ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Dear (Customer Name): Can you imagine sending the following letter to all your customers? 'Dear Customer: Last weekend an explosion destroyed all our accounts receivable recor...

Dear (Customer Name): What can guarantee you income for life? Only an annuity, and (Your Agency Name) is a specialist when it comes to finding the right annuity for your particular needs....

ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? by Emily Huling On a recent business trip, I had dinner at one of the nicer family restaurants. A couple seated nearby had the same attentive server t...

COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL WHEN IS COMPREHENSIVE NOT SO COMPREHENSIVE? Dear (Customer Name): As a prudent business owner, you no doubt have protected your assets with insurance - probab...

A client who utters these words might well be laying the groundwork for a nasty E&O claim. Consider this case:...

FIND A CHALLENGE AND IMPROVE MORALE TODAY by Grace Bauer With agencies trying to keep up with renewals, remarketing everything, and j...

FIVE KEYS TO ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS by Pamela Millard Plenty of things can distract you from your goals. Its all about making sure your goals meet a few critical criteria: Engagement...

Remember, as salespeople we want to hear objections. When buyers send out these signals, they're giving you clues about their interest. Give the buyer a chance to make the decision based on the information you've provided. If you've done a good job throughout the sales process, the objections you hear should enable you to reconfirm your value to the buyer and close the sale.

Last week I was at a regional meeting where I met up with several producers from Texas. Having been a producer (a long time ago) and knowing how to swing a golf club, I fit right in. Being as committed to growth as I am, I ask the killer question that quickly exposes a problem. “John, what’s your growth goal for this year?”
He pauses and says “Um...around 65%.”
“Uh-huh. Where’s that from?” I asked.
“Well, I doubt I can do 80% and I didn’t want to sound like a loser and say 50 %, so I came up with 65%.”

SELLING: GOT QUESTIONS? by Bill Hoos When you meet potential buyers, do you ask or do you tell? If youre like most salespeople, you probably do the latter. In fact, you probably te...