April 22, 2021
This week we welcome guest Crystal Ware, Chief Risk Strategist at Empower Benefits & Insurance Group. Crystal is passionate about solving a huge problem in insurance: the talent gap that has emerged as more insurance professionals retire without enough younger people to replace them.
Rick and Crystal discuss how to attract the best and brightest talent via office environment, culture shift, and technology. Plus, Crystal shares the questions she thinks are missing in most interviews that would help make better hiring matches from both sides of the table.
We think this is a great episode to listen to, as all of us in insurance are quickly approaching a huge shift in industry demographics.
April 15, 2021
In this episode the Vertafore Insurance Podcast welcomes Wyatt Stewart with the Big “I”. Rick and Wyatt discuss the 2021 Big “I” Legislative Conference plus the importance of being politically active in the insurance industry. Wyatt gives listeners a glimpse of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to advocate for the independent agent on Capitol Hill.
No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, this episode details legislative matters up for consideration in the near future that will affect the insurance industry at large. While the conference itself ends on April 16, the matters at hand will continue and it’s crucial that insurance professionals understand how politics affect the success of their business.
April 8, 2021
This week on the podcast we have Michael Freilich, CTO of Renaissance Alliance. Michael started in the industry twenty years ago and explains that even when he started there was a narrative that “the independent agent is going away.” Like many of us, he recognized this wasn’t true—but what he saw was true is that the independent agency is always evolving.
Throughout his career, he’s facilitated that evolution and studied ways to ease the process. Rick and Michael chat about his four big pillars for the independent agent: scale, skill, scope, and access to capital. Michael explains how he sees the independent agent being a data company in the future and how the leaders of an agency create the culture around change.
April 1, 2021
This month we hit the one-year anniversary of our world turning upside down, and basketball is back. Rather than the normal industry news and knowledge we typically cover in this podcast, this week we are pausing and reflecting.
From last March to this March, we’ve adapted and changed. We’ve learned to be our own tech support, take a zoom meeting in the only quiet corner in the house, and collaborate remotely. Despite all the hardships and challenges we faced, we’ve come a long way as an industry and as people. Listen in as Rick discusses some of the silver linings of the past year and what he is most excited for right now: basketball and a slow return to something close to normal.
March 25, 2021
We’ve got a VIP on the VIP podcast for this episode! Listen in as I talk with Bill Pieroni, CEO of ACORD. He has spent his entire career in the insurance industry and is interested in the value of industry digitization (and how sometimes we get it wrong).
Bill and I break down his research on digitization ROI. Bill has created five digitization categories, and he defines what each can expect going forward. We discuss if digitization is worth it and how to gauge technology investment ROI from several angles.
I learned a ton from chatting with Bill about his research, and I know it will prove valuable for gaining a better understanding of InsurTech investment.
Want to see the research for yourself?
ACORD Distribution and Digitization
ACORD Whitepapers
March 18, 2021
This week we dive into questions submitted by you, the listeners. Rick shares expertise on technology, client relationships, and managing employees.
All of the questions on today’s show were based on the subject of the evolving agency and what "keeping up” looks like. Rick discusses how to find technology that works for you (hint, trust your network!), how to encourage employees while adapting to modern practices, and how to continue personal relationships with your clients and use technology.
Got a question that you would like answered on the show? Get in touch – podcast@vertafore.com
March 11, 2021
This week, we welcome Bradley Flowers of the Insurance Guys podcast and founder of Portal Insurance, and we’re talking about sales versus service.
Bradley shares with us his philosophy on service, and how that has made all the difference when it comes to his agency’s success. Sales are important, but service should take the spotlight when it comes to growth and retention.
Rick and Bradley discuss the steps agencies can take to make service center-stage and better compete with direct-to-consumer companies. And Bradley gives his take on what agencies can learn from big box companies even when they don’t see eye-to-eye.
March 4, 2021
If you like stats, this episode is for you. Rick shares highlights from our annual insurance agency workforce whitepaper that details findings from a survey of more than 1,000 independent insurance professionals in the U.S. In this episode, Rick digs into how the industry reported on their feelings surrounding InsurTech and agency modernization and what this means for agencies looking to grow and thrive in 2021.
- (3:30) Feelings on InsurTech in general
- (6:45) The difference between using tech and embracing it
- (12:15) The problem with time
- (16:30) Getting real results from real change
February 25, 2021
Our guest for this episode is Torey Maerz, Founder and CEO of Rocket Referrals. Torey is here to remind us that we can do hard things, and 2021 is going to be a year of massive change and adjustment for insurance when the world opens back up. It's time to get comfortable with discomfort, and it's time to embrace your entrepreneurial spirit for the explosion of changes coming.
In this episode, listeners get a dose of tough love from a guy who knows what it takes to build strong and lasting relationships with clients and build success in times of change.
February 18, 2021
This week, we're adding a new episode format to the podcast: Ask Rick. Rick gets all kinds of questions from people across the insurance industry. In this episode, Rick answers some questions that people across the industry can relate to, and we invite listeners to submit their questions to podcast@vertafore.com to be answered by Rick in a future Ask Rick episode.
