Agency Nation Radio

Jason Kolb of Dais is a tech geek turned insurance nerd. 3 years ago, he saw an opportunity to help the insurance industry with his tech knowledge. And he dove in head first. But this isn’t the typical “insurtech story” you’ve heard before. Ya know – the one where Silicon Valley hipster believes he can completely transform an entire industry with artificial intelligence….and his pinky finger. This...

If you don't then you'll make it a lot harder to find the holes in your insurance game. Of course, you want to do everything you can to improve your chances to close a sale. However, sometimes encouraging competition forces you to get a lot stronger much faster. It's developing this confidence that builds your insurance strength both internally and externally in your agency. That's what I talk to...

The problems start when you worry if you're good enough to be creating in the first place. The simple answer is no one is, they were just more willing to embrace the thoughts an ideas that were unique to them. Once you overcome that fear then you will be faced with the challenge of creating on a scale most people don't understand. It's hard to comprehend the level of attention that's possible to o...

This is the story of an Elevate 19 attendee who's running one of the fastest growing agencies in the industry. It's all happening because of their ability to intentionally build the right relationships to get there. It's really hard to learn from someone behind you, yet still has the ability to glean unique insights from any conversation. When you're able to combine that with next level implementa...

It just needs to be long enough to solve the whole problem so people can decide if they want you to help them. Of course, that might be an oversimplification of a slightly more complex problem, however, remains the majority of the solution. The length of your content isn't worth obsessing and over thinking, because the only thing that will come from that is not doing anything. That's why you have...

It starts by making sure it can afford the most current table stakes customers set. Even then, most of the time we find ourselves struggling to pay an overdue with more piling up every day. It could be something as simple of understanding what SEO work actually needs to be done and how valuable it is. Then it becomes a matter of making one small bet after another and the next thing you know you're...

This is just a small sample of the amazing conversations that happen all during Elevate. You might be surprised how easy it is to drive traffic and awareness to your on both LinkedIn and Instagram. It really comes down to knowing your target market and when the best time to deliver the message. That's what my friends Avery Moore, of ECI Insurance and Terry Grier, of Strive Insurance , discuss befo...

Things get interesting when you figure out what you need to know to find more of the right client. That starts by trying to capture the most complete data picture you can. That allows you to go on the value offensive and be ready to help before the problem happens. Then your agency also has the opportunity to relevantly exist on multipule channels to create a truly effective branding experience. T...

Starts and stops with the titles of your content, because without good ones there's very little chance anyone will be able to find you. It's always the first and easiest thing to mess up when starting your content journey. There needs to be the same if not more attention paid to that handful of words as is to the entire piece. Almost always it starts by dramatically underestimating just how specif...

It’s just not just how much you know and explain. It’s also about how much you give and listen. Paul Steele, VP of Martin & Zerfoss , explains exactly how he finds, nurtures and retains his best clients. From determining who he should schedule time with up until who he asks for a referral, every step of his Paul’s process has been crafted with intentionality and care. The result? A book of busines...

The truth is, it doesn't really matter, the hardest part is pulling the trigger on how it's going to get done. Because if it's truly important to the success of the agency and you're not getting it done, it's your job to find someone who will. Of course, most of that is easier said than done, but no matter what your first step should be to break the minimum knowledge threshold. That simply means l...

There's a good chance what you did in the past won't matter nearly as much as it did before. Which is certainly good news for new agencies that just need someone willing or able to take a chance on them. It's always hard to bet against the person with the most motivation (see incentive) to succeed. Especially if they're focused on what's going to work tomorrow with the discipline to do what's nece...

Starts by focusing on the speed and expertise that is required to meet the expectation of today's consumer. Understanding that importance moment to moment and policy to policy is a mindset shift that changes the game. Traditionally we would be met with excuses about why such actions and behaviors weren't possible. The exciting part now is that seems to be a thing of the past as major players in th...

It's easy to do if you don't think about the type of business you need to write to be somewhere else. Growing your book to reach a different destination takes a level on intentionality rarely discussed. Sure, there is certainly a time and a place for selling anything you can, however, the sooner you don't the faster you'll get there. The ultimate test is what happens when you have more business th...

Let’s be honest “viral” and “insurance” aren’t typically two words you hear in the same sentence. Unless you’re Scott Greene and Ethan Dewhurst. Two guys who set out with one goal: to do something that hadn’t yet been done before in insurance. Years later, they’ve not only created multiple videos that have gone “viral” in their community….and won themselves attention, business and trust. But they’...

If you haven't heard by now, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Just imagine how high that average would be if you dedicated a disproportionate amount of time to the people closest to you, physically and philosophically? That's quite possibly one of the most dangerous combinations for personal growth that exist in the known universe. If you don't believe me, try it...

You know you're doing something right when you can take a 10-day vacation without thinking twice. Having an agency that runs itself when you're not around is a blessing most owners have yet to receive. If not, there's a good chance you found the right people, implemented the right culture and/or fully empowered them to do so. Missing just one of those steps is enough to send agency performance fly...

It starts by building a stable foundation that will allow you the chance to ask even better questions about. Those answers will allow your digital marketing to drive leads that finally create a return on that investment. That's done by making sure your website is properly focused on delivering a uniquely different experience for prospects and clients. Add in an abnormal size of integration and you...

When they are it allows you to humanize insurance in a way no one else can. Because it's that intimate knowledge that will give you the advantage of communicating in the most effective way. The best part is you don't need a fancy InsurTech solution, instead, you might just need to pick up the thing that's been there from the start. When you do, you'll be surprised at how much there was still left...

Yep, Sandra Gebhardt used to cold call. Used to. As in, let that ship sail. She happened into Facebook Advertising out of pure curiosity of the platform. Invested time into learning. Invested money into iterating. And generated so many online insurance leads, she didn’t need to pick up the phone once. Years later, after honing her skills, she’s an expert in the insurance Facebook Advertising space...

When you do you're able to more completely take advantage of what really works for you instead of what everyone else thinks should. It's in this realization that leads to uncovering opportunities that are commonly ignored. Occasionally they're dismissed for good reason, however, without the proper examination you'll never know for sure. It's this localized testing that creates the most unique and...

Starts with a practical introduction to insurance instead of the traditional coverage barrage we all endured. The reality of the industry is much more process-oriented and focused on simplistic coverage tasks upon entry. Combine that with a delayed licensing approach and its to see why the acclimation process is so challenging. It's those abundant knowledge assumptions that make it hard to simplif...

That depends on if you ever get serious the importance of being able to always answer the phone anytime or any day of the year. The fancy technical term for this is 24/7 customer service and generally feels like it's out of reach for most agencies to provide. The truth is, if you have the patience and give someone else a chance to do it, you'd be surprised at what's possible. Pulling yourself and...

Starts by making sure the main goal is to drive new business by attracting people unfamiliar with your agency. If you can do that then you need to make sure you're providing just the right amount of necessary friction along the way. That's an unstoppable combination of highly qualified lead bliss that can dramatically change the agency's complexion. If you lose sight of those objectives along the...

Robby Burton doesn’t take no for an answer. The current insurance technology couldn’t bend in the ways he needed. So, he looked further. Outside the industry. And he found more than just a suite of tools. He found a deeper perspective on the insurance customer experience.