Agency Nation Radio

There's a good chance you'll see your agency have an impact on the community that you didn't think was possible. As a result, it will be extremely hard for that community you cared about first to ignore what you do. That's not even mentioning the amount of extra passion your people will bring to work as a result. Because allowing your staff to freely roam the community is far better than what they...

They'll never last forever, but there are a few key things you can do now to give them a chance. Because the truth is there's nothing worse than watching a video continue to rack up views and look terrible doing it. Especially when a majority of that frustration can be avoided by paying a little attention to the details. It's those details that will make your video setup feel like overkill now but...

You end up investing in an unlimited number of "producers" that work for your 24/7, 365 days a year. It's hard to see now, but most of that work will only get better with age and create an unthinkable compounding education effect. That effect will make it almost impossible for the people you want to do business with to not pay attention to you. Because if you've identified them correctly and commi...

It's very possible it will take the industry a lot longer than necessary to truly see it's importance. As your business and life expand further and onto the internet, the more room there is in your client's lifecycle to experience your vulnerability. It will ultimately become the separator of trust and will become a barrier to get it. Given the current state of the union, it's hard to see now, esp...

It will forever be a debate what you should say to clients when you don't need to talk about insurance. It's a debate that will never have a right or wrong answer, rather results of many different successful outcomes. The common thread that will likely string them all together is consistency and confidence in the messages that you share. The simple fact of owning the stories you tell instead of fe...

This is actually the best way to understand the difference between an effective Facebook or YouTube video strategy. If you don’t take the time to think about how, when and why someone is coming across your video and what they might want to do when they’re done, now would be a good time to start. It’s those intentions that will help you craft the perfect message to be found at the perfect time for...

This is one of those moments you just have to put your head down and do something a lot longer than you think. Because one thing is for sure, it's not for a lack of ideas or suggestions, rather focus and execution. It's easy to suggest, it's easy to listen, it's easy to consume and it's certainly easy to get distracted. There aren't special (see better) ideas waiting around the next corner, there...

Starts with telling a story very few people hear to help understand insurance. The underwriting process is arguably the most important part of insurance no one knows about. Having the ability to look deeper at the whole story could dramatically change the current process. Because currently, very few people are able or willing to tell it. That's what I talk to Amber Wuollet, of Explore Insurance ,...

It’s going to take longer than you think and be riskier than want. Because there's something that got you to where you are right now that's uniquely different than everyone else. If you’re lucky enough to figure it out you’ll have an advantage most won't be able to overcome. However, the hardest part is being patient enough and realize that it's something you won't be able to assemble overnight. T...

Believe it or not, insurance hasn't changed much, what has is the customer's expectations. Making sense of that realization can be a little sobering and leave you questioning your insurance life. It all starts by understanding that you start and build relationships with anyone all the time. Which opens your agency up for the opportunity to grow in a way you never thought possible. That's what I ta...

All you’re doing is showing people how little you care about what’s really important. Instead, educate your client to a better experience so they don’t have to worry about taking every last dollar on the table. Understanding the value as it relates to the savings is a service that can be hard to come by. It's also an experience that agents are sometimes strangely afraid to provide. That’s what I t...

It's easy to dismiss and even easier to want to control, but given the proper freedom can be effective. That's really the default reaction most people have when it comes to allowing personal brands to develop inside an agency. Those concerns are usually masked in the form of Facebook pages and separate websites. However, if properly supported and coordinated your agency can take advantage of the m...

Because contrary to popular (insurtech) opinion, you provide too sweet of a deal to pass up. That deal usually includes taking an active and engaged roll in your community. It also requires a serious commitment to operating as a true risk manager instead of an apples to apples order taker. However, not every insurance agent with an active license can live up to that standard. That's why it's impor...

It all starts by going far beyond the first box or two you tried to check selling it. Instead needs to become a deeper, more specific, understanding of who they are and why they need to buy insurance. That's when you truly start to make decisions based on the group of people you will finally be able to call your niche. Otherwise, you'll end up assuming a sale that might not be coming from a person...

Are hard to care about until they start costing you business, but once they do is it too late? It's certainly a question and answer you shouldn't want to wait around to find out. Going on the offense with the tools and technology your agency deploys to get attention is a pretty solid idea. Regardless of the medium, you have the ability to weave your personal story and build relationships at an uni...

Starts with having the ability to potentially own your book of business and encourage long-term success. It's a shortsighted problem we bring on ourselves by overvaluing and misjudging the real owner of the relationship. If we're all operating with enough confidence, it shouldn't matter because there'll be enough to go around and send the best possible message. Instead of creating a culture that d...

Not just because that's the most effective business strategy, but because that's the world they grew up in. The recruiting epidemic is a constant conversation throughout the industry so much so we might see a few support groups start forming. Insurance has a problem attracting new, fresh, young talent, mostly because of the stereotypical image it currently carriers. Maybe we've been going at it al...

It's very possible your agency could have an incivility problem and not even know it.  What might seem like a harmless conversation to you could be a big deal to someone else. Getting a handle on this type of behavior should be at the top of every agency owners list. It could be as simple as creating an environment that is equipped and prepared to handle different opinions with respect.  That’s wh...

The most important thing you can do is identify as quickly as possible what works best for you. The reason that's so important is that if it's not something specifically tailored to your needs the hard it'll be to achieve. It almost doesn't matter what it is, as long as you can mathematically sell enough of it, to ultimately reach your sales goals. The longer you delay making that identification a...

It starts by sticking to what you're good at and building a system that allows you to inspire. During that process, it should become clear what direction your agency should be running in. Because when you consistently stay the course that lets your people experience that dedication to a vision. While change is good, doing consistently and radically only weakens your teams desire to follow you. Tha...

It's going to be a lot harder to do if you don't know what it will take to get there. Which might be an embarrassingly obvious statement, however, a larger number of agents still struggle with. Just because there's a hand full of XYZ businesses around your area doesn't mean they will be the best bet moving forward. Once you figure out who those people are, the faster you can move on to achieving t...

It's the only thing you can do if you don't want to look really bad doing a good thing. Helping organize and execute community events is something that comes second nature to most insurance agents. But how do you make sure people know you were there without taking the spotlight away from the reason people were? The simple answer is, "Tell the story," but of course that's much easier said than done...

Most of the time it started with something unexpected and ended with your ability to make a difference. Once you're exposed to the power of being there for someone on their worst day it makes it hard to want to do anything else. Then your mission becomes finding new ways to do old things. Which might involve sneaking some implied video authority from someone else. That's what I talk to Scott Green...

First, it all starts with realizing you can't do everything and that you don't need to hire the people you think. Getting someone else to handle the majority of the marketing duties is a huge step in the right direction. The more important question should be focused on where they need to be handling them from? Because the more things you need one person to do, the harder it is to find them. That's...

Which shouldn't be confused with trying to create the best videos for your agency. Focusing on what happens when you get in front of the camera instead of how to do it is a subtle mindset shift that can go along way. Yeah, it's important for things to look and feel a certain way, but aren't the ultimate benchmarks to determine success. It might all start with viewing video as part of your everyday...