Change Insurance
133 episodes - English - Latest episode: 29 days ago -Insurance sounds different when you start to change it, come listen for yourself. Change Insurance is an RPS podcast dedicated to helping you make the impossible, possible in your agency. We’re all trying to change the way we sell insurance, so we’re going to talk to people across the industry about the best and most exciting ways to do it.
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Episodes
How to Become Obsessed with People Doing the Right Job
April 03, 2024 07:30 - 20 minutes - 28.7 MBYou might not realize it, but it's pretty important to be aware of how many hats you wear in your agency. If you're not, it becomes that much harder to eventually get someone else to wear it. Then you find yourself stuck in an endless, lopsided cycle of work-life balance that leads nowhere. Maybe all it takes is to remove one or two hats a little sooner than you think. Michael Cruz, owner of Foresight Insurance, talks about how he made sure to find help before he needed it.
Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid to Break the Mold of Your Agency
March 20, 2024 07:30 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBIt's easy to worry about all the ways things might not work out. It's even easier to let those fears completely control all your major decisions. However, sometimes, if you just let go you might find a whole new level of freedom. You might find that freedom creating empowerment and ownership for everyone in your agency. Beth DeLaForest, Owner of Aspire Insurance Group, talks about how she constantly tries to free her agency from traditional insurance norms.
How to Make Your Agency Fulfill Its Niche Programs Destiny
March 06, 2024 08:30 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBWhat would it look like if your entire agency was just a little more focused on one thing? It's often discussed but rarely done with complete dedication and execution. Could that focus be repeated over and over again to any and all producers who wanted to participate? It's possible the entire staff could be reshaped and structured to support this new deep dive approach to sell insurance. Chris Beardslee, Executive Vice President at Allied Insurance Managers, talks about how serious ...
3 Effective Ways to Become a Complete Insurance Professional
February 21, 2024 08:30 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MBSometimes, it really is hard to see the forest through the trees. That couldn't be more true when evaluating your own insurance career and agency. However, there's often a strong reluctance to introduce an outside perspective. Regardless of how you achieve a higher level of awareness, there are a few key areas you should look at. Miles Merwin, President and Founder of Advisors Insurance Agency, talks about the evolution his agency has gone through to maximize its potential.
How Trucking Gets Better When You Know What to Say
February 07, 2024 08:30 - 20 minutes - 27.5 MBIf you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times. Insurance gets easier when you can speak the language better than the next guy. But did you ever think that fluency was more important than insurance knowledge and experience? Well, that's where things get interesting, and you might be surprised at how important talking the talk is with truckers. Jeffrey Gordon, President at The Bayou Agency, talks about why the insurance is the insurance and how he's taking his transporta...
How to Increase Courage, Ignite Curiosity and Find Insurance Success
January 10, 2024 08:30 - 22 minutes - 30.2 MBWhat would you do if your first interaction with the industry was less than welcoming? It certainly wouldn't do much to increase your chances of sticking around and figuring things out. But, if you can push past that initial discomfort, there's plenty of room to explore and grow across the industry. Certainly, after all that, finding your place and calling it your own with comfort doesn't seem all that difficult. Patience Noah, Owner of Patience Noah Insurance, talks about how she...
Was Getting Your License One of Your Smartest Decisions?
December 27, 2023 08:30 - 20 minutes - 28.5 MBNo matter what, there's a good chance it was far from your first choice. However, it probably remains pretty high on the list of decisions you've made that had the greatest impact. The reality is far fewer people know this potential life-altering decision is even available. Then the real question is, how do we make sure more people have a chance to make it? Jarrad "Rod" Powell, Principal at Encore Insurance Group, talks about his journey to the industry and why he thinks everyone...
How a Fantastic Partner Can Help Take a Big Risk
December 06, 2023 08:30 - 19 minutes - 26.6 MBIt's hard to start an insurance agency from scratch, but it could be easier with a bit of help. Then the challenge becomes finding someone who is willing and able to take the leap with you. It's not always easy to put yourself out there to find that person, but there are a few key things to look for. Ultimately, it comes down to complementary skills and not letting your feelings get in the way. Richard Brown, Partner at Centennial Insurance Group, talks about how was able to close...
How to Make a Great Introduction to a New Process
November 22, 2023 08:30 - 23 minutes - 32.6 MBThere are a lot of ways to be good at selling insurance. There aren't many that are focused on high-quality onboarding spanning the entire first year of a policy. That might sound excessive and possibly unheard of, but magical things happen the more comfortable people get with your business. It's easy to get someone to trust you once, and the second, third and fourth times are easier to earn with that solid foundation. Patrick McBride, Founder and Agency Owner at The McBride Agen...
How to Take Control and Lead Your Clients with Confidence
November 08, 2023 08:30 - 16 minutes - 23.3 MBIt's easy for a conversation about insurance to go off the rails. There aren't many opportunities to talk about it and even fewer people who understand it. That's why it's all too common to find yourself on the wrong end of an insurance therapy session with a new client. It's in that exact moment you need to take control of the conversation and let them know who's in charge. Niki Henley, Owner of Extra Mile Insurance Solutions, talks about how quickly she sets ground rules and com...
How To Embrace Personal Lines and Unlock Your Niche?
September 27, 2023 07:30 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MBFor the longest time, you might have thought those two ideas were mutually exclusive. That's because a lot of good personal lines agencies struggle to capture the same magic insuring businesses. It's also true commercially dominant shops discount the power a healthy personal lines book possesses. Either way, someone is missing out on an opportunity to have their insurance cake and eat it too. Ben Rathbun, President of Rathbun Insurance, talks about how his agency keeps stays adeq...
How Simple Conversations Can Make a Big Impact
September 06, 2023 07:30 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBThere's a lot to be said for just telling it like it is. Direct and informative conversations dramatically improve customer experience regardless of who or what you're talking about. It might seem like an oversimplified solution, but as rates rise, so does frustration. The fastest relief you can provide comes in the form of clarity. Brian Blakely, Owner of Stonebridge Insurance, talks about the ways he keeps his clients calm during a troubling storm.
Finally an Easy Way to Get Started with Transportation Insurance
August 02, 2023 07:30 - 19 minutes - 27.3 MBIt's possible you've been trying to find a way into the world of trucking and transportation business for years. What if everything finally made sense, and you saw a clear path to quoting and binding consistent business? The only thing that you've been missing is confidence in your knowledge and ability to execute. The best news is, now you should have everything you need to squash any and all excuses. Jeffrey Marks, Transporation Expert, talks about the best type of business to ...
How One Agent Escaped Insurance Captivity to Find Better Options
July 19, 2023 07:30 - 16 minutes - 23.2 MBIt's a common story that always comes with unique challenges. But at its core, there's a limit to how long you can underserve your clients. Because even if they don't know better, you certainly do, and rate increases taste different with nowhere to go. That's when your path to independence might start to illuminate and a new customer experience takes form. Ivan Hudson, Owner of the Ivan Hudson Agency, talks about his journey finding a place to stand on his own.
How Many Years Should It Take to Create a Better Experience?
June 07, 2023 07:30 - 18 minutes - 26.1 MBThe reality is, it takes a while to learn everything about insurance. Even the word "everything" is usually only relative to the few lines of business you decided to sell. But once you've mastered your corner of the universe, you finally have time to envision what a better customer experience looks like. Now it simply becomes a matter of discovering the areas you can make the biggest impact. Erin, Neill, Owner of Hanby Insurance, talks about the time she put in to get there and the...
How to Grow Your Agency From 18 to 150 Employees Overnight
May 24, 2023 07:30 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBTaking over a successful family agency comes with plenty of challenges. The most important one at the top of the list is not screwing up the whole thing. While that might be a broad and overwhelming notion, the fear of creating that reality is inescapable. But what if the exact opposite happened instead and you grew the agency to a level no one could ever imagine? Well, that's exactly what happened to Josh Morey, President of The J Morey Company and Chairperson of Ori-gen, during...
Why You Need to Create the Job You Want In Your Agency
May 17, 2023 16:00 - 22 minutes - 31.5 MBIf you don't, you could end up building a business you don't want anymore. That sounds silly to say, but you don't want to underestimate the importance of a simple job description. That starts with approaching your agency's growth with a fairly intense level of intention. Ultimately ending with a firm and detailed understanding of what "good enough" looks like. Craig Lyndall, CEO of Lyndall Insurance, talks about his journey through the family agency and how he made sure to reach...
Why New and Risky Contractors Need A Better Insurance Experience
April 12, 2023 07:30 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MBNo matter what, you always have accounts that deserve more attention. Most of the time, it's because standard markets don't have the time or appetite for that class of business. Often times that class is justifiably riskier and extra caution should be taken. However, that doesn't mean they need to tolerate a below-average exchange when it comes to finding coverage. Laura Allen, RPS Southeast Region Vice President, talks about the challenges and opportunities you face targeting sm...
How To Be Better, Faster and More Successful With Contractors
April 05, 2023 07:30 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBIt's the one commercial account you hate to love to write. There's a certain level of "flying by the seat of your pants" that's built into a contractor's operation guidelines. Which makes providing them insurance coverage a little more nerve-wracking than necessary. However, the faster you can move to keep up with them, the better your chances get. Brendan Hanley, Director Binding P&C Product Line Leadership at Markel, talks about all the things you can do to increase your speed l...
Why Policy Endorsements Need to be Your New Best Practice
March 16, 2023 07:30 - 22 minutes - 31.4 MBSometimes it's easy to miss when it's the last thing that needs to get done. Of course, no one tries to dial up the ambiguity to create a major legal liability... But, when it comes to serious, more complex claims, there is a decent chance that's exactly what will happen. The best part is most of it can all be avoided if you stop and add one or two checks and balances to the process. Jim Skarsynski, Chairman at Skarsynski, Marick & Black LLP, talks about why you might want to thi...
How To Make the Best Out of the Technology You Have
March 01, 2023 08:30 - 19 minutes - 26.4 MBIt's easy to get distracted by what you think is missing from your agency. It's even easier to allow those distractions to turn into excuses that justify maintaining the status quo. When in reality, there's an entire dimension of maximization you haven't accessed inside your current tools. But how beneficial would it be to develop super abilities with fairly common technology? Toni Jones, Vice President of Transportation Marketing at Palomar Insurance, talks about how she makes th...
How This Simple Plan Can Help You Escape Personal Lines
February 15, 2023 08:30 - 19 minutes - 26.8 MBThe transition to selling more commercial accounts is often easier said than done. At some point, almost every personal lines focused agent has stated their desire to diversify their book. More often than not, the status quo prevails, and business continues as usual. What if you were just missing a few simple steps to finally make a meaningful transition into that commercial space? Jared Bellmund, Managing Partner at ALLCHOICE Insurance, talks about the route he took to leave his ...
How an Agency Owner Can Find Extra Help to Unlock Full Potential
February 01, 2023 08:30 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBIf it's available why not do everything you can to take it? Maybe the only thing standing in your way is knowing what questions to ask. Most of the time, it's not even the quality of the question that is the problem; it's simply having the courage to ask in the first place. When you do, your agency is open to an entirely different level of progress. Ashley DeCarteret, President of Harbor Brenn Insurance Agency, talks about her journey finding those answers.
How To Tear Down Important Barriers Between You and Your Clients
January 11, 2023 08:30 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBYou could create too much separation in your customer experience if you're not careful. Even with the best intentions, it's easy to get lost behind automation buildup and fancy insurance lingo. All of which reduce your reliability to the people you need to feel related to the most. Sometimes less is more and a simple stream of curiosity is all you need to keep the relationship growing. Luis Leal, Owner of Leal Insurance Services, talks about how he's tried hard to make sure he's ...
Why You Should Open Your Agency Opportunities to More People
December 07, 2022 08:30 - 24 minutes - 34 MBYou might not realize it, but the insurance industry is a secret to a lot of people. Unless you were born into it, there's a good chance you've never considered it a viable career option. Which is even wilder considering the massive upside compared to the relatively low barrier to entry. It appears, little by little, the secret is getting out and, hopefully, soon will consist of many more diverse layers. Phyllis Brumfield, Owner of Brumfield Insurance Agency, talks about the mixt...
Why Your Training Needs to be as Great as Your Recruiting
November 30, 2022 08:30 - 20 minutes - 28.1 MBThis is one of those special situations where one plus one might actually equal three. It doesn't matter how many great people you bring into your agency if you can't train them to stay. Your ability to transfer knowledge also greatly impacts how far outside the industry you can look. When both of these skills function together at a high level is when you truly unlock your full potential. Nikki Brandt, Owner of NB Talent, talks about the people she has helped find success in our ...
Are You the New Expert the Next Great Innovation Needs?
November 16, 2022 08:30 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBIf you're always ahead of the curve it's hard to get left behind. Of course, getting and staying ahead of any curve is much easier said than done. But with countless opportunities flooding the market your chances of separating from the pack have never been better. Mix in having access to more detailed insights across the industry and you have a highly potent combination. Mark Geoghegan, Host of "The Voice of Insurance" podcast, talks about the quality of information you have to a...
How to Find More Appreciation and Make Veterans Feel Understood
November 11, 2022 08:30 - 20 minutes - 28.1 MBThere's certainly nothing wrong with saying thank you, but maybe a little extra understanding could mean more. It's a notion you might not have naturally considered, but when you think about it make a lot of sense. Nothing feels better than when someone understands who you are and where you're coming from. That's often not the case when it comes to veterans making their way into the business world. Brian Foley, RPS President of Personal Lines, talks about his journey to insurance ...
How To Have a Better Conversation About Your Clients Cargo
November 09, 2022 08:30 - 15 minutes - 21.2 MBWhat if this one conversation could reduce your client's cost of doing business? What if it was also an area a lot of business owners overlook and plenty of agents don't talk about enough? That's a dangerous combination that comes with a lot of opportunity attached to it. You might be surprised just how many accounts you have that could use the extra coverage. Brendan Neligan, RPS Broker and resident cargo expert, talks about all the ways you can strap down a cargo policy.
Why It's Better When You Can Help People Find Their Passion
October 19, 2022 07:30 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBSometimes having a purpose just isn't enough. It can certainly take you further than having a passing interest in your career. But it's the speed to passion equation that really every agency owner should be trying to solve. The faster you help them discover that passion the more likely they'll be to stay. Dustyne Bryant, Personal Insurance Academic Director for The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research, talks about her journey through the industry and the impact ...
How To Help Your Clients Value More Overlooked Insurance
October 12, 2022 07:30 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBThere's always that one policy everyone needs but no one really wants to buy. That could almost be said about any insurance policy on any given day. That's why the insurance renewal process is such an amazing and underappreciated gift. You always have another chance to get that less-than-desirable policy added to the stack. Joel Cavaness, President of RPS, talks about how he approaches underserved areas and discovers potential new opportunities.
How Your Agency Can Find the Best Place for the Right People
September 21, 2022 07:30 - 18 minutes - 26.1 MBIt might all start with two activities you never thought to consider. Because the simple idea of talent delineation is one often treated as a mild suggestion. It's generally only a matter of time before everyone does a little bit of everything inside an agency. But maybe it's that amalgamation of skills that are holding you back in more ways than you can imagine. Mick Hunt, CEO of Premier Strategy Box, talks about the distinctions you should be making around your revenue and your ...
Can Your Relationship Strength Be One Of Your Greatest Risks?
September 14, 2022 07:30 - 20 minutes - 28.5 MBIt's long been said that this industry is built on relationships. But what if the one skill you worked on the most during your career turned out to be the biggest liability? It turns out, that the more transferable the relationships of your agency are, the more attractive (see valuable) it is to someone else. The only thing you might want to do now is create a little more distance before it's too late. Carey Wallace, Founder of Agency Focus, talks about the steps you should be ta...
Why Serving People Near Your Passion is the Best Strategy
September 07, 2022 07:30 - 20 minutes - 27.8 MBThings can get a lot easier when you stop selling and start serving. Often times potential clients respond better when you lead with their best interests in mind. While on the surface that might seem simple, it's not easy to put your passion for their interests on full display. Because it's hard to consistently show up and build trust when there might not be anything in it for you that day. Michael J. Vance, Advisor for Hundley Batts & Associates, talks about the communities he's...
How Much Authenticity Do You Need to Make Your Best Decisions?
August 31, 2022 07:30 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBIt's easy to get caught up in presenting a version of your agency that doesn't fully exist. How could you not try to impress clients and potential carrier partners? They couldn't possibly be interested in the hard truth that currently exists in the business. Or just maybe that transparency is just what everyone is looking for. Adam Augspurger, Owner of Steadfast Insurance, talks about how he leans on the truth to set his agency free.
Why Good Advice and Core Values Are All You Need
August 03, 2022 07:30 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBIt might seem like an oversimplification, but you'll never know until you try. Because having a firm foundation cemented at the center of your agency makes doing the right thing a lot easier. That concept is also a lot easier said than done and requires strong action to support those desires. If you do you'll empower your people to always do what's best regardless of personal outcomes. Christian Moore, Managing Director of The Real Good Group, talks about the process he went thro...
Why Owning Your Power Can Help Make a Harmonious Environment
July 13, 2022 07:30 - 20 minutes - 28 MBIf you don't already feel like you belong it takes a lot of courage to find your place. Slowly but surely the industry has been carving out more places people can feel comfortable. The reality is it won't happen overnight, but it can be accelerated with better, more actionable, data. However, the ultimate benchmark will be if/when we can stop talking about the diversity balance across the industry. Margaret Resce-Milkint, Global Insurance Practice Leader at Diversified Search Gro...
How to Increase Your Comfort With a More Efficient Process
July 06, 2022 07:30 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBAt the end of the day, everything comes down to time. That is your greatest enemy when it comes to scaling your insurance business. There are only so many conversations you can have and applications you can complete in a day. One of those is more important and probably deserves the bulk of your time. Mike Levins, Head of Insurance at Counterpart, talks about how you can warm up to new ways to do more of the business you want.
Why Overcommunication is the Best Way to Grow Your Agency
June 29, 2022 07:30 - 17 minutes - 24.3 MBIt's hard to feel lost when you always know what's going on. However, making sure everyone is always informed is a challenge you might find easier said than done. If you're being honest with yourself, your clients are paying you a premium for a reason... That extra communication might be the biggest one. Andy Tomlinson, President of Tomlinson Insurance Agency, talks about he keeps the information flowing in his agency.
How To Find a New and Meaningful Way to Do Business
June 22, 2022 07:30 - 22 minutes - 31.3 MBThe good news is most of the heavy lifting has already been done for you. A global recondition over the last two years has helped customers break most of our industry's bad habits. Now the only thing we have to do is not allow an ounce of regression. Instead, we have to try and carry as much momentum as we can forward. Precious Norman-Walton, Director of Underwriting for Harbor.ai, talks about the new expectations you should have when doing insurance work.
Why It's Alright to Make Mistakes Trying To Move Diversity Forward
May 25, 2022 07:30 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBSometimes it's tricky approaching diversity in your agency. The fear of not wanting to do the wrong thing often gets in the way of doing anything. The truth is you can, and most likely will make mistakes expanding your efforts. The only thing that matters is to own them when you do and effectively communicate what went wrong. Vanessa Sims, WSIA Director of DE&I, talks about what can be done to get the industry more comfortable with that idea.
How Good Personal Accounts Lead to Great Commercial Business
May 18, 2022 07:30 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBSometimes you just have to do things the wrong way to make a difference for your clients. Because you can't go wrong making sure everyone always understands their insurance. It's that commitment that goes a long way to stand out against a profitable mindset. In the end, it's the relationship that wins over and over again far outlasting any transaction formula. Alvin Roehr, President and CEO of Roehr's Insurance Agency, talks about all the wrong things they do to find consistent ...
How To Have More Relevant Priorities For a Better Agency
April 13, 2022 07:30 - 21 minutes - 29.9 MBThere's something to be said for the way things have always been done. Sometimes they're worth keeping and others require a much more objective examination. It's not every day you allow yourself broad awareness to see the foundation of the agency through a different lens. Often times the only way to get there is to take a hard step back and simply ask what's possible. Meg McKeen, Founder of Adjunct Advisors, talks about the dynamics she's witnessed across the industry and which o...
The One Protection Needed to Sell a Cyber Policy Today
April 06, 2022 07:30 - 19 minutes - 27.4 MBIt all starts with your client's need to get serious about cyber prevention in their business. Those are the table stakes for today's coverage as companies struggle to keep up with the constantly evolving landscape of attacks. In some cases, it feels like it's no longer a matter of "if" but rather "when" your clients will have to deal with some form of a cyber threat. As a result, policies can no longer be issued without serious efforts in place to create protection. Tim Foody, Area...
How Risk Taking and Community Support Can Be a Successful Formula (Part 2)
March 16, 2022 07:30 - 20 minutes - 28.3 MBIt's always interesting to see a family come together around insurance. Especially when that family was already involved in the industry on different sides. The amount of courage it takes to create something on your own is enormous. But sometimes it just takes a small investment in your community to survive circumstances you could have never fathomed. Gigi Jean, Co-Founder of One Way Insurance, talks about the journey her family went on to build their own place in the business.
How Risk Taking and Teamwork Can Be a Successful Formula (Part 1)
March 09, 2022 08:30 - 16 minutes - 22.2 MBIf you have big dreams there's only one way to accomplish them. It's by taking chances others around you are unwilling or unable to take. Things really get interesting if you can aggressively collaborate with others around you. The combination of those two activities pave an accelerated path to your ultimate destination. Ebens Jean, Co-Founder and CEO of One Way Insurance, talks about his journey through the industry and the risks he took to get here.
How Risk Taking and Teamwork Can Be a Successful Formula
March 09, 2022 08:30 - 16 minutes - 22.2 MBIf you have big dreams there's only one way to accomplish them. It's by taking chances others around you are unwilling or unable to take. Things really get interesting if you can aggressively collaborate with others around you. The combination of those two activities pave an accelerated path to your ultimate destination. Ebens Jean, Co-Founder and CEO of One Way Insurance, talks about his journey through the industry and the risks he took to get here.
How To Successfully Focus on What Your Agency Does Best
March 02, 2022 08:30 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBIt might not always be fancy or flashy, it just needs to work. The real secret is finding comfort in those abilities knowing it's enough to just "do your job." Because sometimes that's all it takes to create something that stands outs. A potent combination of confidence and effectiveness can probably take you further than you think. Josh Witt, President of The Insurance Group, talks about his journey discovering his agency's true identity.
Why You're Underestimating The Ways Your Clients Want Help
February 23, 2022 08:30 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MBIt all starts with understanding the expectation you set for yourself and your agency. Then it becomes a matter of accepting the fact people need you now in ways they never did before. Because sometimes it's just fine to let someone do something for themselves. Other times the only thing that matters is being able to talk to someone they trust. Mike Crowley, Vice President at Crowley Insurance, talks about the process his agency went through to readjust and meet those needs.
How To Test Ideas and Protect the Way You Do Business
February 16, 2022 08:30 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBMost of the time there's a good reason something works. This is probably why plenty of smart people said, "if it's not broke, don't fix it." But how do you know when it's time to build or buy the next thing you hope is indestructible? It all might come down to having a little extra patience and avoiding shiny objects that float by. Angela Trimble, Owner of TrustPoint Insurance, talks about how her agency stays true to what works while keeping an eye on the future.