Vertafore Insurance Podcast

Will blockchain ”Netflix” insurtech?

Garrett Droege, SVP Director of Innovation at IMA Financial Group, is someone you can always count on to question the status quo. He researches and experiments with bleeding edge tech to help position his firm successfully for the next wave of adoption. That includes Virtual Reality, web3...and blockchain. 

Meet Garrett and hear:

• How he ended up researching the bleeding edge of insurtech
• What is blockchain and how it helps decentralized data challenges
• The evolution of The Smart Contract
• Hurdles we must overcome to truly adopt blockchain tech
• How to prepare your agency 

#1 Way To Make Your Data More Reliable

Zac Sutherland, Owner of Sutherland Insurance, joins us from Canada…eh! A few years ago, he become so frustrated with the inaccuracy and manual nature of his agency’s reporting that he took matters into his own hands. Fast forward, he now has a real-time look into his agency’s operations with just a few clicks. How’d he do it? Click play to find out.

Meet Zac and hear:

• The story of Sutherland Insurance
• The biggest challenges Zac faced around reporting
• Mistakes he wish he wouldn’t have made on his data journey
• How he built data visualization he trusts 100%
• The KPI’s he watches every week

What is AgencyOne...

Today, you'll hear from not one, but all three of our incredible Product VPs on the future of Vertafore. Imagine a world where your tech stack works seamlessly on the front-end and back-end. Goodbye excessive manual entry. Goodbye completely separate multiple interfaces and logins. Goodbye redundant data silos. That's the mission of AgencyOne.

You’ll walk away with:

• What are the biggest tech challenges facing agencies right now
• What is AgencyOne
• How does AgencyOne solve for these challenges
• How will our Product VPs work together to build AgencyOne

What can you expect this year and into 2024

End Your Sales/Service War

David Foster, Founder of Three Arbor Insurance, is one of the most humble people you'll meet. You wouldn't guess he owns a successful multi-million dollar agency...that's still growing by leaps and bounds. Today, he shares why his focus on culture and process have been his secret weapons.

Tune in to meet David, plus:

• Hear why David started a scratch agency
• What it took to end the sales and service war behind closed doors
• How he built a tech stack that truly empowers his people
• - and more!

There’s a lot to unpack in this episode.

Meet Teresa Chia, Vertafore’s New CFO

We are continuing to build an amazing team here at Vertafore. The newest addition to the Big Orange? Teresa Chia, our Chief Financial Officer. This CFO is one you should know. She hails from the insurance industry! Her perspective on insurtech acquisitions and mergers is not to be missed.

You’ll walk away with:

• Who is Teresa Chia
• Why in the world she chose the insurance industry
• An inside look at the logistics of insurtech mergers and acquisitions
• Why Vertafore is part of her long-term plan
• Where she sees the insurtech M&A space headed in 2024

The ”Buy Button” Is Coming to PL Rating!

Keith Savino, Managing Partner of PCF Insurance Services, is fondly known as The Godfather of The Buy Button....and for good reason. He has worked with multiple organizations over a decade to make this dream a reality. Now, with the help of Gordon Kendall, Director of Product Management for PL Rating, it's on our doorstep.

You’ll walk away with:

• A short (and fascinating) history on rating (going back to the 80s, baby!)
• Why The Buy Button is about more than 24/7 access 
• The 3 Myths about The Buy Button: online sales only, increased tech costs and commoditization
• The impact of The Buy Button on the indie channel
• The inside scoop on when and how this will be launched in PL Rating

Meet Our New Chief Revenue Officer

First, what is the role of a CRO? CRO stands for Chief Revenue Officer, meaning they are responsible for every revenue-generating activity inside a company. Outside of product development itself, one could argue that quite of a bit of activity falls into this category - marketing, sales, customer experience - and one would often be right.

Gareth Walter, Vertafore's new CRO, brings 25 years of experience in technology-focused organizations. After successfully leading product teams in companies such as Salesforce and C3 AI, he is bringing his knowledge and passion for innovation into insurance. He's not here to smile and wave, that's for sure!

You’ll walk away with:

• Who is Gareth Walter and why he chose Vertafore
• Why he loves biking more than running
• How he developed a "playbook" over 7 successful years at Salesforce
• What he learned about leadership at C3 AI (an AI-powered CRM)
• His first 30 days at Vertafore - show us the opportunities!
• How he's thinking about the next year

How Indium is disrupting the “Networks” model

Networks are a polarizing topic in the insurance industry. What value is worth giving up your entrepreneurial freedom for? Indie model purists would say….nothing! But the shrewd capitalist in many questions this. Kat Ternes, CEO of Indium, tackles this question head-on in her vision for the business. The model she’s building for this unconventional network is one to consider.

You’ll walk away with:

• A high-level overview of the great Networks debate in 2023
• Why Kat chose to lead Indium after a successful startup exit
• Breaking down Indium’s unconventional model
• Why this model will be successful in 2023 and beyond
• Tackling the AMS vs CRM challenge

Why Midsize Vertafore Agencies Will Win in 2023+

Dana Pasquali, Vice President of Product Management, came into the insurance space with a drive to create real change. After successfully leading product teams in companies as young as an analytics-focused startup and as mature as General Electric, she is bringing her knowledge and passion for innovation into insurance. Keep an eye on her.

 

You’ll walk away with:

• Who is Dana Pasquali and why she chose Vertafore
• What makes a “successful” product team
• Mastering the art & science of choosing the right problems to solve
• Why data must be the foundation of any competitive product strategy
• What’s to come for midsize agencies in 2023+

3 Ways To Use AI In Your Sales Process Today

This week Dean Giem, Founder of Paradox Insurance, and Liri Halperin Segal, Founder of LeO, join us to talk about how to leverage artificial intelligence in your agency. This isn't The Future; it's here.

Tune in to meet Dean and Liri, plus:

• Hear why Dean started a scratch agency
• Learn how to leverage rich 3rd party data to understand your prospects’ coverage gaps before walking in the front door
• Learn how AI can help you ask the right clients for the right referrals
• Understand how to create a smarter cross-selling strategy
• and more!