Whether or not you realize it, you are in a competition every day, either as an agency or as an individual producer. You are competing to keep your best accounts and open new relationships with ideal clients. You’ll notice I said, “open new relationships,” not “close sales.” If you’re focused on ...

In most independent agencies, producers typically operate in one of two zones. They’re either in a Red Zone or a Green Zone. As the name suggests, the Green Zone is all about earning more green (a.k.a. money!). Those in this zone participate in activities and execute strategies that create and r...

Recently, an agency CEO asked a great question, and like most great questions, we couldn’t ignore it: Why do some agencies have three times the national average organic growth rate while others struggle to even come close to being average? Our knee-jerk response was that they don’t have a unique...

HOW TO TRANSITION FROM IDEAS TO EXECUTION When I look at agencies, the reason some sputter or plateau is a performance gap. This is the gap between what we know and what we actually do. If I were to draw it, it would look like two mountains with a valley in the middle. But unlike the valleys fou...

Recently I introduced The Agency’s Best Version Pyramid (BVP). It was so well received that I’ve expanded on the concept and applied it to the all-important role of producers. Net new revenue may not solve all your problems, but I firmly believe that it solves most of them! I continue to be very...

The Agency's Best Version Pyramid “Close your eyes and imagine the best possible version of your agency. That’s what you really want to become. You’ve got to let go of any part of your agency that is an obstacle, anything that’s holding it back from becoming the best agency possible.” The conce...

IF YOU CAN’T RECOGNIZE (AND AVOID) THESE, WE NEED TO TALK When I talk to producers who are frustrated with their results and overall balance in life, I think the real issue is that they’ve lost their freedom. Specifically, they’ve lost the freedom to do what they want to do, when they want to do...

KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO AND HOW YOU’RE GOING TO GET THERE For the last 30 years, international leadership guru John Maxwell, who was my mentor and with whom I’ve had the privilege of sharing a stage, has said that everything rises and falls on leadership. Although I used to question that idea,...

FIND THE GOLDMINE IN YOUR EXISTING RESOURCES The best agency owners and producers are always looking for new opportunities to grow their business. Those that aren’t certainly should be. But when asked why they haven’t become their best version possible, they usually start with “if only” sta...

THE ROAD TO THE MIDDLE IS PAVED WITH NO INTENTIONS Did the title of this article grab your attention? I hope it made you think, “Average? Why would anyone want to be average?” Before I answer that, let’s define average: It’s the best of the worst and the worst of the best; as close to the top...