When I read the results of last month's NU/PIA Independent Agency Survey, what jumped off the page to me was that more than half said they did not have a set perpetuation plan for their agency, and that the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) gets as many as 40 calls a week from agencies that don't know what to do about their own perpetuation.

In my last column, I talked about several critical reasons why agency M&A deals fail. My last bullet point stated "not having a grasp on the need for a detailed integration plan to allow for a smooth merger or acquisition" as one of the reasons. A good integration plan can lead to successful agency perpetuation.

Whether you are contemplating selling, buying or merging, this series of articles is for you. But beware: Successfully executing a perpetuation plan will depend on how well your integration plan works, because if not, a lifetime of effort can disappear when the deal you finally made blows up.