Production Under Pressure

Jay Holland
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Careers
  • Updated Biweekly

Production Under Pressure is the podcast for the people who carry the weight of the production number — insurance producers, employee benefits brokers, and the teams and families behind them. Hosted by Jay Holland, a 15-year industry veteran and Practice Leader in Employee Benefits, the show goes beyond product pitches and company wins to focus on the person behind the numbers. Because being a successful broker isn't just about building relationships anymore. It's underwriting, data analytics, pharmacy contracts, self-funding, cost containment, and point solutions — and that's before you've earned a single client through the prospecting, the cold calls, and the constant rejection. Then you finally win the account, and one carrier issue, one vendor mistake, one acquisition, or one bad quarter can erase years of work overnight. There's no shortage of shows on sales training and product education. This one was built for something different: you, the producer — and how you hold your mental edge in an industry that keeps raising the stakes. Every episode is an honest, unscripted conversation about what this career really takes — the losses, the doubt, the burnout, and how producers survive and thrive anyway. You'll hear from rookies finding their footing, seasoned veterans carrying heavy books, practice leaders guiding teams, producers who walked away from the seat, and the families who support them. The throughline is simple: whatever you're going through, someone has been there, survived it, and come out stronger. Real people. Real stories. Real perspective. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow Production Under Pressure wherever you listen — and if you've lived this grind, come tell your story at productionunderpressure.com. A San Antonio video podcast produced by Peachtree Rose Marketing: https://peachtreerosemarketing.com .

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    The Female Superpower in B2B Sales Breaking into Male Dominated Industries

    Jay Holland sits down with Ryan Saladino to talk about how she built her career in employee benefits and insurance sales. Ryan started in an entry-level secretarial and CRM support role. She moved into account management, validated as a top producer at USI, then made the jump to the carrier side. In this episode she gives an honest look at what it actually takes to win in complex B2B sales. She and Jay get into surviving high-pressure corporate environments, building real sales confidence, and using authenticity to win accounts in an industry that's still mostly men. They also dig into the gap between producers and service teams, why overpromising creates friction, and how working both sides makes you a better consultant. What you'll learn Confidence beats product knowledge. Facts matter, but buyers follow confidence. A confident presenter who brings in an expert will outperform a nervous one with perfect answers. Work both sides of the house. Producers who understand what account managers deal with hand off cleaner, promise less, and keep clients longer. Winning in a male-dominated field. Women often have an edge getting in the door and starting the relationship. The trick is staying approachable while holding firm boundaries, and not talking yourself out of the room. You're selling an idea, not a product. Insurance isn't something you hand someone. You're selling trust and a promise. Long term, clients stay for you, not for the logo on your card. Take care of your service team. Say thank you. Small gestures build the internal partnerships that protect your accounts when something goes wrong. Broker side vs carrier side. On the broker side you're juggling vendors and strategy. On the carrier side you go deep and become the expert. #EmployeeBenefits #B2BSales #InsuranceSales #SalesCareers #ProductionUnderPressure

  2. Aug 7

    Champions Are Obsessed With Not Losing

    Champions are obsessed with not losing. What makes a top producer different from everyone else in the room? Jay Holland sits down with Scott Foley, one of San Antonio's premier insurance producers, to pull it apart piece by piece. Scott started out in tech and medical device sales at ADP and Stryker. He has spent close to a decade building a dominant book of business in commercial benefits and insurance. In this conversation he shares what it actually takes to win in middle market sales. Jay and Scott get into the pressure top producers put on themselves. They talk about why hating to lose drives more excellence than loving to win ever will. They also cover how Scott walked away from cold calling and built a pipeline that runs more than 95 percent on referrals. If you own a small business, sell for a living, or lead a growing team, this one is for you. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN The mindset of a top producer. The best salespeople put more pressure on themselves than any manager or quota ever could. That pressure comes from hating to lose, not from loving to win. Teach, do not feature drop. Walk into a meeting as an expert who explains concepts. That beats a generic slide deck and corporate jargon every time. Partner, not vendor. Refuse the vendor label. It is how you earn peer to peer respect with executives and keep from getting swapped out on price alone. The After Action Report. Look at your wins and your losses with clear eyes. Give yourself 24 hours to feel it. Then move to the next opportunity. Referrals over cold calls. Scott built an ultra targeted referral pipeline on Center of Influence networks and strategic marketing partnerships. Boundaries and burnout. Leave the pressure at the office. Protect your family as your real support system. Step away on purpose so you can do this for the long haul. EPISODE BREAKDOWN 00:00 Preview and the hate to lose sales mindset 01:05 Early career: cutting his teeth at ADP and Stryker Spine 08:00 Internal pressure versus external pressure 15:00 The After Action Report: processing big losses and moving on 24:30 Continuous education and mastering your craft 30:00 Why storytelling and concept selling beat slideshows 38:00 A painful lesson in preparation: getting called out in the OR 43:30 Work life balance, family boundaries, and preventing burnout 57:30 Modern prospecting and a 95 percent referral pipeline 01:06:00 Advice for young producers: know your worth and stop being a vendor WHO THIS IS FOR Sales professionals in competitive B2B markets. Agency owners and team members. Business owners who sell their own work. Anyone who wants to perform at a high level without burning out doing it. CONNECT Host: Jay Holland https://www.linkedin.com/in/holland54/ https://productionunderpressure.com Guest: Scott Foley https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-foley-8126a01/ Topics: commercial insurance, B2B sales, sales strategy, sales mindset, peak performance, middle market, account management, referral marketing, COI networking, sales leadership, San Antonio business, Texas entrepreneurs. San Antonio Video podcast production by Peachtree Rose Marketing. https://peachtreerosemarketing.com

  3. Jul 21

    Why Insurance Producers Are Burning Out And How to Survive — Production Under Pressure

    Welcome to the pilot episode of Production Under Pressure — the podcast for the person behind the production numbers, hosted by Jay Holland. In the high-stakes world of employee benefits brokerage, the pressure to produce never lets up. Jay Holland has lived that grind firsthand: 15+ years in the industry, 11 as a producer and four leading a practice in San Antonio. Today the demands on insurance producers have hit a turning point that's left the industry on the cusp of a crisis. Being a successful benefits broker isn't just about relationships and product anymore. It now takes near-clinical mastery — underwriting, data analytics, pharmacy contracts, self-funding, point solutions, cost containment, and wellness programs. And that's only the technical side. To even earn a client, producers grind through endless prospecting, cold calls, drop-ins, meeting prep, and constant rejection — often against ten other brokers doing the exact same thing. Even when you win, years of work can vanish overnight from a carrier issue, a team error, a vendor mistake, an acquisition, or executive turnover. There's no shortage of shows on sales training and product education. Production Under Pressure was built for something different: you, the producer. WHAT THIS SHOW IS ABOUT • Person over product — the human behind the production numbers, not the pitch. • Mental resilience & survival — keeping your edge, handling burnout, and weathering hard rejection. • Candid, unscripted conversations — with rookies, seasoned veterans, producers who left the seat, and the families who support them. • Shared experience — whatever the loss or struggle, someone's been there, survived it, and come out stronger. Whether you're a rookie finding your footing, a veteran carrying a heavy book, a practice leader guiding a team, or a family member trying to understand the toll of the job — this platform exists to support and sustain the people who drive this industry. Let's survive — and thrive — together. Welcome to Production Under Pressure. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to Production Under Pressure with Jay Holland 00:25 – The changing landscape of employee benefits brokerage 00:50 – Beyond sales: technical demands, self-funding, analytics & underwriting 01:15 – The prospecting reality: rejection, competition, and the grind 01:45 – Losing business overnight: the factors you can't control 02:15 – Why this podcast exists: mental edge and producer survival 02:55 – Real stories, unscripted conversations, and sustaining the industry KEY TAKEAWAYS • The producer's job has shifted — success now takes clinical precision across self-funding, analytics, and underwriting, not just relationship-building. • A book of business is fragile — clients can be lost in an instant to forces outside your control, so mental resilience is what carries you long-term. • Peer support beats highlight reels — longevity comes from honest talk about failure, strain, and mental health. Learn more at Production Under Pressure: https://productionunderpressure.com Video podcast produced in San Antonio by Peachtree Rose Marketing. #ProductionUnderPressure #EmployeeBenefits #InsuranceProducers #ProducerLife #BenefitsBroker #InsuranceSales #SalesMentalHealth #BurnoutPrevention #PracticeLeader #InsurancePodcast #JayHolland #SanAntonioPodcast #PodcastStudioSATX #SanAntonioPodcasting #PeachtreeRoseMarketing

  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Production Under Pressure is the podcast for the people who carry the weight of the production number — insurance producers, employee benefits brokers, and the teams and families behind them. Hosted by Jay Holland, a 15-year industry veteran and Practice Leader in Employee Benefits, the show goes beyond product pitches and company wins to focus on the person behind the numbers. Because being a successful broker isn't just about building relationships anymore. It's underwriting, data analytics, pharmacy contracts, self-funding, cost containment, and point solutions — and that's before you've earned a single client through the prospecting, the cold calls, and the constant rejection. Then you finally win the account, and one carrier issue, one vendor mistake, one acquisition, or one bad quarter can erase years of work overnight. There's no shortage of shows on sales training and product education. This one was built for something different: you, the producer — and how you hold your mental edge in an industry that keeps raising the stakes. Every episode is an honest, unscripted conversation about what this career really takes — the losses, the doubt, the burnout, and how producers survive and thrive anyway. You'll hear from rookies finding their footing, seasoned veterans carrying heavy books, practice leaders guiding teams, producers who walked away from the seat, and the families who support them. The throughline is simple: whatever you're going through, someone has been there, survived it, and come out stronger. Real people. Real stories. Real perspective. New episodes every Tuesday. Follow Production Under Pressure wherever you listen — and if you've lived this grind, come tell your story at productionunderpressure.com. A San Antonio video podcast produced by Peachtree Rose Marketing: https://peachtreerosemarketing.com .

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