Vertafore Insurance Podcast

SPECIAL EDITION - Agency Roadmap for COVID-19 with Laura Nettles

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!

InsuRant: Will robots take my job?

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)

You don't have to play golf to be a insurance insider with Caribou Honig

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.

InsuRant: Why modernizing matters

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. 

Make every day "Motivation Monday"

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.

InsuRant: Lessons learned from the late, great Kobe Bryant

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.

Diversify your professional portfolio

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).

Does retention matter? Let Rick do the math.

If your focus is strictly on "new business" you might be ignoring the incredible value to be found in retaining current business. Since most consumers are always on the lookout for a better deal, you can't take your existing customer base for granted. And you certainly shouldn't overlook how important recurring revenue is to your success. In this week's podcast, Rick gives advice and insight into some of the things you can and should be doing to work on your customer retention and explains in detail how improving retention directly impacts your bottom line. 

Lessons from Amazon's past

Wouldn't you like your business to be as successful as Amazon? Love them or hate them, you can't deny Amazon has built an enviable brand since its start as an online bookseller in 1995. This week our guest Steve Anderson shares some key points from his international bestseller The Bezos Letters, which uncovers and simplifies the wisdom found in Amazon's philosophy. Steve talks about the importance of failing successfully (at 4:45), how "customer obsession" worked for Amazon and can for you too (at 11:30), and the one idea that has kept Amazon relevant across decades (at 28:44). If you've been craving a podcast with action items you can put to work for you right away, look no further!

The early bird gets the good pricing

It's a new year and that means it's time to start making your plans for 2020 education and travel. Whether you're a long-time conference-goer or looking to attend your first industry event, starting with your personal goals and finding the events you'll get the most out of is key. In this edition of the InsuRant, Rick gives his advice on how to decide which events to attend, his top picks for networking and education, and what to do once you arrive. Pro tip: if you register early, you might save enough on your registration to help finance an additional trip this year.