All producers know that overcoming objections is part of the selling process. However, many forget that making objections is just as intrinsic to the buying process.

To identify the root causes of objections, producers should put themselves into the buyer's shoes. You also buy in your personal life, so use your own experiences to sharpen your expertise.

Though faced with the realities of dramatic economic change, the reconfiguration of the business landscape, and globalization, U.S. companies continue to go down the wrong path. Former U.S. Treasury Department official Michael Jacobs calls it "business myopia."

It may be argued that "enhancing shareholder value" drives the myopic vision of publicly-traded companies, but "shareholder demand" is perhaps more accurate. In privately held companies, myopic thinking results from a desire to increase market share or simply beat last month's figures.

OWNERSHIP ISSUES AND COMPENSATION by Carol Hammes During the past several months we have been addressing methods for compensating agency staff, managers, and salespeople. How should...

PAPER FILES: ARE THEY WORTH THE TROUBLE? A TRANSACTIONAL FILING COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS What is transactional filing? Transactional filing is a method of filing paper documents b...

One of the toughest financial decisions agency owners face is how much to pay themselves. It's especially tricky for agencies with multiple principals, because it's rare that all owners make identical contributions to the organization. Deciding what's equitable compensation for each individual may cause unnecessary conflict.

PERPETUATION FOR FAMILY AGENCIES by Brian Burke Gifting agency stock can be part of an estate-planning strategy. It can also be an attractive part of the perpetuation of a family...

PERPETUATION IN FAMILY-OWNED AGENCIES: PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES By Paige Proctor Perpetuation through family members is one of the most common forms of extending an agency into...

PERPETUATION OR SUCCESSION? by Al Diamond Planning for succession can be highly rewarding if you have the right people behind you. It can be downright dangerous if you dont. Al Diamond...

PERPETUATION PERPLEXITIES by Roy Phillips 'An important element often overlooked in agency evaluation is the potential to retain existing agency business.' As b...

PERPETUATION PLANNING: WHY? HOW? by Al Diamond Make perpetuation planning a normal part of managing your agency. Perpetuation planning. What a morbid thought! It means youre going...