Agency Nation Radio - Insurance Marketing, Sales And Technology

What makes people want to listen to an insurance podcast? What are the "Big Three (plus 1)" things that successful agencies focus on? These are just a few of the things we learn when we talk with Chris Cline, National Agency Distribution Leader (and national cycling champ!) of Westfield Insurance.

It's the ONE and only Billy Williams, digging in to everything you need to know when prepping for success in 2020.

What's better than working at a gas station or lifting heavy objects in the middle of July? Making it faster and more convenient for consumers to work with independent agents. Todd Sorrel, co-founder of ePayPolicy, tells us how they do it.

Data isn't about spreadsheets, it's about a story. That's what we learn when we talk with Raution Jaiswal of InsuredMine.

Want to become a ridiculously amazing insurance agent? Kelly is here to tell us how!

Greg McGuffin, Director of Recruiting and Agency Development, takes a minute out of his crazy busy schedule to talk to Joey Giangola about transforming from a captive to an independent agent and ways to keep filling your sales funnel.

Join us as we unpack Tracy Cotton’s career, her 50 for 50 journey, and all other things insurance. What the heck is Farm to Fork anyway?! Push play and let's find out.

Join Jack Wingate and Jared Bellmund of ALLCHOICE Insurance as they discuss using technology within the sales process.

Going Live with Aubie Knight of IIANC! Talking all things tech inside a traditional agency in 2020 and beyond...

Brent Kelly, Vice President of Sitkins Group, shares his unique viewpoint on what makes a high achieving producer during this Agency Nation Facebook Live interview.

It just means you have more time to make sure you eventually do. It's also possible your job could get a lot easier if you delegate that initial ownership to someone else. Of course, that's likely a risky proposition you might be unwilling to take. If you are, then it might be time to get serious about helping your employees get better at what they're doing. That's what I talk to Sean Mooney, of Mooney Insurance Brokers, about how he wants to start segmenting his staff.

If you have then you know how powerful it can be to see something done first. Then you know exactly what to do to get started and how to follow the path to success. Of course, this path will not only show you where to go it will have people to help along the way. That's when you'll have a chance to figure out exactly what your strengths are and how to take advantage of them. That's what I talk to Brian Blakely, of Stonebridge Insurance, about how he's been following that community all along.

There's a good chance you might realize the privilege you have to only work with the people you like. That same luxury is certainly not one afforded to all professions, even still we're often hesitant of at best. That hesitation usually shows itself in the form of generalization that leaves you vulnerable to everything you don't know. However, when you specialize you know everything someone else doesn't and that's the difference people will be able to see. That's what I talk to Kyle Rheiner, of Strickler Insurance, about how he enjoys saying no to everyone else.

It's amazing what's possible when you have a highly experienced roster of insurance professionals behind you. An ordinary presentation transforms from a solo act into a carefully crafted expert ensemble. However, to make sure it all works you need a strong quarterback holding the whole thing together. That person has to know the perfect moments to hit each team member to maximize the entire performance. That's what I talk to Jennifer Chenault, of Lovitt & Touche, about how she fills out her line up each presentation.

It's easy to dismiss the idea of constantly capturing your expertise for future distribution. However, if you can find the dedication, you'll create a process that produces endless authentic interactions. If applied and distributed properly should allow you the opportunity to reach people far beyond your previous or traditional methods. Because it's far more efficient to capture what is already happening than trying to recreate it from scratch. That's what I talk to Alex Salmon, of The Salmon Agency, about as he struggles with the concept potentially diminishing creativity.

There's definitely an argument to be made for constantly trying to stabilize every big change you make. If you don't, you could end up moving on to the next thing before your first big change was strong enough to stand on its own. But make no mistake about it, finding that first shift is hard to do and should be the only thing you're focused on if it hasn't happened yet. Because when it does, the changes will feel like they are coming fast and possibly furious but will still take longer than you think. That's what I talk to James Castell, of Castell Insurance, about how far he's come in such little time.

A lot has certainly changed, but it's possible there's even more that has stayed the same. That's because we're turning back the clock to re-examine a conversation that's nearly two years old. As dated as you might expect it to sound, there are plenty of principles that remain unadopted and tactics without execution. The good news is the ball is definitely rolling in the right direction, now it's a matter of picking up speed. That's what I talk to Marcus Sheridan (Impact) and Matt Simon (Hill & Hamilton Insurance) about the best ways to let people see what you can do.

It all starts by finding a way to handoff the tasks that create the least value. They usually include easily repeatable processes that don't need to be performed by someone in your agency. They are also items that would benefit greatly if they manually automated. Then you and your staff will be free to elevate your client interactions to level you didn't think was possible. That's what I talk to Ani Podder, of Marble Box, about the best ways to change the way you work.

Starts by committing to something on a level that most would consider too risky or downright impossible. However, that's what it takes most of the time to get people's attention and motivate them to participate in real-world activities. Event marketing has far more to offer than free pens and stress balls to really show people what your agency is all about. Sometimes all it takes is looking around to see what's possible right next door. That's what I talk to Shannon Strobel, of Shermann Insurance, about the untapped potential that sharing a parking lot.

It definitely should if you can figure out a way to make sure everyone has a chance to see it before they talk to you. That might seem like the craziest homework assignment you've ever heard of, but it's certainly one of the most effective ways to scale your information. Think about all the time you would save if you stopped having the same conversation over and over again. Even if you were able to cut those conversations in half you'd take your family flexibility to a whole new level. That's what I talk to Alex Dopazo, of Dopazo & Associates, about how he's looking to hack time.