Page 19 of 34 · 680 total
10/08/2021 · 6 min read
Clarity of mission is an operating system, not a slogan. A definite purpose names what you're building, for whom, on what timeframe, and why it matters personally. That sentence then filters every hire, marketing dollar, and calendar block from the top down.
10/07/2021 · 6 min read
Delegation only works when you build the oversight layer. Kirk Baker uses three things: random sampling, visible metrics, and a regular one-on-one. Match the right person to the task, and never delegate culture, key client relationships, or producer hiring.
10/06/2021 · 6 min read
Real delegation transfers ownership, not just the task. Kirk Baker sorts agency work into three tiers, points the owner only at tier-one decisions, and uses an explicit authority map so team members stop bouncing every question back to the top of the org chart.
10/06/2021 · 6 min read
Handing off agency service work requires written process, explicit standards, and repeated observation, not a single walk-through. Kirk Baker explains why the new frontier rewards agencies that document service tasks, train against the document, and inspect what they expect.
10/01/2021 · 5 min read
Get out of the sales dog house with rehearsed language built on the acknowledgment-redirect-offer structure. Three scripts to write today: the unanswered follow-up, the I-need-to-think-about-it stall, and the I'm-shopping-it-around deflection. Authenticity comes from preparation, not improvisation.
09/28/2021 · 5 min read
Four lessons from 400 episodes: consistent prospecting beats every other growth lever, multi-line at point of sale beats cross-sell-later, three excellent hires beat six mediocre ones, and clean systems before scaling beats activity without infrastructure. Branding and tech don't fix what behavior won't.
09/25/2021 · 5 min read
Action is the only currency that builds an agency. Replace planning with testing. Set a 20-minute timer, take the imperfect version of the one move you've been preparing for, then learn and run the next imperfect version. Fifty slightly better actions beat the perfect plan.
09/24/2021 · 6 min read
The agency owners who build great teams share two characteristics: they have high hiring standards and they act on performance problems quickly. Most owners have the first or the second, rarely both.
09/20/2021 · 5 min read
Stop the backslide by tracking behavior metrics (call volume, contact rate, quote conversion, referral asks) on a weekly dashboard with thresholds that trigger defined responses. Complacency softens the behaviors that produced growth, one small concession at a time. Recover sequentially: one behavior at full intensity for 30 days.
09/20/2021 · 5 min read
Spot agency backslide early by watching leading indicators (new business conversion rate, 90-day cancellation rate, team activity volume, retention by cohort) instead of waiting for monthly production to drop. Catch the slide while it's people drift or process decay, before culture changes turn into revenue changes.
09/18/2021 · 5 min read
Serial entrepreneurs compound pattern recognition across businesses, not within one. The combination that builds durable agencies pairs eye-of-the-tiger competitive drive with heart-of-gold investment in people. Drive sets standards. Care builds teams that outperform extractive cultures over time.
09/18/2021 · 6 min read
Dave Williams's serial-entrepreneur framework pairs competitive drive (eye of the tiger) with personal integrity (heart of gold). Treat failure as information, not identity. Anchor drive to specific people in your life so it sustains. Character compounds because the insurance product is trust.
09/17/2021 · 6 min read
Insurance hiring is brutal because licensing filters out potential, commission scares off salaried candidates, and the industry lacks employer brand recognition. Survive by running a warm pipeline year-round, shortening your interview process, and testing behavior instead of trusting resumes.
09/15/2021 · 5 min read
Agents commonly leave clients underinsured: NFIP building caps at $250K, contents are sub-limited, and the 30-day waiting period traps clients who buy reactively. NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 changes pricing, and private flood offers higher limits, broader coverage, and shorter waits worth quoting on every account.
09/13/2021 · 6 min read
Emotional intelligence beats technical knowledge as the variable that separates top producers from also-rans. Insurance is an emotional transaction: prospects buy safety, not coverage details. Develop it with a reflection log, label emotions before responding, ask staff and clients how you make them feel.
09/13/2021 · 5 min read
Emotional mastery for an agency owner is real-time awareness of your internal state plus the ability to regulate it before it leaks into the team. Check in before calls and meetings, run a 5-minute reset between frustrating moments, and process hard emotions in private. Leader state spreads to team performance.
09/11/2021 · 5 min read
Motivation is an emotional state that decays in about 72 hours. Inspiration is cultivated through habits, origin-story reconnection, evidence of impact, and time with people further along. High-performing agents run on inspiration plus systems, not motivation.
09/11/2021 · 5 min read
When motivation goes quiet, lean on discipline structure and actively reconnect with purpose. Build morning routines and call blocks that run regardless of feelings, then tie the daily work to specific client outcomes: claims paid, businesses saved, families protected.
09/10/2021 · 7 min read
Content marketing makes insurance agents the trusted local expert by answering real client questions on video, email, or LinkedIn with consistency. Pick one channel, commit to a 90-day publishing schedule, and track inbound inquiries to know whether to double down or adjust.
09/06/2021 · 5 min read
Two moves for P&C agents this week: audit your last five closed and five lost accounts and build a five-touch follow-up sequence to close the gap, and stop opening email first thing so the first 30 to 45 minutes of your day is spent on forward-moving work.