Description: This article defines the distribution gap, customer's gap, and distributor's gap in the marketing and sales process. It offers solutions to close these gaps and therby create a more efficient distribution system that better meets customer's needs.

Description: This article explains the benefits of cross-selling, especially in the middle market, and how it can improve customer retention.

Description: This article looks at new point of sale technology and how it can assist in selling to the middle market.

Description: This article states that the 40/40/20 rule, 40 percent to proper audience selection, 40 percent to the product or offer, and 20 percent to creative strategy and execution, still applies in an internet world. The article reviews the 7 deadly sins of direct marketing.

Description: In the face of declining response rates from direct mail campaigns, the author suggests use of the internet to generate leads will be much more efficient and successful.

Description: This article summarizes two sessions sponsored by the Nontraditional Marketing Section at a recent SOA meeting held in Washington, D.C. One session was about debt cancellation insurance and the other was about voluntary benefit plans.

Description: This article discusses the market potential for preneed insurance.

Description: This is an article that has excerpts from each of the four winning papers of a contest sponsored by the Society of Actuaries on the subject of visions of the life insurance industry in 2020.

Description: At least 60 percent of households are now on the Do Not Call list, the level of telemarketing is down, but it still remains an effective marketing channel for insurance companies.

Description: This article describes various insurance products now offered to SOA members as an affinity group.