Power Producers Podcast

David Carothers
  • 4.9 (116)
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We are refining and redefining the sales game. A place where sales professionals can come to learn from other sales professionals and thought leaders who have mastered their craft. Real sales professionals. Real stories. Real results. Are you ready to feel the power?

  1. HACE 4 H

    The Diamond Letters with Kevin Ring

    In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers, co-host Kyle Houck, and returning guest Kevin Ring of the Institute of Work Comp Professionals come together for a special tribute to the legacy of an industry pioneer, Preston Diamond. The conversation is sparked by the release of "The Diamond Playbook," a new book compiling decades of Preston Diamond's influential weekly sales letters. Kevin shares the story behind the book's creation and offers a deep dive into Preston's timeless sales philosophy: being client-centric, using stories to build trust, and moving beyond a product-pushing mentality. They also discuss how Preston's critiques of agency websites from the 1990s are still shockingly relevant today. Key Highlights: Honoring a Legacy: The Diamond Playbook Kevin Ring details how the Institute of Work Comp Professionals discovered a massive archive of Preston Diamond's weekly sales letters, which began as a fax broadcast, and compiled them into a book. The project was a surprise tribute to honor Preston's immense and ongoing contribution to the insurance industry and the thousands of agents he has mentored. Preston's Timeless Sales Philosophy The conversation centers on the core of Preston's teachings: never be product-centric. Instead, agents must first focus on understanding a client's needs, wants, and fears. By building a relationship of trust and using powerful stories to explain complex concepts, the insurance sale becomes a natural and easy conclusion to a value-driven conversation. The Agency Website Problem: A 30-Year Echo A fascinating takeaway is an essay Preston Diamond wrote in the 1990s critiquing agency websites. Kevin and David discuss how his gripes—that most sites are just static "electronic business cards" instead of powerful tools for establishing expertise and credibility—are just as true today, highlighting a persistent missed opportunity for many agencies. Client Share Over Market Share The episode revisits another of Preston's core tenets: focus on deepening relationships with existing clients. They discuss the immense, low-hanging fruit available by rounding out accounts ("client share") and networking clients with each other. This creates powerful exit barriers and demonstrates a level of value that goes far beyond just placing a policy. Connect with: David Carothers LinkedIn Kevin Ring LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp Institute of WorkComp Professionals Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    47 min

  2. HACE 5 DÍAS

    Why Every Agent Should Lead with Cyber with Zane Goldthorp

    In the second episode of our multi-part Shoptalk series, host David Carothers, co-host Kyle Houck, and guest Zane Goldthorp of ProWriters dive into the strategy of selling cyber insurance in a soft market. The conversation begins with an update on ProWriters' expanded capabilities as a full-scale professional liability wholesaler. The core of the episode focuses on the agent's "duty to offer" and presents a powerful strategic argument for getting clients into a cyber policy now, before the market inevitably hardens. They provide tactical advice for overcoming client pushback and reframe the conversation from selling a policy to fulfilling an advisor's duty to protect a client's livelihood. Key Highlights: More Than Just Cyber: ProWriters' Full Capabilities Zane Goldthorp clarifies that ProWriters is a full-scale professional liability wholesaler, handling everything from Tech E&O and D&O to specialty programs for Contractors and A&E, now backed by their acquisition by Victor. He also explains that their platform is complemented by a team of expert brokers who handle complex risks offline, ensuring agents have support for any professional liability need. The "Duty to Offer" Cyber Insurance David makes a strong case that agents have professional and E&O-driven "duty to offer" cyber coverage. He argues that an agent's job is to protect a client's assets and livelihood, which makes the cyber conversation a non-negotiable part of the relationship, even when clients are facing rate increases on other lines of coverage. The Strategic Case for Buying in a Soft Market The conversation presents a compelling strategy: get your clients into a cyber policy now. By the time high-profile breaches and increased claims make clients want to buy coverage, the market will have already hardened. David and Zane argue that the smart play is to lock in coverage when pricing is low and underwriting is flexible, turning a difficult future new business placement into a much simpler renewal. Overcoming Client Pushback on Price When a client is facing other premium increases, the agent must reframe the cyber conversation. The key is to acknowledge the financial strain but explain that an uninsured cyber claim would be far more catastrophic to their business. The hosts provide advice on breaking the cost down into manageable business terms to show its affordability relative to the risk. Connect with: Zane Goldthorp LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp ProWriters Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    21 min

  3. 24 SEP

    Producers vs. Processors with Sam Louwrens

    In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers sits down with Sam Louwrens, a young producer and artist known as "Can't shut up Sam" on X. The conversation explores the unique advantages of Gen Z producers, the flaws of the traditional agency model, and how to effectively compete with national brokers by being nimble and consultative. David and Sam stress the importance of moving beyond a salesperson mentality and becoming a strategic advisor who focuses on solving operational problems, not just selling a commodity. The episode also touches on the power of a fee-based compensation model and the critical need for agency cultures to support creativity and autonomy. Key Highlights: The Gen Z Producer's Advantage Sam Louwrens, a 23-year-old producer, shares how starting his career in a difficult market (California construction) forced him to specialize and learn quickly. He and David discuss how young, driven producers in the insurance industry have a significant head start on their peers in other professions, building wealth and expertise while others are still accumulating debt. From Salesman to Strategic Advisor The episode's core theme is the mindset shift from salesperson to advisor. David shares his strategy of targeting accounts with high experience mods because they represent solvable operational problems, which is far more profitable than competing on price for clean accounts. This approach allows a producer to sell solutions and operational improvement, not just a policy. The Power of Fee-Based Compensation David details his compensation model, which uses a flat fee plus a gain-share option to align his interests with the client's. He shares a real-world story of taking a large account and reducing its costs, leading to a much higher fee than the original commission while still saving the client a quarter-million dollars a year, completely flipping the flawed traditional commission model on its head. Mentorship, Freedom, and Agency Culture The conversation explores the need for agencies to provide freedom and mentorship to young producers. They argue that stifling creativity or segregating roles (as a retention tactic) will only push talented people to start their own agencies. They also emphasize the importance of a culture that values and appreciates both sales and service teams. Connect with: Sam Louwrens LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp Lauer Creations Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    59 min

  4. 19 SEP

    Why the Soft Cyber Market is Your Best Opportunity with Zane Goldthorp

    In this first episode of a new multi-part Shoptalk series on the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Zane Goldthorp of ProWriters to kick off a deep dive into the cyber insurance market. Zane brings everyone up to speed on the recent acquisition of ProWriters by Victor, explaining how it will expand their product offerings into E&O and other specialty lines. The main focus of the conversation is a detailed breakdown of the current soft market in cyber. Zane explains the cyclical nature of the market—how the hard market of 2021-22 led to massive profits, which in turn attracted new capacity and drove prices down, creating the current buyer's market. Key Highlights: ProWriters Acquired by Victor Zane Goldthorp discusses the recent acquisition, assuring agents that ProWriters will continue to operate independently while leveraging Victor's resources to offer a broader suite of products. This partnership will allow agents to access E&O and other specialty coverages for contractors, manufacturers, and A&E firms, creating new cross-selling opportunities. The Cyber Market Rollercoaster Explained Zane provides a clear timeline of the recent dramatic shifts in the cyber market. He explains how the influx of inexperienced carriers pre-COVID led to massive losses during the pandemic, triggering the intensely hard market of 2021-22. He then details how the high profitability of that period attracted new entrants, causing the market to rapidly soften again throughout 2023 and into the present. Why Now is the Best Time to Buy Cyber The conversation centers on the current soft market, which Zane describes as a fantastic buyer's market. With intense competition among carriers, clients can currently get broader coverage with lower underwriting requirements at the lowest prices seen in years. This makes it an ideal time for agents to proactively round out their books of business with cyber insurance. Navigating New Market Entrants With the soft market has come an influx of new carriers. Zane advises agents to look past low prices and vet new players by examining the experience of their leadership teams. He contrasts the philosophy of using technology to replace service versus ProWriters' approach of using it to enhance the expertise of their brokers. Connect with: Zane Goldthorp LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp ProWriters Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    23 min

  5. 17 SEP

    Marketing Intelligence for Insurance Agencies with Joshua Lauer

    In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Joshua Lauer of Lauer Creatives for a deep dive into the world of marketing intelligence. Joshua shares his unique journey from aspiring songwriter to a data-driven marketing consultant. The conversation focuses on the most common and costly mistake B2B companies make: losing marketing attribution as leads move from their website to their CRM. Joshua breaks down the technical solutions for creating a seamless data flow, discusses the complexities of tracking "dark social," and offers his perspective on the practical applications and limitations of AI in marketing analytics. Key Highlights: Fixing the Leaky Funnel: Website to CRM Attribution Joshua Lauer identifies the critical disconnect between marketing efforts and sales outcomes as the most common issue he encounters. He explains how crucial data—like which campaign a lead came from—is often lost as it moves through a CRM, leaving businesses blind to which marketing channels are actually driving revenue and resulting in inefficient ad spend. The Technical Fix: Hidden Inputs and Data Persistence The conversation dives into the solution for lost attribution. Joshua details his method of using hidden form fields on websites to capture UTM parameters and other tracking data. He stresses the importance of ensuring that this data persists as a lead is converted from a Lead to a Contact and then to an Opportunity within the CRM, providing true end-to-end visibility. Navigating Dark Social and Attribution Models David and Joshua discuss the challenge of tracking word-of-mouth referrals and "dark social," which often manifest as an increase in "direct traffic." They also touch on the pitfalls of platform-specific attribution models, like Facebook's aggressive view-through credit, highlighting the need for a critical and nuanced approach to analyzing marketing data. The Practical Role of AI in Marketing Intelligence While AI is transforming many areas, Joshua explains its current role in his field. He sees AI as a powerful tool for content optimization and creating conversational interfaces for data analysis, but clarifies that it cannot yet replace the human expertise required for the complex, business-specific logic of a proper tracking setup. Connect with: Joshua Lauer LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Power Producer Base Camp Lauer Creations Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    39 min

  6. 12 SEP

    The Captive Conversation Part 4

    In the fourth and final episode of The Captive Conversation on Power Producers Shoptalk, host David Carothers and Warren Cleveland of Captive Coalition unpack the conversation framework that allows agents to stay in control of their most valuable client relationships. They reframe the captive solution as the ultimate business continuity plan for an agent's book, ensuring long-term retention. The conversation provides tactical advice, including a powerful "pattern interrupt" to start the discussion, and stresses the importance of shifting from a salesperson to a true strategic advisor. They also cover the right and wrong times to introduce the captive concept and why agents must act as the "quarterback" to guide their clients. Key Highlights: Captives as Your Book's Continuity Plan David reframes the captive conversation away from being just another market. Instead, he positions it as the ultimate "continuity plan" and "finish line" for an agent’s best clients. Getting an account into a captive creates powerful financial and strategic ties that make them a client for life, effectively protecting them from competitors.1 The Strategic Advisor vs. The Salesperson This episode drills down on the critical mindset shift required to succeed. A captive is a long-term business strategy, not a quick premium-saving quote.2 The conversation contrasts the transactional salesperson who asks for loss runs with the strategic advisor who discusses growth, profitability, and preserving the bottom line—a conversation that wins 100% of the time. The Conversation Framework and Pattern Interrupt Warren provides a tactical opener to spark curiosity and bypass typical sales resistance. He shares his five-second "pattern interrupt"—"I show business owners how to own their own insurance company"—and explains how this simple phrase immediately elevates the conversation from a commodity sale to a high-level strategic discussion. Timing is Everything: When to Have the Talk The episode provides crucial advice on when to introduce the captive concept. They warn agents not to present it at renewal alongside traditional quotes, as that is a losing strategy. The right approach is proactive and educational, starting the conversation well in advance, such as 90 days after the previous renewal, to properly frame it as a long-term play. Connect with: Warren Cleveland LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Captive Coalition Power Producer Base Camp Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    22 min

  7. 10 SEP

    Turning Risk Into Opportunity with Valkyrie Holmes

    In this episode of the Power Producers Podcast, host David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Valkyrie Holmes, the CEO and co-founder of FAURA, for a look into the future of risk assessment. Valkyrie explains how her background in data science at NASA and SpaceX led to the creation of FAURA, a platform that quantifies a property's ability to withstand natural disasters, a concept she calls property survivability. They discuss how this technology equips agents with the tools to explain risk, justify pricing in a hard market, and offer clients actionable steps for mitigation. The conversation covers the agent education gap, building codes as "minimum wage," and how granular, property-level data is changing the insurance landscape. Key Highlights: Introducing FAURA: Quantifying Property Survivability Valkyrie Holmes details how FAURA uses hundreds of data points to generate a simple 0-100 survivability score, moving beyond general climate risk to assess how a specific property will fare in a disaster. This provides a clear, understandable metric for agents and policyholders, empowering them with the principle that "if you can't explain the risk, you can't justify the price." Arming Agents in a Hard Market The conversation addresses the agent education gap. In a market where agents struggle to explain rate increases, FAURA provides property-specific data that acts as "weaponry," allowing them to have informed conversations about risk factors and justify pricing, ultimately helping them retain clients by offering proactive solutions instead of just bad news. From Assessment to Actionable Mitigation FAURA's platform is more than just a score; it's a solution. After an initial assessment, a digital inspection generates a detailed report with a prioritized list of mitigation actions. It then connects users with vetted local contractors, turning a complex problem into a manageable and actionable plan for homeowners. The Science of Wildfire & Hail Resilience The discussion dives into specific perils, revealing that simple, low-cost actions can dramatically increase a property's chance of survival. Valkyrie shares examples, such as ember-resistant screens for wildfire defense, showing how data-driven insights can lead to effective and accessible mitigation strategies that agents can share with their clients. Connect with: Warren Cleveland LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Captive Coalition Power Producer Base Camp Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    56 min

  8. 5 SEP

    The Captive Conversation Part 3

    In the third installment of our four-part series on Power Producers Shop Talk, host David Carothers and Warren Cleveland of Captive Coalition break down the fundamentals of captive insurance. This episode is designed to give agents the foundational knowledge needed to confidently discuss captives with clients. Warren demystifies the core concept, explains the different models, and provides a critical warning against the misused 831(b) tax election. They also tackle common misconceptions about size and risk, and outline the ideal prospect profile, emphasizing that commitment to risk management is non-negotiable for success. Key Highlights: Demystifying Captive Models Warren Cleveland explains that a captive is simply an insurance company owned by its members, designed to let them keep the underwriting profit. He clarifies the primary models agents will encounter: Group Captives (where multiple businesses pool risk), Single-Parent Captives (for very large companies insuring their own risk), and Cell Captives (an efficient structure where a business "rents" a legally separate cell from a larger captive). A Critical Warning on the 831(b) Tax Election A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to a crucial warning: stay away from the 831(b) tax election. Warren stresses that this is a tax classification, not a type of captive, and has been widely abused by promoters as a tax shelter. The IRS is aggressively and successfully prosecuting these cases, and agents should advise clients that any true captive must be about insurance first, not a tax play. Busting Common Agent Misconceptions The conversation addresses the myths that stop agents from exploring captives. They debunk the "you're not big enough" fallacy, clarifying that businesses spending $250,000 or more can be ideal candidates. They also tackle the "it's too risky" concern, explaining that an agent’s job is to help the client understand and quantify the risk, not avoid the conversation entirely. The Anatomy of an Ideal Captive Prospect Warren outlines the three pillars of a perfect captive candidate. First, they must have sufficient premium spend. Second, the business owner must be frustrated with the traditional market and willing to take on calculated risk. Third, and most importantly, they must have a deep-seated belief that investing in risk management, safety, and training will directly improve their financial outcomes. A captive exposes risk management flaws; it doesn't fix them. Connect with: Warren Cleveland LinkedIn David Carothers LinkedIn Kyle Houck LinkedIn Visit Websites: Captive Coalition Power Producer Base Camp Killing Commercial Crushing Content Power Producers Podcast Policytee The Dirty 130 The Extra 2 Minutes

    30 min
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We are refining and redefining the sales game. A place where sales professionals can come to learn from other sales professionals and thought leaders who have mastered their craft. Real sales professionals. Real stories. Real results. Are you ready to feel the power?

Información

  • Creador
    David Carothers
  • Años de actividad
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodios
    713
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Power Producers Podcast

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