The balance of the new business comes from the agency's aggressive advertising and direct marketing campaigns. The agency uses Yellow Pages , newspaper advertising and direct mail solicitations. These are consistent, long-standing programs that are designed to support our efforts toward consistent, steady growth. The same marketing and personal service approach is used in the commercial lines area where most of the clients are small businesses and single entrepreneurs. The emphasis on consistency and steady progress also applies to the agency's approach to automation.
Automation is a key part of the agency.
However, the decision on upgrading the system was delayed until the beginning of this year. After comparing available systems, Loiselle Agency decided to stay with its current vendor, AMS, and upgraded to Pathfinder Plus. We had stayed with the Pioneer 3 system longer than most agencies our size, but we wanted to be certain that the upgrade really responded to our needs. The agency currently is building its database of clients and plans to have it completed by the middle of 1997. The database is being created internally and through download from its companies.