TWO FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGES FOR AGENCIES by Chris Burand How well is your agency developing quality producers and how effective is your management? Successful agencies fac...

UNUSUAL STRATEGIES FOR CLOSING MORE SALES by John Graham Selling is a tough profession -- and from all indicators, it might not be getting much easier any time soon. T...

USE CROSS-SELLING TO INCREASE CLIENT RETENTION by Lynn Thomas The more products and services your clients buy from you, the closer your relationship with them. In this document, Lynn Th...

Is selling the same as prospecting? Is selling the same as quoting?

No to both questions. In the insurance business, selling is comprised of two components, but neither of them involves prospecting or quoting.

Selling today is filled with contradictions. E-mail enhances our connectivity, but the number of E-mail messages is often so overwhelming that they go unanswered. Voice mail brings us together, but voice mailboxes are often clogged.

Knowing what customers expect may be the most important key to successful selling. While every customer is interested in getting an appropriate price, many salespeople seem to think that price is the primary issue. As a result, they lead with price and seem to base most of their sales presentation on cost issues.

In this document, Bill Cates tells you why a client-centered approach to seeking referrals is usually more effective than one that’s producer-centered. Instead of saying "I’m building my business and I need your help," you’re saying, "I’m glad you see the value in what we’ve accomplished. Let’s see who else can benefit from this service."

WHY BUSINESSES LOSE CUSTOMERS After a 40-year career as an automobile dealer, Martin Bury wrote of his experiences in the book The Automobile Dealer (Damascus Publishing, Gresham, OR). A...

WHY ELEVATOR SPEECHES DEFEAT SALES by John Graham There are few offenses in business worse than challenging the validity of the near sacred elevator speech, that one-minute ...