Do you know the difference between customer experience and customer service and which happens when?
Customer service is when something goes wrong, customer experience however is a much bigger umbrella protecting every interaction with clients in your business.
It's everything from how you answer the phone, respond to emails, what it feels like to physically be in your office and certainly what happens when they need to use their policy (see file claim).
It's a much more proactive approach to engaging with your clients that will ultimately breed a level of loyalty that's hard to imagine.
That's what Ryan talks to Joey Coleman, New York Times best selling author, about the number one secret to making sure your clients don't leave.
Want to see Joey live, Elevate 18 is already sold out, but come hangout in Cleveland anyway and maybe people will be selling their tickets on the street.
Connect with Joey:
Buy Joey's Book: Never Lose a Customer Again
Special Thanks to Safeco for being a Diamond Sponsor
P.S. Elevate 18 is still sold out, don't worry there's always next year.
If you don't stick to your guns, you'll just end up complaining about how many bad ones you have.
You constantly have to be prepared to break it off with a client or not get involved with a new one if things aren't right.
Not only will this help you from complaining, it might even keep you happy in your business.
That's one thing Alex Dopazo, of Dopazo and Associates, isn't afraid to do.
P.S. Don't be afraid to subscribe to the Agency Nation newsletter.
It's really hard to unmake the choices you inherited from previous generations.
While normally fueled with the best of intentions, they often struggle to be relevant to the people waiting to put their name on the door.
However, that only tells half the story, because at the end of the day it's up to you to do your best with the opportunities given.
At some point you can't let those old and dirty decsision get the best of, instead it's finally you chance to turn the tables.
That's what you can hear Seth Zaremba, of Zinc Insurance and Matt Simon, of Hill and Hamilton Insurance, talk about the world they want to live in.
Do you wish you grew up in an insurance world that only let you have a niche?
Believe it or not, there's some agents out there lucky enough to do just that.
If selling to your niche is your only option, it's amazing how good you get selling in it.
In fact, within a fairly short amount of time, you'll be able to own it like no one else you know.
That's what my new friend Amanda Schneider, of TrueNorth Companies, is doing from the start of her insurance career.
P.S. The Agency Nation newsletter is the best insurance email sent on Sunday morning. #Facts
If you don't, it will never get done.
Lie to yourself all you want, a highly effective piece of content that gets found in search is almost impossible to beat.
Because when it starts working its hard to stop. That means a constant new stream of business finding you.
The only thing you have to be careful of is making sure you go deep enough.
That's what I talk to Woody Brown, of The Rhoads Group, about how he can start to give it more.
P.S. Agency Nation University sole purpose is to help you find that respect. Check it out now.
It really depends on what and how you do it.
Because there's a very good chance you might be missing an important piece.
That piece might technology, it might access to the right company or the thing you want to do just doesn't like it.
No matter what, you'll need to overcome them all if you truly want to scale all the way.
That's what I talk to Ed Munson, of Munson Insurance, about as he tries to figure out if he can.
P.S. Did you know Sydney just released a new 42 video workshop inside Agency Nation University?
Is by making sure we remember to tell each other what we need to win.
It seems simple enough, but there's plenty of communication isolation going on all around the industry.
Basically there's a lot of preaching to choirs that we allow to serve as validation for inexperienced problems.
I jumped behind the mic for a first ever one-on-one monologue of sorts to discuss this problems and few others related to it.
How many insurance companies are willing to tear it all down and put technology at the top of the list?
The answer we all wish wasn't true is, not many.
But that's exactly what State Auto did when Mike LaRocco came on board three years ago.
It's also nice that they believe so strongly in us, you know independent agents, and want to make sure we come along for the ride.
That's what I sit down to talk with the man himself about as he shares what the journey has been like and how the rest of the industry can learn from it.
Connect with Mike:
Is the lack of trust and respect you have for making sure people know you're an expert.
If there's one thing you should be doing on the internet for your agency, it's distributing your insurance brain to as many people in as many places as you can.
When you're done with that you should feel good about it because too many of us are worried insurance isn't "cool" enough.
Just stop it, it is and so are you so let's all do something about.
That's what I talk to Becky Taylor, Marketing Manger at Ohio Insurance Agents (OIA), as she delivers a much needed pep talk.
If you want to build a business and avoid becoming a slave to your agency, you have to find the next generation of agents.
This has to be one of the most important things you do over the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years.
You really don't have a choice, because this year alone one out of every four agents will be retiring.
It's up to you to make sure that next wave of agents knows how to properly help people plan for the day they don't want to think about.
That's what Ryan talks with Matt Sapaula, Co-Owner at PHP Agency, about he always has someone to hold a torch.
Want to see Matt live, grabbing a ticket to Elevate 18 will do make it happen.
Connect with Matt:
P.S. You already know this, but Elevate 18 tickets could change your life.
Is by making sure you always know who needs to do what, when.
Because when you do, you'll limit the amount on enthusiasm you kill delaying progress.
The longer you make something take, the less that will get done.
This is also true if you're always trying to do more than you can handle.
That's what I talk to Dani Kimble, at The O'Neill Group, about as she tries to figure out how fast her process can work.
For whatever reason we like to sell insurance with people who normally have the same last name.
It's all possible we just suffer from some undiagnosable form of mental illness to prefer to do business this way.
Or there could be unexplainable benefits to selling insurance with the people you also spend the holiday's with.
Because this behavior is so common, it's also hard to walk away from, especially if you already stepped in.
That's what I talk with Patrick Muscenti, of McGown Insurance, about as he shares his journey out of his family agency.
I doubt that you are, because it's really hard to keep doing something you don't think is working.
Not to mention you could've have missed something and waited all that time for nothing...
Doesn't SEO sound great? Guess what though, if you can survive all of that, you'll be rewarded with a constant stream of leads that never runs dry.
Well, I mean if you don't keep up appearances it will eventually stop flowing.
That's what TrustedChoice.com SEO master Nyssa Lieder and I talk just to make sure you remember.
It's hard to capture and even harder to recreate, now matter what it's dangerous inside your agency.
The truth is, it's so rare to find most agencies don't know what's possible if they had it.
That thing, of course, is creativity and the lack of it found within the industry.
That's why when someone comes in from the outside, seemingly having no business being here, blazes a trail no one's seen before.
That's the creative firestorm that is Wood Brown and the reason Ryan wanted to talk to him about the benefits of taking those risks.
Want to see Woody live, grab your ticket for Elevate 18 right now!
Connect with Woody:
Subscribe to Woody's YouTube Channel
P.S. Seriously, you don't want to miss feeling that vibe Elevate 18 is going to create.
Is so out of control if you realized what's possible you'd spend threes times more.
The problem is the mindset you approach the purchase with. That is it's something that isn't really necessary and ineffective.
That mindset is easy to have not knowing or seeing the full potential effective video marketing can have on your agency.
If you could you would have wished you made that investment years ago and even think it's a bargain for the business it delivers.
That's what I talk to Jared Bellmund, of Carolina Living Insurance, about as he dreams of the gear he's missing.
Are you brave enough to actually do the things you wish could be done different?
It seems like everyone loves to play armchair InsurTech CEO these days, but actually making it on the field is entirely different.
That first step is much easier when you have people with the level of intensity walking on each side.
It's that team of people that will help finish your idea and bring it into reality.
That's what Ryan talks to Jeremy Hallett, CEO of Hallett Financial and Quotacy, about his journey getting into the game.
Want to see Jeremy live, there's just a few tickets for Elevate 18 left!
Connect with Jeremy:
The better question is, what should they actually be doing?
Because if you think you need a person, there's a good chance that you actually need a person.
What isn't so obvious is the type of work this person will be doing and seeing if it can be found elsewhere, cheaper.
If you don't figure out the answer to those questions before brining someone new into your agency, that might be a problem.
That's what I talked to long time guest Mike Crowley, of Crowley Insurance, about as he tried to learn when to pull the trigger.
P.S. Did you know I write something extra special directly to you every Sunday in my newsletter? You should subscribe.
The only thing you have to do to get it is ask the people you're already selling.
Sounds a little too good to be true, right? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
If you're knocking down 10-15 personal home and auto policies every week, you just need to close one final expense policy to do it.
Now, if you're one of those P&C guys that swore off life insurance years ago, this sale should get you back at the table.
That's what I wanted to talk to my new friends Mike Quaranta and Dave Nyborg at Oxford Life to find out just how easy it might be.
Connect with Mike and Dave
Is because of a creative culture that won't stop.
Culture
Tough to pin down. Easy to dismiss.
Yet, Culture.
As ethereal concept as it may be… is Paramount to victory.
Because culture… unlike any other aspect of your business...
...is the psychological manifestation of the soul of your business.
You can’t fake it.
Culture is honest, candid and true.
...and it all boils down to this.
You care… or you don’t.
Not that you care about your business… of course you do.
But do you care about your people?
It’s easy to say you care.
It’s easy to put up motivational quotes in the break room.
It’s easy to WANT a great company culture.
But culture doesn’t happen by accident.
Your people judge you on your actions.
What do you actually do?
Do you live, breathe and execute on the culture your words frame?
Your actions…
It is your actions that define culture.
Want a performance-based culture?
Perform. Go do the work and hold yourself accountable to results.
You want a creative culture?
Be creative. Try stuff. Think different about your business and share your ideas freely up and down the company.
Want to growth culture?
Go sell something and teach others how to sell.
Do this again and again and again and again… till living, breathing and executing your company culture is more than habit, but simply how you do business…
Only through your own hard work can the trust, respect and loyalty necessary to seed culture be built.
Then… as your new culture begins to blossom...
Let go… and trust your people to nourish and grow that culture into the future.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
...more like culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, dinner and that snack right before bed you don’t tell your spouse about.
Culture is how we win.
So… Be selfless.
Be kind.
Be accountable.
Be inspired.
Be curious.
Be creative.
Be driven.
Be the change you want to see throughout your company.
You must embody that change, every day, in every action you take.
You must be the force of will that breaks down the narcissism, pessimism, protectionism, and all the other “isms” keeping your company from success.
We all have insecurities.
We all have shortcomings.
We all have moments of weakness.
But we survive.
No. We thrive… despite them all, because of trust, respect, loyalty, camaraderie… because of culture.
What will your culture be?
P.S. You can experience that culture first hand if you come to Elevate 18
If you wait until you need someone to figure out who you're going to hire, you've already lost.
The chances of you finding the absolute best person for that position in a two week time span is near impossible.
The big question is, why aren't you always looking for the next person you're not sure you'll need?
Because if you are you'll always have the highest quality candidate ready to fill a hole or take on a new position.
That's what Ryan, Sydney and I talk about today plus setting the right president to maximize your collective results.
There's a good chance you might not even be able to ante up to today's table stakes of digital presentation.
Today's consumer expects to find so much information that you might not be giving them.
It's move beyond just a phone, email and website. They expect real tangible things to be delivered to the through a digital experience in the form of education and communication.
If your agency isn't actively trying to meet those consumers where they are at, you'll have a hard time finding a table to sit at.
That's what Ryan wanted to talk to Jeff Teschke, Founder and CEO of Forge3, about how you can find a seat at the table.
If you want to see Jeff live, he'll be hanging out at Elevate 18 this year!
Connect with Jeff:
If we all work together this is something we won't have to worry about anymore.
Alright fine, yes you'll obviously still be able to lose a big account to another agent.
However, if we all get our act together it won't happen because someone didn't do their job right or people hate insurance.
I know it sounds a little far fetched already, but I'm pretty sure if everyone comes together from all sides of the industry we can make it happen.
That's what I talk to Nancy Nicklow, of Huff Insurance, about the account she couldn't believe she was losing.
Sometimes it pays to look your best when clients need you the most.
There are so many aspects to creating a video "that works" it's impossible to execute them all.
Sure, eventually you might get there, but that's 12 months and 40 videos later.
The faster you can be authentically good on camera, the sooner the world will open up to you and your business.
That's what Ryan talks to Greg Rollett, Founder of Ambitious.com, about why he wants to help you do it.
If you want to see Greg live, we only have 32 tickets left for Elevate 18!
Connect with Greg:
P.S. Seriously, we only have 32 tickets left, grab one before it's too late.
Do you go after a veteran that's been around the league and knows how to win now or build for the future?
Figuring out this simple question alone, is one insurance agents have been struggling to answer for at least a decade.
Most of the time what ends up happening is experience is over-valued and everyone discounts what the game looks like through new eyes.
That's why I talked to Bogus Handzle, of Handzle and Associates, to figure out what's best for his agency.
P.S. Did you know we have only like 34 tickets left, you should come for a few building lessons.
The more you pay attention to what you say, the better your client will feel.
When you hear someone say no your brain treats it the same as physical pain.
Sounds crazy, but that's probably not what you want your customers feeling when they're on the phone with your agency.
It's amazing how simple it can be to dramatically change the experience your clients have just by being positive and giving them useful alternatives.
That's what Sydney Roe and I talked to Matt Wood, of MetzWood Insurance, about what his wife is doing at Etsy to change their customer experience.