3. How is income collected for your business?

  My practice is fee-based.
  My practice is commission-based.
  My practice collects both fees and commissions.

4. Which of the following best describes your form of business operation?

  Affiliated agent (primary with single company)
  Exclusive agent (one company only)
  Independent agent
  Personal producing general agent - PPGA
  Exclusive agent - team leader/manager
  Broker
  Non-producing

5. Which of the following best describes your business operation?

  Sole propietor
  Partnership
  Independent agent
  Corporation (I own 100 percent)
  Corporation (family-owned)
  Corporation (employee/contractor, no ownership rights)
  Corporation (other ownership arrangement)

6. Please indicate your primary target market(s)
(select up to three)

7. How many people do you employ in your business operation (i.e., you pay all or most of their salary or wages)?

Full-time:    (# of employees)
Part-time:   (# of employees)

8. Are you in a formal mentoring arrangement?

  Yes
  No

9. Do you have a succession plan?

  Yes, formal plan
  Yes, informal plan
  No

10. Do you have a written business plan for your practice?

  Yes
  No

11. Are you currently in a study group?

  Yes
  No

12. MDRT is always looking for members who have knowledge in specific areas for the purpose of sharing ideas and "how-to" concepts with other members. Please indicate in which of these areas you have knowledge and feel you could contribute to developing "how-to" content for the membership:

Agency Management: This group creates resources for members to use when building a sales team, training agents and managing a team. This should include characteristics of successful sales teams, best practices of successful managers and productivity tips for motivating a sales team.

Business Planning: This group develops tools and resources for members that address how to develop a business plan.

Fees for Service: This group examines how members transitioned to or added fee-based revenue to their practices, and identifies best practices for running a fee-based practice.

Financial Planning: This group creates resources for members that address what is financial planning, principles of a good financial plan, the financial planning process, how to do cash flow modeling, etc.

Life Insurance: This group creates resources for members to use when working with life insurance clients. The group focuses on topics such as bereavement issues, working with spouses/beneficiaries, when to contact client’s survivors and what to say, how to best advise terminally ill clients, etc.

Marketing and Branding: This group is responsible for identifying successful marketing/branding techniques that members use in their practices. Topics include: cross-selling, referrals, branding, centers of influence, point of sale presentation techniques and client segmentation.

Mentoring: This group is responsible for developing resources for mentors and aspirants to include in the mentoring e-news and the monthly mentoring feature.

Practice Management: This group develops best practices relating to client management, case management, servicing, record keeping, time management and other activities associated with business operations.

Protection: This group focuses on the benefits of insurance programs such as life, disability income, long-term care, critical illness and health insurance. It highlights the application of products that minimize risk and increase client’s options and choices for the future.

Retirement Planning: This group develops content, tools and resources for members to use when working with clients in the pre- and post-retirement markets.

Sales Techniques: This group focuses on best practices, obtaining referrals, handling objections and closing techniques.

Social Media: This group shares best practices for using social media.

Succession Planning: This group addresses succession planning for the advisor, and develops resources for use by members when selling or purchasing a practice or book of business.

Technology: This group identifies technology tools, resources and creative ways members successfully use technology to increase productivity in their practices.

Whole Person: This group shares best practices of the seven elements of the Whole Person concept.

Working with Office/Support Staff: This group develops resources on staff structures, management, building teamwork, using staff efficiently (time management), determining compensation, hiring and defining staff responsibilities.