Agency Nation Radio Agency Nation - Insurance Marketing and Technology Strategists

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we learn about independent insurance agency alliances, a model that has grown in popularity in recent years, and one that the Big “I” has harnessed with the launch of the Big “I” Alliance.

Jared Blackwood, owner and partner at BridgeMark Insurance Solutions in Bismark, North Dakota, chats with Tiffany Overlease, assistant vice president of Big “I” Alliance Gold, and Ty Bates, an agent at McKellar, Robertson, McCarty & Click Insurance Agency in Vandalia, Illinois, who was the first agent to sign up to Big “I” Alliance Gold.

“The Alliance is a one-stop shop for any Big ‘I’ member. It brings market access, vendor discounts and aggregation by direct appointments under one umbrella,” said Overlease. “There are 3 programs: Blue, Blue Plus, and Gold.”

“The Big ‘I’ has received an abundance of requests over the past several years to expand our current incubator program—Eagle Agency—into an alliance where agents can stay long-term and have similar opportunities that larger agencies have.”

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.

Learn More about Big “I” Alliance: https://www.bigimemberalliance.com/gold

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Guests:

Ty J. Bates McKellar, Robertson, McCarty & Click Insurance Agency
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyjbates/

Tiffany Overlease, AFIS, CISR - Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-overlease-afis-cisr-33565112b/

Jared Blackwood, CLCS Owner/Partner BridgeMark Insurance
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-blackwood-clcs-2082a325/

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we meet Emmanuel Osuyah, CEO, owner, and principal of Alpha Direct Agency. His first significant move in the industry was when he bought his mother-in-law's Allstate agency. However, he realized that this path was not for him and decided to pursue the independent agency route. Fast forward 20 years, Alpha Direct now has 13 employees and three branches in three different states.

"I came into this industry 20 years ago," he said. "After a year of being in the industry, I said to my wife, 'I think I found that thing. The thing that I'm going to do for 30 years.'"

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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Osuyah was also featured in the July issue of Independent Agent. Check out his interview here in the link below!

https://www.iamagazine.com/magazine/issues/2024/july/declaration-of-independents-emmanuel-osuyah

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 Jack Griffith, Partner at TWIA Insurance Agency in Summerville, South Carolina and was hosted by Daschle Larsen, a member of the National Young Agents Committee and Risk Advisor at North Risk Partners in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The discussion focused on the current state of the market, weather events, relationships with clients and carriers, and incidents that have led to an increased focus on risk management.

The conversations started by discussing ways agencies can work with clients to identify potential risks. Then, they discussed how agency-carrier relationships can help tell a story about a client’s business and the agent’s focus on being proactive with their risk management measures, and articulating this risk to carriers.
“Carriers are being more conservative. So, we want to try to keep that open line of communication, almost to incentivize our carriers to stay on the account, but also to help communicate to them that you’re on a good account, our clients are being proactive, we’re not waiting till the bus full of 20 employees tips over to start looking at what we could have done wrong. We’re trying to get in front of that,” Griffith said.

The conversation then switched gears to focus on how to mitigate E&O claims within an agency. When preparing for some of these conversations and getting ready for renewals, they will use the renewal checklist or coverage checklist.
“It is a team effort at our agency. We have what we call an Agency Council, which is essentially our management team, who helps identify the risks we have internally. Our Commercial Lines Manager, she is incredible. She’s one of our partners as well. She does spot check audits on new business, and what she’s checking for are things that are helping to reduce E&O claims on our end,” Griffith said.

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.

On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, Erika Matthews, program manager at Invest, hosts a conversation with Samantha Snider, assistant account manager at Abbott and Fillmore Agency and Joanna Dresden, an experienced Insurance Agent at Hartland Insurance Agency.

Dresden is Snider’s mentor, and the two Michiganders discuss the inspiring dynamic between mentor and mentee. Tune in to Discover how seasoned agents like Dresden are passing down invaluable knowledge and guidance and find out how the new wave of insurance agents are building fulfilling and impactful careers.

"So if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask," Snider says. "Originally kind of the beginning of me and Joey's relationship, I was kind of like, oh yeah, she's there. And I was kind of hesitant. But then once I started becoming more comfortable, it was more of a, hey, what's this sort of thing? And it was a lot easier to relate to her. Don't be afraid to ask questions."

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, Adam Wirthlin, commercial lines producer at Turner Agency in Greenville, South Carolina, shares how his time in the U.S. Army has given him skills to be a better producer.

“It seems like a complete 180 from serving, but the skills I learned in the military set me up for success in this field, like attention to detail, leadership and commitment," he says.

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 Allyson Hearring-Padilla, an agent at Blank’s Insurance Agency in Olney, Illinois, and was hosted by Taylor Hendrickson, a member of the National Young Agents Committee and Young Agents Council Director at the Florida Association of Independent Agents. The discussion focused on marketing strategies in today’s marketplace, winning over a client and growing a business, and using resources available by the Big “I.”
“We use a lot of Trusted Choice marketing. We always have, since that’s been developed, makes my life a lot easier. I don’t have to create things. I can utilize what’s been offered to us as Big ‘I’ members. And so, we utilize that quite a bit. That’s helped more so in our personal lines department with actually just getting our name out there, and showing the different that we can make with our clients, through the independent agency channel,” Hearring-Padilla said.
Some of the Trusted Choice® resources that agencies can utilize to help with their marketing efforts include the Monthly Social Media Calendar, Social Jazz: Social Media Automation Tool, Marketing Reimbursement Plan, Digital Review, In Your Corner Campaign, and much more.

When talking about the reimbursement plan, Hearring-Padilla mentioned that years ago her agency used the program to partner with their local fire department. They co-branded a trailer that would visit schools and educate students about fire safety. It provided an education to young people and helped expand the agency’s brand in the community.

Marketing and communications have a huge impact on the relationships clients have with their agencies. Many carriers have had major changes with coverages and premiums, and it is important for agencies to keep the line of communication with clients open. In addition to regular day-to-day conversations staying proactive and communicating changes ahead of time has been a game changer in the current marketplace.

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.