Agency Intelligence

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, guest host Mitch Gibson interviews Ben Zimmer, CRIS, CAWC, the Founder, and CEO of Ethos Insurance & Risk Management. Ben talks about his approach in the insurance industry and why hustling has been his passion. Episode Highlights: What has attributed to Ben’s success, skill or luck? (9:08) Ben mentions why the independent insurance agent is the greatest connector there is. (14:49) Ben shares the real agent experience and explains what the word hustle entails. (19:35) Ben mentions why hustle is a passion. (20:02) Does Ben feel that being a collegiate athlete has given him an avenue and a platform (23:36) Ben shares the biggest difference in separation between him and the competitors in his community. (25:50) Key Quotes: “Ultimately, it's about adding value. I don't want to miss out on an opportunity because I wasn't prepared and I think that just comes from a lot of mistakes. I would say hard work more than luck just because I guess I've been

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, James Jenkins, the founder of RiskWell Insurance, joins the podcast to discuss insurance technology decision-making, how to pick a niche market, and the best way to choose your carrier mix. This is an episode you don't want to miss… Episode Highlights: James shares why he likes doing feature requests. (17:09) James mentions his responsibility as the business owner. (18:16) James shares how he came up with the happy hour announcements. (22:28) James mentions a platform called High Level. (24:53) What could happen to the small commercial, five years from now? (32:13) James shares why the gap between the generalist and the specialist will grow. (32:36) James shares the other niches that he has lined up. (41:18) James mentions his philosophy on carrier experts. (47:10) Key Quotes: “I am your best client and the biggest thorn in your side. Because when you do something cool, man, I think that's really cool. And I'm going to talk about it a lot. I'm going

In the first episode of Book 4 of the Explain This Book To Me podcast, host Josh Lipstone, begins his discussion with co-author of The Visual Sale, Marcus Sheridan. They discuss the six types of videos that you need to produce for your business, how to find & hire a videographer, and how to get buy-in from your team on embracing video. And you'll find out what Marcus' favorite book of all time is. Episode Highlights: What does Marcus attribute to his success, nature or nurture? (2:21) Marcus mentions the Visual Sale website. (4:05) Why does Marcus believe that an organization is a media company over a sales organization? (8:17) Marcus shares why you need a videographer more than a salesperson. (9:21) What is the difference between videos that are used for sales and videos that are used for marketing? (12:57) How does the sales team integrate video into the sales process? (19:46) Marcus mentions where the 80% video comes from. (19:52) Marcus shares his opinion on the “About Us” video. (28:28)

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Joe Kampert, the Vice President of Redwood Agency Group. Joe talks about his approach in the insurance industry and why business owners must look into their ROI. Episode Highlights: What has contributed to Joe's career, skill or luck? (8:13) Joe shares the origins of his insurance career. (16:22) Does Joe’s agency handle personal or commercial insurance? (19:42) Joe explains why business owners must look into their ROI. (24:02) Joe discusses his agency’s virtual groups and events. (30:04) Joe tells us why he’s a big believer in collaboration. (33:36) Joe explains the “house of dreams”. (38:37) Key Quotes: “I don’t hold anything back. I’m always trying to help in bringing agents together, because I think collectively we can change this industry. I think we’re starting to. We’re on this trend that 10,15, 20 years from now...You know, I’ve always said it’s better to be at the top of the mountain together versus bei

In this special anniversary edition of The Ryan Hanley Show, we break down all the things that worked in year one of Rogue Risk. We talk carrier partnerships, technology stack, staffing, shout-outs, and content strategy. This might be the best insurance podcast in the history of insurance podcasts... maybe. Episode Highlights: Ryan talks about how Rogue Risk is just getting warmed up. (2:48) Ryan shares one thing he was able to do that most startup agencies are not. (6:12) Ryan gives a shoutout to five carriers. (6:25) Ryan mentions why you must take every appointment that you can get if you’re new to the business. (10:35) Ryan shares how Rogue Risk has been, from a technology standpoint. (14:54) Ryan mentions one of the pieces of Rogue Risk that has worked incredibly well. (51:28) Ryan shares how to create video content. (57:33) What are some of Ryan’s long term strategies? (1:03:09) Key Quotes: “The idea of taking the best of what we have in our industry from a digital standpoint, and

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Patty Lares, the CEO of AA Lares Insurance Services. Patty shares how she built her agency from scratch and how they are still seeing success 21 years later. Learn how to layer on new team members strategically, 3 things to know about marketing, and why we want to help people find an insurance career by design and not by accident. Episode Highlights: Patty gives a little background about her team and her agency. (5:17) How has Patty’s agency grown over the past 20 years? (7:02) Patty shares how she’s developed her business using the power of threes. (9:46) Patty gives insight on her social media branding strategies. (11:32) Patty shares how in-office promotions have boosted team morale. (14:10) How does Patty streamline roles within her agency? (16:17) How does Patty’s customer service team feel about cross-sales, upsells, and rounding out accounts? (25:26) What is Patty’s advice for those considering careers in

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, guest host Mitch Gibson interviews Michael Lewis, the President of Archbold and Lewis Insurance Inc. Mike talks about his career in the insurance industry and how he utilized technology to be successful in the industry. Episode Highlights: Mike shares his background. (9:52) Did Mike ever have any type of thought that he may or may not like the insurance industry? (12:07) Mike shares the biggest changes in their agency. (13:56) Mike shares what he hears on the captive side and the independent side. (18:06) What brought Mike’s passion to what he’s doing? (21:58) Mike mentions why he brought his son into the insurance industry. (23:04) Mike shares his process in creating content. (30:48) Key Quotes: “To anybody out there, let them start branding themselves, let that content get out there because the old way is gone. Everybody's sitting at a stoplight right now looking at their phone, sometimes right when they're rolling down the road. So, that'

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Nick Jordan, founder of ContentDistribution.com and the ClusterAI platform, joins the podcast for one of the nerdiest marketing episodes in the history of this podcast. It's amazing... you're going to love it (and learn something). Episode Highlights: Nick shares his background. (7:17) Nick gives an insight into the conversation around organic searches. (10:18) Nick shares why the opportunities around SEO are bigger than you might think. (14:49) Nick mentions the problem that most businesses have or most business owners feel. (15:03) Nick explains the funnel. (17:35) Nick shares a summary of what ClusterAI does. (26:23) Nick mentions why content velocity is the main thing to do. (28:19) Nick explains the Youtube embeds. (34:16) Key Quotes: “When you're leveraging backlinks to drive a particular outcome, what you're doing is you're praying to the Google gods. And if something goes wrong, you're praying again, because there are too many variables to d

In this episode of the Explain This Book To Me podcast, host Josh Lipstone, provides the roadmap for the upcoming episodes for Book 4, The Visual Sale. The Loyal Readers will be prepared for what is to come, be able to purchase a copy of the book in advance of the first episode and follow along each week as we tackle the book together. Resources Mentioned: The Visual Sale Tyler Lessard: The Goal is To Own The Question A Masterclass in Communication with Marcus Sheridan

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Jeff Roy, the CEO of Excalibur Insurance Group. Jeff and Jason tackle everything that business owners should know, including the answer to this question: "Jeff, what is one thing you are doing today that you were not doing 10 years ago?" Take a listen to find out his answer! Episode Highlights: What has attributed to Jeff’s success; skill or luck? (10:37) Jeff shares his background in science and how he found his way into business. (11:55) Jeff shares good business owner practices. (16:35) What has been different about what Jeff does today, versus 10 years ago? (21:27) Jeff mentions how the law of attraction has helped him. (27:41) Jeff shares a story about Mike Stromsoe’s event that he attended. (30:48) Jeff shares details on a concept he’s currently working on. (33:39) What's the number one way that Jeff gets business into his agency? (35:42) Jeff discusses lead quality in the age of Covid. (38:00) Jeff shares

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, guest host Mitch Gibson interviews Ryan Mahoney, an Insurance Agent at Goosehead Insurance. Ryan talks about his career in the insurance industry and understanding the avenues for creating content for social media. Episode Highlights: Ryan shares his background and his career in the insurance industry. (12:09) What was the biggest obstacle that Ryan had to overcome? (14:46) Ryan shares one of the biggest benefits that his company had. (14:59) Ryan mentions their retention rate. (15:37) Ryan shares one of the elements that reminded him of Gary Vee. (20:50) Ryan shares the short-term and the long-term game of creating content for social. (23:11) Why is it important to be authentic in content creation? (39:34) Ryan gives pieces of advice on editing video content. (43:39) Key Quotes: “It's better to be lucky than good. But for us, we're very intentional about what we do on a daily basis, whether that's content or prospecting, or anything. So,

In the latest episode of the Ryan Hanley Show, host Ryan Hanley interviews Jennifer Linton, the Founder, and CEO of Fenris Digital. Jennifer joins the podcast to talk about the often misunderstood superpower of data…MORE SALES. Jennifer also talks about the impact of embedded insurance and how her company is competing with data giants to deliver data resources downstream to retail agencies and start-ups. Episode Highlights: Jennifer shares her background. (11:54) Jennifer mentions what embedded insurance is. (13:57) Jennifer shares why she considers embedded insurance a game-changer. (19:45) Jennifer mentions the huge issue for their agency. (31:20) Jennifer gives a little background about their data and system complexity. (32:27) Jennifer mentions the reason why they have broad data. (34:45) Jennifer shares how most of their API's function. (36:26) Where does Jennifer’s agency data come from? (45:25) Jennifer shares one of the next products they’re going to launch. (55:20) Jennifer shares

In this episode of the Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Kate Bradley Chernis, the Co-Founder and CEO of Lately. Kate talks about how to utilize Lately in your social media accounts and how it could help your agency. Episode Highlights: What has attributed to Kate’s success, skill or luck? (6:59) Kate mentions what she learned from her radio career. (8:59) Kate mentions how she started her first company. (11:32) Kate shares a story about her Walmart project. (12:34) Kate mentions the idea behind Lately. (16:05) What’s the DNA of every marketing and sales message? (16:20) Kate mentions the LinkedIn video publishing they released. (22:57) Kate shares how to utilize hashtags. (25:17) Key Quotes: “I was incapacitated because I wasn't listening to my own body for a long time. It helped really perpetuate me into where I am now and to be an entrepreneur. It took going all the way down into being in substantial pain to get that message. Now I know that when I feel an instinct th

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Bobby Touran, the CEO of Pathpoint. Bobby breaks down startup culture, how his team is solving big problems in the commercial insurance world, and what your team is really thinking when it comes to cyber insurance. Episode Highlights: Bobby shares his background. (2:08) What are some of the things that Bobby does for fun when he’s not working? (4:47) Bobby gives a little background about Pathpoint. (8:58) Bobby shares what he learned from the commercial insurance industry. (10:57) Bobby mentions one of the inefficient segments of commercial insurance. (13:46) Bobby shares why history is a good indicator for the insurance industry. (18:50) Bobby shares what to do if you want to quote cyber on every account. (26:05) Bobby mentions why the key user of their solution is the CSR. (36:01) Bobby mentions the main goal of every insurance agency. (52:24) Key Quotes: “What we do as a company is we enable a faster, mo

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, guest host Mitch Gibson interviews Brian Blakely, the director of property & casualty insurance at Stonebridge Insurance and Wealth Management and host of The Good Life Small Business Podcast. Brian talks about what he learned from Bradley Flowers and how he started a podcast. Episode Highlights: Brian shares the best things to do in Kearney, Nebraska. (2:40) What has attributed to Brian’s career, skill or luck? (9:38) Brian shares his background. (13:32) Brian mentions what he’s currently working on with his podcast. (24:08) Has Brian seen any success that’s helped him grow as an agent and with his podcast? (31:19) Brian shares why podcasting is something that he’s passionate about. (38:51) Brian mentions what he’s trying to accomplish this year. (40:06) Brian shares a story about his first conversation with Bradley Flowers. (47:34)  Key Quotes: “I trust everybody in here and I don't need to look over my shoulder. We've all got the clien

In the latest episode of the Ryan Hanley Show, host Ryan Hanley interviews Josh Braun, the Founder of Sales DNA. The Master Guru of cold email prospecting, (and all things sales), Josh Braun, explains why we don’t get the response rate on cold outreach we should be and what to do about it. Episode Highlights: Josh mentions why salespeople will typically work with him. (17:50) What has been one of the huge obstacles right at the beginning for Josh? (19:26) Josh shares the best way to understand the customers. (21:47) Josh mentions why he would highly recommend interviewing five or six customers. Why does Josh prefer shorter emails? (26:25) Josh mentions the two factors that your prospect wanted. (31:27) Can Josh define their superpower and show them in a way that they even have a problem to begin with, and allow them to make the connection? (33:28) Josh shares a story that happened several years ago with his wife when he saw a U-Haul. (40:39) Josh shares a story of a man named, Dale Dupree. (46

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Craig Wiggins, the President, and CEO of Craig Wiggins Coaching and Consulting. Craig talks about his career in the insurance industry and shares a turning point in his life that completely changed the way he approached his business. Episode Highlights: What has attributed to Craig’s success, skill or luck? (7:42) Craig shares his background. (9:41) What does Craig’s agency currently look like? (12:06) Craig shares how the first 18 months of his career in the industry went. (14:12) Craig mentions the turning moment of his life, back in 2008. (15:02) How did his most unforgettable moment make an impact on his life? (22:11) Craig mentions his self-reflection and realizations in life. (23:45) Craig shares why the employees' accountability is the most difficult part. (24:56) Craig shares how they evaluate during an interview. (29:00) Craig mentions their comp plan and tiered comp plan. (35:36) Craig shares about h

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Amanda Mapp, MBA, the Education Manager at Quantum Assurance International. Amanda discusses what we've learned about training new employees, how we feel about video content, and what keeps your new sales professionals in the game. Episode Highlights: What does Amanda’s daily life look like? (5:59) Amanda mentions why she loves the training and development that are going digital lately. (6:44) Katlyn begins the pop quiz questions for Amanda. (7:22) What was it like for Amanda before she branched over into the instructional design aspect of insurance? (10:01) Amanda mentions the huge part about the leadership development program. (10:09) Amanda shares her onboarding experience. (12:14) What were some of Amanda’s favorite projects that she worked on? (15:22) Amanda mentions why education and leadership correlates. (23:23) Amanda shares one of the benefits of videos. (32:46) Amanda mentions one of the common pit

In this episode of the Agency Intelligence podcast, guest host Mitch Gibson interviews Todd Saylor, the President and Owner of PayServ Systems. Todd talks about understanding work-life harmony, the significance of being passionate about the insurance industry, and mastering the five T’s. Episode Highlights: Mitch mentions Todd’s book entitled, Wired Differently. (4:03) Todd shares an interesting fact about losing and being decisive. (8:09) Todd shares about work-life balance and his message to the listeners. (12:36) Todd mentions the best accomplishment that 2020 did for them. (20:12) Todd shares what he wants the people to learn from the work-life harmony. (25:02) Has Todd’s passion always been to be an entrepreneur? (26:23) Todd mentions why you need to know who you are to be able to become who you want to be. (34:13) What can Todd do as a person to help him become the best version of himself? (38:01) Todd shares the significance of owning his brand. (49:00) Todd shares the five T’s. (50

Nancy Duarte, communication expert and strategist to some of the most influential CEOs in the worlds explains how to create persuasive stories using data.