Agency Nation Radio - Insurance Marketing, Sales And Technology

You're able to start a conversation based on something much more than just insurance. If approached with enough dedication, it has the potential to resonate for an extended period of time. The biggest challenge beyond that dedication will be your proficiency to execute it effectively. Because it has to come from a pretty deep place of authenticity to actually work. That's what I talk to John Stuart, of Bill Quickel's Insurance Plus Agencies, about the revolution they're starting.

If not, you could miss a solid opportunity to put your competition out of business. Regardless of how aggressive you get, there's something to be said for knowing your numbers. It's this information that makes sure you're making the most of every policy you sell. It's also the best way to know if and when you're wasting your time on that new policy. That's what I talk Alex Dopazo, of Dapozo Insurance, about how his agency knows theirs.

We are already dealing with a flow that would put most industries out of business. Because nine times out of 10 customers demand to be provided with the best experience. Up until now, we've been able to get away with one that nearly does the exact opposite. The real test will be to see if we can all get on the same page before it's too late. That's what I talk to Billie Jo Galle, of TRICore Insurance, about as they try and do their part.

Might need to become something you do no matter what for it to really take hold in your agency. The most interesting part about the whole thing is it will only be the start of the one-off pieces of content you create. That means you should get comfortable with the idea because it's an easy way to do something people don't expect. If you really want to go all in on the idea, it might have be a skill you hire for out of the gate. That's what I talk to Taylor Garcia, of Jackson & Jackson insurance, about the dramatic steps he's taking. The Truth About Video Proposals (Part I) The Truth About Video Proposals (Part II) The Truth About Video Proposals (Part III)

If it does, then you make it a lot easier for people who want to do business with you. Because no matter what, they will Google your agency and will find what you've decided to provide them. It's also important to have the right mindset and understand the reality of your current situation. There's no way you'll instantly start generating hundreds of leads a month (without paying), instead it will slowly build over time. That's what I talk to Kim Wood, of Toby & Merrill Insurance, about how she's trying to focus their impress to get the process started.

You realize that it was a big ask for you to only have one insurance company in the first place. Not only was your limited inventory a challenge, so was finding the right people that it would fit. The most exciting part about planning a successful breakout is it allows you to fully explore your insurance potential. Which could mean doubling down on what you know best, or trying to discover a new commercial niche. That's what I talk to Mariah Davis, of Oakview Insurance, about as she details her plan and what got her where she is today.

If you do, they normally have a chance to last your entire career. These relationships are usually formed with people who have the ability to influence (see send) consistent business to your agency. However, if that's the first and only way you approach them, there's a good chance it won't make it that long. You'll know it's working when you have enough people sending you all their business with you asking. That's what I talk to Josh Berg, of Blue Lion Insurance, about possibly having too much authenticity.

It all depends on where you want to go and how long of a trip you're willing to take to get there? There's nothing wrong with living in that wheelhouse, in fact, most agents have a hard time staying long enough. It's important to talk about what you know really well, but there are no rules about what you need to know before you talk about something else. It's starting as simple as you can and taking everyone on the journey with you. That's what I talk to Allen Drew, of Allen Drew Insurance Agency, about how he found the exit he was looking for.

That opportunity comes in the form of allowing clients to self-serve as much of the insurance experience as they want. Those experiences could be as simple as ID card requests, or simply getting started with the quoting process. The biggest challenge usually comes in deciding what parts of the process will be mandatory. Because there's an infinite see of time waiting to be saved when you stop doing everything for them. That's what I talk to Nick Thalhammer, of Cincinatus Insurance, about the process he wants for his clients.

The hardest part is finding someone dedicated and ambitious enough to build it from scratch. If you can, the easiest way might be to allow them to put it together one piece at a time. If you remain dedicated, you'll look back one day and marvel at what has been created. Because when it's fully operational, it should start pulling people in automatically. That's what I talk to Dshanya Reese, of Watkins Insurance Group, about what she been building the last 10 years.

Is certainly something that's not easy to do inside a family agency that has other ideas in mind. As the insurance world continues to get more specialized (see niche), it becomes a bigger challenge to properly balance everything you do. The best part about the whole experience is the level of expertise you can build with a very specific group of people. Especially when that newly found proficiency starts to continually build momentum that easily starts a sales conversation. That's what I talk to Kelsey Alcorn, of Alcorn Insurance, about how she's handling the challenge inside her family agency.

It starts by figuring out a way to bring consistent value to them in a way that makes their life easier. Of course, that can happen in many different ways, but you'd be surprised at how a little education can go a long way. Most of the time your referral partners are savvy enough insurance consumers to know which policy provides the best value. All you need to do is help them understand that in the easiest way possible, hopefully in an automated fashion. That's what I talk to Sean Mooney, of Mooney Insurance Brokers, about how he's looking to find more consistency.

The real answer is going to depend if you're interested enough to find one that will. Because it's easy to get restless with the thing you're good at and get distracted by something you're not. That something is twice as dangerous when there isn't enough premium to go around. The scariest liability is allowing it significantly distract from the business you know how to sell. That's what I talk to Brian Blakely, of Stonebridge Insurance, about the niche he's eyeballing.

Sometimes you just need to have a little fun with an insurance video that's racking up crazy views. I thought it would be interesting to breakdown a worthy video I randomly came across in the depth of YouTube. The only requirement was that I didn't want it to be a video I had previous knowledge of and appeared to have some traction. Other than that, everything else was fair game and as a result, produced the first real-time reaction. The craziest part is the video ended up being from none other than Cameron Brown, of Insurance Brokers of Arizona.

Because things don't change nearly as fast as we would like and need them to. This is just one of a handful of topics discussed six months ago that are still as relevant as the day it happened. It doesn't matter if it's video marketing, technology integrations or perpetuation. The insurance industry doesn't have a shortage of issues that could use a little more urgency mixed in. That's what I talk to Mike Crowley, of Crowley Insurance, about how he's handling all of them.

Because insurance isn't always the first thing someone wants to come and talk to you about. That's why it's insanely beneficial if/when you can provide them countless conversation entry points. Not only will it be much easier to start those conversations, but it will also give you more stable (common) ground to stand on. Most of the time, the more you know about someone the more comfortable you end up feeling around them. That's what I talk to Alex Salmon, of The Salmon Agency, about how he recently figured out how easy it is to start his.

There are certainly different opinions on what works best, the trick is figuring it out for your agency. What might be more important than building that consistent relationship is properly setting communication expectations. That's what really has a good chance to destroy any relationship your agency has regardless of how long you've had it. The same is also true cross-selling other lines and properly managing the possibilities and limitations each offer. That's what I talk to James Castell, of Castell Insurance, about how long his agency holds on to their relationships.

It starts by building a culture that's excited to learn what you learn and take the ball and run with it. That type of behavior has traditionally been known as buy-in and it often hard to come by. You'll dramatically improve your chances if that buy-in earns an unfathomable level of operational freedom. It that type of environment your best people are able to dedicate most of their time to high impact activities. That's what I talk to Leigh Zellmer, of Blackwell Insurance, about how big of a game changer her dedicated time frames have been.

It's possible you've never pushed hard enough to find out that you just weren't reaching high enough. Because it's easy to reach down and pick up all the nickel and dimes that are getting thrown at your feet. No matter what, after a while, that bag is going to get heavy and not be worth nearly as much as you thought it would. That's a tough place to be because you can only hear the same thing so many times without doing something about it. That's what we spend a little time talking through one-on-one today because a little reminder never hurts.

Because if it doesn't, there's a good chance you just got lucky and haven't taken full advantage of its power. That luck generally leads to an endless stream of wasted opportunities that never received proper consideration. Of course, there are a couple of easy things you can do to prevent it from happening. However, they generally involve a few tough decisions most agencies don't want to make. That's what I talk to John Stuart, of Bill Quickel's Insurance Plus, about the ones he's facing.