Agency Nation Radio

You'll realize those imaginary benchmarks only mean something if you get started. Getting started is one of the most important things you can do and usually the hardest thing holding you back. But stopping every time you don't think your doing something right is when everything started to chance. That's what I talk to Ryan Anderson, from Alliance Insurance, as he tried to figure out what's going o...

Is by stealing tons of time back taking your integration game to the next level. The more connected and automated every "service" process in your agency gets, the more "sales" time you magically find. The only problem with that equation is that it's not easy and sometimes nearly impossible to make those connections. That's when you have to get creative and really dedicate time and resources to fig...

Is as simple as continuing to educate them all the way through the entire sales process. It might sound obvious and simple, however, the secret is in the execution and distribution of that message. When you create content that compels people to reach out to you, they expect that process to continue in person. What they don't want to happen is getting strongarmed into a policy that might not be bes...

This is a call to the front lines of the industry to hear where a next-generation agent see opportunity. It's certainly a mindset that runs in stark contrast to what you'll find in most legacy agencies. What one finds exciting the other views as risky and the most interesting part is seeing who will be right. That's the overall perspective I got during a recent chat I had with Brett Fulmer . P.S....

Don't assume just because you live in a rural area, digital marketing doesn't work. Instead, assume that there's a completely unique and untapped way to connect with people. Your job is to figure out what and where that connection is happening. There's also a good chance it might be in the most unlikely of places on the most unexpected social network. That's exactly what Jesse Konold, of Key Agenc...

It doesn't matter how long you haven't, it can happen anywhere anytime. Really what it comes down to is letting the thing that doesn't matter impact your ability to take action. It's this fabricated inaction that kills good intentions before they even had a chance. The thing you can do today is normally better than what you think you can do tomorrow. That's what I talk to Woody Brown, of The Rhoad...

It starts with identifying the trigger for your desired action. You also need to have a pretty good idea of what you want your desired outcome to be. Once you've got that figured out now you have to figure out if there is enough craving for desire or fear of repercussions. When you really get down to it, good business habits end up looking like a well-established process. That's what I sit down to...

Continues to rage on much longer than necessary and delay an entire industry in the process. The good news is that it looks like there might finally be light at the end of the integration tunnel. Technology partners and carriers are finally starting to see the possibilities of operating in a truly integrated world. That world would finally include unduplicated work and streamlined efficiencies we'...

Is going to be more efficient than we can probably imagine. That means you'll be able to scale your agency to a level you never thought possible. The only problem will be if you can do it faster then the next guy. Live in a fully open API world and operating with advanced customer knowledge will dramatically change the way we do business. That's why I wanted to get Jeff Roy ( Excalibur Insurance )...

If you attended this year's conference with 650 of your closest insurance friends you should already have a good idea. It doesn't seem like that long ago we wrapped the final session of Elevate 2018 and now next year's event is right around the corner. Sydney Roe and I wanted to jump on to give you a quick update on the progress of the event and what you can start to get excited about. If you don'...

Should not be taken lightly and approached with caution. That's how serious things get when you start to focus on personal lines home and auto with your digital marketing. Forget about insurance, that's one of the most competitive categories in all of business. So you're going to want to make sure you have a solid strategy that's actually about to cut through the noise. That's what I talk to Sean...

It starts by letting someone else do your job better than you can. When that happens, you're able to find more valuable tasks you couldn't reach before. It's a place a lot of agencies are afraid to reach right now and could be a huge advantage moving forward. Because you haven't lived until you've walked into your office and a month's worth of renewals are waiting. That's what I talk to Nick Thalh...

It's really hard to start an agency from scratch, it's even hard to do it without any help. That's why it's so important, either through luck, hard work or a combination of both to find it. Everything from the initial operating capital to basic market access can slow things down when your starting. But those few key partnerships will shine brightest during those most demanding times of need. That'...

If we're lucky they'll just get easier and people will want to keep us around. If not, things could get interesting trying to decide who does what. One thing's for sure, we probably stand a better chance together than alone. The specifics of that togetherness are still loosely forming. For a specific set of captive agents, there's one place that can help them figure it out. That's what I talk to A...

If you're already doing it, why not try and get the most out of it. You're probably leaving a lot of value and exposure on the table if you're not creating content around your connections in the community. Instead of getting the attention of the 15-20 people that are also highly dedicated, the right piece of content 150-200. The only trick is creating something with enough value those select few w...

Early in your insurance career, you're faced with a difficult challenge. There's usually an opportunity you want to pursue and another that seems to be working faster. In those lean moments of desperation, it's hard to walk away from business that's moving faster. Of course, this decision is not mutually exclusive, instead, it's a challenge of finding the right balance. That's what I talk to Lando...

Is fairly involved but rarely overwhelming if tackled one step at a time. It's in this blueprint where more of your insurance content will perform better over time. While there might be a fancy, possibly intimidating, feeling to initially getting started. Once you do, there's a decent chance you won't how you did business without it I sit down with you one on one to go through the entire list star...

Flood Insurance could be the hidden insurance treasure your agency has been looking for. Very few agents sell it and a lot of the right people need it. Even if you want nothing to do with selling a flood policy, there are plenty of other specializations you can find. It's leaning in, not pushing away the specific knowledge required to be at the top of your game. Sydney Roe sat down with Chris Gree...

You just have to find a few people who remind you to think outside the box. This is actually one of the easiest things you can do to help drive change and results in your agency. If you are constantly surrounded by people who hold you accountable and push ideas forward, you'll have no choice but to keep up.  The biggest challenge is consistently finding time to connect with these people because th...

Just because you think they should buy from you doesn't mean they feel the same way. That's the danger of assuming any sale is in the bag because that's exactly the time it isn't. However, the good news is there's a lot that can be done with this assumption to make people think differently. The challenge is upping your game for the people that see it every day. That's what I talked to Bogus Handze...

The traditional answer is a lot less than you might actually think. In a producer-driven world, most of the time they are forced to carry a heavy load in the agency. That load can sometimes include everything from start to finish involved with a policy. Of course, there are plenty of producers that have dominated their market doing everything. However, in a more specialized world, that producers m...

It's hard to imagine walking into a room full of people and feeling alone. It's a feeling a majority of us in the industry have never had to worry about. However, it's foreign feelings like that standing in the way of long overdue progress. That progress shouldn't be nearly as hard to come by as it is and That's why I assembled some of the best leaders in the industry who are trying to make that h...

It's up to you to find them, but once you do then it's time to take action. That's really the hard part of discovering information that drives change. Allowing it to fully take hold and be implemented instead of falling in love with learning. Because once you do it sometimes creates a false reality of the adoption level certain ideas have in the industry. That's what I talk to Ryan Anderson, of Al...

Can sometimes be as easy as focusing on the special things other agents ignore. It doesn't matter if it's a classic car, boat, motorcycle or BOP policy, the bigger the package you offer the harder it is to move. We're all chasing that high-quality client that has a need for multiple lines of business and has a strong retention rate. It's very possible the reason you're not finding as many as you w...

This is really where the art and science of marketing collide as you try to figure out what works. There are no guarantees you will rank for keywords that drive business. However, there are a few key pillars to lean on when getting started to ensure the most success possible. Those pillars, however, might look and feel different to each agent depending on your current position. That's what I talk...