Agency Nation Radio - Insurance Marketing, Sales And Technology

Join us for Declaration of Independents on Agency Nation Radio, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the insurance industry. On this episode, we meet Jason Rodriguez, the managing partner at Prominent Insurance in Wilmington, Delaware. From his entrepreneurial journey growing up in Brooklyn to serving on the board of the Delaware Association of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Rodriguez is on a mission to make insurance not just a profession, but a passionate pursuit and opportunity for others. Gain insights into his franchise expansion plans, with a goal of 20 franchises every year. This episode is hopsted by AnneMarie Spears, news editor at Independent Agent magazine. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For m

There’s no doubt insurance marketplace is harder to navigate, with economic pressures and increased natural disasters leading to rising premiums. How do you best support your clients, agency staff and successfully navigate the hard market? Tune into this episode of Agency Nation Radio Podcast, hosted by Kelley Donahue-Pirro, owner of Agency Performance Partners, who sits down with two experienced agency presidents, Michelle O’Connor of O’Connor Insurance in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Matt Simon, CIC, CPCU or CoverLink Insurance in Columbus, Ohio. They talk about how to navigate market conditions, what they have done, and the advice for other agents—especially those who haven’t experienced a hard market. It’s time to get back to basics. Hear strategies to help you evaluate your client outreach and double down on your communications. Find out how you can zero-in on internal processes to support your team and remind them that now, more than ever, independent agents bring value to their clients and the comm

On this edition of Declaration of Independence, on Agency Nation Radio podcast, host Olivia Overman, content editor with Independent Agent magazine, sits down with Crystal Fox, the founder of Beauty Queen Insurance, a division of the Smith Sawyer Smith agency in Rochester, Indiana. The pandemic brought Crystal’s makeup career to a halt leading her to find new opportunities as an independent agent. Recognizing a gap in the market for an insurance agent with specialized knowledge of the beauty industry, Crystal created a career path to serve the industry she loved. She began to dive into the limited coverage options for services like permanent makeup, Medi spa treatments and permanent jewelry. Listen in to be inspired to find a niche that connects your passion to a career in insurance. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today.

What does the next generation want in a career? How does the insurance industry align with what Generation Z wants in a profession? We uncover the connections on this edition of Agency Nation Radio podcast. Guest host Cassandra Koegel with Eastern Insurance Group and a member of the Big “I” national Young Agents Committee talks to Will Huang, recent graduate of St. John’s University Risk Management and Insurance program and intern with the Big “I” Invest education foundation. Together, they talk about what they love about insurance and how we can position the industry to appeal to the next generation—giving back, a challenge, flexibility and the ability to make a really good living—what’s not to love? Find out what young people want in the workplace and how insurance is truly a hidden gem. Tune in today. Want to learn more about attracting the next generation to your agency? Invest connects insurance professionals with schools and resources to help students learn about insurance and careers in the industry.

David Watson, executive vice president of Mappus Insurance, South Carolina sits down with Will Jones, editor-in-chief of Independent Agent magazine to share his origin story on this edition of Declaration of Independence on Agency Nation Radio podcast. After working for State Farm and Allstate, David became a Farm Bureau contractor and in 2016 he founded a scratch independent agency, BlueLake. However, he quickly noticed mundane tasks like lead generation and data entry were holding him back. The entrepreneurial bug bit again and David launched RiskAdvisor, a software program that streamlines the application and renewal process for independent agencies. Listen in to be inspired by his background and hear how carriers and agencies can work together to make it to do profitable business and service clients. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professional

On this edition of Agency Nation Radio podcast, guest host Bob Fee, President, Fee Insurance, Kansas and immediate past chair of the Big “I” is joined by Kathy Conley-Jones LUTCF, Chief Insurance Strategist, Williamson Financial Management Group in St. Louis. She also founded The Conley Financial Group, a multi-line insurance and employee benefits firm that provides holistic insurance solutions to its clients. They share their backgrounds in benefits and provide strategies and tips for agencies considering expanding their service as a trusted advisor. Find out how to get started, markets to consider, income potential, and staffing. “I think it’s so important that our independent agents start to expand and see themselves in a different light because most of your clients are hoping that you will,” says Kathy. Tune in today and take note of actionable strategies to help you enhance your agency’s service profile. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories

On this edition of Declaration of Independence on the Agency Nation Radio podcast, Dean Giem, president of Paradox Insurance Agency in Montana talks about technology. The self-proclaimed technology geek shares his journey from a captive agency to independent agency ownership. Now, as a member of the NetVu board and the AUGIE executive council, he explains technology is accessible and affordable for small and mid-size agencies. From chatbots to AI, he explores the future of insurtech. “I think the way data is collected, the way data is consumed and shared, is going to be a major shift in the next two to three years,” says Dean. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. Catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platfor

In this episode of Agency Nation Radio podcast, Brandon Okita, FIA Insurance Services and Big “I” Diversity Council chair sits down with Kelly McDonald to answer questions submitted by Big “I” members live and online. Kelly is one of the nation’s top experts in diversity and inclusion, leadership, marketing, customer experience, and consumer trends. Together they discuss how leaders can continue to advance diversity by creating an inclusive and respectful culture. They answer Big “I” member questions about diversity training, advertising, tattoos, and strategies for handling difficult conversations in the workplace. “All voices are welcome here, because we value all employees, and we value all perspectives—that’s what diversity brings to the table,” says Kelly. Kelly was named one of the “10 Most Booked Speakers in the U.S.” and ranked #1 on the list of “25 Hot Speakers” by Successful Meetings Magazine. She has been featured on CNBC, in Forbes, INC. Magazine, BusinessWeek, CEO World, Fast Company, and more

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Tonya Thomason, president of David A. Crotts & Associates in Greenwood, South Carolina shares a few of the secrets to how she helped the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of South Carolina (IIABSC) win the InsurPac “Triple Crown” three years in a row. After consecutively raising the most InsurPac contributions of any state, the most from young agents and the most from past presidents, Thomason says “it’s about getting everybody involved ... piquing that curiosity is key, because we can get up on the stage and we can talk about InsurPac, what it’s doing and how it’s doing it, but most people—unless they see it or feel it—find it difficult to comprehend. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the storie

In honor of women’s history month, Toni Jones, Vice President of Transportation Marketing, Palomar Insurance, and member of the Big “I” National Young Agents Committee sits down with a cast of remarkable leaders who are blazing the way for women in their organizations and the insurance industry. On this episode of Agency Nation Radio hear from Angela Ripley, President VW Brown Insurance Services and Big “I” Executive Committee Member; Courtney Rains, Chief Marketing Officer, Applied Systems and Crista Walker, VP, Agent Engagement & Technology at Liberty Mutal Insurance. Liberty Mutual research shows that while 85% of women who work on the frontline can picture themselves as a leader at an agency, fewer than one-third of agency principals and owners are women. Together the women talk about the disconnect and how to create leadership opportunities for women in the insurance industry. What can organizations and individuals do to be more intentional in helping women grow into leadership roles? How can wom

Scott Insurance, a Virginia agency founded in 1864, has been a Big "I" Best Practices Agency since the program started. With 30 years of Best Practices experience, agency leadership knows what it takes to strengthen incrementally with the right data and benchmarks. Keith Mann, COO/CFO sits down with Will Jones, editor-in-chief, Independent Agent magazine to talk about what the 100% employee-owned agency gleans from the study. Together they talk about importance of understanding sales data including sales velocity and organic growth and how looking at weakness is an opportunity for growth. Additionally, Keith shares strategies the agency has implemented to help attract and retain producers who help grow the business, but also become part of the agency's perpetuation story. Scott Agency has more than 350 employees and agency locations in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, tec

With the recent launch of ChatGPT, the insurance industry is taking a hard look at artificial intelligence and how it can be leveraged to help independent agents. In this podcast, Chip explores how AI may be able to streamline some of agents' biggest challenges with Marcus Daley, co-founder of NeuralMetrics.

Becoming an independent agency owner brings freedom and often that means a chance to leave the 9 to 5 behind. There’s a lot of flexibility, and with hard work, there’s no cap on the income potential. In June 2021 Christopher Sheely launched a new agency, but he used the Great Resignation to his advantage, creating opportunities that professionals were looking for. On this episode of Declaration of Independents on Agency Nation Radio, AnneMarie McPherson Spears, Independent Agent magazine news editor, sits down with the owner of Christopher Sheely Agency, Atlanta. Find out how he fast-tracked growth, found staff, and connected with the community. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. Catch Agency Nation Radio on your favor

On this edition of Agency Nation Radio, Will Jones, Independent Agent magazine editor-in-chief sits down with Dr. Leroy Nunery II, president, Evolution Advisors LLC, and author of the 2018 “The Journey of African-American Insurance Professionals,” and the follow-up study “The Next Steps on the Journey: Has Anything Changed?” released in January 2023. While the new study shows positive change in the industry, with 60% of respondents agreeing their agency is committed to diversity, nearly 84% of respondents remarked that they still encounter obstacles in their career because of either conscious or unconscious racial bias. Tune in as Leroy and Will discuss how the George Floyd murder was a turning point for race in the insurance industry, with more resources and initiatives devoted to inclusion. Still, Leroy says the industry has an awareness issue. With his years of expertise championing diversity in American business, he shares what you can do now—your next steps on the journey to a more diverse and inclusive

Live from the patio of the Big “I” InsurTech Summit! Listen as insurtech and IA channel leaders share their insights on agency technology adoption with hosts Chip Bacciocco and Chris Cline.

On the final edition of the three-part series from the Big “I” InsurTech Summit, Chris Cline, executive director of Agents Council for Technology, and Bill Haber, co-founder TEKRiSQ talk about the cyber age. Cyber is the new cost of doing business and agency owners need to be more proactive in their approach to data security—creating policies and having staff and services in place to prevent breaches. With the ramp-up of email, EFT fraud, and phishing, it’s also important for owners to become more resilient as well. Tune in for a future-focused talk on cyber. Rember to check out Parts 1 and 2 from the InsurTech Summit.

Join Chris Cline, executive director of Agents Council for Technology, and Jason Lui the CEO of Zywave on the water’s edge of Savannah, Georgia at the Big “I” InsurTech Summit. Dive into one of an agency's biggest technology spends—the agency management system. But, are agencies getting the most out of their investment? Probably not. Together the insurance technology leaders talk about spending less on AMS to free up more for agencies to spend on agency growth. Is that the future? Speaking of what’s on the horizon….what are Jason's thoughts on the future of digital quoting, data, AI, segmentation, and more. Remember to check into episodes parts 1 and 3 from the InsurTech Summit.

The Big “I” recently hosted an InsurTech Summit with TrustedChoice.com. Chris Cline, Agents Council for Technology, executive director, talks to Lou Moran III, Big “I" InsurTech Task Force chair, principal of Inter-Agency Insurance Services in Knoxville, and Jason Walker, president of Agency Revolution kick off the three-part series. The insurance leaders play a quick round of word association, in their own words, defining key terms in the insurance technology. See where your understanding of data, APIs, and marketing stands up to these leaders! And the future? You’ll hear a bit about that too! Remember to tune into parts 2 and 3, episodes 408 and 409!

Insurtech: Enhancing the Transaction, Not Eliminating the Tradition Live from the inaugural Big “I” InsurTech Summit! Chip Bacciocco and Chris Cline take a minute to sit down with Bill Devine and Sean Ramalho of Travelers to discuss the IA channel’s urgent need to take ownership of insurtech strategy in order to avoid the possibility of external players or factors dictating the way agencies do business. This is a must-listen for all insurance industry change-makers.

Jessica Mulder started her insurance career 14 years ago as a CSR for Ambank Insurance, now Perspective Insurance in Sioux City Iowa. Six years ago she took on the role of operations manager for the agency and in this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Jessica reflects on purchasing three agencies in one year. Get a candid take on the challenges and opportunities that come with purchasing an agency. And talk about two issues on the minds of every agency owner-- staffing and technology. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts. SPONSORED BY: This episode is supported by PersonalUmbrella.com, where you can quote standalone p