Purpose - This study aims to investigate the effect of marketing resources and marketing dynamic capabilities on the business performance of insurance companies. Design/methodology/approach - The population consists of all employees of the insurance firms in Ardabil and among them a sample of 177 people was selected using non-random convenience method. A standard questionnaire was used to measure variables. The hypotheses were analyzed using structural equation modeling method with use of SmartPLS software. Findings - The results show that marketing resources have a positive impact on marketing dynamic capabilities. Also, marketing dynamic capabilities have a positive impact on customer performance and market performance. Finally, the positive impact of market performance and customer performance on financial performance was also confirmed. Originality/value - There is lack of research explaining the role of marketing resources and marketing dynamic capabilities in improving business performance in service industries, especially in important insurance industry. This study attempts to reduce this gap in the literature, as its main goal is to assess the impact of marketing dynamic capabilities in improving business performance of insurance firms.