added coverage is purchased at attained-age rates. That said, the ability of agents to now allow pre-retirement-age buyers to "kick the tires" by owning some long-term care insurance offers one of the greatest opportunities to expand and grow market penetration into the future.

Looking ahead, three significant marketing opportunities will likely yield the greatest results for producers seeking to identify new prospects or convert their existing clientele into long-term care insurance prospects.

The first is recognition of maturing awareness among consumers. The industry has entered a new phase of awareness; one that requires focus on new messaging pertaining to health insurability, affordability and the ability to receive care in one's own home.

For those targeting seniors, the increasing number of states rolling out LTC Partnership policies has generated a good deal of excitement among insurance agents who must now complete additional continuing education training. The opportunity to build sales -- especially among middle-income consumers -- will be predicated on the willingness and ability of states, insurers and agents to promote the importance of LTC planning, coupled with the key benefits provided by Partnership provisions. It's still very early in that process.

Watch for the announcement regarding the Federal government's long-term care insurance offering; currently the nation's largest long-term care insurance group plan. The first Federal open enrollment resulted in some 270,000 individuals purchasing coverage. When the federal plan opens enrollment again (expected later in 2009), there will again be a most positive spillover effect that will boost sales across the country.

Finally, the message of affordability continues to provide the greatest opportunity to overcome existing mis-perceptions. Studies repeatedly validate what's been known for well over a decade; that consumers perceive the cost of LTC insurance to be higher than it really is. A message of affordability always plays well. It's one that, to date, has not been widely used; but expect that to change as more aggressive marketing techniques heat up.

For free audios on selling long-term care insurance visit the Producer's Resource Center of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

Jesse Slome is Executive Director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. The industry trade organization does not sell insurance products but maintains an excellent website for consumers seeking additional information on the subject. If you would like to receive a no-obligation free quote from a member of the Association, visit our Consumer Information Center.

Continuing Insurance Education - History-Development of the Auto Industry

Americans have always loved their automo­bile. Whether an individual used the shining mode of transportation as a status symbol to impress neighbors or value its safety and reliability, the auto industry has been one important economic foundation of our society. Throughout this book we will not only focus on the elements of the Personal Auto Policy but also the history, devel­opment and impact the automobile had on our society. We will also discuss the legal nature of automobile insur­ance, along with the rating of automo­bile drivers. We will conclude our discussion with ways to navigate the car insurance waters and how to be sure such Personal Auto Policies are best for our clients.

When John Frank and Charles Durye pro­duced their gas-powered auto in Spring­field, Massachusetts in 1896 they could not have envisioned the industry they gave "birth" to. Before 1886, the horse was the transportation mode of most. Like all good ideas, the new­ness of the new form of transporta­tion would take awhile for total accep­tance. After all, the horse was used for years and had a loyal following.

A Detroit pioneer, Ransom E. Olds, real­ized that mass production was the key. By 1904, he was mass-producing 4,000 cars a year using hundreds of skilled craftsmen.

Finally, in 1913, Henry Ford adapted the moving assembly line from other industries (basically, the meat packing industry). Mr. Ford insisted that engine blocks and other complex parts be cut to precise dimensions in order that the parts are inter­changeable,

thus making it much easier to install such parts. This was a tremendous breakthrough because it elimi­nated the need for many skilled craftsmen. This was also critically important as Mr. Ford mass-produced 321,000 "tin Lizzies" at his Highland Park, Michigan Plant. He was mass-producing autos at an efficient, afford­able price that the masses could afford, $290 per vehicle! Now for the first time, the aver­age individual could af­ford a Model T.

Before Mr. Ford, the auto was marketed to doctors, farmers, businessmen and the police. This group was more likely to try a new in­vention that would make life simpler. The initial purchasers of these "horse­less car­riages" were a purveyor of public transporta­tion. The U.S. Postal Service began using cars in 1899 in large cities to speed up mail delivery and three years later the first bus was introduced, which enlarged travel routes beyond trolley lines and railroads. Of course, the popularity of the railroads and streetcars suffered.

By the "roaring 20's", middle class America was able to purchase an auto. Soon, the auto became a symbol of status, sex appeal, health and wealth. Many people believed the two most important days in a person's life was the wedding day and the day one pur­chased their first car!

In the 1920's General Motors Corpora­tion, under the leadership of Alfred R. Sloan, fur­ther revolutionized the indus­try by offering choice to the consumers. GM's Car Division assembled a differ­ent model in different price ranges. This was truly a "style for every purse and purpose". GM also allowed car buyers to use an easy installment plan called "Drive Now, Pay Later" to make purchasing that much more simple. The result was that GM replaced Ford as the leader in auto sales, a position that it still maintains.

Automakers stopped building cars during the war years (1942-46) but by the 1950's busi­ness was again booming in the United States. The 1960's and 70's saw new foreign competi­tion, particularly from the German and the Japanese. These foreign cars were much smaller than the large, lumbering vehicles built by the U.S. automakers. The first shock wave came from West Germany's Volkswagen Beetle, which encouraged the U.S. consumer to think "small". Another big wave arrived from Asia with Toyota Motor Corps, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., all taking market shares from the American big three.

As we move to­ward the new century, the auto industry is attempting to revamp the car. The weight of the vehicle will become lighter; today's average vehicle weighs 3,200 pounds but the goal is to reduce its weight to 2,000 pounds. Also, the car of the future will em­ploy a form of energy storage to recapture expended energy and recycle it. "The car of the future is not going to have an internal combustion as we know it today", says Bob Chapman, Chairman of the PNGU Technical Task Force at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Styling, which has become rounder and sleeker over the last 100 years, contin­ues to evolve. The cars likely will be shorter and more aerodynamic in design. Vehicles will also act different­ly. The car of the future will have as standard equipment: obstacle detec­tion on the road, collision warning and traffic information devices. Also stan­dard will be sophisticated technology that will allow driv­ers to summon help in an emergency. Voice-activated instrum­ent panels will replace con­ventional buttons and knobs. In addition, the "heads-up-display", a technology primar­ily used in aircraft will expand to au­tos project­ing information such as speed and fuel levels in the driver's line-of-vision.

By 2021, experts predict automated highways will guide cars to their desti­nations. Some auto designers are aban­doning all traditional concepts of the vehicle. Some are looking at develop­ing a basic car body that auto buyers themselves can alter to fit their life­styles.

Now that you have read a great primer on the auto industry, which is required in personal auto insurance california continuing education courses, finish the rest of your reading and take credit examination at our continuing insurance education website. find more credit courses to fulfill your california insurance ce

The Changing Insurance Industry Landscape - An Agent's Perspective

Change is a pain. I know. I own an insurance agency. Commission cuts (gashes, in some cases), the Internet, underwriting processes, the direct writers...you get the point. Insurance carriers (whether you are a "captive" or an "independent") try to understand and react to the change, well after the change has occurred. The wheels of corporate America turn ever so slowly. I write this to convince you why we should embrace these and other challenges we face as Agency Owners.

To this, I unfortunately have to ask you to do that which we have already agreed is a pain...to change. Not change in a physical sense, as our companies seem to continuously force on us, but change in a mental sense. In order to thrive in our business today, it is absolutely vital that you as an Agency Owner (not an Agent-there is a huge difference!), must have an open mind and not turn away any opportunity for agency growth without first fully investigating its' merits and detriments. Not every suggestion or idea presented here is for everyone. That's OK. You must realize however, that unless you are swimming, you are simply treading water. Those that tread water, eventually:

Drown (go out of business, etc.) or;

Get rescued (are forced to sell or merge).

The headline carried on the National Underwriter a few years ago basically forecast that by 2003, 20% of the Independent Agency force would disappear. Now that it is 2009...how far off do you think it was? They would quit, sell, or merge. I know I didn't like any of those three options, especially if forced to do any of them. If I wanted to thrive, let alone survive, I knew the "same old way" of doing business wasn't going to work anymore. You may agree or disagree with individual points, but all in all, each of my "secrets" is driven by three caveats:

Pro-activity
Positive Mental Attitude
Keeping it Simple

I write this with the intention of preserving and perpetuating the Agency system of insurance distribution. If you do not fully believe that our way or life (goodness knows, it's not a job!) is just as important to our clients lives as their doctors, attorneys, and accountants, then stop reading here. I do not believe that we will be replaced by the Internet or the direct writing companies. I do believe, however, that if we do not do a better job of satisfying more of our clients needs and desires, someone else will. Insurance, especially personal lines property and casualty is becoming a commodity. We cannot let this happen. As soon as our customers think of their auto and fire coverage as a commodity, we as agents are expendable. We need to give people reasons to need an Agent/Agency. If we do not, we are doomed.

Secret #1

You are not an insurance Agent.

I repeat, you are not an insurance Agent. Yes, according to the state in which you are licensed you may be, but I am not writing of the technical definition. You are the owner of an Insurance Agency. Preferably, you are a business owner. If someone asks me what I do for a living, I answer in that way. If an application or form requires that I write-in my "employer" or "employment", I complete the blank with "business owner", not Agent, or self-employed for that matter. "Self-employed" connotes that you work for yourself (and your income). "Business owner" relates that your business (even it is only you presently) works for you to generate income. The difference is far greater than simply the syntax.

THIS IS A MINDSET CHANGE

Simply stated, the self-fulfilling prophecy dictates that you are what you think you are. You must believe in yourself and your abilities, or nothing I can relate to you will make a difference.

Many of us who are also life insurance Agents, have heard some version of the "money making machine" anecdote as an illustration of the necessity of life insurance to a skeptical prospect. If you haven't, it goes to the effect as follows: " If you owned a machine in your garage or basement, that each year turned, whirled, and clicked and eventually spit out $40,000 (or an amount relative to the respective prospect) you would surely insure it as you would your home or your cars, wouldn't you? Of course you would. Then why don't you believe in life insurance? You are that money making machine, Mr. or Mrs. Prospect. The point as it pertains to this chapter is two-fold. First, and most obvious, is the fact that you, as an Agency/Business Owner, have the same "machine" in you. Secondly, to thrive in our industry today and tomorrow, not only must you insure the machine but you must also feed the machine. This is your business. You have two investment vehicles to feed your business, time and money. If you are not willing or able to invest money to help your business, then for goodness sake, invest the time! The time you spend on developing your business, or your store (s), if you will, will always be returned to you, with interest, assuming it is good time and conducive to the pro-activity caveat. We all realize that time is money, but efficiency is profit. We all also know that it is better to work than to work hard. I, however, believe that working hard is just as good, depending on your perspective. What I mean by this is simply that you should work smart to ensure that your business works hard. I would rather make $500,000 working on my business at a self-determined level of direct involvement, than 2, 3 or 4 times that in a situation where my business "runs" me! This is your business, treat it and nurture it as such.

Secret #2

Give your Agency a "check-up".

One of the first steps to working as an "Agency Owner" and not an "Agent" is to tighten or oil the service "engine" of your machine and possibly overhaul it. The biggest reason that we, as an Agency force, are able to even maintain, let alone grow our client bases, is our service. If you are losing more clients than you are adding, it is time for some diagnostics and possibly an overhaul at the very least! Think about it for a moment, if price were the sole determining factor in our Agencies, most of us would be out of business, or at best, struggling to constantly align ourselves with the lowest carriers at the given time. We've all heard it before..."service sells". If service sells, then "sell service". The statistics I have read or heard indicate that it is ten times easier to keep or retain a customer than it is to get a new one. I have acquired many clients in my career, even though our price may have been higher. I do this by simply educating the prospect, not to the point of expertise, but at least with a working knowledge of why a higher deductible may be better for them in the long run statistically, or why insuring the value is vital. They won't get this personal attention from a direct writer or the Internet-based insurers. We have, as I am sure many of you have as well, lost clients to these distribution systems, only to have them return for that personal service.

I did an informal survey a few years ago of our new clients. I wanted to know why they switched their coverages to our Agency. Surprisingly, though not to me, price was rarely one of the reasons. In order, the top three reasons were:

" I haven't heard from my agent in ten years".
" I called the Agent's office at 2:30 in the afternoon three days ago, got their answering machine, left a message and still have not heard back from them".
"We had a claim so we called the Agent's office, only to be given an 800 number to call".

Granted, money does indeed talk, especially if customers can look at triple-digit savings on their insurance premiums. However, our mini-survey confirmed one vital thing: People value service. I would also like to add that people embrace personal service. Everyone in your Agency has to realize this every time the phone rings. The most valuable asset to your business is your customer. I realize how basic this is, but it never hurts to state it again. Customers appreciate quality service. My next secret tells you how to use appreciation of your satisfied customers to help grow your business.

Secret #3

Leverage your clients via referrals.

I do not mean reactive referrals, where you wait for the phone to ring. You must pro-actively pursue referrals by initiating a formal referral program in your Agency. Promulgate it. You have to let your client know about it or it won't work! Our program is simple: "Send us 5 referrals and dinner (or a gift card) is on us"! Here is how it works: When a client sends us a referral, we log it in the computer and send them a thank-you note indicating how many they have sent. At the 5th referral, we call and thank them and then send them a gift card. We don't require 5 sold leads, just 5 referrals. We don't limit it either. My attitude is that we'll sell at least 2 of the 5, sometimes 3. (Our records reveal it eventually turns out to be 3.5 of 5). Depending on the location of your Agency, you can do the math on the value of 3 sales. I am sure you will agree it is much greater, not even considering renewals, than the $25 gift card.

In 4 years of existence, our program has generated nearly 700 referrals, resulting in nearly $23,000 of new commissions. We have paid out $650 in gift cards. A very solid return on investment I would say. Admittedly, we could do as everyone else could, a better job of letting our clients know about the program. We include the phrase "send us 5 referrals and dinner is on us" in almost all of our correspondence. It is stated on our "on-hold" message (which I highly recommend). We should always mention it at the end of sales appointments, but sometimes forget. We also really need to improve on mentioning it at the end of a service call. We all know referrals build a strong foundation for an Agency. With this in mind, formalizing the referral process will position your Agency for further client leverage. This leads in to my next secret.

Secret #4

Diversify your income streams by leveraging your clients into other services.

Your client base, when looked upon as a referral generating entity, is very powerful. Once you have established a formal system of referral perpetuation, it is time to look again at the client base for other sources of revenue to your Agency. Obviously, you clients have insurance and protection needs that your Agency can provide. For a moment, stop thinking of your Agency as an "insurance" Agency and picture it as a turnkey operation for any type of financial need or service. Depending on your mindset, this may be tough to do. Remember to open your mind and you'll be amazed at the possibilities. Your clients also need services such as: mortgage loans, auto financing, legal services (including estate planning), tax and/or accounting services, retirement planning, financial planning, even college-funding help. They are going to buy these services somewhere. Why not at their convenient "insurance " Agency. Our Agency is currently working on establishing departments (or Profit Centers, as I call them internally) that assist clients in all of these above areas. Some departments, such as our Mortgage Loan and College Funding Departments are physically separate stand-alone operations. Some are simply relationships with other businesses such as we "plug" our customers into contacts with an Estate Planning Attorney or a trustworthy local accountant. Technically, no revenue is exchanged, but referrals are genuinely reciprocated. In addition, our Financial Service Center, which is a part of the Agency itself, routinely will coordinate meetings with the "legal" and "tax" Departments with mutual clients.

Outside departments such as these are pre-screened as they pertain to our Agency goals. Before we send any client to them, we are comfortable with their respective abilities to ensure that they nurture and enhance our relationship with that customer, and not detract from this relationship in any way. Other services, such as College Funding, we offer to our clients on a direct referral basis to a company that offers services such as financial aid planning and assistance. We contract with the company for a referral fee per buying customer. All we do is send the lead. Initially, you may think that all of these ancillary services may create too much administrative headaches for the Agency. On the contrary, considering each of these services has natural lead-ins to one or more of the other, it is quite simple to record and track activity not only in hard copy files, but also in our computer's client management software.

Since each Agency is different, it would not be effective to give examples of how you should embrace the "Profit Center" or departmental approach to increasing Agency revenue. Keep in mind that there is no magic answer. I would advise that you don't add more than service at a time. I would also advise that if you are thinking of adding another service line other than mentioned here, make sure that it is conducive to producing leads and therefore, income to at least one of the others. In other words, I don't think selling donuts would be good for a "Profit Center". It would detract too much from the main goal of the Agency: to provide quality financial services and products all under one roof. By the way, don't try to be the expert in all of these areas. There is simply too much to know. It's better to work at developing the Departments and letting them worry about the details. What a great lead-in to Secret #5.

Secret #5

Don't work IN your Agency, work ON your Agency.

How much money did you make last year?

How many hours a week do you work?

Multiply the hours by 52 weeks per year...

Divide the dollar amount made last year by the total hours worked last year...

Your hourly wage is the total: _______________________

Remember this wage every time you do the filing, answer the phone, process a piece of business, handle paperwork, etc. Chances are you could pay someone a lot less than this wage to handle these types of duties in your office. I am not in any way suggesting that these tasks are unimportant. They are vital to the operations of the Agency. I am simply pointing out that your time is very valuable. Your "job" as the business owner is to grow the business. It is significantly more effective to grow the business by working ON it and not IN it. In other words, how effective can you be at driving income into the Agency when you are doing work that you can pay ¼ of your hourly wage to have done for you? You can't! Many "one-person show" Agents will say that they can't afford to hire a staff person. My answer to that is that you cannot afford NOT to! If you truly want to thrive let alone survive, invest in quality people by paying them a fair wage, training (or paying someone to train them), is step one.

No one succeeds alone. A quality, solid team will out perform the best loner every time. Our staff is paid about 20% more than their peers in the industry. I know it is a cliché, but you really do get that for which you pay. Attitudes are better, turnover is less, and most importantly, my "job" as the business owner is immensely simplified knowing that my team handles 99% of the daily operations. This allows me to do many things to help the business grow. From nurturing our Profit Centers to hiring quality sales people, to selling when I want to sell...our team makes it happen. The business basically runs itself. Sure I need to tighten a belt here, squirt some oil there, but overall it runs itself. How? Well that is Secret #6!

Secret #6

Simply systematize. It is the only way to fly!

When I first started as an Agent, I did it all; answer phones, file, quote, process, handle claims, etc...we all do. As my business started to grow, I realized that we had to grow efficiently or risk alienating our existing customers due to service concerns. The only way to accomplish efficient growth is by systematizing your processes. We have simple, easy-to-duplicate systems for nearly every process in the office. For instance, when a prospect calls the office for a quote, every staff person knows exactly what to do, from completing the initial fact finder, to checking driving records, to quoting and to setting the appointment. They are trained to handle any question or objection. Another great example is how the Agency handles a claim. We have a designated Claims Liaison, who quite simply, serves as the liaison between the customer and the handling company. This allows for the customer to contact the Agency before submitting the claim to determine if the claim should be submitted in the first place. The liaison is then able to assist the customer with the filing, handling and completion of the claim.

If this is your one moment to shine, to make that delivery on the promise the customer purchased a while ago, then it deserves the time and attention a liaison can provide.

Our day-to-day activities are planned in advance by the follow-ups on our automated calendar system. There are a plethora of these on the market today.

Each member of our staff has their own calendar, which they log and follow up with on a daily basis. We also have a team calendar, which allows for the same idea, just on an Agency basis. We plan our work and work our plan. You simply cannot grow without systemization. Organization is one thing, systemization is another. As I see it, you can organize and still not get anything accomplished. Systematizing forces things to happen in an organized way!

Secret #7

Remember: Everyone is a customer (or client)!

Your customers (I prefer "client", as it indicates a relationship, whereas "customer" tends to relate "transaction") are not just those who pay premiums. Your customers are also your staff, your underwriting team, company management, even claims personnel. Every entity that comes in contact with your Agency is a customer.

You treat each "paying" customer with respect and quality service. They in turn pay the premiums, which drive income into your Agency. However, your Agency deals with the other aforementioned "non-paying" customers just as frequently. By treating these non-paying customers just as well, you not only demonstrate the positive mental attitude that is vital for your success, you also make it a heck of a lot easier to get things done. In other words, it never hurts to be thought of in a positive manner by the underwriting department, the claims department, or any entity that also interacts with your "paying" customers. Even a third party claimant, who may have been involved in an accident with one of your customers, is a great opportunity to turn a trying time in to a buying time, depending on how your Agency treats this person. Respect and empathy will go a long way in not only assisting the claimant, but also in potentially making this claimant a paying customer. The proverbial "Golden Rule" is by far the easiest way to summarize Secret #7...do unto others as you would have done to you. Life would be a whole lot better, and easier, if we all adhered to the Golden Rule. Imagine how applying it to your Agency everyday would impact your bottom line. Do the right thing!

Hopefully, the secrets I have shared will assist you in your Agency's endeavor of growth. Remember, to survive is to live, to thrive is to grow. Stay focused, be proactive and keep it simple. And always have a positive mental attitude. With these benchmarks of performance, anything you desire is possible.

Tim Norris
National Real Estate Insurance Group, LLC
2008
888-741-8454
tim@nreinsurance.com