Tom Birks on Explosive Insurance Agency Growth: New Jersey Success Story

The last producer you hired cost $80K in salary, training, and lost opportunity before they ghosted in month four. Let's make sure that doesn't happen again.

Craig and Jason sat down with Tom Birks to dig into this — no theory, just what works, what failed, and what you can steal for your own book.

The Real Cost

Draw, training, CSR cleanup, subpar client service, opportunity cost of a good hire producing instead. Conservative total: $60-120K. Not a reason to avoid hiring — a reason to stop hiring when desperate.

[INTERNAL: insurance-agency-hiring-mistakes]

Look Outside Insurance

Industry recycles underperformers. Look for proven sellers from adjacent fields — car sales, restaurants, military. Insurance knowledge takes 90 days. Drive and people skills are permanent.

[INTERNAL: how-to-hire-insurance-producers]

The One Question

'Tell me about a time you failed and what you did next.' Can't name one? Lying. Blame others? They'll blame you. Describe learning and adjusting? You've found someone who survives year one.

[INTERNAL: commission-split-structure-new-agents]

The 90-Day Scorecard

Week 1-2: licensing, fundamentals. Week 3-4: shadowing. Month 2: supervised production, daily call reviews. Month 3: independent with weekly pipeline meetings. Specific targets: 30 dials/day, 5 QHH/week, 15% close by day 90.

[INTERNAL: when-to-hire-first-csr]

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🎙️ Listen to the full episode: Tom “The Bomb” Birks Blows Agency Up Swinging That New Jersey Swagger PART 1 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

The Insurance Dudes — Separating the real from the BS in insurance sales since 2019.