Agency Intelligence

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Steve Anderson, Co-Founder & CEO at Catalyit™. Steve talks about how he helped transform the insurance industry during its slowest time and how the industry has greatly evolved in the last few years.  Episode Highlights: Steve explains that he has observed that for the last 7 years, he has seen technological innovation. (5:24) Steve shares that the insurance industry is one of the leading industries looking at and experimenting with what blockchain could streamline. (8:23) Steve discusses how they were able to create the Catalyit that is used in the insurance industry. (14:07) Steve explains that there is no best agent business agency management system, only the best system for your agency. (17:20) Steve mentions that carriers have more to worry about InsurTech than agents. (23:25) Steve shares that somehow the pandemic has played a big role in the fast-changing innovation of the insurance industry. (24:45) Steve talks about

In this special on-location episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James shares a series of brief conversations with attendees at the Better Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on April 8-9. This is part 2 of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch the first half that was dropped a couple of days ago on our episode feed.

On this week's episode of Cease & Desist podcast, Andy and Ryan are joined by the guys from Erb and Young! Listen to find out how Taylor almost took Steph Curry's spot and how important culture is in the workplace.C

In this special on-location episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James shares a series of brief conversations with attendees at the Better Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on April 8-9. This is part 1 of a two-part episode. Make sure to catch the second half that will be dropping a couple of days after this episode.

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley interviews Andrew Darlington, the president of Veritas Risk Management and Insurance Services out of Johnson City, Tennessee. While Andrew might operate out of a small town, the way he approaches building and marketing his agency is anything but small town-minded. This is an episode of the show you don’t want to miss. Episode Highlights: Andrew shares his experience of being one of the first to use Salesforce for insurance. (07:12) Andrew talks about how they create their process by writing it down and using Salesforce to automate it. (12:10) Andrew discusses how long it took and how much he has spent building out Hubspot in their system, which he believes is a phenomenal system. (17:14)  Andrew shares that one of the advantages of Salesforce is that it is completely customizable. (21:26) Andrew explains that one-way Salesforce can take it to the next level is by making its system unbreakable. (26:09) Andrew talks about the reporting systems that

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Rebecca Adelman, a lawyer for insurance companies defending insureds in lawsuits to talk about the legal and insurance industries and how she had made her home in that space. They also talk about how to step over challenges and show up authentically by embracing the courage to make a difference in our world. Episode Highlights: Rebecca talks about her past and how she got to where she is in her work now. (2:01) Rebecca notes that she has dealt with a wide range of coverage kinds and finds it to be an interesting aspect of her job. (9:39) Rebecca explains that over the years, insurance companies have been able to adapt to what the consumers' needs are. (15:21) Rebecca discusses her story and how she overcame the odds in the insurance and law fields, which have traditionally been controlled by men. (18:23) Rebecca explains that she tells her story to inspire people, especially women, to pursue the path that they want in their

In this episode of The MVP Podcast, Vice President of Gordon Companies Insurance Services, Aaron Gordon joins the show to discuss the struggles some young agents experience in their first few years in the industry which can be very frustrating at times. Just getting started in the industry can be stressful, but with patience, hard work, passion, energy, and the willingness to learn, you can be pretty successful in this industry. Aaron discusses the importance of not just branding your agency, but, the importance of branding yourself and your process. Episode Highlights: Aaron discusses one of his favorite aspects of the insurance industry. (2:23) Aaron believes that the most important thing a young person can do, particularly in sales, is to show senior leadership that they are interested in learning. (5:23) Aaron explains that in the insurance industry, the larger the agency, the more successful it is. (11:41) Aaron mentions that one of the things that have astonished him the most is the real adoptio

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Ebens Jean, Co-Founder/CEO at One Way Insurance Group, Ebens talks about the diversity of life, and how building community strengthens our unity.   Episode Highlights: Ebens shares that he just recently switched to an iPhone and the last application he downloaded was YouTube Kids. (3:43) Ebens explains that he loves to win because he gets the feeling of success every time he wins something. (5:30) Ebens discusses that he had to learn a lot of things growing up, making him believe skill over luck has had a greater impact on his success. (7:11) Ebens shares his inspiring background story and how he was able to get to where he is today. (8:07) Ebens shares that he got into the insurance industry because of his work that dealt with B2B sales. (13:01) Ebens shares how he was able to go from personal lines to commercial lines. (17:31) Ebens discusses how the community has been a big part of the success of his business. (22:03)

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht talks about the five things insurance producers do each week that will guarantee them success. Stay committed to these five things and you'll be well on your way to building a $1,000,000 or more Book of Business! Episode Highlights: Charles explains a problem that he sees with far too many producers. (2:42) Charles mentions what he would’ve done if insurance didn't work out for him. (8:57) Charles lists the five things that successful producers do each week. (10:29) Charles shares why sometimes he needs a kick in the pants. (11:16) Charles shares a story about a producer he’s been working with for quite some time. (13:27) How many phone calls should you be able to take in an hour? (15:27) Charles explains why the vast majority of insurance producers are not good at administration and data management. (17:43) Charles shares why ideal prospecting is like building a house. (22:15) Key Quotes: “I reall

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Aaron Gordon of the Gordon Companies. Episode Highlights: Aaron shares that he is the second generation to work for their family-owned and operated independent agency. (4:53) Aaron mentions that some of the customers they have now were names he heard at the dinner table with his family while he was growing up. (7:27) Aaron mentions how fortunate he was to start with a book of business in front of him, which enabled him to try a few new things. (10:58) Aaron explains how he got his start at their family-owned business. (15:23) Aaron believes that many individuals who work in insurance lose sight of its history. (20:09) Aaron discusses why it is important for the second and subsequent generations to value and respect what came before them. (23:05) Aaron shares his experiences with one analog and one digital system. (28:40) Aaron mentions that they do not now take Bitcoin payments, but that they would in the near future. (33:10) Aaron

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens discusses the significance of being bold and brave, as well as the value of progress instead of perfection. Episode Highlights: Teresa explains why, despite the fact that the insurance sector is theoretically 61-63% female, less than 15% of women are in the C suites, management, and leadership position. (2:16) Teresa mentions that being brave requires stepping beyond one's comfort zone. (3:20) Teresa explains that she is a huge storyteller; she enjoys telling others about what has happened to her or what has happened to a client and what she has learned. (6:07) Teresa believes that we must recognize that taking a break on certain days is a necessary element of progressing and becoming better. (9:11) Teresa mentions that journaling enables her to further evaluate her ideas. (10:39) Teresa admits that she is the queen of setting goals that are much too lofty for her. (16:59) Teresa explains that our lives, companies, and jobs are all liv

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Jonnie Anderson Owner, and Olivia Hein Owner and Producer of Legacy Insurance Partners. Olivia and Jonnie discuss how they were able to build a women-owned and operated agency that is passionate about helping its clients completely understand their insurance coverage and helping to protect them from the unexpected. Episode Highlights: Olivia shares that she is an iPhone user, and Jonnie is an android user, and both have recently downloaded the Hi-Hello and Stash applications. (3:28) Olivia explains that she has always loved to win, but it is okay to lose sometimes. (5:21) Jonnie shares that skill has been a bigger factor in her life, while Olivia shares that it is luck. (6:31) Jonnie and Olivia share their backgrounds and how they both started in the insurance industry. (7:32) Olivia and Jonnie explain that they are the total opposites of each other, but their differences are a big factor in their success. (14:12) Olivia share

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Brian Fritton, CEO of Havoc Shield, a cybersecurity-focused consulting firm. Episode Highlights: Brian explains that the reason they have built the business is that they care about keeping people in their jobs. (6:33) Brian shares how Havoc Shield was created and what they do as a cyber security company. (8:34) Brian discusses that they are transparent about their company and is aware that there is still much to learn as to what they can offer. (14:35) Brian shares that one of their products that helps clients counter-check the requirements is called the "Cyber Fitness Assessment". (19:26) Brian explains that they have an annual fee, but that it comes along with recurring benefits, as well as collateral and quarterly updates. (25:11) Brian shares that he thinks people who take advantage of this technology are more likely to demand better pricing. (30:33) Brian shares that one of their services is to help reduce the scope of an attack by

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley sits down with Alan Stein, Jr. Alan is an experienced keynote speaker and author. At his core, he’s a performance coach with a passion for helping others change behaviors. He spent 15+ years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant). Through his customized programs, he transfers his unique expertise to maximize both individual and organizational performance.  In his latest book, Raise Your Game, Alan explains how high performers who want to learn how to maintain excellence across the short, intermediate, and long term. It assembles invaluable advice and lessons from successful athletes, entrepreneurs, social scientists, journalists, CEOs, motivational speakers, business coaches, and consultants, as well as my own unique personal stories. Don't miss this episode. Episode Highlights: Alan and Ryan talk about the incident that happened at the Oscars involving

In this episode of The MVP Podcast, Mitch Gibson sits down with the "Flood Guru" himself, Chris Greene, to discuss why creating a consistent content strategy is so important for his business model. Recently, Chris launched a Flood Insurance Learning Center/Educational Video Library with thousands of different topics to choose from. We discuss the ROI of having a learning center like the one he started. You can check out his learning center by visiting the link below. Episode Highlights: Chris discusses the reasons why he started to get involved in digital marketing. (2:33) Chris shares some advice for young agents that are wanting to get into video creation. (8:24) Chris explains that the most important thing to consider in video creation is the consistency of your work. (10:15) Chris discusses the method called "Blog Blocking" and how it works to help you with your video creation schedule. (12:40) Chris shares that he always sleeps with his iPhone next to him so that when an idea comes to him at ni

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Carrie Reynolds, The Insurance Goddess at Alan Galvez Insurance. Carrie rebranded her agency. Teresa and Carrie discuss why she did it, how she did it and how the timing was perfect for her agency. Episode Highlights: Carrie shares her background story and what led to her decision to rebrand her agency. (1:49) Carrie shares that her mother also worked in their agency back when she was in high school. (6:05) Carrie explains that you have to know the things that you are not good at and find people that are good at those things. (10:40) Carrie discusses that their idea when they rebranded was to keep everything consistent regardless of the platform on which they were communicating. (13:48) Carrie shares that it was she and her team that were responsible for the success of the changes in their agency. (17:44) Carrie explains that her father, as the former owner of the agency, never had any pushback. (21:41) Carrie discusses

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Kim Beach, Founder, and CEO at InsureWomen. Kim discusses the opportunities for women in the insurance industry and how her company, InsureWomen, provides a network to support both women who buy insurance and women who sell insurance.  Episode Highlights: Kim shares her perspective on winning and losing. (5:50) Kim elaborates on how her skills have helped her get to where she is today. (7:05) Kim discusses her background and how she came to work in the insurance industry. (8:09) Kim explains that their mission at InsureWomen is to serve women that are not being served and create a network that cares about women in buying process. (13:49) Kim expands on the events that led her to believe that women in the insurance business need to be empowered. (15:57) Kim shares that she created the network to help both women insurance buyers and women insurance sellers. (19:22) Kim discusses that the insurance business is a great business

On Sunday, March 27th, Will Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and bitchslapped Chris Rock for making fun of his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Outrageous, yes... but also courageous in its own way. There's a lesson we can learn from this exchange that many will disagree with on principle. Let's discuss...

Most insurance agents out there don't really know what they are supposed to be doing, as far as prospecting and selling are concerned. They have little training and often they're trained to do what the person before them has done, even if that person didn't achieve A+ results.  In today's episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht will detail seven things insurance agents need to do to become Millionaire Insurance Producers. Episode Highlights: Charles explains why he wrote the book, The Millionaire Producer, about permission, and why it matters. (2:49) Charles elaborates on the first aspect of the book, which is collecting signatures and serving happiness. (05:44) Charles explains that when you create enough value and solve major problems, your insured would be happy to sign all your broker letters. (08:18) Charles shares that you have to think bigger than you think is already big. (10:25) Charles advises everyone to start targeting larger revenue-generating account

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Will Shaw, CEO of Better Agency on a variety of nuanced topics in the agency accounting and cashflow side of our industry headspace. Episode Highlights: Will shares that Better Agency focuses on the CBO and they are an agency success platform. (8:48) Will elaborates on how to define what an expense is and what revenue is in terms of cash flow and accrual basis. (12:01) Will discusses how the data they get comes directly from the carrier commission report. (21:21) Will explains why Better Agency is often labeled as a CRM and as an AMS type of company. (23:57) Will shares the reason why accounting has been really interesting for him. (28:30) Will elaborates on the usefulness of Quickbooks for accounting and keeping books in order. (41:14) Will shares that moving accounting platforms is as easy as plugging whatever accounting system you have into your bank account. (45:32) Will explains why you don't need to be a specialist for your agen