"This acquisition represents a significant opportunity to expand into Nevada" adds Hardin. The company has immediate plans to increase the services available in these dental offices, including specialty care. SmileCare intends to build upon the carrier, union and labor market partnerships developed in California, and to further utilize the current marketing efforts to reach out to the local communities.Founded in 1977, SmileCare has operated multi-disciplinary group dental practices throughout the state of California, and has also operated a Knox-Keene licensed dental plan for over twenty-five years. SmileCare is one of the premier and leading dental groups with a long-standing vision to provide access to dental care for all. Nevada Dental Associates accepts most dental plans and insurance coverages.

Convenient financing arrangements are also available. For more information, please visit the website at www.smilecare.com.

They do compare the pricing of several auto insurance quotes. Knowing how much coverage you need will help you select an insurance company. This is one of the best ways for consumers to maximize what they get for their insurance premiums. Insurance is a highly competitive business. There are thousands of insurers offering policies to consumers.

Each consumer's goal should be to find a financially solid company that offers a fair price along with superior customer service. How do you know which company can provide such a combination of both good pricing and customer service? One way is to talking to friends, relatives, and business associates. Ask people you know and respect what insurance company they use. Ask if they are pleased with how their company handles claims. The insurance industry is highly regulated.

It is important to do business with a company that is licensed by the state in which you live. Another factor of the strength a company has is its A.M. Best Company rating. You want to be comfortable knowing that in the event of a claim your company will be there for you. A.M.

Best Company is the industry leader providing ratings and financial information for insurance companies. AM Best ratings are recognized as the standard by which an insurers' financial strength is measured. The ratings are available here: http://www.ambest.com. CarInsurance.com lists the AM Best rating of each company once you complete your quote. How do you know what to expect from your insurance company? Your insurance company and its representatives should be able to answer your questions.

They should be able to help you determine what coverage and limits you should carry based on your needs. They should handle any claims fairly, efficiently and quickly. You should feel comfortable with both the insurance company that you select and the insurance agent or company representative that you will be working with. Your insurance professional should take the time to understand your insurance needs and answer all of your questions to your satisfaction. Go to http://www.carinsurance.com, not only will you get the rates of various insurance companies, you will see the A.M.

Best rating for each company along side their rates for you personal situation. Now is the time for your fingers to punch their way to a quick rate analysis and view the ratings at the same time. Visit http://www.carinsurance.com to Check Out Our Rates!.

It's important to recognize this stigma so you can proactively address it in your marketing plan. Ultimately, to grow your business within the insurance and financial services industries you must strive to build an incredible reputation, built on a platform of reliability, honesty and product knowledge. I also encourage you to be very straightforward about your pricing and how you make your money. The fact is, your customer wants to know. Surprise them, and tell them upfront.Here are some marketing strategies to try.-- First, try teaming up with complementary professionals, such as estate attorneys, business attorneys, financial planners, etc.

You'll receive referral business faster from such businesses for two reasons. One, their customers are currently utilizing services for "future" occurrences. Hence, your prospect is already in the mindset of planning and spending for the future. You now become another product they need to consider for the future. Second, there's an implied trust between an estate attorney and her customers.

If an estate attorney referred her customers to you, that customer would be more likely to do business with you, than if he/she had simply seen your print ad in a local newspaper.-- Launch a publicity campaignFor example, consider submitting a story idea to your local media about, "The Fallacies of Long-term Care Insurance. Who Needs It? What is it? Insider Secrets to Buying the Most Comprehensive Plan." I can't stress this next point enough; you must be objective when interviewing for such a story. When being interviewed by the media, it's not a chance to "sell" yourself; rather, it's an opportunity to express your knowledge and expertise, and help readers use your knowledge to their benefit. If they like what you have to say, they'll contact you. -- Consider facilitating a bimonthly workshop(s) at your local library or community center called, "The Insider's Point of View to Long-term Care Insurance.

Who Needs It, Who Doesn't?" Or, "Age & Long-term Care Insurance, When's The Right Time?" The workshop tactic is becoming slightly overused. However, I think it's still a very powerful marketing tool. Plus, it's affordable. You simply need to be more imaginative with your topics and headlines. -- Try creating a "Long-term Care Insurance Top 10," fact sheet.

It should include detailed content about the ins and outs of selecting long-term care insurance, i.e., why, why not? Who qualifies and what are the estimated costs? Distribute your fact sheet to prospects, the press and various public bulletins, such as the library, town hall, Post Office, colleges, doctor and attorney offices, etc. When you're selecting bulletin boards, stick to professional looking boards, rather than just catch-alls. The latter will reduce your professionalism. Some bulletin boards give off the impression, "What would she know; she's advertising on a bulletin board." On the fact sheet, you're not selling yourself; instead, you're selling the benefits/solutions of long-term care insurance with your bio at the bottom. If you've done a comprehensive and professional job, readers will contact you.

-- Partner with a local bank. The idea is to get yourself noted as a "pre-certified insurance expert for XYZ bank." Approach the bank VP and recommend an informal partnership whereby you're available for complimentary on site consultation for bank customers. Moreover, there's a tremendous amount of implied reliability and credibility when associating your business with a bank. The great thing about banks is that they usually distribute large monthly customer mailings. Ideally you'll want to piggyback on the bank's mailing by having your sales flyer included.

These flyers are usually called, "bill stuffers." Don't forget banks also distribute calendars, year-end statements, etc. Try to get noted in all of their communications. Of course, under the umbrella that you're a partner with the bank. -- A bank north of Boston lets their small business customers display sales materials for a week in their lobby. Approach your bank where you have your business account and ask for the same.

-- Try partnering with hospitals. They're well known for sponsoring workshops. They also distribute a weekly/monthly newsletter. My local hospital actually distributes their calendar of events in my local newspaper. By partnering with hospitals and similar organizations, your prospect-reach compounds tremendously, while you spend zero! -- Consider joining your local chapter of Business Network International, www.bni.com.

Of course, like any organization, it's only as effective as your networking abilities and how well the members of that particular chapter work together. Always attend at least two meetings before joining. And watch out! Associations' memberships are down across the board due to the sluggish economy. There's definitely some hard selling going on. Take your time when deciding what organization is best for you.

Don't be misled into joining anything. -- Align yourself with a reputable online insurance media outlet. Ideally you want to become a regularly featured columnist, or perhaps act as a moderator for an upcoming online seminar, etc. This does several things for you. One, usually anything Internet-related is archived.

So if a person is shopping around for insurance or financial products and you've partnered with a reputable and high search engine ranking online media outlet, there's a good chance your Web site will reflect high in search engine rankings. Two, if you're a regularly featured columnist, you immediately acquire more credibility than your competitors. Readers are more likely to reach out to you for product solutions. -- Don't forget about organizations you already belong to. Are you taking advantage of their Web site resources, i.e., linking your Web site, being included in their membership directory, etc.? What's more, do a quick search on www.google.com for free directories.

Try, ["your expertise" insurance directories], or [financial sales representatives directories.] -- The key marketing strategy to keep in mind for any salesperson is that you must circulate, "be seen." It's the most perpetuating sales lead program you can foster. -- Finally, as you're working hard to generate all these new leads, make sure you have a follow-up plan in place. The fastest and most affordable follow-up method is to ask prospects if they want to receive your free monthly ezine..

We packaged all 4 benefits together and market it for less than $20 per month and that covers everyone in the entire household, even if some in the household are not related. You can see why and how we have over 1 million people covered on our plan making us the nations leading discount health benefits provider. Without any national advertising, our company has grown from zero to almost 100 Million Dollars a year in sales and created millionaires from all types of backgrounds. Currently our company cuts over 50,000 checks to its' IBO's each month, and the majority of our brokers start out part-time and set their own hours! Our company is proud to be a member of many prestigious associations: - National Association of Provider Access Organizations - National Association of Dental Plans - US Chamber of Commerce - Better Business Bureau - Direct Selling Association (DSA) - Consumer Health Alliance (CHA) http://www.iboplus.com/Cwijas http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/cwijas http://www.deliveringonthepromise.com/cwijasDisclaimer: The AmeriPlan Health? discount card programs offer a reduction in the cost of medical, dental, vision, pharmaceutical and chiropractic services. AmeriPlan Health? benefit programs are not insurance, nor is it an alternative to or substitution for insurance coverage..

Although many health insurance companies will pay "customary and reasonable" hospital costs abroad, very few will pay for your medical evacuation back to the United States. Medical evacuation can easily cost $10,000 and up, depending on your location and medical condition.THE SOCIAL SECURITY MEDICARE PROGRAM DOES NOT PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL COSTS OUTSIDE THE U.S.A* Published by the U.S Department of State www.eCRUISES.com prides itself on exceptional customer service, and will provide assistance on everything from booking to travel accommodations and cruise guides. "At www.eCRUISES.com, we believe in giving people what they want ? the lowest prices including: the cruise, port charges, govt. taxes/fees and full cruise vacation insurance protection as a top value gift from us plus expert service that's convenient, fast and friendly," said Mike Ripka, CEO of www.eCRUISES.com. www.eCRUISES.com customers of this limited time offer can book-on or off-line 800-223-6868 or www.ecruises.com featuring minute-by-minute pricing on over 10,000 sailings aboard al the major cruise lines.About www.eCRUISES.comFor over six years, www.eCRUISES.com has provided the best pricing, value and service on all the major cruise lines in the world.

Their feature-rich yet user-friendly website includes hot and last-minute deals, pre- and post-resort stays, cruise information and guides, personalized group programs, exclusive cruise insurance, shore excursions and air transportation..

Our seniors face many diverse responsibilities upon reaching age 65. To name just a few: Estate planning, taxation, Medicare, social security, wills, insurance, and various other legal and financial matters. All of these different areas require expertise from accountants, lawyers, estate planners, insurance agents, home brokers, financial advisors, and others.The Internet is a good starting point for most people to find resources for questions and solutions for your problems. There is, however, no replacement for good solid intelligent advice from an expert.Twenty years ago, insurance for elders was sold by "senior insurance specialists", with just a handful of companies in each state. The programs were most often Medi-gap or Medicare supplemental policies, which covered the expenses not covered by Medicare, including hospital and doctor deductibles, durable medical devices, and non-approved Medicare costs.

Ironically these specialists did not sell a lot of nursing care policies, even though Medicare paid a national average of less than 2% of these expenses. With the advent of "financial and estate planning" and more insurance companies entering this market, a more broad and diversified product line became available to agents, brokers, planners, and seniors.Part of this new diversification was the "home health care plan", sold by itself, and in conjunction with senior health insurance products. The appeal of the "home health care policy" was that a senior could stay at home and still receive medical and custodial benefits, allowing a person to recuperate in the comfort of their own home.This was the answer to a huge problem. The last place an older person wanted to go was a "retirement home", or "rest home", or, God forbid, the "nursing home." It appeared that seniors could now rely on this new innovation without worry of having to move out of their home environment in the event of a health problem.As with most things," if it is too good to be true".... The home health care policy is no exception.

The problem is, there is not enough coverage for a lengthy illness or recuperation time. The fact is, the new trend is toward an "all in one" type facility, allowing for a variety of levels of care all in one location. In other words a senior could start off with little or no health care concerns in an independent, less expensive area, and then go to an assisted living, or nursing care facility, all within the same compound.A "nursing home" requires a nurse on the premises 24 hours per day, assisted living is just eight hours. The advantages to this are financial. The patient or senior is only charged according to the care level required during the time he or she is admitted to that facility.

Another benefit is it alleviates a lot of planning because the care is delivered, as it is needed. The medical attention is available to all residents regardless of their current health.Some people are offered a lifetime package, which covers their care for the rest of their life, regardless of their current age. It also allows for social outlets to an otherwise somewhat isolated group. On-line shopping services have become a huge business. It is definitely here to stay and many insurance policies are purchased from Internet quotes and on-line applications.There are literally hundreds of thousands of insurance agents and brokers advertising on the Internet.

Most of them will provide instant on-line quotes and even applications for the potential insured. I highly discourage a layperson to purchase insurance in this fashion. A little knowledge can be dangerous.The federal government has mandated to all states through legislation, the standardized senior health insurance policy guidelines, which are governed and regulated by each state insurance department.There are plans for almost every level of health. Some are designed and priced for a less than healthy individual. Others are for a person with minimal health concerns.

. The whole concept of insurance is to provide protection for "unanticipated" sickness or injury, especially catastrophic expenses, which would devastate a person's net worth. The more small expenses a person is willing or able to pay (self-insure), the lower the rate. I recommend this strategy when evaluating your insurance options.Another consideration when reviewing various insurance plans is to look at the company itself. How long has the company been selling this type of insurance? Do they have a lot of complaints filed with the local department of insurance? Are the rates stable? Does it pay claims on time? Service? Most agents talk about the rating.

These ratings are as follows: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or "not rated".Do not be fooled by rating alone. It is good to have a high rating, but it is far better to have a company that has longevity, stability, innovation, service, and expertise. The problem is that some companies enter into a market and quickly leave without explanation. This does not give security to the policyholder.The most important consideration should be a review of the profit/loss ratio for that product. This will establish stability, and longevity in the market.

An insurance company with a moderate profit in a particular line of business will remain in that market. On the other hand, a company with losses will make changes and possibly even withdraw. This is information not normally available to Internet users.Before entering into an insurance contract, the senior person, the family, and other advisors must be realistic, and a careful evaluation of the entire picture must be examined. The age, the health of the senior, the financial resources, the personality and attitude of the senior, and most importantly the desires of the senior, should all be considered.Early planning is important, as qualification becomes increasingly more difficult as the applicant's health declines. The senior health care market is complex.

I will offer some words of advice to attempt to alleviate potential pitfalls. *C hoose a well-informed, seasoned, and service oriented agent or broker to assist your decision making process. The professional can offer invaluable information, but do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions and even get a second opinion. *Do not wait until your parent or loved one is sick, or injured. Plan ahead and take the time needed to cover all the options.

*C hoose an experienced insurance company. A Company that has been in the marketplace for a significant time and has maintained a balance of rates and benefits and sound risk selection with moderate rate increases over time is your best bet. *T he plan should be flexible, with a broad range of options and benefit selections to the insured. There should be no tricks, or complicated language for the coverage. An incredibly low rate is a red flag for trouble in the future.

*Do not rush or be rushed by an over aggressive sales person.This policy will not be inexpensive and will need to be read and reviewed for a clear understanding of the contents. This is one advantage to the Internet. You are allowed to read indefinitely before you act.A long-term care program, with or without insurance coverage, will only work if the senior has input into the care selection process. If there are any questions about the accreditation of a facility please call the "Continuing Care Accreditation Commission at 202-783-7286..

ELIOS' EFT solution will minimize or eliminate the frequency of insurance customers that should have never been cancelled for non payment, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and retention. Not only will the insurance company be able to sweep funds instantly they will also receive a report for payments that were processed to facilitate reconciliation. ELIOS will be offering its latest cost savings solution to its clients in July of 2005.About ELIOS:ELIOS, Incorporated was founded to address the needs of insurance and financial services companies in the 1990's. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, ELIOS provides software and services to electronically automate back office operations such as lien holder and mortgagee notifications. By increasing efficiency and eliminating manual operations that are error prone, costly and difficult to administer, ELIOS enables a wide range of insurance and financial services organizations to enjoy considerable cost savings in personnel, administration, IT resources, and overhead.

Contact:Roxanne Milton, Director of Marketing(925) 973-0881 ext 103 www.eliosinc.com.

According to the industry's "Crittenden Medical Insurance News," Texas and Utah are next in line."Doctors and legislators are looking for solutions in all the wrong places," says Rosov, who runs the company with a team of insurance, medical and legal experts. PIRRGA provides substantial premium refunds to the doctors who participate in its risk management education and loss prevention programs. The company is owned by its doctor/members.PIRRGA examined the principal causes of malpractice litigation and constructed a comprehensive program to help its member/physicians avoid lawsuits. The program begins with proper patient "charting." PIRRGA is providing a special "sick-visit encounter form" to its physicians, which leads the doctor through a stepwise process to cover all the key bases. The forms are faxed daily to the company.

The next morning, it reports in one page on laboratory tests, specialist referrals, patient vital signs measurement and pricing/coding guidelines. Forms are then electronically available to the physician on a protected website. "Many physicians will find that they're cheating themselves of real revenue," says Rosov, who claims that the coding program alone can add $500 to $2000 to a pediatrician's monthly revenue.PIRRGA requires its doctors to digest a monthly article on medical and medical-malpractice issues and answer questions. Quarterly small-group teleconferences keep physicians in touch with the latest changes in pediatric healthcare, diagnosis and regional issues. PIRRGA members use the company's discharge form handouts for most sick-visits.

The forms provide detailed guidance about what do if a child's condition changes or worsens after leaving the office. Parents sign the form to show understanding and compliance, and this helps to forestall a common lawsuit complaint: "The doctor never told me." The company provides a Patient-Physician Arbitration Agreement, available on the Internet (www.arbitrationagreement.com) and promoted with an office handout. "The Agreement assures the patient that if there's a problem, it will be settled by qualified arbitrators and paid quickly, not over the 2 to 3 years typical for a court case ? and it reduces frivolous lawsuits," says PIRRGA's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Todd Zimmerman. Dual board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine, Dr.

Zimmerman chairs PIRRGA's Underwriting & Risk Management Committee. "Discharge forms, arbitration agreements, daily encounter forms reporting, monthly information articles and teleconferences all help our doctors practice safer medicine, and alerts them to possible practice problems," he says. "We can't legislate better medicine," says Dr. Zimmerman, "or forestall a few unscrupulous law firms from persuading people to sue doctors unfairly. But we can help improve the quality of care, and we can increase our members' awareness of problems, issues, and ?lottery-minded' patients."For more information about PIRRGA (www.pirrga.com), contact Gene Rosov, President, at 305 751-9195.

Domiciled in Vermont, PIRRGA has offices in Miami and is a Florida-approved insurance carrier..

The site allows users to see multiple quotes and do a side-by-side comparison to find the right policy for their needs. Consumers can purchase their policy online or through a licensed insurance agent on Insurance.com's toll-free number (1-800-639-9201). Complete information about Insurance.com's car insurance quotation process can be found at www.insurance.com/auto.aspx. About Insurance.com:Insurance.com (www.insurance.com) is an online marketplace that allows consumers to receive comparative car insurance quotes from top companies and purchase insurance products through the site. The site also provides quotes for life, health, home and specialty lines of insurance.

The company's website was named Best Insurance Site by Money magazine and was praised by Smart Money for its ease of use and wide range of quotes.Insurance.com is owned and operated by ComparisonMarket, Inc., which enables financial institutions, affinity groups and online marketplaces to offer their customers real choice and savings opportunities on car insurance. Working with top insurance providers, ComparisonMarket provides instant, accurate comparative rate quoting and purchasing via the Internet or over the phone. ComparisonMarket is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.Contact:Lou Geremia, President617-454-1140www.insurance.com e-mail protected from spam bots.

This means an additional boast to the hourly rate we've calculated so far. For the sake of argument, let's figure a standard benefits package consisting of health, life, disability, pension and profit sharing. Let's figure health insurance costs at $300 per month; life at $50 per month; disability at $150 per month; pension (a SEP-IRA) at $500 per month and about 10% for a profit margin.If we total these up we get a yearly figure of $12,000. Now keep in mind, that most of these will be paid for in after tax dollars. So, we need to add approximately an additional 30% to this number, for a true total of about $15,600 per year.

The 30% represents the amount of taxes you need to pay to end up with the net amount of money needed to pay for your benefits package. Keep in mind that I chose 30% as a completely arbitrary number. Your own tax situation may be higher or lower.How does this effect our hourly rate, let's see. Last article we left off at $56 per hour. This represented a yearly salary of $42,000 plus annual business expenses of $15,000.

If we take the $15,600 in benefit costs and divide by our billable hours of 1100 per year, we get approximately $14 per hour. This brings our total hourly rate to $70 per hour.Now, we need to factor in our profit sharing percentage. Once again, I choose 10% as a representative number. Your targeted profit could be higher or lower. If you take your $70 per hour rate, multiply by 10%, you end up with $7 per hour.

Your total hourly rate comes to $77 per hour.This is the amount you need to charge to cover all we discussed so far. Compare this to the approximately $20 per hour you would need to get paid by an employer to earn our hypothetical $42,000 per year. And yes, I know today many employers require a co-payment on their benefits package. I stated it this way for simplicity sake.So, you need to charge almost 4 times what you would earn in salary to end up at the same place. Don't be discouraged, there are many people out there that are charging a lot more than this and getting all the business they can handle.

Remember, these numbers are hypothetical, your situation may be much different. Copyright 2000, DeFiore Enterprises..