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Welcome back to the Scale Your Insurance Agency Podcast, the show built for independent agency owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own business.
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I'm Daniel Metcalf, and every week I'm joined by my co-host Mike Stromso, one of the most respected operators in the independent agency world.
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Between the two of us, we bring you the real levers that move a$3 to$20 million agency from successful but maxed out to systemized, scalable, and running without you holding it all together.
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Here's what we focus on.
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Mike brings the people side, leadership, team development, niche sales mastery, and a three-piece system that helps agencies build a business worth owning.
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I bring the machine side.
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AI, automation, and workflow design that frees your team from the operational drag, eating your margin and your time.
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Together, we're building a framework that can grow an independent agency 4X to 9X without burning out your people or your checkbook.
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If you're an agency owner who's tired of growing by hiring, who knows you have a capacity sitting on the table but can't figure out how to unlock it, this is the show for you and your weekly edge.
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Greetings everybody, welcome to the next episode of the Scale Your Insurance Agency podcast.
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And I want to talk with you today about something.
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Alright, I'm just gonna say it obsession.
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Yes, obsession.
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Now, the subject matter of obsession today is something that's really, really important.
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It's not like that.
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No, I'm talking about our clients, client obsession.
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So, you know, when I think about client obsession, and I think about what goes on in my own life, and I'll suggest this goes on in many of your lives as well.
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In fact, I just got to use it this morning uh because my wife is obsessed with it uh to buy something for one of our grandkids that was vitally, vitally important to her.
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And so through that obsession, I just got to, by the way, uh, this is for all of you who have been following us for a while.
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You know that we have 13 grandkids, and you know that we have created cousins camp to collaboratively teach all of our grandkids everything entrepreneurship-wise that we possibly can.
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Formally started in 2020 during COVID, one of the greatest things to come out of COVID.
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With that being said, we developed a new word in yesterday's session.
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It's called gettitude.
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Yeah, gettitude.
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And the topic yesterday was gratitude, but it morphed into gettitude, right?
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Because we get to have this opportunity today.
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We don't have to do anything.
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We get to.
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We get to have an opportunity to serve people, we get to have a business, we get to have a home to go to, we get to have a bed to sleep in.
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We don't have to do anything.
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Now, so when those tough days come, remember we get to.
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We don't have to do anything.
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And so I was encouraging our grandkids, the cousins, to make sure they have their gettitude on.
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And they go, that's awesome, Gramps.
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I get it.
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I said, I'm glad.
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Gettitude.
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And then one of the older grandkids came in and said, Hey, what about the pursuit?
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That's what I think of when you say gettitude.
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I said, tell me more.
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He goes, I get to pursue.
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I get to pursue my career.
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I get to pursue this, I get to pursue that.
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I said, that's a different definition of gettitude.
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So when you look up gettitude in the dictionary, you're gonna see one, we get to have opportunity and participate, and two, we get to pursue.
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So let's be in pursuit of client obsession.
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So I want to share with you today uh one of the obsessions that my wife has because they make it so easy, that started during a walk in Central Park.
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And this was many years ago, last century actually, where, yes, Jeff Bezos was walking in Central Park with his boss at the time.
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He was working in the financial services industry in New York.
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Uh, and his boss was sharing with him, Jeff, you're doing really well.
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I'm excited for you.
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You're gonna be a very wealthy man in the near future.
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Jeff, what do you think?
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And what's your plans?
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He goes, you know what, boss?
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I'm actually thinking about starting an online bookstore.
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Now, keep in mind his history and background was computer science.
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And so Jeff said that to his boss, and his boss goes, What are you talking about, Jeff?
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He goes, Yeah, I think I might want to start an online bookstore.
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And his boss said, Jeff, did you hear what I just said?
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You're gonna be a very wealthy man in the near future.
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Jeff said, but this is really what I want to do.
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And so the boss, his boss said, Jeff, go home and think about your future for a couple days.
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Come back and let's talk.
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Jeff went back a couple days later and said, Yeah, boss, I'm putting in my resignation.
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I'm going to start an online bookstore.
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So if you've heard Bezos talk about this, what he said was, I wasn't afraid of the regret of failure.
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But the one thing I did not want to ever regret is the regret of not trying to pursue my dream.
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And that came to my mind when thinking about sharing this topic with you, because that's what Amazon does, and that's where they started.
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And I would recommend there's some lessons for all of us from that starting point.
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The world today expects Amazon level service and convenience with hometown relationships.
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The world now expects things happening a certain way.
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Because they have set the bar.
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They have set the bar for how we do things.
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And I'll give you another little marketing note because I'm a marketing guy and I love marketing.
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I always think about marketing.
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I get the emails from Amazon.
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Fortunately, my bride does not.
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Because they're constantly checking in.
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Hey, have you thought about this?
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Hey, have you looked at this?
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Hey, you haven't reordered this in a while.
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Do you need to reorder?
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Constant, constant, constant.
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They have set the bar as far as our ability to communicate with people.
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So what about you?
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I'd be willing to bet I get a couple a day.
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That's the bar.
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So what kind of experience are you providing to your customers?
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Like I shared with my team for so many years.
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They don't pay their premium, we don't earn commission.
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Quite simple.
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Why do they stay?
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Because of the experience and the trust.
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Okay.
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So clients increasingly expect Amazon level experience with the hometown relationship.
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And it's back to the relationship.
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I learned from my friend Bob Berg when he spoke at our live event a couple of years ago.
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People follow people they know, like, and trust.
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Know like and trust.
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We say no love and trust because love's a stronger emotion than like.
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Whatever it is.
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Right?
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So, how are you creating that no like and trust, no love and trust relationship within your business?
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What does that look like?
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I want to give you six ways to make sure that you craft this and design it within your agency so that your clients feel like you're obsessed over them, about caring for them, about being proactive for them and with them.
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And I want to share with you a thought.
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I wrote down, I wrote this down in my notes.
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I don't want to get onto this topic on a squirrel basis.
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But client segmentation came to my mind, or tiering, as they say in some areas in the country.
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Client segmentation or tiering is a definite play in this whole matter.
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Because if you don't have the resources or budget to do it full on, you know, for a thousand clients, two thousand clients, three thousand clients, whatever it is, the dual portion of them, your top tier of clients, definitely obsess over providing a level of excellence and caring for them and serving for them and communicating with them and touching them with a hometown relationship.
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Because you are the local relationship they have.
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Granted, there's always gonna be the few who are gonna go online no matter what.
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I get it.
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I mean, I was around now 26 years ago when Safeco came to me and said, hey, we're gonna start the virtual producer program.
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You're one of our top agents, you want to be one of the first.
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I said, great.
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It lasted less than two years.
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Why?
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Because the ideal client avatar or ideal client profile of those buyers was not what they wanted.
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It was highly unprofitable.
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So here's the six things that great agencies do to create that customer experience.
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Where the customers are obsessed about doing business with your agency.
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Our goal is to help you put this in place and to make it reality in your agency.
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So that you've got nothing but a book of raving fans running around telling everybody in the world how awesome you are.
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That's the goal.
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That's the goal.
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Number one is speed.
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Money and success loves speed, and money and success never sleep.
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Number one is speed.
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So what does that look like?
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Do you know people love options?
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Yes, they do.
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Yes, they do.
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So are you giving everybody that communicates with your agency the option of a chat bot 24-7-365 communication on their time?
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Or is it during business hours only?
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Or is it both?
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Your goal should be both.
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Meet them where they are.
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I learned that in a personal group, very critical relationship that I had for many.
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One of my mentors, he's right here on my wall still.
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A guy named Len.
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He taught me that.
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He said, Mike, you've got to meet people where they are.
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Meet them where they are.
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Serve them how they want to be served, when they want to be served.
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Do you give them the option?
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Online 24-7 or during regular business hours if it's more complex?
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And what does your messaging look like?
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But how fast can they get what they want?
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And if you're looking to automate with more technology and AI and it's not working for you, or something's going wrong, listen to our most recent episode, the one just before this one.
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We're talking about the reasons that a lot of the technology isn't working in agencies and it's chaotic.
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It's because of lack of documented processes and workflows.
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Speed is number one.
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What the client wants is speed.
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The world has brought them to a place where they expect it, like now.
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Number two is accuracy.
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Let me ask you a leading question concerning accuracy.
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Are humans perfect?
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Far from it.
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I am far from it.
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If you ever meet my wife, ask her.
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Make sure you have 20 to 30 minutes carved out.
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Humans are imperfect.
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Technology is imperfect.
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But I will suggest this technology is going to get it right more often than a human will.
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And I'm not saying, let me be clear, I'm not saying everything should be pushed to technology.
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But use it as part of the solution to provide that experience.
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Back to the obsession that my wife had earlier this morning.
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She wanted to buy this gift, but it was technology related for one of our grandkids.
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And she goes, What do you think of this?
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I said, It's not the right one.
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She goes, What do you mean?
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I said, You see that 7.3?
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That's the wrong number.
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It should be 10.3.
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Oh, what does that mean?
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I said, let me just take care of it.
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The key?
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Accuracy.
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And the technology answered the question just like that.
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Accuracy.
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Are we providing accurate information?
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Are we providing the right information?
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I mean, I emailed my own agent yesterday with a coverage question on a rental car out of the country just to confirm.
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I just I saw the answer.
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I haven't looked at it yet.
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It came back.
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I know the answer.
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I know how to read policies.
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I've been reading them for almost 41 years.
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But I just wanted confirmation from my independent insurance agent.
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Just to make sure.
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Accuracy.
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Number three, in your client obsession and high-level experience of excellence that you're providing your customers.
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Proactive communication.
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Proactive communication.
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So are you communicating with your clients in the way that they want to be communicated with?
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And I'm sure all of your files in your management system, whatever that technology is, shows for all of your clients how they like to be communicated with, at what time of day they want to be communicated with, maybe the day of the week they want to be communicated with, etc., right?
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I know that's there.
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And that's how you're communicating with them proactively, right?
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And if not, no big deal.
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That's an opportunity to get better every single day.
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But proactively communicate with them in the way they want to be communicated with and let them know.
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Why do people leave agencies?
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Because people aren't proactively communicating.
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They hear about a change, they hear about this, they hear about that with the carrier.
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And they're sitting there waiting for their local independent insurance agent who says they care about them more to do something, to share something, to give them some kind of communication, and it never happens.
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I used to train my team a lot.
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That wonder, wonder in the minds of our client is costing us a lot of money.
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When you leave their minds to wander and wonder what the heck is going on with our insurance program, and they don't get an answer from the person they have built that relationship based on trust with, that's why they go looking somewhere else.
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Because they're thinking, oh, they don't care about me anymore.
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I'm just a number.
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Proactive communication.
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Topical.
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Tell them what's going on.
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They're looking to you for the answers.
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You are the expert in the industry.
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Share with them that you are.
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Number four, personal relationships.
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Personal relationships.
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Now, you may be thinking, how can I build a personal relationship with our customers?
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I have 3,566 customers, and there's no way that I can possibly build a personal relationship with all of them.
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I will say I disagree with that.
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How did we do it?
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We communicated on a monthly basis, twice a month, actually, more than twice a month on average, 27 times a year or more with our client base on personal relationship stuff.
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I mean, our grandkids were the forefront, the UABS, the Unstoppable Agents and Broker Society board, which was our grandkids.
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We shared stories from our family.
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We shared stories from the families of our teammates.
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I mean, we lots of pictures and communication about what we all had going on personally.
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We were building personal relationships with our entire database on a monthly basis, sharing of ourselves, giving from ourselves from our own personal lives and relationships with the world.
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Not on social media, through our own channels.
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We were controlling the communications consistently.
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I've got stories upon stories about people.
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Because they see it, they do read it.
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You think they're not watching?
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They're watching.
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And they're reading and they're looking.
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They just don't take the time to say, hey, I thought that was cool.
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But they're watching, trust me.
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They are watching.
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Build personal relationships is number four.
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And I'll recap this for you at the end.
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Number five is risk education.
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I mean, I had a question myself about rental car benefit in a country outside what's a territory of the U.S.
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That's where my question was.
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This destination that we're going to be going to next month is a territory of the U.S.
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And I know the definition.
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The coverage territories, the United States of America, its territories and or possessions.
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I know that.
00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.960
But I just wanted to get my professional independent agent involved.
00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:16.640
Just to double check.
00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.279
Risk education.
00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.920
How are you educating your clients?
00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.640
How are you educating your marketplace?
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:26.880
How often are you doing this?
00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:29.200
I would hope monthly.
00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.720
Do you have a roadmap?
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.880
Do you have a calendar out for the entire year as part of your marketing plan?
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.839
Risk education.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:39.759
They're looking to you.
00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:44.160
See the thing about insurance, and I've learned I learned this years ago.
00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:45.599
Unfortunately, it stuck.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:50.160
And then I shifted and providing this to marketplaces.
00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:53.920
This won't come as a shock to you.
00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.000
Nobody likes insurance.
00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.240
Nobody likes insurance.
00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.079
But they need it.
00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:06.559
They rely upon it.
00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.359
They expect it to be there when they need it.
00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:14.400
And they're investing money in it.
00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:17.039
So they certainly don't want to buy it.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.039
They certainly don't want to call you.
00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:23.680
They certainly don't want to reach out to you because they have a question, because they feel silly.
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:30.000
They certainly don't want to use it and they certainly don't want to pay for it, but they need it.
00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:33.759
So they want to be educated.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:34.559
They want to understand.
00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:43.599
And today's consumer is more educated than they've ever been because of AI and the whole technology uh suite that's available online.
00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:51.279
Educate them.
00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.480
They want to hear from their licensed professional independent insurance agency who cares.
00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:58.640
Educate them.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:05.759
Not every time, but have that education piece in personal relationship education.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:09.920
Personal relationship, education, blend in a testimonial.
00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:13.039
There's three strategies for you.
00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.240
Risk education is number five.
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:25.759
And we're talking about providing a world-class experience for your customers so that they are obsessed with who you are.
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:29.680
Number six is planning.
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:35.119
How are you providing a plan for your customers?
00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:43.440
How are you showing them the plan for their future as part of their relationship with you?
00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:50.000
Because let's face it, isn't the goal to serve them for life?
00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.000
We had a tagline and I don't remember it exactly.
00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:57.359
We want to earn the right to be your agent for life.
00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.960
We want to earn the right to be your agent for life.
00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.359
I mean, let's really think about this.
00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:12.240
When I got my mind around this a number of years ago, I'm thinking, man, I've got John and Susie.
00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:14.319
I've got their home auto umbrella.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.599
I've got their business.
00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:18.160
Wait, they have three kids?
00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.920
At some point, those kids are going to get a driver's license and I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:25.839
At some point, those kids are going to go away to college and I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.720
At some point, those kids are going to start building their own family.
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:30.720
Oh, wait, I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.359
Your acre of diamonds is right beneath you.
00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:41.359
Planning.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:43.359
What happens?
00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:52.240
I mean, you know, I remember the point in our agency where I discovered that I had, oh, there was a lot of them, hundreds.
00:23:52.480 --> 00:24:05.200
There were hundreds of net worth millionaires that were our clients driving around with 100, 300,000 on their personal auto policy.
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:11.039
I remember the moment I went ballistic personally.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.480
I mean having one of those conversations with myself in the mirror yelling, right?
00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:16.559
Nobody else is around.
00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:26.559
But we made it a point to get a hold of every one of them and to make sure that we communicated with them effectively and educated them.
00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:36.799
Look, we need to get your auto limits up to$250,000,$500,000 on bodily injury with at least$100 or$250,000, depending on the carrier, or combined single limit.
00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:39.839
And then we need to add an extra million dollars on top of it.
00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:44.000
Because your future earnings are at risk.
00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.519
Yes, they are.
00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:53.759
I have an interview with an attorney who's an insurance agent as well.
00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:00.880
Now's the day that I learned future earnings are very much at risk.
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.720
So plan for the future.
00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:08.240
Set the next appointment.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.559
Even if it's a year or two out.
00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:12.480
Set the next appointment with your client.
00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:17.279
Let them know we're going to connect with you to update your plan to make sure that you're properly protected.
00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:21.039
Because we don't want everything that you've worked so hard for to ever go away.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.799
We want you to keep it all.
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:32.720
We don't want you to ever get the lawyer, the letter from a lawyer says you don't have enough coverage, we're going to be going after your personal assets.
00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.400
That information is available out there.
00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:39.200
Don't ever let that be one of your clients.
00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:43.839
So let me recap the list of six items.
00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:46.799
The six items that you get to, remember?
00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:47.920
Gettitude.
00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:49.119
We have a gettitude.
00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.160
We don't have to do anything.
00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:51.119
We get to.
00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:56.799
What a privilege it is to serve others.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:03.519
And when those days come, and I see it online, many of you are having tough days.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:05.440
I call them character building days.
00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:07.440
I'm not removed from it, trust me.
00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.559
Character building days.
00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.519
When you have that character building day, don't forget to step back and say, I get to.
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.200
I get to show up again tomorrow for another day.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:21.680
It's a privilege.
00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:23.839
I know that's kept.
00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.440
That's what kept has kept me going for 41 years in this industry.
00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:29.039
I get to.
00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:38.319
Clients increasingly expect Amazon level convenience with hometown relationships.
00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.039
The best of the best agencies.
00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:47.519
And if you have some work to do, let's get to work right now.
00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:52.640
The best of the best agencies combine six things to provide that level of experience.
00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.440
Six things.
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:55.279
Number one, speed.
00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.799
Number two, accuracy.
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.519
Number three, proactive communication.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:07.759
Number four, personal relationships.
00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:12.160
They build deep, significant, meaningful personal relationships.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.640
Not that you're going out to have lunch with them face to face all the time.
00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.200
There's other ways to do it, and it works.
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.599
We did it.
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.720
Number five, risk education.
00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:29.039
Educate them on everything surrounding insurance.
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.279
And number six, planning.
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:38.319
If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail, Ben Franklin said.
00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:39.279
Planning.
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:42.000
Plan with your clients for the future.
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:46.559
To protect them and everything that they worked so hard for.
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:50.240
That's why we existed.
00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:53.839
That was our core, that was part of our core purpose in our agency.
00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:57.759
To protect you and everything you work so hard for.
00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:05.680
Every interaction, and this is back to training your team and role-playing with your team.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:09.279
Every interaction should answer.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:14.079
How did we make our clients' life easier today?
00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.720
That's a hard answer in a lot of situations.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:19.599
I know.
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:26.240
But how did we make our clients' life easier and better today?
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:31.440
How do we make our clients' life easier and better today?
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:35.359
Food for thought.
00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:37.680
Something that we get to work on.
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:39.839
It's a privilege and an honor.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:43.519
And it's a privilege and an honor to be with you on this episode.
00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:52.160
And if you got great value out of this episode, we would be honored if you would share the link to this podcast with somebody else that you know that you care about.
00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.240
Somebody that's got the ghetitude attitude.
00:28:58.079 --> 00:28:59.279
And help them.
00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:07.519
Help them pursue and achieve the life that they have always wanted.
00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.279
Our goal is to impact a million lives.
00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:13.920
That's why we exist at UPP.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:19.039
Thank you for that opportunity.
00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:21.039
I'll see you on the next episode.
00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:34.400
By the way, if you'd like to have a deeper conversation about anything that we discussed today or anything that we do at UPP, there's a link to a UPP scaling session somewhere around this podcast or in the show notes.
00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:40.400
Check that link, click on it, schedule some time, and we'll get to work with you.
00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:41.839
Because we get to.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:43.759
Have a great day, everybody.
00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:49.039
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Scale Your Insurance Agency.
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:53.680
Quick reminder: everything we talk about on this show is built to do one thing.
00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:55.599
Turn your time into profit.
00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:00.559
More revenue, more margin, more freedom without adding headcount to make it happen.
00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:05.839
If something landed for you today, please share it with another agency owner who needs to hear it.
00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:10.799
This community only grows when good operators help each other level up.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:15.920
Please subscribe, download, and share our podcast and all your other favorite podcast engines.
00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:22.000
And if you're ready to stop figuring this out alone, Mike and I are both in the field working with agencies right now.
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:23.200
Please reach out.
00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:30.960
Find us on LinkedIn or on our websites, and we'll tell you exactly where your biggest opportunity is to scale.
00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:36.240
Until next week, build the system, protect your time, and scale the right way.
00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.000
See you next week.
00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:09.759
Welcome back to the Scale Your Insurance Agency Podcast, the show built for independent agency owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own business.
00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:17.760
I'm Daniel Metcalf, and every week I'm joined by my co-host Mike Stromso, one of the most respected operators in the independent agency world.
00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:29.760
Between the two of us, we bring you the real levers that move a$3 to$20 million agency from successful but maxed out to systemized, scalable, and running without you holding it all together.
00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.359
Here's what we focus on.
00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:40.159
Mike brings the people side, leadership, team development, niche sales mastery, and a three-piece system that helps agencies build a business worth owning.
00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:41.920
I bring the machine side.
00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:48.159
AI, automation, and workflow design that frees your team from the operational drag, eating your margin and your time.
00:00:48.399 --> 00:00:56.240
Together, we're building a framework that can grow an independent agency 4X to 9X without burning out your people or your checkbook.
00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:08.879
If you're an agency owner who's tired of growing by hiring, who knows you have a capacity sitting on the table but can't figure out how to unlock it, this is the show for you and your weekly edge.
00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:15.599
Greetings everybody, welcome to the next episode of the Scale Your Insurance Agency podcast.
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:20.159
And I want to talk with you today about something.
00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:23.599
Alright, I'm just gonna say it obsession.
00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:26.000
Yes, obsession.
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:32.640
Now, the subject matter of obsession today is something that's really, really important.
00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:34.079
It's not like that.
00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:40.480
No, I'm talking about our clients, client obsession.
00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:52.560
So, you know, when I think about client obsession, and I think about what goes on in my own life, and I'll suggest this goes on in many of your lives as well.
00:01:52.799 --> 00:02:06.239
In fact, I just got to use it this morning uh because my wife is obsessed with it uh to buy something for one of our grandkids that was vitally, vitally important to her.
00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:14.639
And so through that obsession, I just got to, by the way, uh, this is for all of you who have been following us for a while.
00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:26.879
You know that we have 13 grandkids, and you know that we have created cousins camp to collaboratively teach all of our grandkids everything entrepreneurship-wise that we possibly can.
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:31.759
Formally started in 2020 during COVID, one of the greatest things to come out of COVID.
00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:37.360
With that being said, we developed a new word in yesterday's session.
00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.520
It's called gettitude.
00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:41.840
Yeah, gettitude.
00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:48.159
And the topic yesterday was gratitude, but it morphed into gettitude, right?
00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.680
Because we get to have this opportunity today.
00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.599
We don't have to do anything.
00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:56.879
We get to.
00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:04.400
We get to have an opportunity to serve people, we get to have a business, we get to have a home to go to, we get to have a bed to sleep in.
00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:07.919
We don't have to do anything.
00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:12.319
Now, so when those tough days come, remember we get to.
00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.159
We don't have to do anything.
00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:20.879
And so I was encouraging our grandkids, the cousins, to make sure they have their gettitude on.
00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:26.639
And they go, that's awesome, Gramps.
00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:27.439
I get it.
00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:28.479
I said, I'm glad.
00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:29.439
Gettitude.
00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:34.240
And then one of the older grandkids came in and said, Hey, what about the pursuit?
00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:36.639
That's what I think of when you say gettitude.
00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:37.840
I said, tell me more.
00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.479
He goes, I get to pursue.
00:03:40.719 --> 00:03:42.479
I get to pursue my career.
00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:44.719
I get to pursue this, I get to pursue that.
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.599
I said, that's a different definition of gettitude.
00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:56.879
So when you look up gettitude in the dictionary, you're gonna see one, we get to have opportunity and participate, and two, we get to pursue.
00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.000
So let's be in pursuit of client obsession.
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:15.680
So I want to share with you today uh one of the obsessions that my wife has because they make it so easy, that started during a walk in Central Park.
00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:26.079
And this was many years ago, last century actually, where, yes, Jeff Bezos was walking in Central Park with his boss at the time.
00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:29.600
He was working in the financial services industry in New York.
00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:33.279
Uh, and his boss was sharing with him, Jeff, you're doing really well.
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:34.399
I'm excited for you.
00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:38.560
You're gonna be a very wealthy man in the near future.
00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:40.639
Jeff, what do you think?
00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:42.160
And what's your plans?
00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:44.319
He goes, you know what, boss?
00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.720
I'm actually thinking about starting an online bookstore.
00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:52.879
Now, keep in mind his history and background was computer science.
00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:59.439
And so Jeff said that to his boss, and his boss goes, What are you talking about, Jeff?
00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:03.839
He goes, Yeah, I think I might want to start an online bookstore.
00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.800
And his boss said, Jeff, did you hear what I just said?
00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:10.560
You're gonna be a very wealthy man in the near future.
00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:16.319
Jeff said, but this is really what I want to do.
00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:22.879
And so the boss, his boss said, Jeff, go home and think about your future for a couple days.
00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:24.560
Come back and let's talk.
00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:29.759
Jeff went back a couple days later and said, Yeah, boss, I'm putting in my resignation.
00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:33.279
I'm going to start an online bookstore.
00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:45.519
So if you've heard Bezos talk about this, what he said was, I wasn't afraid of the regret of failure.
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:55.439
But the one thing I did not want to ever regret is the regret of not trying to pursue my dream.
00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:09.279
And that came to my mind when thinking about sharing this topic with you, because that's what Amazon does, and that's where they started.
00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.879
And I would recommend there's some lessons for all of us from that starting point.
00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:32.560
The world today expects Amazon level service and convenience with hometown relationships.
00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:37.360
The world now expects things happening a certain way.
00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:40.319
Because they have set the bar.
00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.120
They have set the bar for how we do things.
00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:47.519
And I'll give you another little marketing note because I'm a marketing guy and I love marketing.
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:49.120
I always think about marketing.
00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.120
I get the emails from Amazon.
00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:57.360
Fortunately, my bride does not.
00:06:58.000 --> 00:06:59.600
Because they're constantly checking in.
00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:00.879
Hey, have you thought about this?
00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:02.000
Hey, have you looked at this?
00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:03.759
Hey, you haven't reordered this in a while.
00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:04.800
Do you need to reorder?
00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:06.240
Constant, constant, constant.
00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.759
They have set the bar as far as our ability to communicate with people.
00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:12.720
So what about you?
00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.959
I'd be willing to bet I get a couple a day.
00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:18.560
That's the bar.
00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:27.920
So what kind of experience are you providing to your customers?
00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.519
Like I shared with my team for so many years.
00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:36.319
They don't pay their premium, we don't earn commission.
00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:39.360
Quite simple.
00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:41.439
Why do they stay?
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.800
Because of the experience and the trust.
00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:45.439
Okay.
00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:51.920
So clients increasingly expect Amazon level experience with the hometown relationship.
00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.240
And it's back to the relationship.
00:07:55.600 --> 00:08:01.759
I learned from my friend Bob Berg when he spoke at our live event a couple of years ago.
00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:10.319
People follow people they know, like, and trust.
00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:12.560
Know like and trust.
00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:16.319
We say no love and trust because love's a stronger emotion than like.
00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:17.519
Whatever it is.
00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:18.240
Right?
00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:24.560
So, how are you creating that no like and trust, no love and trust relationship within your business?
00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:26.959
What does that look like?
00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:53.200
I want to give you six ways to make sure that you craft this and design it within your agency so that your clients feel like you're obsessed over them, about caring for them, about being proactive for them and with them.
00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:55.840
And I want to share with you a thought.
00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:58.320
I wrote down, I wrote this down in my notes.
00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:04.559
I don't want to get onto this topic on a squirrel basis.
00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:12.240
But client segmentation came to my mind, or tiering, as they say in some areas in the country.
00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:18.240
Client segmentation or tiering is a definite play in this whole matter.
00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:50.480
Because if you don't have the resources or budget to do it full on, you know, for a thousand clients, two thousand clients, three thousand clients, whatever it is, the dual portion of them, your top tier of clients, definitely obsess over providing a level of excellence and caring for them and serving for them and communicating with them and touching them with a hometown relationship.
00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:54.480
Because you are the local relationship they have.
00:09:55.519 --> 00:10:00.000
Granted, there's always gonna be the few who are gonna go online no matter what.
00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:01.039
I get it.
00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:10.080
I mean, I was around now 26 years ago when Safeco came to me and said, hey, we're gonna start the virtual producer program.
00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.480
You're one of our top agents, you want to be one of the first.
00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:13.679
I said, great.
00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.399
It lasted less than two years.
00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:19.600
Why?
00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:26.559
Because the ideal client avatar or ideal client profile of those buyers was not what they wanted.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:28.559
It was highly unprofitable.
00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:39.840
So here's the six things that great agencies do to create that customer experience.
00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:45.360
Where the customers are obsessed about doing business with your agency.
00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:54.159
Our goal is to help you put this in place and to make it reality in your agency.
00:10:54.879 --> 00:11:01.279
So that you've got nothing but a book of raving fans running around telling everybody in the world how awesome you are.
00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:03.440
That's the goal.
00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:07.440
That's the goal.
00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:11.200
Number one is speed.
00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:17.360
Money and success loves speed, and money and success never sleep.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.240
Number one is speed.
00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.159
So what does that look like?
00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:25.039
Do you know people love options?
00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:26.399
Yes, they do.
00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:28.240
Yes, they do.
00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:37.840
So are you giving everybody that communicates with your agency the option of a chat bot 24-7-365 communication on their time?
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.320
Or is it during business hours only?
00:11:42.559 --> 00:11:44.399
Or is it both?
00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:46.879
Your goal should be both.
00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:49.600
Meet them where they are.
00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:57.120
I learned that in a personal group, very critical relationship that I had for many.
00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:00.159
One of my mentors, he's right here on my wall still.
00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.679
A guy named Len.
00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:03.360
He taught me that.
00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.399
He said, Mike, you've got to meet people where they are.
00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:10.480
Meet them where they are.
00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.000
Serve them how they want to be served, when they want to be served.
00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.519
Do you give them the option?
00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:20.399
Online 24-7 or during regular business hours if it's more complex?
00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:22.960
And what does your messaging look like?
00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:27.120
But how fast can they get what they want?
00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:40.799
And if you're looking to automate with more technology and AI and it's not working for you, or something's going wrong, listen to our most recent episode, the one just before this one.
00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:48.080
We're talking about the reasons that a lot of the technology isn't working in agencies and it's chaotic.
00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:52.000
It's because of lack of documented processes and workflows.
00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:53.919
Speed is number one.
00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.240
What the client wants is speed.
00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:04.000
The world has brought them to a place where they expect it, like now.
00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:06.960
Number two is accuracy.
00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.240
Let me ask you a leading question concerning accuracy.
00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:14.639
Are humans perfect?
00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:16.480
Far from it.
00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:18.080
I am far from it.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:20.159
If you ever meet my wife, ask her.
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.120
Make sure you have 20 to 30 minutes carved out.
00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.720
Humans are imperfect.
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:28.879
Technology is imperfect.
00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:34.559
But I will suggest this technology is going to get it right more often than a human will.
00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:41.519
And I'm not saying, let me be clear, I'm not saying everything should be pushed to technology.
00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:49.919
But use it as part of the solution to provide that experience.
00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:54.799
Back to the obsession that my wife had earlier this morning.
00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:01.840
She wanted to buy this gift, but it was technology related for one of our grandkids.
00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:03.200
And she goes, What do you think of this?
00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:04.720
I said, It's not the right one.
00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:06.720
She goes, What do you mean?
00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.200
I said, You see that 7.3?
00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:11.039
That's the wrong number.
00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:13.200
It should be 10.3.
00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:15.200
Oh, what does that mean?
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:18.240
I said, let me just take care of it.
00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:20.480
The key?
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:22.399
Accuracy.
00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:25.600
And the technology answered the question just like that.
00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.320
Accuracy.
00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:30.639
Are we providing accurate information?
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:32.720
Are we providing the right information?
00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:43.200
I mean, I emailed my own agent yesterday with a coverage question on a rental car out of the country just to confirm.
00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:45.279
I just I saw the answer.
00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:46.320
I haven't looked at it yet.
00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:47.200
It came back.
00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.240
I know the answer.
00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:49.440
I know how to read policies.
00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.919
I've been reading them for almost 41 years.
00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:58.320
But I just wanted confirmation from my independent insurance agent.
00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:00.240
Just to make sure.
00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:02.159
Accuracy.
00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:14.320
Number three, in your client obsession and high-level experience of excellence that you're providing your customers.
00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.200
Proactive communication.
00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.759
Proactive communication.
00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:30.720
So are you communicating with your clients in the way that they want to be communicated with?
00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:49.120
And I'm sure all of your files in your management system, whatever that technology is, shows for all of your clients how they like to be communicated with, at what time of day they want to be communicated with, maybe the day of the week they want to be communicated with, etc., right?
00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:50.240
I know that's there.
00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:53.120
And that's how you're communicating with them proactively, right?
00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:56.240
And if not, no big deal.
00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:59.919
That's an opportunity to get better every single day.
00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:07.039
But proactively communicate with them in the way they want to be communicated with and let them know.
00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:09.679
Why do people leave agencies?
00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:13.200
Because people aren't proactively communicating.
00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:20.240
They hear about a change, they hear about this, they hear about that with the carrier.
00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:32.480
And they're sitting there waiting for their local independent insurance agent who says they care about them more to do something, to share something, to give them some kind of communication, and it never happens.
00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:35.759
I used to train my team a lot.
00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:43.919
That wonder, wonder in the minds of our client is costing us a lot of money.
00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:59.360
When you leave their minds to wander and wonder what the heck is going on with our insurance program, and they don't get an answer from the person they have built that relationship based on trust with, that's why they go looking somewhere else.
00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.799
Because they're thinking, oh, they don't care about me anymore.
00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:04.799
I'm just a number.
00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.720
Proactive communication.
00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:12.880
Topical.
00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:15.039
Tell them what's going on.
00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:16.960
They're looking to you for the answers.
00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.240
You are the expert in the industry.
00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:23.279
Share with them that you are.
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:28.160
Number four, personal relationships.
00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:30.079
Personal relationships.
00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:36.799
Now, you may be thinking, how can I build a personal relationship with our customers?
00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:43.920
I have 3,566 customers, and there's no way that I can possibly build a personal relationship with all of them.
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.880
I will say I disagree with that.
00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:50.559
How did we do it?
00:17:52.079 --> 00:18:09.440
We communicated on a monthly basis, twice a month, actually, more than twice a month on average, 27 times a year or more with our client base on personal relationship stuff.
00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:18.720
I mean, our grandkids were the forefront, the UABS, the Unstoppable Agents and Broker Society board, which was our grandkids.
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:21.119
We shared stories from our family.
00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.400
We shared stories from the families of our teammates.
00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:30.079
I mean, we lots of pictures and communication about what we all had going on personally.
00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:46.160
We were building personal relationships with our entire database on a monthly basis, sharing of ourselves, giving from ourselves from our own personal lives and relationships with the world.
00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:51.039
Not on social media, through our own channels.
00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:59.759
We were controlling the communications consistently.
00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:05.200
I've got stories upon stories about people.
00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:17.440
Because they see it, they do read it.
00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:19.519
You think they're not watching?
00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:21.200
They're watching.
00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:24.079
And they're reading and they're looking.
00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:27.839
They just don't take the time to say, hey, I thought that was cool.
00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.799
But they're watching, trust me.
00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:33.759
They are watching.
00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:37.119
Build personal relationships is number four.
00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:39.680
And I'll recap this for you at the end.
00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:43.920
Number five is risk education.
00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:51.839
I mean, I had a question myself about rental car benefit in a country outside what's a territory of the U.S.
00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:53.599
That's where my question was.
00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:00.160
This destination that we're going to be going to next month is a territory of the U.S.
00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:02.000
And I know the definition.
00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:08.480
The coverage territories, the United States of America, its territories and or possessions.
00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:09.599
I know that.
00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.960
But I just wanted to get my professional independent agent involved.
00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:16.640
Just to double check.
00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.279
Risk education.
00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.920
How are you educating your clients?
00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.640
How are you educating your marketplace?
00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:26.880
How often are you doing this?
00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:29.200
I would hope monthly.
00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.720
Do you have a roadmap?
00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:34.880
Do you have a calendar out for the entire year as part of your marketing plan?
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:37.839
Risk education.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:39.759
They're looking to you.
00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:44.160
See the thing about insurance, and I've learned I learned this years ago.
00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:45.599
Unfortunately, it stuck.
00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:50.160
And then I shifted and providing this to marketplaces.
00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:53.920
This won't come as a shock to you.
00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.000
Nobody likes insurance.
00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.240
Nobody likes insurance.
00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.079
But they need it.
00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:06.559
They rely upon it.
00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.359
They expect it to be there when they need it.
00:21:12.720 --> 00:21:14.400
And they're investing money in it.
00:21:14.559 --> 00:21:17.039
So they certainly don't want to buy it.
00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:19.039
They certainly don't want to call you.
00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:23.680
They certainly don't want to reach out to you because they have a question, because they feel silly.
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:30.000
They certainly don't want to use it and they certainly don't want to pay for it, but they need it.
00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:33.759
So they want to be educated.
00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:34.559
They want to understand.
00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:43.599
And today's consumer is more educated than they've ever been because of AI and the whole technology uh suite that's available online.
00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:51.279
Educate them.
00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:56.480
They want to hear from their licensed professional independent insurance agency who cares.
00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:58.640
Educate them.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:05.759
Not every time, but have that education piece in personal relationship education.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:09.920
Personal relationship, education, blend in a testimonial.
00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:13.039
There's three strategies for you.
00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.240
Risk education is number five.
00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:25.759
And we're talking about providing a world-class experience for your customers so that they are obsessed with who you are.
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:29.680
Number six is planning.
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:35.119
How are you providing a plan for your customers?
00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:43.440
How are you showing them the plan for their future as part of their relationship with you?
00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:50.000
Because let's face it, isn't the goal to serve them for life?
00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.000
We had a tagline and I don't remember it exactly.
00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:57.359
We want to earn the right to be your agent for life.
00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:00.960
We want to earn the right to be your agent for life.
00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.359
I mean, let's really think about this.
00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:12.240
When I got my mind around this a number of years ago, I'm thinking, man, I've got John and Susie.
00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:14.319
I've got their home auto umbrella.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.599
I've got their business.
00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:18.160
Wait, they have three kids?
00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.920
At some point, those kids are going to get a driver's license and I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:25.839
At some point, those kids are going to go away to college and I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.720
At some point, those kids are going to start building their own family.
00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:30.720
Oh, wait, I'm going to be their agent.
00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:37.359
Your acre of diamonds is right beneath you.
00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:41.359
Planning.
00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:43.359
What happens?
00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:52.240
I mean, you know, I remember the point in our agency where I discovered that I had, oh, there was a lot of them, hundreds.
00:23:52.480 --> 00:24:05.200
There were hundreds of net worth millionaires that were our clients driving around with 100, 300,000 on their personal auto policy.
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:11.039
I remember the moment I went ballistic personally.
00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.480
I mean having one of those conversations with myself in the mirror yelling, right?
00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:16.559
Nobody else is around.
00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:26.559
But we made it a point to get a hold of every one of them and to make sure that we communicated with them effectively and educated them.
00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:36.799
Look, we need to get your auto limits up to$250,000,$500,000 on bodily injury with at least$100 or$250,000, depending on the carrier, or combined single limit.
00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:39.839
And then we need to add an extra million dollars on top of it.
00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:44.000
Because your future earnings are at risk.
00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.519
Yes, they are.
00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:53.759
I have an interview with an attorney who's an insurance agent as well.
00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:00.880
Now's the day that I learned future earnings are very much at risk.
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:06.720
So plan for the future.
00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:08.240
Set the next appointment.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.559
Even if it's a year or two out.
00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:12.480
Set the next appointment with your client.
00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:17.279
Let them know we're going to connect with you to update your plan to make sure that you're properly protected.
00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:21.039
Because we don't want everything that you've worked so hard for to ever go away.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.799
We want you to keep it all.
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:32.720
We don't want you to ever get the lawyer, the letter from a lawyer says you don't have enough coverage, we're going to be going after your personal assets.
00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.400
That information is available out there.
00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:39.200
Don't ever let that be one of your clients.
00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:43.839
So let me recap the list of six items.
00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:46.799
The six items that you get to, remember?
00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:47.920
Gettitude.
00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:49.119
We have a gettitude.
00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.160
We don't have to do anything.
00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:51.119
We get to.
00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:56.799
What a privilege it is to serve others.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:03.519
And when those days come, and I see it online, many of you are having tough days.
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:05.440
I call them character building days.
00:26:05.519 --> 00:26:07.440
I'm not removed from it, trust me.
00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.559
Character building days.
00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.519
When you have that character building day, don't forget to step back and say, I get to.
00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.200
I get to show up again tomorrow for another day.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:21.680
It's a privilege.
00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:23.839
I know that's kept.
00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.440
That's what kept has kept me going for 41 years in this industry.
00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:29.039
I get to.
00:26:30.640 --> 00:26:38.319
Clients increasingly expect Amazon level convenience with hometown relationships.
00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.039
The best of the best agencies.
00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:47.519
And if you have some work to do, let's get to work right now.
00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:52.640
The best of the best agencies combine six things to provide that level of experience.
00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.440
Six things.
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:55.279
Number one, speed.
00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:58.799
Number two, accuracy.
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:03.519
Number three, proactive communication.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:07.759
Number four, personal relationships.
00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:12.160
They build deep, significant, meaningful personal relationships.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.640
Not that you're going out to have lunch with them face to face all the time.
00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.200
There's other ways to do it, and it works.
00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:21.599
We did it.
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.720
Number five, risk education.
00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:29.039
Educate them on everything surrounding insurance.
00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.279
And number six, planning.
00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:38.319
If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail, Ben Franklin said.
00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:39.279
Planning.
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:42.000
Plan with your clients for the future.
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:46.559
To protect them and everything that they worked so hard for.
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:50.240
That's why we existed.
00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:53.839
That was our core, that was part of our core purpose in our agency.
00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:57.759
To protect you and everything you work so hard for.
00:28:00.160 --> 00:28:05.680
Every interaction, and this is back to training your team and role-playing with your team.
00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:09.279
Every interaction should answer.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:14.079
How did we make our clients' life easier today?
00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.720
That's a hard answer in a lot of situations.
00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:19.599
I know.
00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:26.240
But how did we make our clients' life easier and better today?
00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:31.440
How do we make our clients' life easier and better today?
00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:35.359
Food for thought.
00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:37.680
Something that we get to work on.
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:39.839
It's a privilege and an honor.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:43.519
And it's a privilege and an honor to be with you on this episode.
00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:52.160
And if you got great value out of this episode, we would be honored if you would share the link to this podcast with somebody else that you know that you care about.
00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.240
Somebody that's got the ghetitude attitude.
00:28:58.079 --> 00:28:59.279
And help them.
00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:07.519
Help them pursue and achieve the life that they have always wanted.
00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:11.279
Our goal is to impact a million lives.
00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:13.920
That's why we exist at UPP.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:19.039
Thank you for that opportunity.
00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:21.039
I'll see you on the next episode.
00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:34.400
By the way, if you'd like to have a deeper conversation about anything that we discussed today or anything that we do at UPP, there's a link to a UPP scaling session somewhere around this podcast or in the show notes.
00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:40.400
Check that link, click on it, schedule some time, and we'll get to work with you.
00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:41.839
Because we get to.
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:43.759
Have a great day, everybody.
00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:49.039
That's a wrap on this week's episode of Scale Your Insurance Agency.
00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:53.680
Quick reminder: everything we talk about on this show is built to do one thing.
00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:55.599
Turn your time into profit.
00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:00.559
More revenue, more margin, more freedom without adding headcount to make it happen.
00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:05.839
If something landed for you today, please share it with another agency owner who needs to hear it.
00:30:06.000 --> 00:30:10.799
This community only grows when good operators help each other level up.
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:15.920
Please subscribe, download, and share our podcast and all your other favorite podcast engines.
00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:22.000
And if you're ready to stop figuring this out alone, Mike and I are both in the field working with agencies right now.
00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:23.200
Please reach out.
00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:30.960
Find us on LinkedIn or on our websites, and we'll tell you exactly where your biggest opportunity is to scale.
00:30:31.920 --> 00:30:36.240
Until next week, build the system, protect your time, and scale the right way.
00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.000
See you next week.
