Agency Intelligence

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Nick Ayers, Chief Marketing Officer of Better Agency and Co-Founder of the Insurance Agency Owners Alliance. Learn more about Better Agency and request your demo at https://www.betteragency.io. Learn more about IAOA and join the Facebook group at https://www.iaoa.com/. Visit our website to join our email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show, and never miss an episode: https://www.agencyfreedompodcast.com Connect with Agency Freedom Podcast on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/agencyfreedom Email us at podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

PathPoint, the first open digital wholesale brokerage for the Excess & Surplus lines market in the insurance industry.  Some people find E&S boring and difficult. In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Alex Bargmann, CEO and co-founder of PathPoint. They discuss why this is no longer the case and why independent agents need to start taking notice of E&S business.  Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: Alex discusses how he got into the insurance industry. (6:13) Alex mentions how it took him a long time to truly comprehend E&S underwriting and rating, and how the processes are significantly different. (10:51) Alex mentions that they have executive support for putting products or providing capacity to PathPoint in order to digitize the wholesale distribution platform. (17:48) Alex explains what he really likes about PathPoint. (21:54) What were the most glaring challenges Alex knew he had to address, either immediately or later, in establishing PathPoint? (23:21)

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Mernice Oliver, Founder and Executive Director of The National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance. Mernice is a business coach in the insurance industry who focuses on women and helping them achieve their goals. Episode Highlights: Mernice shares her humble beginnings and how she got to where she is today. (2:06) Mernice shares her opinion on the difference between men and women in the industry. (15:54) Mernice talks about her book What I Wish I Knew on The Other Side of Agency Ownership. (18:49) Mernice shares her insights about being able to get to a point of equality in ourselves. (24:11) Mernice shares what women can do to build up confidence. (27:24) Merince shares her Facebook community page called Insurance Women Rock where people can connect. (32:19) Mernice talks about the leadership organization she has created, the National Association for Advancement of Women In Insurance. (37:38) Key Quotes

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Keith Savino, Managing Partner of Broadfield Insurance, a PCF insurance partner. Keith discusses data digitization, his thoughts on cyber liability, insurance technology, and their goals in the insurance industry. Episode Highlights: Jason asks Keith if he is an Android or an iPhone user and the last app he downloaded. (3:53) Keith states that he wants to succeed. (4:21) Keith answers Jason’s question if he believes in skill or luck. (5:41) Keith shares that he started in the insurance industry because of his brother. (7:42) Keith shares his thoughts about cyber liability. (13:42) Keith talks about how he uses AMS360. (19:21) Keith shares his point of view about API today and where he thinks it is heading. (22:50) Kieth gives some advice to all agents and brokers who are starting out in the industry. (27:39) Kieth answers Jason’s question on where he sees the industry in the next 5, 10, 15 years. (32:44) Keith talks ab

Most insurance producers don't work on their personal development, let alone their sales development. In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht will teach you how to achieve 1% weekly growth in various areas of your selling process in order to be 50% better at selling insurance, just one year from today.  Episode Highlights: Charles gives some tips on how producers might double their commission winnings next year. (3:50) Charles discusses the concept of compound interest. (6:0b6) Charles discusses where you should start working on improving 1% per week. (8:39) Charles explains the significance of micro-niche selection. (10:23) Charles discusses the creation of your value differentiator. (11:42) Charles talks about scripting and messaging. (14:11) Charles discusses the seventh way for generating a 1% rise every week and generating 50% more revenue. (16:51) Charles mentions that most insurance salespeople do not have a strategy for leading a prospect dow

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Raution Jaiswal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of InsuredMine. For more information about InsuredMine, please visit their website. Visit the Agency Freedom website to join the email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show, and never miss an episode. Join the Agency Freedom Podcast Facebook Group. Email podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley interviews Brandon Smith, EVP at Glidewell and founder of the Producer Development Program. Brandon joins the podcast to help us better understand how to train high-functioning, successful insurance producers. We all want to write more business, Brandon Smith helps us understand how to help our producers do this every day. Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: Ryan and Brandon open the conversation with their thoughts on the Buffalo Bills game. (4:36) Brandon and Ryan discuss the ambiguity of sales. (24:19) Brandon answers questions about how he hires people and how he makes them feel supported. (28:12) Brandon shares how he solves transparency and communication issues. (36:38) Brandon shares the greatest part of being in the insurance industry. (41:38) Ryan and Brandon discuss having a process for a person to sell at their full capacity. (47:24) Brandon shares more about his Producer Development Program. (52:31) Brandon introduces

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Brandon Smith, Executive Vice President of Glidewell. Brandon talks about great agents, creating the ideal work schedule, and his upcoming book “Let’s Go!”. Episode Highlights: Jason announces that Agency Intelligence Podcast Network currently has 37k monthly listeners. (2:30) Is Brandon an iPhone or Android user? (4:06) Jason asks Brandon if he loves to wait or he hates to lose. (5:36)  What’s been a bigger factor in Brandon’s life? Skill or luck? (6:25) Brandon elaborates on his life story. (6:57) Brandon shares about the new thing he has been doing to help people. (9:23) Brandon shows his gratitude to the agents with whom he has collaborated. (18:40)  Brandon expresses his opinion on the ideal way to live life. (20:55) Brandon talks about his ideal work schedule and how manages it. (26:03) Brandon shares about his book, “Let’s Go!” is currently on pre-order. (30:21) Brandon wraps up with a meaningful message. (3

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Don And Roe Polczynski, founders of RD Advisory Group and the Agency CFO program. Learn more about RD Advisory Group. Visit the Agency Freedom website to join the email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show, and never miss an episode. Join the Agency Freedom Podcast Facebook Group. Email podcast@riskwell.com with ideas, questions, complaints, or your favorite grilling recipe.

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Will Shaw, CEO, and co-founder of Better Agency. They discuss entrepreneurship, InsurTech, and what Will has learned from assisting agency owners in growing their businesses. Will is an all-time guy in our industry...this is a conversation you don't want to miss. Episode Highlights: Will talks about a five-year play with InsurTech. (7:54) Ryan states that building your network is always important. (10:57) Will explains why they chose to bootstrap Better Agency. (17:29) Will shares his insights about independent insurance agencies. (24:19) Will claims that every client should be covered by every policy. (34:06) Will discusses what his duties were when Better Agency first began. (41:44) Will elaborates on the advantages of having an independent agency. (46:42) Ryan and Will discuss their love for the Buffalo Bills. (53:27) Will explains what it means to have a "ride or die" mentality. (57:23) Key Quotes: “The things I'm work

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens discusses goal setting and accountability for her own goals in 2021, how she is ending 2022, and how we should see goal-setting as we move forward in the new business world that we live in. Episode Highlights: Teresa mentions that she made an episode last year about her goals for 2021. (2:06) Teresa discusses her main goal for the past year. (3:40) Teresa believes that she has met about 50% of her 2021 goals. (6:13) Teresa mentions that just because something didn't work doesn’t mean we failed. (8:13)  Teresa shares what she has learned this year with her team. (8:55) Teresa discusses another huge success for her and her team. (11:04) Teresa mentions that she encourages everyone to say "what do we want to learn for the year moving forward?" rather than "what are our goals?" (12:28) Teresa explains why she’s not going to micromanage her team. (16:22) Teresa mentions team building with different locations as one of her goals. (21:05) Teresa

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Aaron Gordon, Vice President of Gordon Companies Insurance Services. Aaron discusses the advantages and challenges of running a family business. Episode Highlights: Is Aaron an iPhone or Android user? (5:50) Does Aaron love to win or hate to lose? (6:17) What does Aaron attribute to his success, skill or luck? (8:06) Aaron shares his background story. (11:04) Aaron mentions that not everyone is meant to be a business owner. (17:23) Aaron talks about the importance of caring in the insurance industry. (22:49) Aaron explains why his parents are his best asset to the clients. (28:34) Aaron discusses his marketing strategy. (32:14) Aaron explains what he believes is the best aspect of the insurance industry. (36:55) What is Aaron currently watching? (39:15) Key Quotes: “Most of our business is coming from one of those two things, either referral sources that have given up on the agencies that they used to, because t

Many insurance agents do a poor job of clearly explaining to their prospects and clients about what the insurance program covers or excludes.  In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht explains how you can transition prospects into loyal, paying clients by being ultra-transparent and educational. Episode Highlights: Charles mentions that many insurance agencies do not have a formalized proposal. (2:05) Charles explains why you will lose clients and prospects if you confuse them. (4:47) Charles discusses a different way of meeting with prospects in order to win their business. (7:30) According to Charles, if you can explain how you'll be able to produce a better positive outcome, clients and prospects will be much more inclined to desire to do business with you. (12:58) Charles explains that you can win more clients by being more transparent and advocating for education. (15:36) Charles gives an example of how you could do a much better job of making your pr

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks about the insurance carrier relationship, MGAs, wholesale brokers, and how to navigate and steward your carrier and program relationships. Visit the Agency Freedom website to join the email list, sign up to be a potential guest on the show, and never miss an episode: Connect with us on Facebook at the Agency Freedom Podcast group.

Most of your competitors out there are throwing mud against the wall to see what sticks. They slap together a "bare bones submission" and blanket the marketplace. Those agents do not experience great results and they tend to have smaller Books of Business. In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht explains how (and why) to win more clients by overcoming mediocrity and being the more professional insurance advisor, compared to your competition.  Episode Highlights: Charles tells the story of how he first got into the insurance business. (5:02) Charles discusses the concept of the inferior submission. (7:03) Charles explains the importance of having the entire process written before meeting with a prospect or current client. (11:15) Charles explains why blocking the market is not in the best interest of insurance. (13:20)  Charles believes that to be better than a “block the markets” broker, brokers must be able to explain to the insured why they are better. (2

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by David McFarland, founder, and CEO of Coterie Insurance, for an all-time conversation about insurance, insurtech and what it takes to win the small business insurance market.  David is one of the smartest guys in commercial insurance and things he and his team are doing at Coterie are rapidly changing the standard for ease of business. Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: David explains what an actuary is. (5:20) What are some of the ways David worked within the business to overcome what seems to be a fairly common problem with carriers? (10:38) David explains first-order positive, second-order negative in Coterie. (15:15) David discusses how Coterie manages things in general.. (16:09) David mentions that the most valuable asset of any firm is its people. (19:13) David explains how Coterie gets people to believe in what they do. (21:55) David mentions that Coterie hires on four criteria: integrity, intelligence, passion,

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Aimey Bryan, Principal owner at Bryan Insurance Agency. Teresa and Aimey talk about how Aimey got her agency appointments, how she markets her agency, and more. Episode Highlights: How did Aimey get her start in the insurance industry? (2:51) Aimey mentions that when she opened her main office, she was in a unique situation. (11:16) Aimey discusses her carrier selection process. (13:00) Has Aimey encountered any difficulties in going it solo as opposed to working with a larger buying network? (13:59) Aimey explains how they got started in their original niche. (18:29) Aimey shares how other agencies, including her own, are combining old and new school insurance practices in order to truly reach out and build their business. (23:05) Aimey discusses the importance of marketing a product or a business. (32:57) Key Quotes: “I think having a open lines of communication with your marketing rep and with the underwriters and

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Monica Adwani, co-founder of Savvital. Monica discusses what's great about the insurance industry, the power of women in the insurance industry, and how women are contributing to the industry's success. Episode Highlights: Is Monica an iPhone or Android user? (2:34) What was the most recent app Monica downloaded? (2:44) Does Monica love to win or hate to lose? (4:32) What attributes to Monica’s success, skill, or luck? (5:02) Monica shares her background story. (6:34) Monica shares about her family background. (12:04) Is Monica of the opinion that the insurance industry is the best industry ever created? (21:29) Jason believes that if there are no women in the insurance industry, men would be unable to do what these account managers can. (28:17) Monica mentions that the nurturing factor that people are born with is one of the things that makes us more vulnerable. (29:42) Monica discusses women's roles in the insuran

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Brett Young, CEO at Erb and Young. Brett discusses how his team has grown over the years, why they are always recruiting, and what steps they take to find the next winning team member.  Episode Highlights: Brett discusses his agency, Erb and Young. (1:46) Brett talks about what it's like to work on his team. (6:18) Brett talks about a time when their business model wasn't making progress. (9:44) How has Brett had to adapt their team culture to support growth? (11:48) Brett mentions that as businesses grow and add team members, they become more specialized in their work. (14:25) Brett explains why they are continuously hiring. (16:45) Brett explains their recruitment strategy. (18:37) Brett mentions that he is a team builder at heart. (20:25) Brett explains that they defined their ecosystem five years ago, over the course of their ten-year lifetime. (21:50) Brett describes what they're searching for in a candi

Yes, indeed, how you represent your prospects to the marketplace will either make you a winner or guarantee your failure. In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht demonstrates how you can construct a new business or renewal submission to your carriers that will not only cause the underwriters to want to quote your submission but will encourage them to give you a better quote! Episode Highlights: Charles discusses how important it is to present the insured to the marketplace. (3:02) Charles explains the two things that a business owner may do to ensure success. (4:59) Charles shares a story about when he was still figuring out his consulting practice. (5:59) Charles discusses the responses he received from his LinkedIn question for underwriters. (9:05) Charles explains the significance of a superior submission. (25:54) Charles believes that a good submission will get you more broker record letters if you can demonstrate to the prospect that you would be mar