Change Insurance

It's easy to get caught up with what you want to tell someone.  What's more important is if it's something they want to hear. Because there's a lot to be said for making something someone else's idea.  The only way to do that is to listen more than you speak.  Emily Hathcoat, Vice President of Marketing, talks about why that's her greatest communication skill and how you can make it yours. 

Most of us rarely plan to get into this industry, let alone stumble on a deeper mission. One thing is for sure, you'll never find it if you don't have the guts to step out on your own.  Because there's only so much you can plan for and sometimes it takes a happy accident to change your agency.  Then all of a sudden you could be opened up to a whole new world of insurance you didn't know existed. D...

You don't need to be the smoothest salesman to win the most accounts. Because sometimes it just comes down to who can solve the problem the best.  That's ultimately the measurement that will go the furthest with the business you're trying to write. Closing a sale without solving the problem is a temporary solution that's just waiting to get infected.  Matt Cooper, CEO of Inner-City Group and Commu...

The reality is, clearing the bar in its current position isn't much of a challenge. That is of course if your only comparing yourself to others in the insurance industry.  The problem with that is we do not exist in a business vacuum. The standard set by other "professional" industries has made the lack of real-time communication very apparent.  Billie Jo Galle, Vice President of Marketing and Bus...

It starts with making sure you always walk in with a price.  Believe it or not, it's easy to talk about why the coverage is so important.  The tricky part is remembering to always give them an accurate indication of what it will cost. Based on how much you care about the policy they might think it costs a lot more than it actually does. Adam Connor, RPS Broker and cyber expert, breaks down all the...

Let's be honest, a lot has to go right to take on a trillion-dollar industry that's over a century old.  Because it takes a lot to start a new insurance company and they're never born overnight.  But how does anyone survive that process and what type of innovation has to happen to give it a chance? Believe it or not, there are quite a few ducks that need to be in a row before significant progress...

Like it or not, most people don't wake up excited to talk to their insurance agent.  Building your agency's awareness around that simple fact can have a dramatic impact on those interactions.  When you're prepared for the worst it becomes easy to exceed expectations and deliver a positively unexpected experience.  The first step is not letting your staff think everyone likes insurance more than th...

There's a lot of value in people knowing you're not perfect. Because they aren't either and it's good to have something in common.  There's also a ton of value in the relationship you have with your clients. The only trick that's left is to find out how consistently authentic you can be with them? Shawn Moynihan, U.S. Head of Editorial for Insiders Engage, talks about the type of transparency he's...

Because most traditional insurance policies don't understand how people need to work today.  The world has seen a rapid shift in those expectations over the last 12 months.  Not to mention the overwhelming amount of new businesses that have started based in the home. All of that adds up to mean there's a giant opportunity for you to provide value for your clients and boost your agency. Jill Bryant...

At the very least, it will make sure every base has been covered. That one question is simply asking if your client has any home-operated businesses? Which is a question that might turn up more yes' than ever given the last 12 months we've all dealt with. The only thing that's left to do is make sure you're offering them a policy that can handle it. Brandon Goodin, RPS Broker and Underwriter talks...

It just takes a little success from someone looking to try something different. The truth is we're dealing with the "new normal" now and our "business as usual" is long gone. That means your agency is probably looking for new ways to permanently change the way you talk to people.  One of the best and relatively easy options you might want people to get excited about is video marketing. Dshanya Ree...

That starts by selling the "why" to make sure everyone knows what's important.  Then you have to make sure you have the right people in place to handle your technology.  If not, you end up with a lot of uncommitted and unqualified people sailing your insurance ship.  Because it's not your job to always do the heavy lifting, your job is to know when to take the boat out of the water. Quincy Branch,...

Every business has a media exposure if they realize it or not.  When you publish content online there's liability surrounding all the details of those media assets.  That's where business owners have a great deal of responsibility securing the proper permissions for that content. This is a problem that increases every day as more and more business owners look to new digital methods of communicatio...

At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much you know.  Then it's a matter of how much you help someone else understand your knowledge.  Because education is generally the most powerful tool when paired with the right amount of execution. If It's all backed up by the perfect set of supporting skills, it's almost guaranteed you'll have a gigantic advantage.   Joe Brunsman, Vice President of...

There's a delicate balance that's hard to find when you create specific insurance solutions.  Sometimes you don't take it far enough and leave options on the table for your client. Other times you can go overboard with changes that just don't make sense.  No matter what, if you focus on their biggest issues you'll be able to get it just right.  Rep Plasencia, Area Executive Vice President at RPS,...

At first, it might seem normal, but over time can become a maddening experience. Because it's something that's hard to come by your first few years in the industry. Especially if you came to insurance later in your career.  It's possible that process is what makes the people who survive it successful. It's also possibly preventing a lot of new talent from sticking around for the long haul. Jennife...

Your clients and employees have both been adjusting to doing business differently.  Those interactions have been more unique and varied than you could have ever imagined. Because now there's little certainty around how and where they can or will take place.  It's possible the limits of that flexibility will be tested in a way there's no getting out of.  Jana Foster, Owner at Nevada Insurance Agenc...

If you did, it would be a good start to providing clients with a more unique buying experience.  The tricky part is that you rarely get to dictate what questions need answers.  But the conversation has to start somewhere and the more pressure we can apply to it, the better.  Because it's going to be hard to survive in a system that values "nice to know" over customer experience.  Andrew Correll, H...

Let's stop talking about price and start educating people about coverage.  Of course, this has long been a communication hallmark of the big-box insurance companies.  Because price is important, but all policies aren't created equal and there's a lot of opportunities if you " decommoditize" the products you sell.  It certainly feels like a long shot to see this message carried across the industry,...

The best and worst part about being an independent agent is that you think you're a policy slinging maverick. While some of that may be true, and it's hard to find a box everyone can fit in,  there's still a handful of things we all need to focus on. Most of which revolve around improving the digital capabilities all-around your marketing, operations, sales and service cycle.   When those things s...

It's always a good thing when your agency has more business than it did before. However, as good of a problem that is to have, there are definitely new things you need to handle at each level. That's where adopting a rapid change mentality can really help support the agency's added weight. Because what used to be important might not matter to as many people now. Dan Lau, Vice President of Operatio...

If we really do the hard work, it's going to take a generation or two before real impactful change can happen. Then it's possible the industry could look like a place where more people want to be.  That means it's going to take every minute of that time to make up for the past and have meaningful conversations to get there.  Because right now, despite decent progress, insurance still has a gap to...

Insurance rarely starts out as a career choice for most people, it's simply a job. It takes several years before it's true value and mission are revealed.  However, once you're able to see it, there's a good chance you won't want to leave. If you combined that with truly unmatched earning potential, it's hard to figure out why it's a tough sell in the first place. Tony Cañas, Client Advisor at the...

It's possible that's what the industry has been doing all along...  Now the only thing that's left to do is sprinkle a little more technology over everything.  That should help make the point of need bigger and brighter to find the best policy at the best time. It might even be possible to adjust the words that describe the coverage to operate in a more dynamic and real-time way. Byran Falchuk, Fo...

Sometimes it's risky to go all-in on one industry you want to do business with.   However, that commitment has the potential to provide greater stability and success if you stick with it. Because going beyond being an expert means you ingrain yourself into the fabric of that special industry.  If you've been there long enough, it'll be there for whatever the market throws at you. David DeLorenzo,...