April 2, 2020
Is the pace of change making you dizzy? We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the only way to survive is to embrace change and evolve. This week, Mike Becker, EVP and CEO of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) joins us to talk about his own philosophy around the changes that are shaking up our industry every day. In this episode, Mike covers:
- His recipe for surviving and adapting to change
- What you should consider as you take those first steps into new territory
- The importance of understanding your client base (and how to show them you do)
March 26, 2020
Every business, large or small, wants to grow - it's only natural. But growing isn't always easy! If your agency is succeeding, you might find yourself struggling with some growing pains as you try to navigate the path from a single person shop to a mega-broker and everywhere in between. In this week's InsuRant, Rick brings his experience as an agency owner and longtime industry veteran to the table to provide some solid advice for agencies of all sizes (and growing!)
March 19, 2020
This week we have two guests: Husband and wife, business partners, and podcasting duo Ted and Arleen Taveras. Ted and Arleen are the founders of Insurance Licensing Services of America, better known as ILSA, and also run the SpotOn Insurance podcast. This week, Ted and Arleen share their unique story and perspective to inspire you in your own career and life.
Some of the key moments you won't want to miss include:
- The most important thing you can do, period (11:20)
- Turning a niche from a limitation into an asset (26:00)
- Why prioritizing your culture is vital and how to do it (34:14)
March 18, 2020
This week, we are bringing you a special edition of the podcast! While we are all trying to settle in to our new normal, I wanted to bring this important discussion with Laura Nettles, CEO of Nettles Consulting, to you all. In this bonus episode, Laura and I talk about the things you can be doing in this new environment to maintain the customer relationships you value so much. Tune in and stay safe!
March 12, 2020
Robots, artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation: these are hot topics right now as scientists predict a major shift from human employees to computer labor in the near future. While long haul truckers might legitimately fear being replaced by self-driving trucks, Rick explains why he doesn't believe the humans in our industry are going anywhere. Check out this week's InsuRant to learn:
- Which parts of our industry we can and should automate to free up our people for more important parts of the job (8:40)
- What we should do now to position ourselves for the high-tech future (13:43)
- What InsurTech can do to be more like Netflix (15:40)
March 10, 2020
Today's guest is Caribou Honig, Chairman and co-founder of InsureTech Connect, one of the largest gatherings of insurance technology professionals in the world. Before he ventured into InsurTech, Caribou spent over a decade in the financial technology sector and witnessed the digital disruption-slash-transformation that occurred in the worlds of banking and finance.
With his vast knowledge and understanding of the insurance and technology businesses, along with the finance and investments that power the current surge in InsurTech, Caribou brings loads of insights to the table. Not least of which, the revelation that playing gold is no longer a necessary part of winning in our industry.
February 27, 2020
What does "modernizing your agency" mean and why is it something you have to do (and do now!) to survive? In this week's InsuRant, Rick explains the importance of moving into the future for the benefit of your customers, your employees, and your overall business. More than just updating the look of your office, Rick explains how and why using modern technology to engage your customers and empower your employees will ultimately enable profitable growth for your business.
February 20, 2020
This isn't your typical motivational speaker! Seth Preus of Mivation joins the podcast to shed some light on what motivation is (and isn't) and how you can harness the driving forces that will motivate you - and your employees. Learn the strategies Seth has found to motivate independent workers (around 7:15), the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators (at 10:08), and how to correctly use gamification to boost performance (head over to 22:40). This episode is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the topic of motivation, but if you're interested in learning more, it's a great place to start.
February 13, 2020
On today's InsuRant episode, we're talking about something that's personal to our host Rick Fox. As a Los Angeles native and lifelong Laker's fan, Rick has always found inspiration in the way Kobe Bryant lived his life and the values he demonstrated. While a basketball star might not be a typical source of professional motivation for insurance professionals, Rick shares Kobe's impact on his life and career and personal traits like work ethic and attention to detail. No matter who you are or what you're doing, Rick wants to share his source of inspiration with you.
February 6, 2020
Join us to talk about the diversity in your network with author, speaker, and consultant Amy Waninger. Amy's career has twisted and turned from her childhood in small-town Indiana to working in IT within the insurance industry, to finally finding her passion in educating others on the importance of diversity and inclusion (that's the first 14 minutes of the episode). Then, we dive in with Amy to get her take on how you can actively improve your life and career by intentionally making connections with people who aren't like you (at 17:00) and how you can take it a step further to make your business stand out and earn the trust of different communities you may not have been reaching before (skip ahead to 28:00). If you like what you hear in this episode, you can get a free e-book with even more takeaways from Amy at https://bit.ly/37jXNH2 (look on the left side of the page for 21 Insights for Inclusive Networking).
