Agency Intelligence

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht discusses how to find success as an insurance agent. It's not about you. It's not about the insurance agent. The Hero of the "insurance story" is your prospect. Marketing, branding, and selling is best performed when you position your prospect as the Hero and you as the Guide. Give your prospect a plan for success and they'll do whatever you (the Guide) tell them to do! Episode Highlights: Which two stories should insurance agents have? (4:10) Charles shares a story of how helpful life insurance is. (4:54) Charles mentions the book, called, Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller. (8:21) Charles explains why your sales process needs a script. (11:28) Charles shares who the hero is when it comes to the storyline of a successful insurance agent. (13:18) Charles explains who the villain is when it comes to the insurance process. (15:16) As a producer, what do you need to remind the insured of? (16:58) Cha

In this episode, James talks with William Jones, Editor-In-Chief of Independent Agent Magazine.  To learn more about IA Magazine and subscribe to receive your copies, visit https://www.iamagazine.com/ Visit our website to join our email list, get the scoop on our LIVE coaching calls and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedom.com Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom Email us at podcast@agencyfreedom.com with ideas, questions, complaints or your favorite grilling recipe. Episode Highlights: William shares his background and what led him to his current position as Editor-in-Chief of Independent Agent magazine. (2:56) William mentions that he is from the UK originally and explains that Queen Elizabeth has been a great true leader and deserves a lot of credit. (8:12) William shares that being an influential journalist takes a lot of responsibility, but it is where success comes from. (12:56) William dis

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Todd Thams, Founder of Mod Advisor, Direct Work Comp, and President of Thams Agency. Todd talks about how Mod Advisor helps agencies better communicate to their clients and prospects the impact of claims on their workers’ compensation premium, saving them both time and money.  Episode Highlights: Todd shares that the reason why he founded Mod Advisor is that he wanted to have a better, easier way to communicate with prospects and clients about the impact of the cost of claims on their workers’ compensation premiums. (3:25) Todd explains that if you don't have the tools and resources your competitors have, it automatically disqualifies you from the competition. (8:18) Todd explains that he has been in every position in the company, from bathroom cleaner to producer, and that it has been a fantastic experience that has taught him so much about the industry. (10:56) Todd shares that he has a team of nine developers on the backend

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with second generation agency principal, Matt Davis. Episode Highlights: Matt shares his background story and how he got into the industry as a second-generation agency owner. (2:57) Matt explains that seeing his team succeed both professionally and with their personal goals is very fulfilling. (6:37) Matt shares that GDI insurance is still focused on and specializes in residential construction. (11:13) Matt mentions that he will be in Nashville at Innovation22 to discuss acquiring agencies and books of business. (12:42) Matt explains that the sellers who will benefit the most from the private equity proposals are those that have a tightly run ship. (17:06) Matt discusses some strategies for building relationships with prospects. (21:55) Matt explains that one of the best things you can do is to become known for being fair and making sure that both parties always win the deal. (24:11) Matt believes that a seller who refuses to provide fina

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht discusses how quoting is for the weak! This is a truism. But if you're not going to offer quotes, what should a producer do, exactly? That's what Charles Specht breaks down for us today. Instead of offering quotes, use this process instead to win signed BOR’s! Episode Highlights: Charles shares a story about a poll he recently did on LinkedIn. (1:45) Charles explains why he disagrees that the broker of record letter is unethical. (2:56) Charles mentions one important thing that insurance agents should do. (7:30) Charles shares what insurance agents prospecting goals should be. (8:29) Charles explains some of the reasons why insurance buyers don’t trust insurance agents. (12:32) Charles explains how to get more signed broker record letters and how to build your book of business. (16:53) Charles mentions some of the goals you should have when meeting with your prospect. (19:45) Charles mentions why being

Like other industry disruptions preceding it, the InsurTech movement was widely viewed as a threat to the existence of the independent agency channel.  Thus far, the independent agent has proven to be an invaluable component in meeting client needs and expectations. Still, technology advances are the ecosystem in which they must operate – together with their carrier and digital partners. In this panel, leaders representing the three components of this dynamic, IA’s, carriers, and tech, share their thoughts on how to make the customer journey a smoother one and why collaboration is a win-win for all parties. Don't miss this conversation... Episode Highlights: Ryan introduces his guests: Amy Zupon, CEO of Vertafore, Tyler Asher, President of IA Distribution for Liberty Mutual, and Matt Masiello, CEO of SAA. Amy Zupon mentions that the increasing amount of M&A in the industry is catching her attention right now. (8:50) Amy Zupon explains that there is a huge amount of money invested in the space right now,

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa does a solo episode about leveling up and how to combat the junk in our heads that holds us back from success. Episode Highlights: Teresa mentions that we are at the time of the year when we think and make plans for the following year. (0:37) Teresa shares how she is managing after experiencing a major tragedy last year. (1:42) Teresa recalls a time in her life when she was just trying to keep everything together and mentions that it is okay to be in that season of life. (6:30) Teresa mentions that the book titled "Secrets of Six-Figure Women" has been really helpful to her. (8:56) Teresa shares that it is important to regularly ask ourselves what we want because as time goes by, it changes. (11:45) Teresa talks about the process of creating a list of 100 things that she truly wants and how that exercise impacted her mindset. (16:21) Teresa explains that regrets will always be there if you don’t ask yourself why you can’t have things that you a

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Krista Kautz, Commercial Lines Producer at Berrong Insurance Agency. Krista discusses her journey from musician to insurance producer, what her niches are, and how she became involved with Oklahoma Young Agents. Episode Highlights: Krista discusses the Oklahoma Next-Gen Under 30 Awards. (2:40) Krista mentions that she is currently the Vice Chair of the Oklahoma Young Agents and that her agency owners support her involvement. (4:19) Krista mentions that even though she and Ryan Smith are competitors, they have brother-sister discussions, always giving each other a hard time and pushing each other to be accountable. (4:57) Krista mentions that she uses an iPhone and that the most recent app she downloaded was Yahoo Sports. (14:04) Krista explains why winning was her favorite thing. (15:45) Krista discusses skills versus luck gave her the capacity to sit in a conference room and go through a commercial auto policy page by page

In this special episode, Ryan breaks down how in a "Human-Optimized" Agency of the Future, efficiency isn't the answer to exponential growth. Efficiency may be part of the solution, but it's not the whole solution, and a lack of understanding of this concept is where many insurtech startups go wrong. This is an episode you don't want to miss... Episode Highlights: Ryan believes that the Rouge model is proven to be productive, efficient, and replicable by anyone with the vision and guts to do so. (2:35) Ryan mentions that they are currently hiring at Rouge. Some of the positions they are looking for are aspiring chief revenue officers and producers. (6:11) Ryan explains that the positions available are not for traditional people but more for people that like to build relationships and have an open mind to a slightly different approach. (10:25) Ryan discusses how he got a great deal with a car dealership, and the moment he realized that the sales agent was just trying to sell something he had access t

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Dawnyel Smink, Founder, and CEO of CLI Select Agencies, an alliance of independent agencies. Episode Highlights: Dawnyel shares her background and discusses her transition from being an elementary school teacher to owning her own business. (3:32) Dawnyel explains that CLI Select Agencies is there to be of service to agencies and take care of agencies and one way of doing that is making sure they are a good fit. (9:19) Dawnyel shares that part of what they do at CLI Select Agencies is discussing how agency owners can teach their team not to lie about leadership and what it really means to be a leader. (11:57)   James mentions that leadership is apologizing quickly when a wrong is pointed out to you, as humility speeds up reconciliation and recovery. (14:49) Dawnyel explains that communicating clearly with people means being able to take accountability on both sides. (19:12) Dawnyel shares that there is no perfect leader, and we have all mad

This episode is a replay of a live webinar Ryan  did for David Carothers and the Killing Commercial community, breaking down the step-by-step method he's used over the last decade to drive consistent inbound leads into his agency using video marketing. This is a hyper-tactical episode, so sharpen your pencil and get ready to learn ALL the secrets of inbound video marketing. Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: Ryan explains that he repeated the 100 days, 100 videos commitment in 2020, using the same technique he used in 2018. (8:24) Ryan discusses how he searches for and creates his list of topics, which he then turns into a headline for videos that provide solutions. (11:31) According to Ryan, if the video has good audio and clean visuals, consumers will pay attention to it; but, if the video has a busy background, their attention will begin to dry up. (15:30) Ryan mentions the advantages of using the sun as the video's lighting setup and having crisp, clean audio. (19:07) Ryan shares tha

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Melinda Krieger. Melinda is with Hanover Insurance and she has had a 36-year career in the insurance industry, and we talk about how to weather the storms of life and the insurance market to have the career you want. Episode Highlights: Melinda shares her background experience and how she got into the insurance industry and joined Hanover Insurance. (1:19) Melinda explains that you need to ask for what you wanted to be involved in, in your career journey. (6:00) Melinda mentions that she has a group of high school friends who have been mentoring each other about business. (9:53) Melinda shares her experience and insights from taking the Culture Index, on which she learned that she has a high energy quotient. (14:34) Melinda elaborates on the importance of having your thinking time away from answering emails, and notifications. (20:26) Melinda discusses the importance of making sure to have small and realistic expectations

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Callum Beecroft, Owner of the phonejacker®. Callum discusses how he helps companies connect with prospects by cold calling for them and shares his cold-calling mistakes so that others can learn from them. Episode Highlights: Callum shares that he is an iPhone user and the last app he downloaded was Sky Sports. (2:15) Callum explains that the reason he loves to win over hating to lose, and, in cold calling always tries to find the lesson in the loss. (3:55) Callum shares the conversation he had with Benjamin Dennehy that led him to start the phonejacker®. (10:56) Callum mentions that he also works for eCommerce businesses, and a marketing agency for prospecting, where he picks up the phone and sets meetings with the prospects that his clients want to meet with. (13:42) Callum shares his decision making and the things he considers on starting the phonejacker® and learning cold calling practices instead of being an employee of a co

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James gets into some open ended shop talk with Guest Co-Host, Tamron Manning. Episode Highlights: Tamron shares that James has been a huge help to him in coming into the independent space. (2:52)  Tamron explains why the environment plays a big role in insurance when it comes to being a sports athlete. (7:02) Tamron discusses that the main reason he wanted to switch to the independence side is because of the ability to create your own brand. (14:58) Tamron advises the listeners to put their blinders on, control what they can, and focus. (21:44) James shares his experience starting his company and how he got help to pull it off. (32:43) James explains that a really great virtual team member can be a good asset for a start-up company. (38:14) James shares his strategy for being able to achieve sustainable cash flow and growth with a start-up. (43:20) James shares that, in his opinion, it is very important to prioritize your time over money, because if n

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Jason Cass for an absolute blitz of conversation on insurance, insurtech, and everything and anything else we could discuss in a 60-minute podcast. You will be educated, and you will certainly be entertained. You are welcome, insurance industry... Episode Highlights: Ryan mentions that he will be purchasing David Carothers' book The Dirty 130 for his team since the book when combined with the workbook, is an extremely exciting program for producers (3:07) Jason explains that everything he and Ryan talked about before about what will happen in the insurance industry is already happening. (5:22) Ryan believes that there are brilliant individuals flying about all over and that if you have the opportunity to give them lifestyle work rather than a traditional job, you can get fantastic people all across the country. (7:22) Jason acknowledges that SAA provided him with the contract that got him the appointments, and he was able to accomplish

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Ati Grinspun. Ati Grinspun is a branding and photography guru who works with women to help them with their personal branding and how to make a great impression on our clients. Episode Highlights: Ati explains how she became interested in becoming a branding business coach. (1:35) Ati shares that while she was deciding what she wanted to do, she began working with women. (3:22) Ati explains how she helps women overcome their fear of being really authentic. (9:26) Ati believes that each of us can create a profitable personal brand by emphasizing who we currently are rather than attempting to become someone we are not. (13:59) Ati mentions that we can bring our own experiences and all we've done to develop relevancy, but we must first believe it. (19:14) According to Ati, a personal brand is more than just what we do, it genuinely incorporates who we are into what we do. (24:51) Ati discusses the four most important things

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Mark Engels, CEO of ePayPolicy. Mark discusses the areas in which ePayPolicy has simplified the process of making insurance payments. Mark also highlights ePayPolicy’s new service, CheckMate, which is changing the game for paper check payments. Episode Highlights: Mark discusses how ePayPolicy’s new service, CheckMate, is making it easy for customers to receive payments and then have them auto reconcile into the back office to make things more efficient. (2:52) Mark explains what a lockbox is and how it helps customers by transforming physical checks into digital files. (6:03) Mark mentions that as ePayPolicy evolves, they are developing a solution for their clients that only take a handful of checks in their office each month and do not require a full-fledged outsourced lockbox service. (8:17) Mark announces that ePayPolicy will launch a product associated with outbound payments for an insurance premium, as well as an invoicing s

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Ted Stuckey, President of Nationwide Brokerage Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nationwide Insurance. Episode Highlights: Ted shares what Nationwide Brokerage Solutions (NBS) are all about, and what they do to help the industry. (5:34) Ted explains that NBS focuses on areas where agents are struggling, and aims to zero out these challenges. (11:03) James shares that he is fascinated by how NBS is participating with so many carriers to serve a wide variety of niches. (20:01) Ted explains why they currently are not participating in the transportation side of the niche. (21:12) Ted shares how they ensure that clients are getting placed with the right coverages and carriers. (28:00) Ted discusses that there will always be a blindspot in an agency, and shares an example of theirs, which is the high-touch service. (32:13) Ted explains that the reason why they have a great relationship with underwriters and carriers is that they do the

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Tanya Andolsen, President of Argosy Risk Specialists, joins the podcast for a deep dive into environmental insurance. We talk about what exactly environmental insurance is, why it's essential, and ultimately how independent insurance agents sell more of it.  This is an episode you insurance nerds don't want to miss. Episode Highlights: Tanya discusses her background and how she got started in the insurance industry 27 years ago. (4:19) Tanya explains the concept of being in the environmental insurance industry and the processes they follow. (9:54) Tanya shares how everything can be related to our environment and how this can be explained to clients and contractors. (16:35) Tanya explains that if there is a pollution exclusion on a claim, the chance is that it is going to be denied. (19:01) Tanya shares the example of waste disposal as one environmental issue that could present an exposure for business owners if they are not properly protected. (23:35) Tany

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht discusses how competing insurance agents only win new business an average of 8% of the time in a normal quoting process. Incumbent agents win 92%. So, who has it better? That's really the issue. Incumbent agents retain their clients because they have access and currently control the insured's permission. Therefore, let's focus on winning permission rather than blind quoting. Episode Highlights: Charles shares what is the problem with the normal quoting process in the insurance industry. (3:16) Charles shares why he likes the books of Seth Godin. (5:44) Charles explains his definition of permission. (8:48) Charles tells listeners why it’s so important to get permission. (9:46) What kind of quoting is Charles trying to get rid of? (14:31) What’s one of the most difficult things for insurance agents to start figuring out? (18:30) Charles shares one of the most important strategies to use. (21:10) Charles