Agency Nation Radio - Insurance Marketing, Sales And Technology

You have to be looking both ways with money in each hand to be able to see. If you aren't, you'll miss your chance to grab a growth tool that's on its way to increasing your agency. Because you don't need help maintaining your business where it's at. It's dangerous, possibly even irresponsible, to have an opinion on what's coming if you have no interest in finding it. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to see it, you just need to keep you head up long enough. That's what Ryan Hanley and I talk about today as we grow tired of debating these tools and how fast their coming. P.S. We're already teaching you how to use those tools in Agency Nation University.

Is to create an experience that changes their perception of space and time as they know it. That's probably more than slightly exaggerated, however should not be understated in its importance. Yes, there's a lot of information available to help reinforce a logical decision about your marketing efforts. However, that logic sometimes isn't powerful enough to motivate action. Instead, it's a demonstration of the consistent experiences possible through your marketing efforts. That's what I talk with Becky Taylor, of Ohio Insurance Agents Association, about as she contemplates her marketing possibilities. P.S. If you need help using your newly bought tools and tasks, Agency Nation University is the place to do it.

You might want to think twice before you answer, because it's hard to do if you're not ready. Once you've allowed yourself to believe this idea can work, then it's up to you to make it happen. Creating the habits and identifying the times to consistently create it help that belief grow. But you can't always listen to everyone else, because what worked for them might not work for you. That's what I talk to Terry Grier, of Strive Insurance, about as his content faith gets tested. P.S. There's going to be a lot of believing going on at Elevate 18, you should come.

No one believes them anyways. The road map is there and no wheel's need reinvented to get there, you just have to do the work. Maybe the people closest to you make the map harder to read. You don't have to take the shortest path, in fact, you'll probably get lost a couple times. Having the right mindset and determination to guarantee getting there is what will put you in the one percent. That mindset is what will keep pushing the gap further and further between you and everyone else. P.S. No excuses are allowed in Agency Nation University (if you have a few you need to get rid of).

Probably a little more than it is right now. It's possible your indifference to awesome design could be preventing you and maybe the whole industry from reaching its full potential. So much is said through the design of your agency's website, logo and other materials without you having to say a word. If it's done well it will and should look like it was effortless, which can commonly lead you to believe anyone can do it. When the truth is making it look easy is the hardest part you shouldn't entrust to someone because they know how to open Photoshop. That's what I talk to Jenn Haak, the Creative Director for Agency Nation and TrustedChoice.com, about how to help your agency clean up better. P.S. You might want to take a peek at Agency Nation University to make sure your agency is attractive enough.

Because they know what's going to happen if they do. It's the previous mediocrity that has created an immunity to the thing you want them to do the most. You probably haven't done enough work to earn the request, because the requirement increases every year. If you take the time to build a detailed process that fulfills that requirement and walks them closer to the sale, everyone wins. You have to change the language, expectation and experience people receive to make a quote more request-able. That's what I talk about with Eli Gillespie, of Gillespie Insurance Services, as he tries to figure out his. P.S. Agency Nation University is the best place to learn how to full those requirements.

Sometimes you can't see it until it's too late. But seeing it at all is the only thing that will keep you from finding more. Just because your agency can do something, doesn't mean it always should. That might be the hardest part resisting a niche regardless how right or wrong it ends up being. That's what I talk with Mike Crowley, of Crowley Insurance, about as he comes to grips with his. P.S. Learn how to attract the right niche in Agency Nation University.

One might be more important than the other, but it seems it can't be emphasized enough. No matter what, one thing is certain, you have to be willing to invest in the necessary tools to give yourself a chance to stay ahead. Those tools might look completely different for you than someone else, and that's fine. That means your investing in the things most likely to benefit your agency based on your natural skills and personality. That's what I called Rob McCarthy of GRBM Insurance and Woody Brown of The Rhoads Group up to talk about to kick off the new year. P.S. Joining the Agency Nation newsletter is also a pretty important thing you should do in 2018.

If it's not, then there's a good chance you could hate yourself at some point. You could take it all the way to crazy town, like Ryan suggests, and say the whole business is marketing. But if you really stop and think about it, is it really that crazy? I don't know, maybe not. Maybe not, because our job is to find people to sell products our companies created. If we can't do that, then what good are we? Because the business of insurance, regardless of your personal opinion, has become more of a commodity. That's what Ryan Hanley, Sydney Roe and I talk about as we contemplate the strategies and execution you need to bring them closer together. P.S. Spend a little one-on-one time with Ryan every week in the Agency Nation newsletter.

There's a pretty good chance that you are because you don't realize how long it takes. Believe it or not, your ability to show up and do the things you're supposed to is a very powerful differentiator. It's that simple difference that separates average agencies from great ones, because they can routinely do what others can't. Primary among those things is lengthy, consistent follow-up with unsold and lost customers. It's this segment of prospects that could deliver your best results if given enough attention. That's what I talk with Nancy Nicklow, of Huff Insurance, about as she breaks down how long it takes form them to give up. P.S. Did you Elevate 18 is going to be one of the crazy good places to be this summer?

Because the longer you wait the more opportunity you pass up that goes to someone else. It might sound a little crazy and potentially hyperbolic, but your ability to move faster than everyone else matters. It matters because they don't have the same fears and concerns as you do and aren't carefully surveilling your agencies every move. They are curious at best and indifferent at worst. Seeing someone new isn't going to sound as many alarm bells as you might think. That's what I talk with Bogus Handzel, of Handzel and Associates, about as he contemplates when are where they new faces should appear. P.S. Did you know Agency Nation University can help people find those new faces?

The only thing that's going to protect your agency's relevance is figuring out a way to handle all the business others can't. The industry isn't going to check with you before something big happens, and depending on who you talk to it could be a lot sooner than you think.  There isn't one skill or service that's going to save the day, instead it's an array of high level talents operating at the same time. The sad truth is you might be one of the agent's that think you're going to make, but might not.  That is unless you start to treat the impending change with a little more respect and start taking actions to move with it. That's what I talk about with Jeff Roy as he does his best to create and calm your panic attack all at the same time. P.S. Agency Nation University is a great place to how to protect you relevance.

I don't know, maybe. Someone's got to do it though. If there was every a more appropriate chicken and egg occurrence it's this. Do you need to have the business to justify the marketing person or do you need the marketing person to justify the business? It's probably a little of both and no matter which side you fall on you'll have to take more of a risk making it happen then you want. At the very least you should know what tasks to take off your plate first to make your life easier and take your marketing to the next level. That's what I talk about with Becky Schroeder, SVP of Marketing for ITC, as she shares her suggestions on how to make it happen. P.S. Did you know we have deals on Agency Nation University and Elevate 18 happening now until the end of the year?

If you wait to find out, you'll probably never know. Because you'll never be ready to go after that sale or client you don't think you can handle. It's only when you act in uncertainty that you truly offer yourself a chance to grow. The worst that will happen is you wont get the business. The best is that you'll get the business and shoot your confidence through the roof because you just proved you can. That's what I talk with Jessica Burch, of Bryce Point Insurance, about after she figured how amazing it is. P.S. Let people know what you think about the podcast.

This is definitely one of the most unnecessary steps you should not be over thinking. It really comes down to discovery vs. delivery and which object is primary for your video. If you want the easy answer, there are very few times when YouTube isn't going to be an acceptable answer. However, if you're getting tricky with your video marketing and creating specific videos for different parts of the sales process there might be better place to put them. That's what Ryan Hanley and I talk about today to settle this apathy inducing debate once and for all. P.S. Did you know we publish three new videos every week to the Agency Nation YouTube channel?

If the rate of change in your agency is slower than the what's happening outside of it, you might want to speed up. Refusing to increase your speed won't be optional much longer, if it hasn't become already. Because what will ultimately happen is you'll be left watching everyone else have all the fun. If it doesn't look like fun now, you either might want to look harder or consider that you might be in trouble. The marketing doesn't care how you want to do business, it only cares about how they want to do business. Continuing to pretend that isn't true will only slow you down more. That's what Marty Agather and I talk about today as we meander through several areas your speed needs questioned. P.S. Check your speed here.

There's a good chance it took you a lot longer to figure out what it was and that you actually do. Because growing up around insurance allows you to unfairly take advantage of an industry that's long been exiled to irrelevance. It's this perception of irrelevance that stops people from really understanding what it is and why you do it. It's what makes talented, ambitious people pass it up for more glamours industries with half the substance. The work is meaningful beyond what most understand it to be, which creates a gap of appreciation you're constantly trying to close. That's what I talk to Woody Brown, of The Rhodes Group, about as he discovers his. P.S. Love Agency Nation Radio, why don't you make it official?

If you don't, it might not be as intimidating as you think to start. Constantly being in front of a large number of the people you want to do business with can never be a bad thing. Figuring out a way to get there can lead to some questionably misinformed decisions. However, if you slow your pulse down long enough, you'll realize the only thing you need to do is bring the people together and ask the right questions. That's what I talk with Ryan Sautman, of Just4You Insurance, about as he considers what power he wants to hold in his hand. P.S. Did you Agency Nation University has a ton of great information plus a private Facebook group to keep you motivated?

If you don't, it doesn't matter how many answers you get, they'll all lead to the same place. This was supposed to be a practical conversation about the efficiency online scheduling offers you. However, as things do when Ryan Hanley is involved, the conversation quickly escalated to manifesto levels about getting stuff done. Because it's in your ability do to the work, over and over again, that separates you from everyone else. Make no mistake about it, if you can't do more work, better than the next guy, what's the point? Acquiring the knowledge to do the thing is such a tiny part of the process that anyone can do. The real challenge comes when it's actually time to do something about it. That's what Ryan and I talk about today to hopefully inspire you to do the work. P.S. A lot of work will get done at Elevate 18 this year, you should be there.

If it continues to prevent you from doing the things that people actually care about, maybe. It's also possible that you haven't accepted what professionalism actually looks like in a 2018 world. When you have the ability to see so much more of who someone is, not seeing it becomes the oddity. It's that intentional omission that leaves consumers hesitant to reach out. The over sterilized message that's desperate to be perfect will probably fail, only to discover that reality is the perfection they prefer. That's what Sydney Roe and I talk about as we share our concerns over the abundance of professionalism littering the industry covering up the real story that works. P.S. Did you know we also publish three videos a week on YouTube?