In some cases the best bet for agency perpetuation is to sell, and there's a right way—and many wrong ways—to do it.
When it's done correctly, a sale can be of great benefit to both buyer and seller, with long-held books of business transitioning almost seamlessly from one owner to the next. When it isn't, the results can include a loss of long-standing clients for the new management, an unsatisfactory deal for either party and even possible costly litigation down the road.
Al Diamond, president of Agency Consulting Group Inc. in Cherry Hill, N.J., a consulting practice founded in 1980 and dedicated to the needs of independent agents throughout the U.S., has seen the mistakes made by 
many a producer who thought they were making the right moves after they decided to sell. And between six to 12 times a year, he gets the same phone call from agents' widows telling him their late husband left her instructions to call him, should they die before being able to execute their agency's transition.
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Shawn Moynihan
Shawn Moynihan is Editor-in-Chief of National Underwriter Property & Casualty. A St. John’s University alum, Moynihan has earned 11 Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Pulitzers of the business press; seven Azbee Awards, from the American Society of Business Press Editors; two Folio Awards; and a SABEW award, from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers. Prior to joining ALM, he served as Managing Editor/Online Editor of journalism institution Editor & Publisher, the trade bible of the newspaper industry. Moynihan also has held editorial positions with AOL, Metro New York, and Newhouse Newspapers. He can be reached at [email protected].
