Change Insurance

It'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. 

The 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 first thing she did when she finally arrived.

Taking 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 his first three years calling the shots. 

If 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 a desired destination.  

No 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 small and midsize contractors. 

Sometimes 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 think twice before adding anything extra to a policy.   

It'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 the most out of everyday situations.    

You 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 as close to his clients as needed. 

You 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 mixture of talent she wants to attract to the industry. 

This 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 industry.