Page 15 of 43 · 850 total episodes
12/12/2022 · 5 min read
Improve insurance sales calls and close more clients by killing four habits: premature quoting before trust is built, telling instead of asking, filler words that bleed credibility, and filling the silence after a closing question. Record ten calls and audit the first 60 seconds before changing anything else.
12/07/2022 · 5 min read
Lead quality is a system variable, not a property of the lead. Speed to call, attempts per lead (target 7+), contact rate (above 50%), and agent skill drive cost per issued policy. Audit 100 leads before cutting a source. The same lead closes at 15% or 5% depending on follow-up.
12/05/2022 · 5 min read
Open internet lead calls with the prospect's outcome in the first 30 seconds, ask one great qualifying question before quoting, present options transparently, and answer "I need to think about it" with a specific follow-up question. Text inside 10 minutes after any voicemail.
11/28/2022 · 10 min read
Build strategically by working on the business not just in it, applying second-order thinking to every decision, treating failure as diagnostic information, and competing on client experience instead of price. The best system beats the best salesperson every time.
11/23/2022 · 5 min read
The biggest lead-buying mistake is treating the lead as the lever instead of the system around it. Two agents on the same vendor close 18% vs 6%. Contact inside 5 minutes, run 7+ attempts over 14 days, track cost per issued policy (not cost per lead), and train follow-up.
11/21/2022 · 5 min read
Most P&C agencies run at 60 to 70 percent of real capacity because sales agents handle service calls, admin work, and lead management. Separate sales from service, kill admin, and tighten CRM follow-up before buying more leads.
11/16/2022 · 9 min read
Run a profitable insurance agency on five tactical practices: protect your highest-cognitive hours, run a 12-month touchpoint calendar with every client, make the first 90 days unforgettable, ask for referrals at moments of high satisfaction, and document every repeated process.
11/09/2022 · 5 min read
Agency culture comes down to three emotional states your team needs to feel every week: certainty about targets and rules, connection to each other and the owner, and contribution to work that matters. Build all three intentionally and the team performs without constant pushing.
11/07/2022 · 5 min read
A talk time accountability system requires four parts: daily visibility on the dashboard, a defined four-hour minimum standard, weekly one-on-one coaching conversations, and removal of admin work that blocks selling time.
11/02/2022 · 5 min read
Toby Hedges runs every client through a 30-day welcome call, a 90-day check-in, and an annual review scheduled at inception. Every role has a written playbook. Call reviews happen weekly. Training continues for 90 days with structured milestones. These are ordinary fundamentals executed with extraordinary consistency.
10/31/2022 · 5 min read
Market size does not determine agency ceiling. Toby Hedges built a high-performing operation in Mississippi by applying the same fundamentals that work anywhere: defined roles, tracked metrics, a client experience built for referrals, and a culture that keeps producers from leaving. Geography is not the variable. Execution is.
10/26/2022 · 5 min read
Five numbers run a smarter agency: conversion rate by agent, retention by cohort, revenue per client, cost per issued policy by lead source, and agent production trend. Track them weekly, share them with the team as growth context, and act on what you see.
10/25/2022 · 5 min read
Most agents break under pressure because their systems and culture were built for current volume, not for stress. Pressure-proof agencies use written scripts, calm owner leadership, regular reviews, and healthy personal habits. Build the infrastructure before you need it, in both slow stretches and growth surges.
10/19/2022 · 6 min read
Zach Farris scales his agency with a five-minute daily huddle on three numbers, weekly conversion reviews by agent and lead source, a structured day-two-through-five follow-up system, and ruthless ROI tracking of cost per issued policy by source.
10/17/2022 · 5 min read
Zach Farris builds agency freedom fast by operating on a five-year horizon: hire before the revenue justifies it, build systems before volume demands them, and delegate the tasks you're best at. Speed is a choice, not a result of circumstance.
10/12/2022 · 5 min read
Give yourself a raise without writing new policies: run round-out calls on every single-policy household, raise retention 5 points (it compounds), proactively shop renewals before clients ask, and build a systematic referral program with a specific ask, timing, and incentive.
10/10/2022 · 5 min read
Most insurance agency owners stall because they identify as the best producer in the room instead of the builder of sales systems. Shifting to system-builder thinking, tracking team metrics instead of personal numbers, and treating discomfort as information are the unlocks that produce real owner freedom.
10/05/2022 · 5 min read
Garrett Wagner's insurance agency growth playbook is execution over everything: run the shop like a sports team not a family, buy lead quality before quantity, build a 30-60-90 onboarding system, protect peak hours for strategy, and treat retention as a revenue stream with scheduled touchpoints.
10/03/2022 · 5 min read
Scale a sustainable insurance agency by treating it as craft, not hustle: hire for character first and skill second, train producers to competence not to a calendar, and design every client relationship for a 10-year horizon. Quality over speed compounds into retention, referrals, and team stability.
09/28/2022 · 4 min read
Reviewing your team's recorded sales calls is the most underrated insurance agency growth activity. Thirty minutes a week catches script drift, surfaces systemic objections your training misses, captures the moves that actually work, and makes coaching credible because it cites specifics.
