Agency Intelligence

In this episode of The MVP Podcast, Mitch Gibson sits down with Chelsie Sweazy, who comes to us from MJ Insurance, located in Carmel, Indiana! Chelsie started her career on the carrier side with Travelers, then just over 2 years ago, Chelsie jumped headfirst into the agency side with MJ Insurance as a Risk Management Consultant/Producer. Before I got to know Chelsie about a year ago, she and I were competing for an account against each other for a prospect, and yes, she won the account. I LOVE to win, but Chelsie made me realize that I HATE losing way more. Episode Highlights: Chelsie shares why she posted the question, "would you rather have $30 trillion or 30 trillion friends?" and answers it herself. (4:16) Chelsie explains that coming into the sales role and getting into cold outreaches has been the biggest struggle for her. (7:28) Chelsie explains that her goal is to bring value to prospective clients and that she is not interested in taking someone's program and just recreating it with a different

In this episode of the Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass and Erik Garcia, CFP®, sit down with Felix Garcia and Ebens Jean to discuss their journeys to America, their careers in the insurance industry, and the life lessons they have learned along the way. Episode Highlights: Erik shares what inspired him to interview Felix Garcia and Ebens Jean, both of whom immigrated to America, not speaking the language, and ended up in the insurance industry. (1:47) Ebens shares his experience of immigrating to America from Haiti and the challenges of not speaking the language and adjusting to a new culture and climate. (5:04) Felix shares about his childhood in Cuba and his journey as a teenager from Cuba to Spain and ultimately to New Orleans, and the difficulties and discomfort of being a foreigner in a new country. (10:38) Felix and Ebens recall what it was like going to school as immigrants who spoke with an accent and did not know the language well. (17:51) Ebens shares the story of getting his firs

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Corina Ludwig, CEO of Function Fox, a task and project management software platform. Episode Highlights: Corina discusses her background, as well as her life vision and values. (4:58) Corina explains when they discovered that the technology they had created for themselves may benefit others in the creative industry. (6:21) Corina mentions that their group prefers to focus on what they do best: being creative rather than spending a lot of time on software. (10:18) Corina shares the lessons she has learned along her journey that she is now using as a seasoned Executive. (14:31) Corina discusses FunctionFox's business structure. (18:48) Corina explains how FunctionFox supports its team members' personal and professional vision and growth. (19:48) Corina discusses their transition from 25% to 100% percent remote workforce. (21:35) Corina discusses the current developments in the advertising industry. (25:00) Corina discusses the freelan

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley interviews Gordon Coyle, founder, and president of The Coyle Group. Gordon is a risk management and insurance services firm specializing in liability products. He joins the podcast and explains how he's using video to create inbound leads in specialty liability insurance. This is an episode you do not want to miss... Episode Highlights: Gordon shares his background story with Ryan. (13:00) Gordon explains that his natural curiosity and motivation from Ryan led him to take it to the next level in the technological aspect of the business. (18:31) Gordon talks about consistency and discipline being the keys to everything that you do. (21:07) Gordon shares how he was able to assist someone who had seen his videos and asked for his help. (26:23) Gordon shares that he gets his leads from people that are searching for answers on insurance on YouTube. (33:51) Gordon explains that one of the hardest things for him to do is to repurpose content. (40:31)

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht discusses the biggest problem insurance agents have. It’s not around prospecting or messaging. The biggest problem insurance agents have is their lack of success at getting their prospects to fire the incumbent agent in order to hire them. That is what this episode is all about.  Episode Highlights: Charles explains the process of competitive dethronement. (2:56) Charles shares how insurance is war. In sales, you either win or lose. (4:21) Charles explains how to get the incumbent agent fired, to get you hired. (9:19) Charles shares a story about speaking to an insurance agent, who sent him a message on LinkedIn. (11:43) What’s the second thing you want to do to get the incumbent agent fired? (13:30) Charles shares how to get the insured to realize that their agent hasn't fulfilled their services. (18:31) Charles explains another way of identifying significant problems that the insured has with their inc

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Lorin Montgomery. Lorin is an amazing commercial insurance producer with Brown & Brown Insurance. She built a successful career and has been able to ride the tides of commercial insurance in Florida for 38 years and she is still going strong! Episode Highlights: Lorin discusses her journey to get to where she is today. (1:50) Lorin shares the best day she's ever had in her 38-year career. (6:45) Lorin explains that she gets most of her clients from referrals because she no longer cold calls. (18:40) Lorin discusses her strategy with everyone she meets for the first time. (19:16) Lorin discusses the transition from Liberty Mutual to a brokerage-type position. (23:58) Lorin discusses the learning curve of submissions on the brokerage side. (25:54) Lorin mentions that Corporate Insurance Advisors was sold to Brown & Brown in 2021 bringing her back to corporate America. (30:52) Lorin discusses the importance of differentia

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Chris Lane, Director of Sales at Tarmika. Chris talks about the importance of price transparency, and how they make a great company by giving back to their employees.  Episode Highlights: Chris shares that he used to be an Android user, but in 2020 switched to becoming an iPhone user. (3:27) Chris explains that he was always involved in sports growing up and that it had an impact on making him love to win all the time. (4:38) Chris explains that it has been both skill and luck that have been the reason for where he is today. (8:57) Chris explains the services that they provide at Tarmika and how they benefit their clients. (16:58) Chris talks about how they have grown their market since starting back in 2019. (21:50) Chris shares the story of how they went down with one of their beta carriers that were doing robotic processing. (26:00)  Chris shares that all of the people they have hired have been essential to the greater goo

In this super-packed episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with five outstanding female agency principals from across the country. They cover a wide variety of topics and provide valuable insight and perspective on the state of the industry and how we can better foster growth in our teams and agencies. A special thanks to Vonda Copeland, Ciara Gravier, Whitney Ricci, Teresa Kitchens, and Ngozi Nnaji for joining us on this episode. Episode Highlights: Vonda, Ciara, Whitney, Teresa, and Ngozi share their background stories and what they love about the industry. (4:08) Vonda explains why she sees the female representation in the industry as a mother figure in terms of how they treat the business. (13:07) Ciara shares that as she grows, being more maternal is the challenge she aims to overcome. (17:54) Ngozi believes that having a female agency owner is the best of both worlds because of their resilience, power, influence, and sensitivity. (21:38) Ngozi believes that the industry needs to see

In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht teaches you how to determine what type of business you should target for prospecting. In other words, Charles will teach you the step-by-step process he takes his 1-on-1 coaching clients through to determine their own most profitable micro-niche focus. This is the topic Charles gets asked about most, which is why he gets very detailed in the process of it in this episode. Episode Highlights: Charles explains the difference between a niche and a micro-niche. (1:48) Charles shares that if you do not know what you are targeting, then everything is a target. (5:00) Charles explains that you can be passionate about other things, but it does not necessarily have to be your micro-niche. (7:30) Charles shares that micro-niching means you are focusing only on a specific area of a niche and not different areas. (11:16) Charles explains that it is important to consider your geographic territory when creating a micro-niche. (15:4

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Todd Thams, founder of Mod Advisor, Direct Work Comp, and President of Thams Agency, joins the podcast to break down how Mod Advisor is helping independent insurance agents deliver maximum value to their insurance clients. Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: Todd discusses the concept of broker-type ventures. (10:51) Todd expresses his excitement about Mod Advisor and all of the exciting things that they will be doing. (13:45) Todd explains that he considers himself to be a builder based on his life experiences. (14:57) Todd mentions the customers and their expectations as the main differences between operating Tham's Agency, a third-generation family company, and working in InsurTech. (16:56) Todd says he attributes his whole path to IAOA. (22:20) Todd explains that the objective at Mod Advisor is to demonstrate and identify the workers’ comp issue in an easy-to-understand style for the customers. (30:42) Todd believes he has control over wha

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa talks to Kaleigh Kitchens (her daughter) about her entering the insurance industry and what she has experienced so far. This is one episode and we will make other episodes as we document her first year in the insurance industry and how she grows her roots in a new career. Episode Highlights: Kaleigh shares her journey and her story of how she found herself in the insurance industry. (2:42) Kaleigh talks about competence as her biggest fear, and discusses joining the industry as a third generation. (9:25) Kaleigh shares their action plan they developed as to how her and her mom will work together without compromising the relationship between the family. (12:59) Kaleigh shares that she is expecting to learn more about time management, self-discipline, and improving her confidence in her 12-month training program. (17:35) Kaleigh explains that the first step is the hardest, but if we accept it and are brave enough, we can actually see the process we n

In this episode of The MVP Podcast, Mitch Gibson is joined by 3 of his fellow protege contestants, Sean Kirby, Jonathan Lugo, and Ryan Smith, to discuss Challenges 5 and 6 of The Protege (an Insurance Reality TV Show Competition produced by David Carothers) and the feedback they received from David. The last 5 months have been filled with weekly challenges, discussions, accountability, and coaching that have truly changed the way we all look at selling insurance. Only 2 challenges are left before the top 6 contestants are selected to compete in the production stage to see who will be crowned THE NEXT Protege! Episode Highlights: Mitch introduces his guests, San Kirby, Jonathan Lugo, and Ryan Smith, his fellow contestants on The Protege, who have joined the podcast to discuss the most recent challenges. Ryan shares that the feedback he got from Challenge 5 on The Protege was that he was talking too much. (3:59) Jonathan explains that there are a lot of rules and formats that need to be followed when compl

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Ryan Chandler, Strategic Partnership Creator & Marketing Distribution Ambassador at QuoteWizard. Ryan talks about the importance of making agents' lives easier by helping them understand what their brand means to them.  Episode Highlights: Jason introduces Ryan and shares how they were introduced. (3:09) Ryan explains that he loves to win, but the fear of losing is something special. (8:30) Ryan mentions that he thinks skill sets built the foundation of where he is, but luck helped carve the path forward. (9:14) Ryan talks about how COVID impacted his marriage plans. (10:39) Ryan shares his background story and how he ended up in the insurance industry. (12:37) Ryan shares that his main initiative with an independent landscape is to be the partner for the agents. (14:25) Ryan talks about the Agency Zoom integration with QuoteWizard. (20:46) Ryan reflects on his experience in sports industry and compares that mindset to the

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Haig Ardzivian, VP of Operational Innovation at Quantum. Haig shares how your agency can grow with intentionality. When it comes to change, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Get the cliff notes on Lean Six Sigma and hear how to find a "NorthStar" that keeps your team on a strategic path while you grow. Episode Highlights: Haig shares his background story and how he crossed paths with Quantum and eventually became the operational innovation VP. (2:48) Haig explains that the whole concept of Lean Six Sigma is how you look at a process, the various steps of the process, and analyzing potential failure points. (6:11) Haig shares that in an agency, people management is an advantage, especially if the agency has effective leadership. (11:37) Haig shares his advice to agency owners which is not to expect their people to know how to bundle. (16:08) Haig explains that it is very important to talk to your people and g

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Cory Schnabel, Agency Principal at KC Insurance Group in Kansas City, MO. Episode Highlights: Cory talks about how he got started in the insurance industry. (5:27) Cory shares that he bought his first Allstate agency in 2010. (6:42) Cory how he started KC Insurance Group and what helped him to get contracts with several carriers. (12:51) Cory shares that his referral partners are one of the secrets to his success. (20:46) Cory explains how he connects with his referral partners. (21:36) Cory shares his best practices for establishing value and connection with a channel partner. (26:03) Cory discusses what he believes works best with channel partners in 2022 and beyond. (30:37) Cory explains that most people, perhaps 90% of lenders, agents, wealth planners, CPAs, and insurance brokers, have no idea where a large portion of their business comes from. (32:39) Cory shares his thoughts on what he learned from IAOA. (37:55) Cory discuss

In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht interviews one of his sales training clients, Man Phung. Man only started writing commercial accounts about three years ago but has been implementing the things Charles has been teaching, such as Thinking BIGGER, micro-niching down, utilizing the 12-Month Timeline of Services, etc. The result is that he's writing much bigger accounts today. Charles and Man share tips in this episode about what is working and what Man changed in order to be successful. Episode Highlights: Man shares his background story and how he got started in the industry. (6:35) Man shares that their agency has over one hundred commercial accounts both in Indiana and Texas. (8:58) Man talks about the two biggest accounts that they are writing, which are construction and manufacturing. (9:45)  Man explains that he does a little bit of everything as a business owner, from cold calling to social selling to managing a team. (11:49) Man shares understand

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Nick Ayers, Chief Marketing Officer at Better Agency, joins the podcast to talk about insurance marketing, building technology, and putting on rockstar conferences. There's always a tremendous conversation when Nick's on the show. Don't miss this episode. Episode Highlights: Nick shares some ideas to take into consideration before starting a company. (7:06) Nick mentions that the cornerstone of marketing is being able to understand how people feel and being able to articulate the voices already in their heads. (12:36) Nick explains that a lot of companies will soon realize that they need to hire real marketing motions in their company. (19:38) Nick shares that their strategy has been to always commit to being genuine to their brand. (25:12) Nick talks about how the industry has changed and in some ways relaxed in the last few years. (31:05) Nick shares their journey to making their first acquisition and the questions they were asked by most people. (42:10)

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Carey Wallace, a financial expert. Carey helps agency owners run a profitable business and be ready for future endeavors. Episode Highlights: Carey shares her story and how she got into the insurance industry. (1:55) Carey explains that there's no formal training when you become an agency owner, which makes it intimidating. (6:41) Carey shares that agency owners have to know a lot about other businesses to underwrite and cover the risk. (8:55) Carey elaborates on the things she does to help agencies get through the process emotionally and mentally. (12:30) Carey explains that EBITA is a measure of any business's true profitability. (17:00) Carey shares that she has been doing valuations for years now, and about 95% of the agencies wanted to transition internally and plan for it. (24:05) Carey explains that putting a perpetuation plan in place is very important in preparing to run an agency. (28:31) Carey talks about th

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Will Shaw, CEO & Co-Founder of Better Agency. Will discusses the goals of Better Agency and their dedication to agency success. Episode Highlights: Will mentions that he has an iPhone and that the most recent app he downloaded was the Wells Fargo app. (4:27) Will believes that in order to succeed, his desire for success must be greater than his fear of failure. (5:32) Is it skill or luck that has played a larger role in Will's life? (5:57) Will discusses his upbringing and where he is right now. (6:57) Will explains that Better Agency’s whole purpose is to assist agencies in selling more. (13:33) Will discusses how they engage in more internal dialogues about content and strategy with folks who aren't users or aren't interested in becoming users. (16:44) Will mentions that as an outsider entering the sector, one of the things he has been most interested in is how many discussions he can have with agencies each week. (20:49)

On this episode of Cease & Desist podcast, Ryan, Andy, and Sean welcome Liv Coffman from Armadillo to the podcast! This long-awaited episode dives into home warranties, chicken and what it's like being in the LGBTQ+ community in the insurance space.