Agency Intelligence

Shane Eastman is the President of i80 Insurance in Vacaville, California, an hour north of San Francisco.  He is a regular in digital communities, like Jason Cass, where agency owners share ideas, solutions and support. Shane talks about his two main streams of marketing, the power of Social Media and what it has done for his agency.  His success story is worth listening to. He started his agency in February of 2013.  In his first year as an independent agent, his agency wrote 650k, by the end of this year, he will have reached 1.5 million. He sees first hand how social media has changed the buying patterns of people. He receives inquiries through internet marketing and social media at least 3-5 times a week.  He’s done phenomenally and he has a lot of heart to share. Failure is not an option.

Agency apps and digital communities are just a couple of things that Dave Jackson has pioneered in his area of business.  He’s a veteran agent but just started his independent agency a year ago.  He’s doing awesome things in Gilbert, Arizona and has taken the reigns on digital and social marketing.   Dave has been on both sides of the fence and compares and contrasts having been on the captive side versus the independent agency owner side in this podcast. Since becoming an agency owner, he’s been able to write more business, and has also had more fun drumming up business. He started a Facebook group for agency owners that’s become incredibly active and has become a consistent resource for convert agents. See what his agency has done on Facebook that's set him up to never have to do marketing for his agency again.  

Jason Cass is back in rotation with a rant to introduce what’s to come for the rest of 2014, and to give a sneak peak of early 2015.  We’ve got Big Wig Season kicking off on Tuesday, November 25 so don’t miss our most popular series! Listen to another passionate Cass rant and discover the steps out of mediocrity. This is your platform so get involved!  

You're getting deep and more involved with your social media platforms, you wonder what strategies and tricks to implement to increase your social proof. What do you do?  Listen to Jason and Joey in the Grow Show as they look at the ethics of asking for and creating reviews and testimonials.  See what else other agents doing and see why it's important to load your sites with social proof.  

  More efficient office operations. Digital tools to optimize your sales and referral process.  Social marketing strategies to create a more personable approach, and social media to clutch client retention.  These are just a few points Jason Cass discusses in this interview by John Carroll.     Join John Carroll as the roles reverse in one of the last podcasts in the Month of Marketing.  Jason Cass also walks through his early beginnings as a salesperson and explains how he became an agent, then an agency owner, and now to one of the most influential insurance agents in the social and digital business space.     There’s no better time than now to be an insurance agent in the independent insurance industry -with tools at your fingertips not only to stand out in your market but to survive in the game. Listen to this podcast if you’re new to the game, and get spurred to transform your agency into a social and digital business.  

Jeff Tobe is an international keynote speaker who helps organizations rethink the customer experience and motivates individuals to identify visible opportunities where others only see visible limitations.   In this podcast, Jason Cass delves into Jeff Tobe's six points:   Cost vs Value Perspective The Harvey Principle (identifying opportunities) Give Yourself and ASK (Alternative Solution Kit)

Another podcast from the Month of Marketing. John Carroll from Insurance Splash helps agents and agencies market their business. If you haven't met John or have heard of Insurance Splash, you'll have to do some digging now.  He makes selling insurance cool, as he's been told several times over.  He's got a huge following and his content sticks.  This podcast puts John front and central as he talks about his background and how he helps agents navigate through the digital marketing world.   

Join Jason Cass in the first Google+ Hangouts with the industry's marketing all-stars, Carrie Reynolds, Ryan Hanley and Steve Anderson.     Carrie Reynolds talks about branding and the importance of a story, Ryan Hanley talks about "audience," and Steve Anderson, the expert on mobile technology shares how texting can add another element of engagement to make the entire customer experience whole.   Gather the best practices in the industry and begin implementing these marketing programs into your own practices to optimize the customer experience in your agencies.

This is the first ever Grow Show. Once a month Joey Giangola and Jason Cass will discuss new and upcoming industry-related news and trends and open up the discussion with everyone in the community. In this show, Jason and Joey discuss Ryan Hanley's blog post titled, "Google Has Killed the Generalist and No One Cares." Is your content getting Google love? Or are your efforts falling into the wayside with too general of information? Do you have a specialization? If so, then Google wants you! If not, then you may want to reconsider your content.

Part 2 is a continuation of Jason's interview with Ryan Hanley where he continues to talk about his timeline and his thoughts on the evolution of social media and how it is being used for business today.   With the advent of online technologies, successful agencies today are the ones who are providing clients with an experience and fulfilling all three sides of the client expectation triangle: price, service, and speed of delivery.   Ryan talks about his expertise within Google+ and the power of connecting through Google Plus.  As the new Digital Marketing Lead, his goals are to provide the resources for independent insurance agents.  

Jason Cass brings Ryan Hanley back on 18 months after his first podcast appearance at Agents Influence to discuss social media marketing done right by looking into Ryan's successful progression from insurance agent to top content creator in marketing insurance within the digital space. Ryan Hanely who's built the Hanley Media Lab, lead his own podcast ("Content Warfare") and successful YouTube channel, as wells as been part of the Grow Program, has recently joined Trusted Choice to head up its efforts to drive agents towards the same success in digital marketing. Ryan reminds listeners that the purpose of social media content isn't just for fun, nor just to educate, but also to sell policy!  Creators of content are those who truly control where the intention goes.

This is a double header, solo performance where Jason Cass talks about big things for September.  We’re kicking off the September podcast series, “The Month of Marketing,” and discussing how the industry can raise the tide together.     This podcast also has a blog post version, both of which encourages agents to be part of the industry transformation.  Jason leaks secrets about “Insurance Agent 2020” and striking Facebook gold.  He also talks about Ryan Hanley and his new gig.   Lastly, Jason addresses the number one question agents are asking him today and talks about a universal law that will get agents thinking and acting.  

This Jason Cass interview with Ron Story Jr., is one of the last podcasts in the The Weird and Amazing People series.  Ron Story Jr., entrepreneur and Founder ofLeadWarmer will get you thinking about your agency more as a business, rather than just . . . an agency!   Most people treat their agency like a job rather than a businessand Ron challenges listeners to think about what they're doing to invest in their business. If you want to grow your business, go buy an agency.  The average age of property casualty agency owners is 59 years old and over making it the perfect time to acquire agencies. Ron breaks down how his radical ideas of growing an agency can be accessed and achieved.  Check out what he means by the “hot dog stand” mentality and why you should get out of it.  

“Where will you be five to ten years from now?” Doesn’t that question sound like the classic first-interview question you cringe to hear and sneer as completely useless?  Times have changed and technology has been evolving more rapidly than ever . . . Here we are, back to discuss the future of the insurance industry and whose brain is better to pick than Aaron Wallrich, fourth generation family agency owner, and another weird and amazing guest who wants to challenge you to think of what it will take to survive the industry in the next five to ten years.   Aaron Wallrich is the Sales Manager of Wallrich Agency in Shawano, Wisconsin and an active member of industry social circles.  He’s known for creating his agency’s in-house data management system and knows what it’s taken the industry to transform in the last 40 years.   Together with Jason Cass, Aaron Wallrich points out the systems, processes and bag of tricks you might be missing to keep up with the rapid changes.  

If you missed the first half, Jason Cass and Billy Van Jura talked about insurance as a commodity and why that should be seen as your greatest advantage.  They also talked about the types compensation model that works and builds perpetuation in your agency.  In this second half, Billy switches it up and turns to his own questions about social media.     In Part 2, this podcast starts off with Billy Van Jura saying “I want to hit you with your social media.”  Billy poses the question:  “Is there a percentage formula of how many clients you have to how many social likes or followers you should have?”  Listen to Jason’s treatment of this question: in 90% of the time, create a situation in which people will want to buy and the rest of the 10% can be about your agency, about insurance, or about a sale. Tune in once again to Billy Van Jura and Jason Cass in yet another rich conversation.  Join the fun!  

Meet the next Weird and Amazing Person in this podcast series, Billy Van Jura, Partner at Birchyard Insurance Consultation in New York.  He’s a loyal podcast listener and is way ahead of the game.   This is a two-part podcast that will ruffle your feathers so stay tuned for next week’s Part 2 release. Listen in on this conversation between Billy Van Jura and Jason Cass as they two-step through their different -and similar stances on insurance, the industry, and the compensation model. His anti-marketing and pro-customer spending approach will make you rethink your strategy.  He also talks about '“insurance as a commodity” and why that’s a 100% great thing for agents who really listen.  Lastly, he shares his thoughts on "The" compensation model that works and retains great agents.  This podcast ends abruptly with Billy posing questions on Social Media which is to be continued in Part 2. (Don't miss out next week!)

In Part 1 of the Robb Zbierski interview, he gave some interesting tips on how the brain works. In this second part, Robb talks about why the brain works the way it does then offers some exercises that help enhance your brain power and establish positive patterns. Robb’s visual analogies about the way the brain works awakens your awareness which allows you to make more conscious decisions and actions.   Again for those of you missed the first part, Robb Zbierski is with Freedom Personal Development; they offer personal development programs, including memory training and other “train your brain” programs.      

When you meet someone new, you shake their hand and their name dissolves from your memory just as soon as they say it. If you’re one of these people, you need to know that memory affects every little thing from your relationships to your business to your own personal development, and you’re about to uncover how these tiny mysteries connect in this next podcast from The Summer of the Weird and Amazing Person series. Robb Zbiersk from Freedom Personal Development breaks it all down. He helps you understand how your brain works and how to train your brain for success.  Simply said, you become overall . . . more awesome.   This podcast is packed with pure tactical information so we had to break it up into two parts.  Be sure to check back in next week to see what other little daily changes you can make to maximize the power of your brain.

Welcome to the summer’s podcast series we’re calling the Summer of the Weird and Amazing Person.  Listen to this podcast to hear who and what’s in store, so you can start thinking and seeing outside-the-box.   For the first podcast in this series, we’re also starting it off with Jason’s rant where he challenges agents to find what the real value proposition is for your clients. If what you’re doing today is not working the same they were with new business sales, and if you’re wondering what why your retention is slipping and you’re blaming somebody else, you’ll want to listen to this podcast to see what you need to do to provide true value for your customers.  

Join us for the final podcast of "The Month of the Insurance Woman" series.   We all know that Washington state get a lot of rain....but the shower of love this agent gives her clients is no where comparable!   Claudia McClain the owner of McClain Insurance Services in Everett, WA joins the podcast this week to tell us how she does it.   She breaks down: Why working at Sears in the 70's taught her the value of cross selling and how it affects her agency still today. How and why she invest the vast majority of her advertising money into her clients. How and why she touches them 18-20 times a year   These are just a few of the puddles of fresh water you will find in this conversation.