How do you know what to change to make your agency run better? You're proud of your accomplishments, but can't seem to make the progress you desire year-by-year. In this document, Al Diamond recommends that during your planning process, instead of focusing outwardly on your competitors, the industry, or the economy, try focusing inwardly instead.

Third-party endorsements inspire confidence and increase your credibility. Make letters of recommendation part of your marketing mix. In this document, Bill Cates tells you how and when to ask for letters of recommendation.

Everyone’s a winner, bargains galore! What’s the first thing you think of when you hear phrases such as these? Probably nothing very positive. But this document by Bill Cates describes just such a situation.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Linda Dobson, an estate-planning attorney from Los Angeles. She had this advice for financial services professionals who want to win referrals from estate-planning attorneys:

Far from just another sales technique or gimmick, Productive Selling Attitude (PSA) is a fundamental approach to making sales.

PSA is emerging from a clear understanding of how customers think, as well as from the expectations of suppliers and vendors.

Only those who are brutally honest with themselves really make it in sales - this means admitting that it is getting more difficult to "make the sale."

The obstacles to success are everywhere. Automated telephone systems serve as an impenetrable wall. The fear of making a wrong decision creates endless delays and false starts.

As the economy and escalating insurance rates take their toll on risk management department budgets, companies and public entities are relying increasingly on consultants. Such outsourcing has proven to be an effective way for some organizations to reduce overhead while retaining knowledgeable help. In this document C.C. Griffin discusses how to select and get the best performance from a consultant.

These guidelines by Jack Fries can help you hire and train new employees.

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.

The alert raised in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2005, when a light plane mistakenly flew into restricted airspace sent thousands of people fleeing from the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Once the buildings were evacuated, however, most people were unsure of where to go or what to do. Bill Kliewer discusses the need for personal contingency plans in cases of emergency.

Pain involving the eyes, neck, back, shoulders, arms, and wrists have become common complaints of computer workstation users. My review of the latest research led me to conclude that these users experience no more stress than users of other technology unless they perform fragmented, repetitive tasks. Other factors causing stress include noise, dust, extreme temperatures, electromagnetic radiation, unsafe equipment, poorly maintained equipment, and workplace violence.