Vertafore Insurance Podcast

The ROI of insurance digitization, with Bill Pieroni

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 

Ask Rick: Drowning in tech options

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 

80% service 20% sales, with Bradley Flowers

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. 

InsuRant: Survey says…

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 

White Page.

 

 

Get comfortable with discomfort, with Torey Maerz

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.

Ask Rick: Answering questions from across the industry

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. 

 

Just press record, with Kelly Lennon

In this episode we welcome Kelly Lennon, Vice President and Risk Advisor for Technology at USI Property and Casualty. Kelly is an insurance professional who also has a background in sales and marketing, and she is talking to us about the power of video for reaching end-insureds. 

Kelly uses video to engage with the industry and her clients, and she's giving listeners tips and tricks on how to effectively incorporate amateur video into daily processes. She's also here to remind us that it's ok to try new things (and then try them again if they don't work). 

Video can be a great way to differentiate yourself in the market, and this episode will give you a place to start if you haven't already. If you're already using video in your sales and marketing efforts, she offers some great tips and tricks to make it even better. 

• (6:30) Using video to cut through the clutter
• (9:30) Growing business online using video
• (11:00) Repurposing video for the biggest impact
• (14:30) Embedding video as an active engagement strategy
• (16:30) Getting started

InsuRant: No excuses, play like a champion

No matter your role in an insurance organization, you've got goals, projects, and dreams. It can be easy to fall behind and veer off course in your pursuit of a win no matter who you are or what the end goal is. In this episode, we're talking about a no-excuses approach to reaching your goals with a little inspiration from a silly but great movie, Wedding Crashers, and this applied to everything in your life—insurance-related or not. 

InsuRant: The word of the year is "retention"

A happy, loyal client is worth their weight in gold. We all know keeping an existing client is easier than finding a new one, but it's time to stop paying lip service to retention and start digging into the whys and hows of a great strategy to keep clients in your book of business.

In this episode, Rick outlines the top three reasons why retention is so important and provides a 3-step playbook for how to implement a winning retention strategy.

Sharpening the agent's superpowers, with Tyler Asher

Tyler Asher believes that independent agents can turn their competitive advantage into superpowers in the market, and he’s here to tell us how. As President of Independent Agent Distribution at Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance, Tyler is a treasure trove of information and he’s hitting us with some high-impact knowledge in this episode.  

Rick and Tyler discuss:

• Digital transformation and online presence (5:30)
• Turbocharging sales (13:30)
• The talent problem (and solution) (21:00)