Agency Intelligence

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Krista Kautz, Commercial Lines Producer at Berrong Insurance Agency. Krista discusses her journey from musician to insurance producer, what her niches are, and how she became involved with Oklahoma Young Agents. Episode Highlights: Krista discusses the Oklahoma Next-Gen Under 30 Awards. (2:40) Krista mentions that she is currently the Vice Chair of the Oklahoma Young Agents and that her agency owners support her involvement. (4:19) Krista mentions that even though she and Ryan Smith are competitors, they have brother-sister discussions, always giving each other a hard time and pushing each other to be accountable. (4:57) Krista mentions that she uses an iPhone and that the most recent app she downloaded was Yahoo Sports. (14:04) Krista explains why winning was her favorite thing. (15:45) Krista discusses skills versus luck gave her the capacity to sit in a conference room and go through a commercial auto policy page by page

In this special episode, Ryan breaks down how in a "Human-Optimized" Agency of the Future, efficiency isn't the answer to exponential growth. Efficiency may be part of the solution, but it's not the whole solution, and a lack of understanding of this concept is where many insurtech startups go wrong. This is an episode you don't want to miss... Episode Highlights: Ryan believes that the Rouge model is proven to be productive, efficient, and replicable by anyone with the vision and guts to do so. (2:35) Ryan mentions that they are currently hiring at Rouge. Some of the positions they are looking for are aspiring chief revenue officers and producers. (6:11) Ryan explains that the positions available are not for traditional people but more for people that like to build relationships and have an open mind to a slightly different approach. (10:25) Ryan discusses how he got a great deal with a car dealership, and the moment he realized that the sales agent was just trying to sell something he had access t

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Dawnyel Smink, Founder, and CEO of CLI Select Agencies, an alliance of independent agencies. Episode Highlights: Dawnyel shares her background and discusses her transition from being an elementary school teacher to owning her own business. (3:32) Dawnyel explains that CLI Select Agencies is there to be of service to agencies and take care of agencies and one way of doing that is making sure they are a good fit. (9:19) Dawnyel shares that part of what they do at CLI Select Agencies is discussing how agency owners can teach their team not to lie about leadership and what it really means to be a leader. (11:57)   James mentions that leadership is apologizing quickly when a wrong is pointed out to you, as humility speeds up reconciliation and recovery. (14:49) Dawnyel explains that communicating clearly with people means being able to take accountability on both sides. (19:12) Dawnyel shares that there is no perfect leader, and we have all mad

This episode is a replay of a live webinar Ryan  did for David Carothers and the Killing Commercial community, breaking down the step-by-step method he's used over the last decade to drive consistent inbound leads into his agency using video marketing. This is a hyper-tactical episode, so sharpen your pencil and get ready to learn ALL the secrets of inbound video marketing. Don't miss this episode... Episode Highlights: Ryan explains that he repeated the 100 days, 100 videos commitment in 2020, using the same technique he used in 2018. (8:24) Ryan discusses how he searches for and creates his list of topics, which he then turns into a headline for videos that provide solutions. (11:31) According to Ryan, if the video has good audio and clean visuals, consumers will pay attention to it; but, if the video has a busy background, their attention will begin to dry up. (15:30) Ryan mentions the advantages of using the sun as the video's lighting setup and having crisp, clean audio. (19:07) Ryan shares tha

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Melinda Krieger. Melinda is with Hanover Insurance and she has had a 36-year career in the insurance industry, and we talk about how to weather the storms of life and the insurance market to have the career you want. Episode Highlights: Melinda shares her background experience and how she got into the insurance industry and joined Hanover Insurance. (1:19) Melinda explains that you need to ask for what you wanted to be involved in, in your career journey. (6:00) Melinda mentions that she has a group of high school friends who have been mentoring each other about business. (9:53) Melinda shares her experience and insights from taking the Culture Index, on which she learned that she has a high energy quotient. (14:34) Melinda elaborates on the importance of having your thinking time away from answering emails, and notifications. (20:26) Melinda discusses the importance of making sure to have small and realistic expectations

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Callum Beecroft, Owner of the phonejacker®. Callum discusses how he helps companies connect with prospects by cold calling for them and shares his cold-calling mistakes so that others can learn from them. Episode Highlights: Callum shares that he is an iPhone user and the last app he downloaded was Sky Sports. (2:15) Callum explains that the reason he loves to win over hating to lose, and, in cold calling always tries to find the lesson in the loss. (3:55) Callum shares the conversation he had with Benjamin Dennehy that led him to start the phonejacker®. (10:56) Callum mentions that he also works for eCommerce businesses, and a marketing agency for prospecting, where he picks up the phone and sets meetings with the prospects that his clients want to meet with. (13:42) Callum shares his decision making and the things he considers on starting the phonejacker® and learning cold calling practices instead of being an employee of a co

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James gets into some open ended shop talk with Guest Co-Host, Tamron Manning. Episode Highlights: Tamron shares that James has been a huge help to him in coming into the independent space. (2:52)  Tamron explains why the environment plays a big role in insurance when it comes to being a sports athlete. (7:02) Tamron discusses that the main reason he wanted to switch to the independence side is because of the ability to create your own brand. (14:58) Tamron advises the listeners to put their blinders on, control what they can, and focus. (21:44) James shares his experience starting his company and how he got help to pull it off. (32:43) James explains that a really great virtual team member can be a good asset for a start-up company. (38:14) James shares his strategy for being able to achieve sustainable cash flow and growth with a start-up. (43:20) James shares that, in his opinion, it is very important to prioritize your time over money, because if n

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Jason Cass for an absolute blitz of conversation on insurance, insurtech, and everything and anything else we could discuss in a 60-minute podcast. You will be educated, and you will certainly be entertained. You are welcome, insurance industry... Episode Highlights: Ryan mentions that he will be purchasing David Carothers' book The Dirty 130 for his team since the book when combined with the workbook, is an extremely exciting program for producers (3:07) Jason explains that everything he and Ryan talked about before about what will happen in the insurance industry is already happening. (5:22) Ryan believes that there are brilliant individuals flying about all over and that if you have the opportunity to give them lifestyle work rather than a traditional job, you can get fantastic people all across the country. (7:22) Jason acknowledges that SAA provided him with the contract that got him the appointments, and he was able to accomplish

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Ati Grinspun. Ati Grinspun is a branding and photography guru who works with women to help them with their personal branding and how to make a great impression on our clients. Episode Highlights: Ati explains how she became interested in becoming a branding business coach. (1:35) Ati shares that while she was deciding what she wanted to do, she began working with women. (3:22) Ati explains how she helps women overcome their fear of being really authentic. (9:26) Ati believes that each of us can create a profitable personal brand by emphasizing who we currently are rather than attempting to become someone we are not. (13:59) Ati mentions that we can bring our own experiences and all we've done to develop relevancy, but we must first believe it. (19:14) According to Ati, a personal brand is more than just what we do, it genuinely incorporates who we are into what we do. (24:51) Ati discusses the four most important things

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Mark Engels, CEO of ePayPolicy. Mark discusses the areas in which ePayPolicy has simplified the process of making insurance payments. Mark also highlights ePayPolicy’s new service, CheckMate, which is changing the game for paper check payments. Episode Highlights: Mark discusses how ePayPolicy’s new service, CheckMate, is making it easy for customers to receive payments and then have them auto reconcile into the back office to make things more efficient. (2:52) Mark explains what a lockbox is and how it helps customers by transforming physical checks into digital files. (6:03) Mark mentions that as ePayPolicy evolves, they are developing a solution for their clients that only take a handful of checks in their office each month and do not require a full-fledged outsourced lockbox service. (8:17) Mark announces that ePayPolicy will launch a product associated with outbound payments for an insurance premium, as well as an invoicing s

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with Ted Stuckey, President of Nationwide Brokerage Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nationwide Insurance. Episode Highlights: Ted shares what Nationwide Brokerage Solutions (NBS) are all about, and what they do to help the industry. (5:34) Ted explains that NBS focuses on areas where agents are struggling, and aims to zero out these challenges. (11:03) James shares that he is fascinated by how NBS is participating with so many carriers to serve a wide variety of niches. (20:01) Ted explains why they currently are not participating in the transportation side of the niche. (21:12) Ted shares how they ensure that clients are getting placed with the right coverages and carriers. (28:00) Ted discusses that there will always be a blindspot in an agency, and shares an example of theirs, which is the high-touch service. (32:13) Ted explains that the reason why they have a great relationship with underwriters and carriers is that they do the

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Tanya Andolsen, President of Argosy Risk Specialists, joins the podcast for a deep dive into environmental insurance. We talk about what exactly environmental insurance is, why it's essential, and ultimately how independent insurance agents sell more of it.  This is an episode you insurance nerds don't want to miss. Episode Highlights: Tanya discusses her background and how she got started in the insurance industry 27 years ago. (4:19) Tanya explains the concept of being in the environmental insurance industry and the processes they follow. (9:54) Tanya shares how everything can be related to our environment and how this can be explained to clients and contractors. (16:35) Tanya explains that if there is a pollution exclusion on a claim, the chance is that it is going to be denied. (19:01) Tanya shares the example of waste disposal as one environmental issue that could present an exposure for business owners if they are not properly protected. (23:35) Tany

In this throwback episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht discusses how competing insurance agents only win new business an average of 8% of the time in a normal quoting process. Incumbent agents win 92%. So, who has it better? That's really the issue. Incumbent agents retain their clients because they have access and currently control the insured's permission. Therefore, let's focus on winning permission rather than blind quoting. Episode Highlights: Charles shares what is the problem with the normal quoting process in the insurance industry. (3:16) Charles shares why he likes the books of Seth Godin. (5:44) Charles explains his definition of permission. (8:48) Charles tells listeners why it’s so important to get permission. (9:46) What kind of quoting is Charles trying to get rid of? (14:31) What’s one of the most difficult things for insurance agents to start figuring out? (18:30) Charles shares one of the most important strategies to use. (21:10) Charles

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Heather McBroom. Heather is the CEO of Precision Services. She uses InsuredMine to help agencies streamline processes and take the headache out of setting up their agency for success. Episode Highlights: Heather shares that she and her mother have been in the industry since 1997. (1:32) Heather explains that insurance is something you need to pay attention to in order to be profitable. (5:03) Heather shares how she decided to create a one-note platform to be able to organize everything according to the needs of the business. (7:37) Heather explains that they have saved a lot of time by creating an automation that is in her voice and own brand. (10:37) Heather shares that she created a robust training program for her VAs that are in the Philippines that turned out very well. (12:53) Heather elaborates on being very selective about who she works with as part of her being strategic. (16:22) Heather shares that with the help

In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Jason Cutter, CEO & Founder of Cutter Consulting Group. He explains how they assist businesses in dealing with the problems that affect business-to-consumer (B2C) sales teams. Episode Highlights: Jason Cass believes that the majority of people named "Jason" are now between the ages of 37 and 47. (1:35) Jason Cutter mentions that he uses Android. (10:28) Jason Cutter explains that he loves winning just because he is good at something, but he doesn't mind losing if he isn't excellent and someone else is. (11:36) Jason Cutter believes that embracing his strengths and skills is the key to his success. (12:59) Jason Cutter discusses his background prior to becoming a consultant and how he got into the consulting industry. (13:48) Jason Cutter explains he's an operational man first and a sales guy second, which means he's learned how to be really good at sales, but his brain thinks operationally and in terms of systems. (19:49) Ja

In this episode of Agency Freedom Podcast, James talks with David Carothers about his second book which releases on September 8th, 2022. Episode Highlights: David mentions that he explains the meaning and motivation for the title of his book, The Dirty 130. (2:03) David believes that if he has a skill that distinguishes him from others, it is the ability to create a community around the content. (4:39) David mentions that one of the topics discussed in his book is how to optimize any images you use on your site or in your blog articles for SEO. (6:48) David explains that The Extra Two Minutes is about his sales-producing activity, whereas The Dirty 130 proceeds on a different path. (10:13) David discusses how the other context around The Dirty 130 relates to the same things that they do in their agency, such as telemarketing and marketing drop. (14:31) David discusses the workbook concept for The Dirty 130. (17:08) David mentions that history is the best teacher of what we may expect in the futu

There are one-owner shops, small agencies, medium-sized agencies, large alphabet houses, and everything else in between. The question is: Which one can you make more money at as a producer?  In this episode of the Millionaire Insurance Producer podcast, host Charles Specht walks you through the pros and cons of each, tells you which type/size agency he would work at today if he was planning to pick one to work at, and an option for you if you're considering making a switch. Episode Highlights: Charles mentions that he learned more at a large agency than at any other agency he has worked for. (4:41) Charles explains why, after learning so much at a bigger agency, he would never work for one again. (6:48) Charles discusses that, after 20 years of business, he already knows what to do if he is approached by an agency for consultation or assistance with their operations. (7:34) Charles mentions that all of the producers he knows that have to have some form of servicing role for whatever they do in their e

In this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Jeff Roy, Founder and President of Excalibur Insurance and one of the most innovative independent insurance agency owners in the world, joins the podcast for a conversation on digital virtual assistants, also known as robotic process automation. This is a conversation you don't want to miss. Episode Highlights: Ryan discusses Rogue Risk’s decision to switch to Nexure and change its agency management system. (10:34) Jeff mentions that during an interview with Taylor Rhodes for the Digital Insurance Plan podcast, he confirmed that Tarmika will be discontinued in 2025. (12:14) Ryan expresses his confusion as to why it is tough to create a CRM from an agency management system. (13:58) Ryan mentions that he really likes what Better Agency is doing and thinks that they've made a lot of progress to being a player in the industry. (18:03) Jeff explains that after seeing Applied Epic's demo, he became interested in the new feature that can run an AMS through the brow

In this episode of Power Women In Insurance, Teresa Kitchens sits down with Ossiea Lake. Ossiea Lake is a realtor and an insurance agent at Assured Connections Insurance that focuses her business on serving the community first. Episode Highlights: Ossiea explains that she has been in sales for nearly 20 years, beginning as a real estate agent before going on to insurance. (1:43) Ossiea shares what sparked her interest in the insurance industry. (2:53) According to Ossiea, Assured Connection Insurance started first by selling auto insurance and has grown from there. (9:17) Ossiea explains how she met the person who opened the door for her to numbers to the carriers. (10:57) Ossiea believes that real estate and insurance are strongly tied. (14:30) Ossiea explains why she switched from branding real estate and insurance to branding her identity. (17:03) Ossiea discusses how making connections and actively listening can help solve business problems. (21:57) Ossiea mentions that she is still learni

In this episode of Agency Intelligence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Jake Jines, Risk Advisor at The Insurance Alliance. Jake shares what led him to enter the insurance industry and what his goals are as a young producer. Episode Highlights: Jake shares that he is an iPhone user, and as a young producer, he loves to win. (3:08) Jake explains why skill has been a bigger factor in his life and where he is today. (4:32) Jason shares how he met Jake and how he was recruited to work at The Insurance Alliance. (5:06) Jake shares his backstory, from being at school to landing a job and being granted an opportunity in the industry. (7:13)  Jake explains why, despite having very little knowledge about the industry, he took the opportunity to be part of it. (10:06) Jake shares that he is currently trying to figure out a niche that would genuinely work for him and that he could bring value to (14:01) Jake recalls the days when he worked at Abstract during COVID and how it was related to bringing up gr