The Insura-Preneur Podcast

Clinton Houck – Digital Agency Specialist at State Auto Insurance

Load your ‘marketing cart’ with boxes and bags of practical advice you can put to work tomorrow!
Roll up your sleeves for a master class on marketing in the modern age. Clinton Houck is the Digital Agency Specialist at State Auto – a company well respected for bringing the IA channel into the modern age. He ran a ‘bricks n’ mortar’ agency. He ran a ‘pure digital’ agency. And, now he shares the secrets of successful digital marketing to agents throughout State Auto’s territory. Discover:
What Clinton strongly recommends for ‘quick wins’ and immediate results. (If you’re looking for noticeable results at no cost, check this out!)
The single most important number for you to watch. (And, why 99 out of 100 agencies miss it… even though it’s simple and powerful!)
How agencies are changing their organizational structure to meet the market in the modern age. (That’s right, the market changed, but that doesn’t mean we need to be left behind!)
If you’re thinking, ‘I’d like to get my hands on PRACTICAL advice!’ you came to the right episode of the right podcast. Clint shares tips you’ll have in place by Tuesday – with impact you’ll feel for years. Don’t miss this exciting conversation between two of the industry’s most passionate marketers, Michael Jans and Clinton Houck.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Mike Albert – Co-founder of Ask Kodiak

what’s wrong with commercial insurance today?
Mike Albert, co-founder of Ask Kodiak has some ideas about what’s wrong with commercial insurance. And, he’s actively working on fixing some of the problems. This seasoned insurance and technology veteran shares his insights freely:
How to preserve the strengths of the commercial lines placement process (and he believes that it has some built-in strengths) without making customers wait so long (or worse yet, buy inferior insurance!).
THREE WORDS that agents need to hear if they’re going to thrive in the modern insurance world. (You probably guessed it… it absolutely has something to do with being different!).
Advice to commercial agents who want to thrive in the future – and what that future looks like for today’s agent.
Please join this insightful and powerful conversation, as Mike holds nothing back on how insurance can be better…and what we can do to make that happen.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

George Wynne, Senior Executive of Corporate Development and Josh Morgan, Vice President, of Keystone Insurers Group

Podcast Guests from Keystone Insurance Group Share What the Best Agents Do Differently
We have a special double-feature for you today. Not one, but two guests from the revered Keystone Insurers Group have joined us for an information-packed episode.
What do the best do differently than the rest? This is the question we pursued in this lively conversation. And if anyone knows the answer it’s these two guests. Long-time industry insiders. N, they both have a bird’s eye view on what’s really working in the field.
George Wynne and Josh Morgan are high-ranking executives with the Keystone Insurance Group, one of our industry’s most respected networks. They share freely how they see the agency force dividing into three different groups. (Pay attention here: only one of those groups will own the future.)
Don’t miss this important and lively conversation about the future of insurance!
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Anson Ross Thompson – Co-owner of The Thompson Group, and Owner of The Loft Publishing Company

Building a Growth Agency That Supports the Lifestyle of Your Dreams
What’s more important than insurance? Well, LIFE. And, this podcast guest has figured out how to build an agency that grows like a machine – year after year – and supports the lifestyle of his dreams. You may recognize Anson from a recent cover of Rough Notes where he’s pictured in the agency’s tye-died VW bus. Discover:
How he set up a branch agency 1200 miles from home – and gets both of them to operate almost automatically. (Hint: he’s been based in Indiana for more than 20 years…but fell in love with Colorado. A story you’ve got to hear!)
How he adds FUN to the insurance experience – and why that’s been so important to his consistent growth. (And, why it makes it sooooo easy to stand out from the ‘vanilla’ crowd of insurance agents.)
Why he put naked pictures of his mom and dad on a billboard next to the road (and, what they thought about it!).
If you’re in the mood for an upbeat and optimistic take on what insurance is today – from a daily practitioner – don’t miss this conversation with Anson Ross Thompson, CIC, CRM.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Ely Kaplansky – President & CEO of Kaplansky Insurance Agencies, and Chairman of the MAIA

From Zero to $80 Million in Sales...
Why do some agents thrive when others do not? You’re about to get an answer every agent should pay attention to. Why? Because Ely Kaplansky has earned the right to every agent’s attention.
This industry leader delivers a master class on agency growth. He started a scratch agency. Now he’s got 75 employees generating $80 million in sales. Ely holds nothing back as he shares:
The game-changing decision he made as a very young insurance agent – and how that transformed his life forever. (Most agents play at this. Ely simply did it – and never looked back.)
Those parts of the business Ely attends to in order to maximize this year’s (This helps explain why Ely is in the top 5% of Best Practices EBIDTA.)
How he embraces the challenges every agent faces today – new technologies (hint: he’s a user!), changes in consumer behavior, the rise of the millennials and more.
This is a ‘do-not-miss’ conversation with one of the industry’s top performing agency owners. Every agent who’s serious about growth and serious about today’s insurance climate must make this conversation a top priority.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Robert Hartwig – Director of the Center for Risk and Uncertainty Management, and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina, Past President of the Insurance Information Institute

Robert P. Hartwig, Ph.D., CPCU: The Big Picture on Insurance – What You Need to Know
Dan Kennedy used to say, ‘School’s never out for the pro.’ Well, school is about to start. And our teacher is one of the most respected observers the insurance industry has ever known. If you want to know how to ‘boost your agency Instagram followers by next Tuesday,’ this isn’t the podcast episode for you
But, if you want to know – and you should – the current state of the industry, the forces that are driving it, where it’s going and how to respond strategically, drop everything and listen.
Many consider Dr. Hartwig to be the voice of the industry to the public. You may have heard or seen him on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CNBC, Fox, PBS and the BBC. Or, perhaps you’ve seen him quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, CFO, Fortune, Forbes, The Economist and many others throughout the world.
There’s a reason the world has called on Dr. Hartwig to explain insurance. Few understand it as deeply as he does. Take this rare opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s most esteemed masters.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Manny Barbosa – Senior Digital Marketing Trainer at Safeco Insurance

Manny Barbosa: What Agents Are Doing to Thrive Today
Manny Barbosa. Deep in the ‘real world’ of insurance marketing. Manny is a Senior Digital Marketing Trainer with Safeco Insurance – and he knows what’s working in agencies throughout the US. Don’t miss this warp-speed training that Manny gives on the state of insurance marketing. Social media. The most effective digital strategies. Content creation. Manny delivers!
What’s that critiical first step in marketing that almost guarantees you’re going in the right direction (and, if you miss it, absolutely guarantees that you’ll fail!)?
FACT: Safeco’s 2018 Growth Survey reveals that 56% of agents have a marketer on staff…how does your agency stack up?
After working with and researching thousands of agencies, Manny shares some of the biggest mistakes agencies make today – and how to avoid them.
Agents throughout the US know Manny. Many have attended his trainings or heard him speak. If you have about 40 minutes, you’ll get a rapid-fire and practical education on how to get your agency to the next level.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Michael DeLaGrange – Founder & President of Insurance Lounge

Is this the insurance agency of the future? (It’s already here.)
Everyone knows insurance agencies are changing. Or need to.
Here’s an agent who’s re-thinking the entire ‘agency idea’. Yes, it has a digital side to it. But, it’s also bricks ‘n mortar. That said, I think if you walked by it, two things would happen. 1) It would catch your eye, and 2) you’d go, ‘Wow, that’s an insurance agency?!’ (Then you’d walk inside to check it out.)
Like a lot of insurance agents, Michael DeLaGrange took over the family agency. He ran it. Got bored. Then, reinvented it. In this can’t-miss podcast episode, the founder of Insurance Lounge reveals:
How he thinks insurance agencies need to be re-engineered and re-designed to attract today’s consumer.
What he did to raise seed funding for this already profitable agency – to take it nationwide. (Does $2,000,000 get your attention?)
The little things he did to dramatically change the ‘look and feel’ of his agency (things that you very well may want to put on your to-do list)
You may or may not agree with everything this forward thinking ‘insura-preneur’ does. But, you’ll probably agree with his premise: that agencies need to change to keep up with today’s consumer. Don’t miss this conversation – as Michael and Michael hold up a mirror to the agency system… and ask you to take a hard look.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Joseph Talmadge – Senior Vice President of Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Here's why agents must pay attention to blockchain
BLOCKCHAIN?! Is there no end to what we need to learn about?! Joe Talmadge – commercial lines producer and SVP at the highly esteemed Heffernan Insurance – delivers a wake-up call on the global emergence of blockchain as an industry transformer:
Blockchain fundamentals…what you should know about it as an insurance professional. (By the end of this conversation, you probably won’t be a blockchain expert…but, you’ll be able to have intelligent conversations about it, be able to talk to carriers about it – and have the confidence that you’ve got your eye on the ball.)
What you should know about how blockchain will transform insurance (and, how it’s already turning some industries upside-down). Learn how it will streamline product selection, customer relations, underwriting, claims analysis and industry efficiencies.
Why this technology is radically different than other solutions – and what that means to real jobs and functions in the insurance industry.
A note from Michael Jans: If you’re hankering for one of Michael’s ‘practical-tactical’ interviews (like ‘how to boost your email open rate by 30%), this interview won’t scratch that itch. But…if you’re going to be in the industry for the next three years (and you’re intellectually curious about what that future looks like), you’ll want to hear Joe’s crystal-clear explanation of blockchain. One day – soon – you’ll be part of that chain. Now is the time to learn!
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.

Steve Beard – Vice President of Customer Experience at The Zebra

Insurance agents need to start acting like it's 2020... now!
If you Google 'auto insurance quotes', you just might find something like this:
'Compare car insurance from 204 auto insurance providers in under 60 seconds & save up to 50%. Find the cheapest car insurance rates in your area today!'
That's the promise of The Zebra, which proclaims: 'The Zebra is the nation's leading insurance search engine.'
As consumer behavior changes and new technologies emerge, new companies pop-up in the competitive landscape. Some want to disrupt. Some want to innovate. Some are friendly to agents. Others are not.
The Zebra is a provider that every agent or broker should be aware of. They work with direct, captive, and independent carriers – and they work with agents too.
Steve Beard, VP of Sales Operations, and longtime insurance industry veteran, shares his vision for The Zebra, and how they view the independent insurance agent & broker.
A note from Michael Jans: This is a discussion that every agent in the auto insurance market needs to hear. The Zebra is one of many companies emerging as a result of rapid advances in digital technology, and they have even secured Series B funding. Furthermore, they have an understanding of online consumer behavior that the independent channel is still playing catch-up on, and Steve shares valuable insight about in this important conversation.
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 Michael Jans discusses the biggest issues affecting the independent insurance agent and broker with the industries leading figures.