Vertafore Insurance Podcast

Embrace technology without fear or delay

At the end of each episode, we ask our guests for their one biggest piece of advice for the industry. Now, it's time to open up the time capsule and see what we find! Throughout 2019, our guests have given excellent advice from their own personal and professional experience. So, we're unpacking this advice with a little commentary from Rick to tie it all together. This week, Rick pulls answers from Jason Keck (2:27), Chad Hawkinson (3:49). Dale Steinke (6:00), James Hobson (7:32), Clive O'Connell (9:56), and Dave Morton (11:52) and discovers they're all saying one really important thing: embrace technology! Listen to this week's InsuRant to get a reminder on how you can do this and why it's vital to your future success.

Re-connect the dots: Listen (again) to our connectivity roundtable discussion

It's a special Thanksgiving treat! Did you miss our roundtable discussion about connectivity across the industry? This week's podcast features a replay of our conversation between industry experts Ryan Deeds, Chris Cline, Joyce Sigler, and Vertafore product executive Sharmila Ray - moderated by our host Rick Fox. Hear from all sides - agency, carrier, and software - how connectivity is vital to your success and how to achieve it. 

Give your customers a reason to be grateful

Rick is back with another InsuRant and, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, he's focusing on the topic of gratitude. Whether you're thankful for your family, customers, employees, or anyone else in your life, this is a season where most of us take stock and make sure we're showing those people how important they are to us. Hear Rick's thoughts on why gratitude is important to your business and why doing what you've always done just isn't enough (around 4:18). Then, hear how you can use this time of year to add even more value to your customers to show your own appreciation and inspire theirs. Rick shares some reminders and safety tips (around 18:05) that you can take to your customers to let them know you're thinking of them. We can't think of a better way to show your customers you care than by checking in to make sure they know how to stay safe and to double-check they have the right coverages just in case.

Fires, floods, and cannabis, oh my!

This week's guest is Patti Harman, Editor-in-Chief for Claims Magazine. Patti is a lifelong writer and storyteller who also developed a passion for education along the way. She joins us to talk about the importance of learning styles and experiential learning, particularly within the insurance industry (around 6:53). You'll get to hear her adventures touring the American Modern training facility in Ohio, the use of virtual reality in job-training, and how she once got to flood a living room for educational purposes (around 15:20). If you fast-forward to 18:55, Patti shares her thoughts on the new opportunities and challenges that are on the horizon as the insurance industry begins to reckon with the legalization of cannabis across the United States.

Have you googled your business lately?

This week, we're joined by John Bachmann, Regional Vice President, Insurance at Social Survey to talk about the importance of a solid online presence for everyone in our industry. From the basics, like having a modern website (around 4:20) to understanding what it means to have a brand (around 9:08) to the importance of customer reviews in the buying process (around 18:00) John walks us through some of the most important things that you can do to build and maintain your online reputation. 

Be prepared - not scared - this Halloween

We're shaking things up with a new format every-other week. Starting with today's episode, Rick will talk about a timely topic of his choosing on alternating weeks from regular shows featuring our incredible industry guests. Our inaugural InsuRant falls on Halloween, which also happens to be 60 days before the end of 2019. Rick takes the chance to remind you about the importance of year-end planning and setting yourself and your staff up for success (starting at 3:40). Then, since it is Halloween after all, Rick explores some spooky-but-real insurance coverages you might consider getting into, like Alien Abduction and Vampire/Werewolf just to name a few (around 10:20). Finally, you'll hear one of Rick's favorite personal stories about the convergence of Halloween, toddlers, and the need for sewer backup insurance (at 14:50). 

Agencies Assemble!

Agencies assemble! This week of the Vertafore Insurance Podcast (VIP), we're joined by Jeff Smith and Carey Wallace, the dynamic duo from Ohio Insurance Agents. This episode is all about data, and you won't want to miss a beat. Start at 1:50 to hear about why it's important to become a data-driven agency, and then jump in at 7:42 to discuss what agencies should be doing to make the data difference. 11:35 is all about what the tangible things you can be doing to create impact with data are, and finally, at 18:55, we talk about how you can get people on board with the data trend.

I'll Be a Salesman When I Grow Up

Have you ever met a kid who says, "I want to be in sales when I grow up"? Well, we have! This week on the Vertafore Insurance Podcast (VIP), Rick sits down with Mark Evans, the CEO and founder of Standard Sales Co. This episode is all about sales, sales, and more sales, so get out your pen and paper and follow along! At 4:30, listen to hear us talk about what the future will look like for millennials in insurance. Jump in at 9:10 to hear Mark discuss what agents should do to plan for success, at 16:00 to learn what "starting with a cadence" means, at 23:30, we talk about the Communication Languages of Sales, and at 29:50, sum up the episode with Rick and Mark as they talk about what your agency should be taking advantage of.

Nick Saban, Can You Hear Us?

This week on the Vertafore Insurance Podcast (VIP), our host, Rick Fox, sits down with Linda Dodson, Executive Director of NetVU, and talks about everything from her crush on Nick Saban to agency principles and development. Linda is an industry legend, so tune in at 3:30 to hear about agency management systems and why agencies need to be utilizing more than 20% of their AMS. Tune in at 8:10 to hear what the baby steps are to fully leveraging your AMS and what groups you can get involved with, at 12:30 to hear Linda's cross-selling advice, and at 20:30 to hear about company programs and how you should be getting involved. Oh, and don't tell Rick, but like Linda, we're bigger Cowboys fans than we are Rams fans. Happy listening!

Vertafore Insurance Podcast - Tony Canas

This week on the Vertafore Insurance Podcast (VIP), Rick sat down with Tony Canas. If that name doesn't sound familiar to you, maybe "Insurance Nerds" and "Superman t-shirt" will ring a bell? Tony brings a wealth of experience in the industry to the VIP, including his thought leadership on millennials in insurance. It's the joining of the generations in this episode, so jump in at 5:45 to get to know millennials, at 16:00  to hear about millennials and gen z's expectations in the workforce, and at 28:00 to learn how we're going to bridge the generational gap.