Agency Nation Radio Agency Nation - Insurance Marketing and Technology Strategists

The Big “I” National Young Agents Committee (YAC) partnered with Trusted Choice to create a special bonus series of content related to the hard market on Agency Nation Radio. This week’s episode features Bryan Clinkscales, Owner of Boone Ritter Insurance and Big “I” Executive Committee Member, and Trey Sinclair, Owner of Wells Insurance Agency and current Vice Chair of the Legislative Council at the Florida Association of Insurance Agents. In a conversation moderated by Daschle Larsen, National Young Agents Committee Member and Risk Executive at North Risk Partners, the discussion focused on navigating current challenges with underwriting, submission processes, and building relationships.

“The relationship with the underwriter is key. And if you burn that relationship, it’s going to be tough moving forward,” Clinkscales said. “The more information we can obtain and give up front to the underwriter, tends to make them more comfortable with the risk.”

When talking about the submission process, Clinkscales also shared some of the actions that can be taken to underwrite a risk before sending to a carrier. This includes looking up websites and social media accounts, reviewing any court records, and general Googling for any additional information.
Relationship building is also a crucial part of navigating the underwriting process. “One of the best things you can do is disconnect from strict email communication. Phone is better,” Sinclair said. “Also, show up. There are multiple events that underwriters attend. Whether they’re local events that their companies encourage them to attend or a state convention. These are times to connect with them on a personal level.”

Another aspect that has greatly impacted relationships with underwriters is communications post COVID-19. Many in-person meetings and events transitioned to occur only online. While remote work allows more flexibility, discussions around expectations and deliverable timelines from both sides are incredibly important to ensure all deadlines are met.
Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.

Sometimes an insurance niche finds you. Other times, you pave your way based on your passion. On today’s edition of Agency Nation Radio Podcast host Toni Jones, Senior Vice President of Transportation Marketing, at Palomar Insurance Corporation, talks with three independent agents about curating a niche business.

Our guests include Ryan Teubner, Producer with Rich & Cartmill, Crystal Fox, Founder and Creator of Beauty Queen Insurance and Lydia Ramos, Account Manager, and Regional Brand Coordinator McGriff highlight how personal passion and industry knowledge play a critical role in defining a successful niche.

“Can I marry my passion that I’m used to, that I love, in the beauty industry with insurance?" says Crystal Fox.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the interplay of personal interests and professional opportunities in insurance. Tune in to hear more about their unique stories and practical tips for navigating and succeeding in niche markets.

“If you’re going to niche, niche. Whether it's personalized, whether it's construction, whether it's transportation, whether it's beauty, whatever that niche is, immerse yourself in that industry,” says Ryan Teubner, “Understand the forms, endorsements, what you're insuring, but niche. Don't kind of niche.” 

Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit https://www.iamagazine.com/podcasts.

On this edition of Agency Nation Radio, we hear from Kevin Ownby, owner of Ownby Insurance Services, Inc. from Sevierville, Tennessee. Ownby has been a Big “I" member for as long as he's been an independent agent. However, it wasn't until the Affordable Care Act was proposed and ultimately passed into law that he became more aware of the importance of the association's government advocacy on a state and national level. 

“If we’re not advocating for what we do as an industry and educating legislators we don’t have a seat at the table,” says Ownby. “And if we don’t have a seat at the table that means that we’re on the menu for dinner.”

Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit https://www.iamagazine.com/podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by the Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) and you’re invited to Ignite, IMCA’s annual conference, June 24-26, 2024 - Orlando, Florida.

On this special Women’s History Month edition of Agency Nation, host Avery Moore, President ECI Insurance in Edmonton, Oklahoma, and a member the Big “I” national Young Agents Committee, leads a discussion with remarkable leaders who’ve carved their own paths in the independent agency system.
Joining the conversation are Michelle Middleton, president of Berkley Mid-Atlantic Insurance Group; Patience Noah, Principal/Owner of Patience Noah Insurance in Framingham, Massachusetts; and Jamie Bowden, personal lines agency growth coach at Agents United and chair of Utah Insurance Agents’ Women in Insurance Committee. Together, they share their origin stories, challenges and the lessons learned along the way.
From starting agencies right out of college to navigating leadership roles in established companies, these women reveal the grit and grace it takes to succeed in a male-dominated industry.
Dive into candid conversations about the complexities of agency ownership, the importance of mentorship, and the unfiltered realities of work-life balance. Hear firsthand how these leaders embrace vulnerability, face their fears and find empowerment in taking bold, sometimes uncomfortable steps toward growth.
"Success is easy—it's the fear of failure that gets really hard," says Middleton. “It keeps you from trying. And that's where we've got to be able to feel more confident to just jump off and know that you're going to work really hard.”
“And if we start to fail, you're going to pivot and change something, embodying a lot of courage to do something different,” she adds.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or aspiring to step into leadership, tune in for insights, inspiration and a sense of community for women aiming to make their mark in the insurance industry and beyond.
Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From main street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit https://www.iamagazine.com/podcasts.

On this episode of Agency nation Radio, Sarah Cooke, director of personal lines at WalkerHughes Insurance in Indianapolis, Indiana, shares how the agency took technology into their own hands to overcome challenges in the hard market.

Named as the Outstanding Large Agency in the 2023 Liberty Mutual and Safeco Agent for the Future Awards, WalkerHughes began developing “Violet,” a proprietary software that acts as the agency’s personal lines management system, in 2016.

“We have so many pressures now, especially with the kind of market that we’re in, and we want our employees to be able to function efficiently on a daily basis,” Cooke says. “By building what others won’t from a technology perspective, we feel uniquely positioned to best support our growing team in the future.”

Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.

This episode is sponsored by the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (WSIA). Some decisions are too precarious to take on alone. Sometimes you need a partner who can help you create the right solution for your client’s risk, while minimizing yours. In fact, it’s so cost-effective that a recent analysis by Conning, Inc. concludes that wholesale distribution does not increase the cost to the insured. That’s a good decision. Manage risk. Choose a WSIA member. Go to wsia.com to learn more.

Sarah Cooke
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-cooke-a74a67126/

Members of the Big “I” National Young Agents Committee partners with Trusted Choice to share information about the hard market as part of a special bonus series on Agency Nation radio. Guests Adam Risman, Commercial Risk Advisor at Risman Insurance, and Haley Meisner, SVP of Independent Agency Distribution Strategy at Liberty Mutual, went behind the microphone to talk about the importance of relationships between agencies and carriers.
This discussion, moderated by Cassandra Koegel, a member of the National Young Agents Committee, focused on how the hard market has impacted agents and carries across the country. This conversation provided some perspective from the agent-side and carrier-side with today’s current landscape in the marketplace. Discussion centered around changes with submissions, communications with pre-submissions, changes from carrier requirements, and adaptions that have been made to submissions to meet carrier requirements.
“Agents rely on carriers for placement. They are the supplier, at the end of the day, the underwriting paper. So, it’s so important that we realize that reliance on one another and we’re partnering together and get out of this successfully. Communication is one thing, but what is in that communication? Education is key right now,” Meisner said.
During this session, Risman and Meisner both shared their approaches to handling conversations on different sides of the industry. Risman said, “You have to be in constant contact with your carriers, with your marketing reps, with everyone on that side. I think it’s just so important to have that mutual understanding and be able to make it a seamless process, but without over-communicating, without learning and educating ourselves on both sides, it just won’t happen.”
Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.

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Cassandra Koegel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-koegel-cisr-ains-ailp-mlis-b2329390/

Adam Risman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-risman-clcs-ba218172/

Haley Meisner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-smith-meisner-41535080/