Insurance In Your Words

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.

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 not, you'll probably spend a lot of time alone because you're not giving people what they need. It's your ability to fill this need, better, faster and easier than anyone else that will ultimately win the business. If you keep your ears open long enough, it will become painfully obvious what it is that you need to deliver. The hardest part will be staying focused on it long enough from start to finish to figure out what you need to do next. That's what I talk with Becky Taylor, of Ohio Insurance Agents Association, about as she worries about being irrelevant. P.S. If you think nice words about the podcast, we wouldn't mind you writing them down.

How many reasons do you let get in the way of hitting the button that could change your business forever? I'll let you in on a little secret, there are very few that are actually worth paying attention too. Because it's your ability to hit publish and keep doing it that will separate you and show everyone why they should work with you. It might seem like a dramatic overstatement, but if you have the right information in the right places your competition doesn't stand a chance. The reason they won't stand a chance is because you were smart enough to realize that most of those fears reasons were irrational. That's what I talk with Terry Grier, of Strive Insurance, about as he tries to move past all of his. P.S. Leave us a rating or review on iTunes or Stitch if you enjoy Agency Nation.

Hopefully it's pretty fast, right away. If it is, then you'll find out how much fun it is to enter the sales process at exactly the perfect time. If you can provide your leads and prospects with that opportunity, that's what your new insurance world will look like. You'll only be working the most important, high leverage innings of the game and your performance can scale at a level you didn't think possible. The only thing preventing it from happening is investing the time upfront to put the ball in their hands when you're not there to give it to them. That's what I talk to Eli Gillespie, of Gillespie Insurance Services, about as he contemplates what ball he wants to roll where. P.S. While we can't prove, we're pretty sure the Agency Nation newsletter is the second best news letter in the industry.

By doing the things only one percent of agents in the industry are willing and able to do. It's a sobering reality, but there's a good chance you might be one of the agents who will only listen to what makes business come in faster and never do it. It all centers around making tough decisions about what you want to sell and who you want to sell it to. Then you need to be disciplined enough to consistently sell it to them in a way that they want it sold. If you're able to do that over and over again, without losing focus, you'll easily find yourself in the one percent. The hardest part is to keep doing it when you're not sure if it's going to work. That's what I talk with Mike Crowley, of Crowley Insurance, about as you listen to him gain one percent status. P.S. The Agency Nation newsletter that Ryan Hanley writes is worth giving us your email.

If you haven't taken the time to automate a few key communication sequences in your agency, then it's probably a lot. Don't worry, you're not alone. But it's definitely time that this type of behavior becomes common place in our industry. Because when you do, you free up so much time, effort and energy to focus on tasks that can't be done automatically. It those tasks that will propel your agency to an entirely different level, because almost none of your competition has. That's what I talk with Nancy Nicklow, of Huff Insurance, about as she breaks down all the stuff she doesn't have to think about. P.S. Leave Agency Nation Radio at rating and/or review if you have something to say.

Probably not, but there's something to be said for hitting the reset button on your mindset. Just because your agency has been around for a long time doesn't mean it needs to act its age. In fact, one your greatest strengths/advantages would be to sprinkle in a little immaturity when making a few key decisions. It's the constant rationalization against "the way it's always been done" that prevents real progress from happening. If you can move faster than everyone else they'll still be planning the thing you stopped doing six months ago. That's what I talk to Bogus Handzel, of Handzel and Associates, about as he continues to push his agency forward without starting over. P.S. Leave Agency Nation Radio at rating and/or review if you have something to say.

It should be a lot more than you can eat for weeks, months and even years. If you don't think it's possible, then you haven't dedicated yourself to the process long enough to see results. Yes, it's really hard to pass up a meal that's right in front of you. However if you can curb your hunger long enough, you'll have meals showing up on your table for a long time. That's what I talk with Becky Schroder, SVP of Marketing at ITC, about as she describes the challenges you face finding food. P.S. If you like this podcast why don't your write a few nice words about it.

It really depends on how much of what they're doing for you and what their getting paid. It's always a questionable decision to let another broker mingle with your business. Even if they start out with the best intentions in mind, they're only human and eventually that mingling will lead to a drunken night of infidelity. But what are you supposed to do if you need help managing those accounts? Do you bring in your own team or just cross your fingers everyone involved keeps their word? That what I talk about with Jessica Burch, of Bryce Point Insurance, about as she tried to decide how risky it is for her to hand-off her clients. P.S. This is where most of the cool kids hangout.

It has nothing to do with word counts or video length, it’s all about connection. If you can’t create something that allows someone to connect with you or your agency, you’ve just wasted a lot of opportunity. It’s this connection that allows people to look past every alternative and only see you. How easy would your life be if you completely removed the “consideration process” when someone is shopping for insurance. What if you didn’t have to worry about if you should to give free quotes or not. What if you had people eager to talk with you and share an experience they had with information you provided. That’s the first test you give yourself when your content starts to make the phone ring. That’s what I talk about with Woody Brown, of The Rhodes Group, as he starts to figure out his. P.S. Ryan writes an exclusive news letter every week, you should read it.

If not, then you’re making your insurance life much harder than it needs to be. They crazy part is how many agents want to feel the pain with you. When you target a niche online, it dramatically improves your ability to see who you’re looking for. You’re also going to allow your agency to easily stand tall over everyone else chasing that business. If you can make their life easier and deliver value when it’s most convenient form them, you’re probably already tickling their fancy. Those are the moments most agents refused to catch and the ones that waiting for you. That’s what I talk about with Ryan Sautman, of Just4You Insurance, as he tries to figure out where to be found. P.S. Don’t forget, you can always subscribe to the newsletter for exclusive content every Thursday(ish) here.

Because there's a lot more possibility out there than you think.  Sooner or later cars will drive themselves and that means a big shift for personal auto insurance.  The one thing we can't do is to wait and see what happens. 

It's easy to do if you let your doubt tell you how much you know about something. Chances are you know more than you think and certainly more than most people. It's that knowledge that will separate you from everyone else and make it easy for people to pick you. That's what Tracy Cotton of Marrow Insurance is currently struggling within her agency. 

All time isn’t created equal, if you keep treating it like it is then you’ll always be out of control. You have to be able to react, but not nearly as much as we’ve been taught. Reacting to the wrong things will lead to an unpleasant cycle of order-taking. The only thing stopping you is your ability to let go of it. 

Originally Published on 4/26/16  Because even if you win, it will only be for a brief moment in time.  Then the convincing process starts all over again.  Before you know it, your running on a hamster wheel that leads to nowhere. That's what Sarah Nelson, of Intego Insruance, is trying to not do in her agency.   

If you're trying to be everywhere all the time, you might.  Because that's really hard to do, almost impossible even. That's what Tracy Cotton, of Marrow Insurance, talks about her struggles in the agency. 

It's as simple as letting your clients schedule their own appointments with you.  No you can retire for the endless game of phone tag and be ready to talk insurance when they are. That's what I talk to Sarah Nelson, of Intego Insurance, about he newfound scheduling freedom. 

If not, then you might have a hard time getting the business you deserve. Things really get interesting when you push that fear so far away you can't even see it anymore. That's what Kyle Burnett, of Instant Insurance, talks about how he plans to do just that.