Ryan Hanley: The Podcast

Joseph D'Souza is making sure Artificial Intelligence understands the things you shouldn't be doing. We've been fending off the InsurTech hype for years, sifting through pretty comparative raters and unwanted interfaces. The hope in tolerating this hype is that something will finally find a way to change the game for good. Out of all the InsurTech hopefuls out there trying, ProNavigator is one of the few companies willing to be just as practical as they are revolutionary with the problems they'er solving. If you think processing car change requests is the type of "human value" people want in their customer experience, that might not work out well in the long run. Joseph and the whole ProNavigator team are just getting started because their AI never stops learning and making your job easier. Connect With Pat and Encompass here: ProNavigator Joseph D'Souza on LinkedIn P.S. The Agency Nation newsletter has a reputation for making your job easier, promise.

It might be overused and hard to imagine if you've never experienced it at a high level, but it all come down to leadership. That's the only thing capable of driving any lasting evolution inside a company. Especially one as ridge and by the book as an insurance company. Until that's solved, it's hard for anything else to consistently move in the right direction. That's exactly what Pat Macellaro, President of Encompass Insurance, wants to accomplish for the company. He's looking to do that by building a foundation for growth. He's building that foundation by having the right people, putting them in position to succeed and controlling their overall rate stability. Those are just a handful of things Ryan talks with him about as they walk down the path of where the carrier is today and where they want to be in the future. Connect With Pat: Encompass LinkedIn P.S. There's lots of growth happening inside the Agency Nation newsletter.

If it's not getting done fast enough, there's nothing wrong with going out there and taking it. Your agency will ultimately depend on the speed of adoption and ease of integration the industry may or may not provide. If that's an uncomfortable feeling and a position your agency doesn't want to be in, then it might be time to force the issue. That's what Ryan sat down to talk with Jeff Roy, of Excalibur Insurance in Canada, to find out just exactly how envelops he's pushing. Connect With Jeff: LinkedIn Excalibur Insurance P.S. Try the Agency Nation newsletter, it will certainly grow on you.

Do you know the difference between customer experience and customer service and which happens when? Customer service is when something goes wrong, customer experience however is a much bigger umbrella protecting every interaction you have with clients in your business. It's everything from how you answer the phone, respond to emails, what it feels like to physically be in your office and certainly what happens when they need to use their policy (see file claim). It's a much more proactive approach to engaging with your clients that will ultimately breed a level of loyalty that's hard to imagine. That's what Ryan talks to Joey Coleman, New York Times best selling author, about the number one secret to making sure your clients don't leave. Want to see Joey live, Elevate 18 is already sold out, but come hangout in Cleveland anyway and maybe people will be selling their tickets on the street. Connect with Joey: joeycoleman.com Buy Joey's Book: Never Lose a Customer Again LinkedIn Special Thanks to Safeco for bein

If you want to build a business and avoid becoming a slave to your agency, you have to find the next generation of agents. This has to be one of the most important things you do over the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years. You really don't have a choice, because this year alone one out of every four agents will be retiring. It's up to you to make sure that next wave of agents knows how to properly help people plan for the day they don't want to think about. That's what Ryan talks with Matt Sapaula, Co-Owner at PHP Agency, about he always has someone to hold a torch. Want to see Matt live, grabbing a ticket to Elevate 18 will do make it happen. Connect with Matt: MoneySmartGuy.com PHP Agency Subscribe to Matt on YouTube P.S. You already know this, but Elevate 18 tickets could change your life.

It's hard to capture and even harder to recreate, now matter what it's dangerous inside your agency. The truth is, it's so rare to find most agencies don't know what's possible if they had it. That thing, of course, is creativity and the lack of it found within the industry. That's why when someone comes in from the outside, seemingly having no business being here, blazes a trail no one's seen before. That's the creative firestorm that is Wood Brown and the reason Ryan wanted to talk to him about the benefits of taking those risks. Want to see Woody live, grab your ticket for Elevate 18 right now! Connect with Woody: The Rhoads Group Instagram Subscribe to Woody's YouTube Channel P.S. Seriously, you don't want to miss feeling that vibe Elevate 18 is going to create.

Are you brave enough to actually do the things you wish could be done different? It seems like everyone loves to play armchair InsurTech CEO these days, but actually making it on the field is entirely different. That first step is much easier when you have people with the level of intensity walking on each side. It's that team of people that will help finish your idea and bring it into reality. That's what Ryan talks to Jeremy Hallett, CEO of Hallett Financial and Quotacy, about his journey getting into the game. Want to see Jeremy live, there's just a few tickets for Elevate 18 left! Connect with Jeremy: Quotacy Hallett Financial LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, you don't want to have to wait until next year to meet the insurance agents of your dreams.

Is because of a creative culture that won't stop. Culture Tough to pin down. Easy to dismiss. Yet, Culture. As ethereal concept as it may be… is Paramount to victory. Because culture… unlike any other aspect of your business... ...is the psychological manifestation of the soul of your business. You can’t fake it. Culture is honest, candid and true. ...and it all boils down to this. You care… or you don’t. Not that you care about your business… of course you do. But do you care about your people? It’s easy to say you care. It’s easy to put up motivational quotes in the break room. It’s easy to WANT a great company culture. But culture doesn’t happen by accident. Your people judge you on your actions. What do you actually do? Do you live, breathe and execute on the culture your words frame? Your actions… It is your actions that define culture. Want a performance-based culture? Perform. Go do the work and hold yourself accountable to results. You want a creative culture? Be creative. Try stuff. Think different a

There's a good chance you might not even be able to ante up to today's table stakes of digital presentation. Today's consumer expects to find so much information that you might not be giving them. It's move beyond just a phone, email and website. They expect real tangible things to be delivered to the through a digital experience in the form of education and communication. If your agency isn't actively trying to meet those consumers where they are at, you'll have a hard time finding a table to sit at. That's what Ryan wanted to talk to Jeff Teschke, Founder and CEO of Forge3, about how you can find a seat at the table. If you want to see Jeff live, he'll be hanging out at Elevate 18 this year! Connect with Jeff: Forge3 LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, we just released 20 extra tickets for Elevate 18 due to popular demand, grab yours today before they're all gone.

Sometimes it pays to look your best when clients need you the most. There are so many aspects to creating a video "that works" it's impossible to execute them all. Sure, eventually you might get there, but that's 12 months and 40 videos later. The faster you can be authentically good on camera, the sooner the world will open up to you and your business. That's what Ryan talks to Greg Rollett, Founder of Ambitious.com, about why he wants to help you do it. If you want to see Greg live, we only have 32 tickets left for Elevate 18! Connect with Greg: Ambitious.com LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, we only have 32 tickets left, grab one before it's too late.

Most business leaders are pretty good at the skills their actual job requires. That means you are usually above average at selling insurance, but those skills rarely translate into being a good business leader. The crazy part is, controlling just a few core aspects within your business will dramatically improve those skills. Those 8 core principles are: Income Covering Weakness Ego, Emotion, Expectations Communication Relationship Education Asking Questions Mentorship Ryan talks with Billy Williams, President of Inspire a Nation, about how your agency can stay focused on eating enough I.C.E.C.R.E.A.M. If you want to see Billy live, we only have 50 tickets left for Elevate 18! Connect with Billy: Inspire a Nation LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, we only have 50 tickets left, grab one before it's too late.

There's no room for followers or blame within a successful organization. If your leading the agency your people will emulate your energy, so it better be good. If not, you might have just discovered whats been quietly holding you back. It's your job to get as many people above the line as possible so they can hit their goals and as a result, so will the agency. That what Ryan wanted to talk to former NHL player and coach, Ryan Walter about his experience leading leaders. If you want to see Ryan live, we only have 60 tickets left for Elevate 18! Connect with Ryan: ryanwalter.com LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, we only have 60 tickets left, grab one before it's too late.

No matter what you're doing to create opportunities for your business, you still have to pick up the phone and call someone. What temperature that person is at the time of the call is up to and will depend on how much work you already put in. All that work does is give you a chance to care more about that persons problems than anyone else. That's what closes business and turns your mediocre sales career into an extraordinary one. That's why Ryan needed to talk to Anthony Iannarino to provide the next generation of independent insurance agents what it takes to make a sale. If you want to see Anthony live, get your ticket to Elevate 18 today before it sells out! Connect with Anthony: The Sales Blog LinkedIn YouTube Buy Anythony's Books The Lost Art of Closing The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need P.S. The first 500 people to register for Elevate 18 will get a free copy of Anthony's book The Lost Art of Closing.

Just because you could sell a policy better than everyone else doesn't mean you'll be great at making other people do it. It's a sobering fact for sure, that your skill doing "the thing" has absolutely nothing to do with teaching it. Really it might be a liability more than anything, because part of that success could have been a result of natural skill others lack. If you're unable or unwilling to close that awareness gap you won't find many people following you anywhere. That's what Ryan talks to Brent Kelly, Executive Coach for the Sitkins Group, about as tries to make your people are behind you. If you want to see Brent live, get your ticket to Elevate 18 today before it sells out! Connect with Brent: Sitkins Group LinkedIn P.S. Seriously, we have less than 100 tickets left. If you want awkward bro hugs with Ryan and Brent do it now.

Why should independent insurance agents want to write insurance for that supposedly tasty drink? That's a fair and slightly provocative question that isn't easily answered. In fact, there's so many moving parts that it took Ryan Hanley over a week to research this topic and 26 minutes plus to break it all down. This is certainly a polarizing decision your agency will face, but simply dismissing it without fully understanding what's at stake isn't a good idea. Ryan delivers a super deep dive to help you with such an understanding. P.S. Did you know Elevate 18 is the insurance conference you've waited your whole career for? That's right, so grab your ticket today!

What's stopping you from selling and marketing your agency the way you want? More then likely it's a deficiency in the processes and procedures within how you operates. The more efficiency you can mix in the better experience you'll deliver and ultimately increase your margins. Because the longer you hold on to a personal touch that takes too long, the faster your clients will start looking for someone else. That's what Ryan talks with Nicholas Ayers, Owner of i80 Insurance and co-found of IAOA, about the grove his agency is in. If you want to see Nick live, get your ticket to Elevate 18 today! Connect with Nick i80 Insurance Insurance Agency Owners Alliance P.S. Seriously, Nick's is going to be at Elevate 18 diving deep on all this stuff, you won't want to miss it.

It's not a secret, there's a lot of outside money flowing into the insurance industry. Agencies are getting bought like crazy because the investment is so attractive. Even better, people want to give you money to help reinvest in that agency. You combine that with the InsurTech movement that has been sweeping across the industry and it becomes up to you if you want to be left behind. That's what Ryan dives deep on with Harrison Brooks, of Reagan Consulting, on as they break down where it's all going. Connect with Harrison Reagan Consulting LinkedIn P.S. Did you know Harrison will also be speaking at Elevate 18? You should come.

When you're in a room full of 100 insurance agents wanting to do digital marketing, they ask a lot of questions. Which is what they should be doing. Some of those questions might be the same thing you're struggling with in your agency. This is a special keynote presentation Ryan gave to Roberts, Ryan & Associates last week in Milwaukee during their most recent producers meeting. It was a energy filled presentation that didn't leave a feather unruffled or a head unturned. Ryan covers everything from the bare minimum you need to get started with video, all the way to total niche domination. P.S. If you want to see and hear the real thing, grab your ticket to Elevate 18 to hear Ryan and whole bunch of smart people live.

Connecting online consumers to real agents, in real time crushes the competition. A hospitality business focus on person to person connections and their soul defined concerned for the happiness of the people they serve. Insurance companies should consider focusing on the quality of appointed agents rather than the quantity of appointed agents. It's in the depth of those quality relationships that creates separation from everyone else. That's the idea Ryan Hanley was recently stuck with by a young insurance carrier professional over a cup of coffee. P.S. Agency Nation University can teach you how to be more hospitable and create deeper relationships.

It’s a question he thinks about every single day. When it’s all said and done, the answer is simple, fulfillment. Fulfillment from helping an industry be something it couldn’t if he wasn’t distributing the knowledge and motivation it needs to move forward. That’s just one of many slightly hot topics Ryan discuses with his long time friends Jason Cass during their state of the union conversation. Connect more with Jason: LinkedIn Insurance Agency Intelligence P.S. Elevate is getting closer every day, are you going to be there?