The Insura-Preneur Podcast

Leading Insurance Industry Analyst Zeroes in on the Modern Consumer

Greg Donaldson – Senior Analyst at the Aité Group

What does today’s insurance consumer want? How do they differ? How do we earn their business and loyalty?

These questions make some agents toss and turn – wondering if they’re keeping up with the changes in the modern world. Our guest, Greg Donaldson, specializes in the heated intersection of insurance, technology, and human behavior. 

Every serious student of today’s insurance consumer will want to listen to this conversation between Michael Jans and Greg Donaldson as they explore:

• The juicy topic of privacy and data. How much are insurance consumers willing to share? What do they demand in return?
• Navigating your agency’s path through the torrent of technology that is and will continue raining down on the insurance industry. 
• Why Greg is encouraging agents to embrace the very technologies that look like they’re going to take their place. 

Do not miss this mesmerizing conversation exploring the research and conclusions of Greg’s recent study on the modern insurance consumer. 

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.

Michael Reilly – Managing Director at Accenture

Small commercial lines insurance alert: turbulence ahead

Big changes are ahead of us. If you have any small commercial lines business, it may have been smooth sailing… until now. Willis Towers Watson Securities and CB Insights recently forecast that up to 25% of total small business could be digitally underwritten by 2020. This huge $100 billion market hasn’t had a single dominant player – no carrier owns more than 4% market share. 

But, as insurtech and competitive forces sweep the market, you can expect everything to change. Our guest, Michael Reilly, ‘wrote the report’ on the turbulence in the small commercial market – and he shares his insights and success strategies with our host Michael Jans, including:

• Michael Reilly’s 3 strategies to win the small business insurance market.
• What major carriers have been doing behind the scenes – and why you can expect to see a fast and dramatic battle play out on the international insurance stage.
• The dark cloud of negative emotions that small business owners have about their insurance… and the one big thing agents can do to turn that around.

Mr. Reilly and Accenture have released one of the ground-breaking reports of the year. This is a can’t-miss interview. 

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.

John Fear – Owner of Premier Business Consultants

Industry veteran helps agencies define how to spend their time on written business in the most efficient way possible

If there’s one thing John Fear has discovered in his twenty years in the insurance industry, it’s that agents are not as efficient as they should be. As owner of Premier Business Consulting and National Director of Agency Development at Travelers, he’s worked with thousands of agents to understand their challenges.

In this fast-paced conversation, John lays out his Insurance Matrix. As you follow along, you’ll learn how to:

• Run your business “less inefficiently” – and how it’s different than just being “more efficient”
• Balance your expertise, passion, and business availability to determine your niche classes of business
• Maximize your business and focus your efforts

Get out your pen and paper, because you’ll want to try his in-depth exercise to build your own matrix. Don’t miss this episode if you want to make your agency more efficient!

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.

Scott Knowles – CEO of Modgic

From super-producer to Insurtech CEO: ‘Here’s the one thing you need to do in the real world of insurance’

Scott Knowles was worried. His products were the same as his top agency competitors. Prices were the same. He couldn’t bring anything to the client that made him the obvious agent. 

Then, he cracked the code. He blew his competitors away. They tried to make him go away. They tried to hire him. He decided to do something different. 

And, that was the birth of Modgic, a leading insurtech solution in the Workers’ Comp arena. Scott lays it all out in this fast-paced conversation: 

• How to make price progressively irrelevant to your prospects – by delivering a VALUE that means more to them than the dollars they may save from someone else. 
• How to have a permanent and positive impact on your commercial lines clients – so they have loyalty that never goes away. 
• A simple method to help you determine which technologies are right for your agency – and which ones to ignore. 

Whether your agency is personal or commercial lines (or both) this is the conversation that will give you a glimpse into winning in the Modern Age of Insurance. 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.

Nick Petrocelli, COO of ASNOA, and Stephen Gebhardt, Regional VP of Distribution of ASNOA

What is the shape of insurance in the modern age?

Independent agencies have always been independent.

Now, the independent agent channel is ‘shape-shifting’ more than ever. More and more agencies are cooperating, coordinating, and collaborating in one form of network or another. 

Fast growth networks demand our attention. They signal things to come. What your competition may look like, and opportunities for your own agency. 

In this interview, Nick Petrocelli and Stephen Gebhardt from ASNOA share their insights on:

• The rapid pace of change in the industry, how agencies can respond, keep up, and win… and why Nick believes “The squeeze is on!”
• Nick’s five-part method to help agencies choose which technologies to invest in and which ones you should ignore in the face of so many emerging technologies.
• How integrating tech with the human touch makes an unstoppable combination in the marketplace – and the little things you can do to make that easy and powerful.

Please don’t miss this conversation with two of the industry’s most innovative and respected business leaders. 

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.

Mike Furlong – Founder and CEO of Indio Technologies, Inc

Tech leader declares ‘you can’t replace the broker, but you can empower them’

When Mike Furlong was just an insurance customer, it hurt. Getting commercial insurance wasn’t just hard, it was unpleasant. Having already found success in hedge fund technology, he knew there must be a better way. 

The better way isn’t without agents or brokers. It’s without the headache… for the customer or the agent. Mike’s solution—Indio Technologies—is now trusted by thousands of agencies and brokerages throughout North America, is being used in 30 of the top 100 US agencies today, and it’s attracted $30 million in funding.

Mike shares how he sees the fast-moving insurance industry changing:

• How commercial agents can thrive by doing less of the manual-labor and drudgery they’ve been enduring for decades (with more time talking to clients)
• The unique role that ONLY an agent can play – and how emerging technologies can make agents and brokers better
• A glimpse into what the future of the commercial broker looks like, and how to get there ahead of the competition

If you have time for one conversation about the future of commercial insurance (and insurance in general) please do not miss this conversation with one of the industry’s foremost agents of change. 

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.

Mike Becker – CEO and Executive Vice President of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents

PIA National CEO declares ‘Today’s agency is not yesterday’s agency’

When you sit on top of one of the largest national trade associations serving independent agents, you see a lot. Mike Becker, CEO and EVP of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents holds nothing back in this episode. 

In this robust, fast-paced conversation, Mike shares his perspective on how agents can thrive in the Modern Insurance Age:

• How agents can keep up with the dizzying pace of change in today’s insurance landscape (and why it’s a non-optional behavior)
• The shift of power to the consumer – and what that means to the agent of today
• Legislative threats, emerging technologies, the changing role of the agency principal… Mike shares his insights on being the proactive insurance agent

If you have time to listen to one conversation about meeting the future head-on—and winning—invest the time on this one.. Whether you’re a PIA member or not, Mike shares wisdom that EVERY agent and serious insurance professional should 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.

Matt Davis – President of GDI Insurance

Discover how the right technology will make your agency more efficient and how a dedicated marketer can accelerate growth

Matt Davis is a second-generation owner of the highly successful GDI Insurance—and a longtime friend and client of Agency Revolution. Taking the reins of a well-established agency and bringing it to new heights is no easy task. Matt reveals how he accelerated growth and boosted efficiency in this wide-ranging discussion that covers everything from hiring a dedicated marketer to integrating the right technology, and how to handle succession planning.

Listen to this deeply insightful discussion to discover: 

• Matt’s secret to simultaneously boosting the flow of inbound leads while slashing the cost of new customer acquisition
• How GDI Insurance combines an unconventional employee structure with thoughtful automated communication to engage prospects on a deep level
• Steps multi-generational agencies need to take when working towards a succession plan

This forward-thinking agency owner reveals practical steps any agency can take to bring their agency into the modern insurance age and accelerate growth in this can’t-miss discussion. 

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.

Ed Page – President & COO of Relation Insurance Services

President of this $100 million revenue agency defines what separates the winners from the losers in the modern insurance landscape

When Relation Insurance Services’ revenues stalled at $70 million, they turned to someone from outside the insurance industry to revitalize their growth. Ed Page was able to implement a growth strategy that got their company back on track. 

Ed is an MIT Engineering graduate, Stanford MBA, and former CFO so you might think he would be focused more on financial management or product. According to him, however, the most important part of creating a great company: working with great people.

In this fast-paced conversation, Ed reveals that who you work with and how you treat them can be the deciding factor on whether you win or lose in the insurance industry.

Ed’s intelligence, passion, and insight are on display in this jam-packed conversation where he shares:

• The most important behaviors that brought his agency from $70 to $100 million in revenue over six years
• Actionable insights on how he built a culture that brings out the best in his team and accelerates sales
• Marketing secrets that brought remarkable growth to his agency and can do the same for yours

Our conversation with Ed revealed tips, strategies, and insights that every agency can act on quickly to get results. If you’re impressed by a topline income of $100 million, you’ll be more impressed by how they got there and what you can copy and put to use in your own agency!

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.

Troy Korsgaden – President & Consultant at Korsgaden International

Best-selling author and former super-agent declares, “It really is a new insurance ecosystem. Here’s what to do.”

He’s already taught thousands of agents to grow a super-agency organically like he did. Now, he’s a sought after advisor to the largest insurance carriers in the United States. 

Please don’t miss this conversation with one of the industry’s most respected advisors and former super-agent. In it, he shares his thoughts on the modern insurance age, and his secrets to thriving in these fast-moving times, including: 

• Three steps to faster organic growth that every agent can execute quickly and easily
• His personal discipline for keeping ahead of the curve when change is the only constant
• How to make price progressively irrelevant in the insurance customer journey

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.