I had a really nice experience last week. A marketing rep for one of my companies visited my agency for a year-end review and to discuss our sales growth. You can imagine this is not always an experience to which an agent looks forward, but this particular company had a nice holiday message for me.

The marketing rep conveyed the companys sentiment: I know the economy is bad. Business has been flat. Lets work together so we can lay a strong foundation for the future.

The message was refreshingand motivating! It made me want to work with this company to achieve our common goal. In the words of Harry Truman: Its amazing what you can accomplish if you dont care who gets the credit. (Commissions not withstanding!)

I know many of you are taking this introduction with a grain of salt. But its notable as it contrasts with many other experiences weve all had recently. I hate to shoot the messenger, but some company marketing reps should walk a mile in the shoes of their agents. Do they really think we try to have flat growth? We have families to support just as they do. And since we are all sales people, selling is our primary goal.

Many companies put pressure on their sales arm (thats us: the agents) to meet growth figures, regardless of whether theyre realistic or not.

I know I am not alone in this experience, because this was a primary topic discussed at the PIANY CEO conference last month. And Ive heard from other agents that companies are coming into their offices and asking what they estimate the agencys growth will be in 2008.

Companies are under extreme pressure from Wall Street to promote growth, and so they are pushing agents with the threat of commission penalties if certain premium goals are not met in 2008 and 2009. For example, I know of one company which has told its agents that if they dont reach 85 percent of their prior years premium, they could be barred from collecting additional commissions.

The problem is that new-to-market business is not out there, so companies react by competing on price. This starts a vicious circle. If flat growth keeps premiums down, the companies have shot themselves (and their agents) in the foot, because it results in an insane downward spiral. Companies give us a growth target, but because of heavy competition among carriers in many lines of business, premium rates are reduced.

I get it: simple renewals just dont cut it " you have to get new business. But as companies reduce premiums, they make it harder for us to grow our book, and that escalates the problem.

Obviously, we all want to get the best price possible for our clients. But the soft/hard market cycle is hard on all of us, as we have to explain why this year, the clients can get a better deal than last year " and possibly a better one than next year, if the market tightens and premiums go back up.

Were all suffering from flat growth this year because of the current economy and because of the competitive nature of our industry. Id go so far as to say that if an agent had flat growth in 2007, theyre doing well (in comparison to some others).

The company rep who visited my office to talk about a strong foundation for the future had it right. But not all companies have the foresight to think about the relationships theyll have with their producers when the market turns, as it inevitably will.

In general, I believe the companies are behind their agents during this economic downturn; they understand that market conditions dictate our ability to grow our business. I encourage us all to look ahead and remember that, when companies realize they need to raise rates again, this will be hard on all of our insureds. We need to think ahead and work together to avoid enlarging the black eye of our industrys already-tarnished image.

As a closing thought " heres another positive company experience: I recently got a call from a branch manager thanking me for a piece of business I placed because it just made his month. He said, with the downturn in the market, the business really helped him. Nice touch. It reminded me of the days when Id send a binder into an insurance company and Id get a signed copy back with a hand written thank-you note from the underwriter. How fondly I remember the good old days before electronic communication took over. Personal touches like this really made our jobs nicer.

N. Stephen Ruchman is president of Ruchman Associates Inc. in Rockville Centre, N.Y. and a past president of the Professional Insurance Agents of New York State Inc. As an active supporter of PIANY, Ruchman also served as first vice president and vice president of the association. He also chaired PIANYs convention and membership committees. He is a member of PIANYs government affairs, nominations and membership programs committees. Ruchman also is chairman of the Long Island Advisory Council. He is a member of PIANYs political action committee where he serves on their executive committee.