“Good is the enemy of great. And one of the key reasons we have so little that becomes great.” Jim Collins Why do some independent insurance agencies hunger for never-ending improvement and growth while others simple settle for good enough?  It’s a question that we ask ourselves all the time at...

LOOK BELOW THE SURFACE TO SEE WHAT DRIVES YOUR SALES SUCCESS We all know the tragic tale of the RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912 after it struck an iceberg south of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Of course, it was the mass beneath the surface that caused the lethal damage. That’s no surprise co...

REVENUE AND PROFITS DEPEND ON FULL-TIME PRODUCERS We see that the average producer is a part-timer at best. Even though most of them will still do okay, they’ll never be great, and at the end of their career they’ll have tons of regrets. According to the Organic Growth & Profitability Survey co...

THE RULES OF THE GAME: ROGER’S TOP 10 FOR POWERING GROWTH, PROFITS, AND RETENTION In a recent article, I discussed what I would do if I were an agency sales manager. It got a phenomenal response, prompting a huge number of questions and comments. Although producers weren’t so crazy about it, mos...

By Brent M. Kelly One of the most vital aspects of insurance agency growth is simply knowing what it is you want and then having the focus, consistency, and persistence to go get it. One of my favorite resources that we use with our Sitkins Network members is the 80/20 analysis. I am guessing ...

The term leadership is used every day in business, sports, and in our personal lives. It’s often discussed, but rarely understood. Like many industries, the insurance industry has been influenced by both positive and negative leadership over the years. Today, with the rapid pace of new informati...

AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? I’m sure you’re familiar with the opening line of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” I believe this may apply to today’s independent insurance agencies as well. It’s the best of times because agen...

What is the number one job of the offensive coordinator for any football team? To score points. Yes, an offensive coordinator has other responsibilities, which I will discuss, but at the end of the day, the success of the offensive coordinator is based on putting points on the board. Every suc...

Studies have shown that effective leadership and influence, whether it’s with your team, your clients, or your company partners is 87% people knowledge and only 13% product knowledge.  Reflect on that statistic for a minute, almost 90% of our ultimate success is not determined by what we know, b...

An effective process consistently produces the right results Although this topic could apply to most employees, this article is really directed at Producers. One of the biggest problems I see with average producers is their inability—or unwillingness—to focus on the right things. They chase way...