The Insura-Preneur Podcast

Seven Keys to Organic Growth for the Modern Insurance Agency

Matt O’Neill, CXO, Beyond Insurance 

What do independent agencies do to grow? How is it different than before? 

Michael Jans and Matt O’Neill, Chief Experience Officer of Beyond Insurance, dig into one of the more challenging issues facing today’s agency principal: what’s the best way to grow in our ever-changing industry? 

In his time at Beyond Insurance, Matt has empowered insurance agents, carriers, and other professionals to capture unrealized potential. In this discussion, he shares the seven keys to organic growth, including: 

• How today’s agency can stand out from the crowd
• How to fill your funnel with the right prospects
• How top producers reach their potential

Matt delivers a concise summary of years of successful field research and practical approaches in this episode––perfect for agencies seeking to grow organically in 2020.

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

How I Got 20,000 Social Media Followers

Wayne Ezekiel, President of AA Munro Insurance

How did a social campaign to honor firefighters inspire a winning social marketing strategy?  Wayne Ezekiel, President of AA Munro Insurance, shares how he discovered the power of social. In this podcast, you’ll learn how to:

• Showcase community involvement with social content
• Launch a social marketing campaign in less than 30 days
• Revive social profiles that have become stagnant

Social media marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for growing your agency’s following on social media. Listen to this fascinating discussion on how the average advisor can make that dream a reality.

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

Video That Grabs Attention and Drives Action

Charles Alexander, yourcharlesalexander.com

Video accounts for 78% of internet content. People expect it, and you need to use it. Charles Alexander—a leader in providing ‘animated explainer videos’ for the insurance industry—shares his inside secrets for online video for the retail agent:

• Why video holds so much power to influence the viewer.
• Six common and easily avoidable mistakes when shooting video for your agency.
• Five ways to get maximum value from one video – each easy and effective.

Charles brings clarity to one of the most effective forms of marketing communication on the planet. Listen today and get ideas you’ll put into practice tomorrow. 

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

Staffing Trends to Skyrocket Agency Growth

Tia-Marie Gagnon, Marketing Manager, Chalmers Insurance Group

What’s the biggest staffing trend to take the independent agency system by storm? Adding marketing staff, that’s what!

In this episode, you’ll meet Tia-Marie Gagnon, marketing manager extraordinaire at the Chalmers Insurance Group in New England. Nationally recognized for executing effective marketing strategies at Chalmers Insurance Group. Gagnon shares insights for every serious agency principal and insurance marketer, including:

• Daily and weekly to-dos that get results at minimal cost
• How to identify what to market and how to communicate
• Which technologies make life easier and deliver results

If you have a marketer on your team, or see the benefit of hiring one to do more strategic marketing, this conversation may make the most difference as you prepare to make 2020 your best year ever!

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

Super-Agent Reveals Secrets to Thriving in Tough Times

Chris Clausen, President, The Clausen Agency

Forty years ago Chris Clausen started his agency by knocking on doors. Now he sits on top of the dominant agency in his marketplace. But he’s not resting on his laurels. The Founder and President of The Clausen Agency sees the pace of change as faster than ever, and declares ‘agents who don’t figure it out, will be left out.’ And, he knows that alone will make a lot of agents unnerved, uncomfortable, and uncertain.

Chris shared his personal mind-set and performance secrets for pushing through the toughest times, regardless of the challenges the world has in store: 

• His four point system to help you achieve goal after goal against the odds
• Chris’ inspiring story about why he embraces the pain when it’s almost too much to bear
• The ‘three little words’ that inspired one of his most rewarding personal victories

Many agents feel that now—and the coming few years—will be the most challenging they’ve ever faced. Chris gives deeply personal insight that will make you hunger for challenge and fight through difficulty. Be prepared to be inspired!

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

Video Masterclass for Insurance Agencies

Ron Sheetz, VP, RJ Media Magic, Inc.

Ron Sheetz is the video consultant to the top marketers in the field—from thought leader Dan Kennedy to our own host, Michael Jans. Ron strips away the confusion, doubt, and excuses surrounding video production. 

Great video content for insurance agencies isn’t hard; it’s just new. Ron knows every reason agents shy away from video, and respond to each in a manner designed to boost your confidence. 

• When to use high, medium, and low production video 
• How to create connection between you and your viewers
• The story-arc formula that helps your agency attract your best prospects

If you’re wondering how to use video in your agency, this is the masterclass for you. Professionals pay Ron up to $10,000 a day for his insights, and you get his top advice for free in this podcast.

Presented by Agency Revolution, the Connected Insurance Podcast provides weekly opportunities for listeners to dive deep into the trends affecting insurance agents and brokers today and to gain proven strategies and tactics for agency growth. Our hosts facilitate thoughtful panels and 1:1 conversations with a variety of prominent thought leaders, with a focus on how to streamline and drive operational efficiency for your independent agency through the intelligent use of technology.

Insurance Marketing That Works in the Real World

Nick Andrews – Channel Partner Marketing Manager at Liberty Mutual

If you have time to listen to one conversation about real-world, street-smart insurance marketing, look no further. Our guest, Nick Andrews, dives deep into actual agencies, actually marketing, and actual results. In his role as Channel Partner Marketing Manager at Liberty Mutual, Nick plans, executes, and scales high profile national marketing campaigns that get put to work at the local level. Nick shares:

• Seven easy-as-pie proven-to-work marketing disciplines that generate leads, boost retention, inspire loyalty, and increase policies-per-customer.
• How you can ‘out-local’ big national competitors (and win!) even though you can’t possibly outspend their ad budgets!
• A simple way agents are getting up to four times more referrals without expensive marketing campaigns. 

Please don’t miss this conversation with one of the industry’s most respected marketers and trainers. Listen today and get ideas you’ll put into practice tomorrow!

What are other agents & brokers doing to thrive? What are the biggest trends affecting the retail insurance agent & broker? What are the most important strategies and tactics you need to grow faster? Find out here in the Connected Insurance Podcast, where our hosts discuss the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent & broker with the industry’s leading figures.

Motivate Your Agency’s Team to Achieve World-Class Performance

Seth Preus – Founder of Mivation

What would it mean to your agency if everyone on your team got to the next level? Our host, Michael Jans, speaks with Seth Preus, agency owner and creator of Leaderboard Legends software. In this episode, he reveals surprising strategies to help agents make that happen:

• Common mistakes agency owners make when they try to build a high-performance culture (and the huge mistakes they often make when they don’t even try)!
• How to tap into those magical and powerful intrinsic motivators to help your team members achieve results that exceed even their own expectations—plus a shocking analysis on how extrinsic motivators can backfire when wrongly applied!
• Three high-leverage but low-cost habits you can install in your agency for an almost-instant and reliable boost to agency-wide performance.

From producers to CSRs, if you are looking for an easy but important uptick in team performance, do not miss this conversation with Seth—one of the industry’s top thought leaders and practitioners of outstanding performance. 

Listen today and get ideas you’ll put into practice tomorrow!

What are other agents & brokers doing to thrive? What are the biggest trends affecting the retail insurance agent & broker? What are the most important strategies and tactics you need to grow faster? Find out here in the Connected Insurance Podcast, where our hosts discuss the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent & broker with the industry’s leading figures.

The Real Scoop on Using Social Media to Make Content Marketing Successful

Jason Marlowe - Marketing Director at InsuranceHub

It can be frustrating to get advice on traditional marketing that doesn’t apply to the insurance space. Agents face unique restrictions and challenges when it comes to building their online audience. It’s crucial to take things like your budget, time, and bandwidth into consideration before launching a social media strategy.

In this discussion, Joel interviews Jason Marlowe, a superstar marketing director at InsuranceHub. They dive deep into the world of social marketing. They answer important questions like:

• How much should you pay to promote a post? (Remember, it is pay-to-play!)
• How do you target your ideal clientele?
• How can you build the right content for your audience? 

Jason knows what he is talking about and the strategies he lays down are ready to be used immediately! If you want to “Future-Proof” your agency, this is an important conversation for you to hear.

What are other agents & brokers doing to thrive? What are the biggest trends affecting the retail insurance agent & broker? What are the most important strategies and tactics you need to grow faster? Find out here in the Connected Insurance Podcast, where our hosts discuss the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent & broker with the industry’s leading figures.

How This International Insurtech Broke into the Agency Space to Skyrocket Their Growth

Darcy Shapiro – Director of Insurance at Cover Genius

What exactly is the shape of insurance in the modern age? The best answer may be this: different.

As entrepreneurs solve insurance problems in new ways, that ‘shape of insurance’ will continue to change. In this discussion, Michael interviews Darcy Shapiro, Director of Insurance at Cover Genius. Together, they explore:

• How the modern insurance consumer has changed—and how savvy insurance innovators can respond to that change and delight the customer and marketplace. 
• The tricky and challenging issue of finding a strategy for success in the modern market—and why Cover Genius is the perfect object lesson. 
• Darcy’s simple but clear-eyed perspective on how to create a successful launch—and how Cover Genius achieved what few insurtechs do: exponential growth with positive cash flow. 

Darcy is a longtime insurance pro—The Hartford, AIG, Liberty—so she speaks the language of modern insurance. If you have time for ONE conversation this week that shows you where our industry is going, do not miss this podcast. It’s that important. 

What are other agents & brokers doing to thrive? What are the biggest trends affecting the retail insurance agent & broker? What are the most important strategies and tactics you need to grow faster? Find out here in the Connected Insurance Podcast, where our hosts discuss the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent & broker with the industry’s leading figures.