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Commentary: Columnist Nelson Griswold reveals the "sales triangle" and why closing the sale is not the biggest part of the puzzle.

Commentary: You only get one chance to make a first impression. Columnist Mel Schlesinger shares his tips on how to make that first appointment with a prospective client a successful one.

Commentary: Have you heard of Medicare observation status? Columnist Craig J. Davidson says it is creating a payment nightmare for older plan participants with Medicare Part A as the primary payer. Educate your groups with Medicare beneficiaries, Davidson says, because the rule has real consequences.

Commentary: Good salespeople understand the impact of an effective opening statement. The Standard’s Doug Waters provides five examples of conversation starters to transition to IDI from another product.

Commentary: When talking to non-profit HR executives, the common reasons The Principal’s Aaron Friedman hears for low adoption include perceived cost and the idea that they don’t feel like they can tell people what to do. These reasons don’t hold water, he says.

Commentary: October is National Depression Awareness Month. Jeff Guardalabene, a mental health case manager with Standard Insurance Company, offers these tips on how to help your employer clients navigate this important but often uncharted territory.

Commentary: To get beyond the barriers that keep us from engaging customers and avoid always asking the “who can I talk to today?” question, what’s needed is a pipeline mentality, says sales expert John Graham.

Commentary: There is one big problem with health insurance that continues to get bigger: health care deductibles continue to rise. This poses challenges for both employers who provide benefits and employees as well.

Commentary: The best of the emerging broker decision-support tools will inspire a more customized set of benefits options for workers, and a growth in voluntary benefits participation. Those brokers who seize this opportunity will become indispensable to the coming transformation of the group benefits space.

Commentary: Tracking of employee hours must begin in January 2015 in order to comply with ACA and IRS mandates, so make sure your clients know the pros and cons of available measuring methods now.