The Insurance Buzz

Michael and Courtney Weaver
  • 4.9 (130)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semiweekly

The Insurance Buzz shares top tips for Insurance Agents on how to maximize their entrepreneurial journey. Sales training tips, mindset, and motivation and learn from some of the best in the industry and experts in the field as they share what they have done to be successful as an Insurance Agent.

  1. 3d ago

    457. How John Tunnell Built a 64 Million Dollar Insurance Agency (From Scratch)

    👉 REGISTER FREE - MAY 28TH, NOON CST - Double Your P&C Close Rate in the Next 30 Days: SAVE MY SEAT Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What's in this episode: John Tunnell started from scratch in 2007 and built a $64 million book of business across multiple locations. Michael and Courtney Weaver sit down with John Tunnell for one of the most honest conversations ever on The Insurance Buzz - covering the mindset shift that took him from $11 million to $64 million in four years, the fear he had to overcome, and what it really looks like to go from agent to CEO. Michael and Courtney Weaver go deep with John Tunnell on the hard side of scaling - the people who can't grow with you, building culture across a remote team of 45+, gamified competitions, core values, and the moment John finally handed off payroll after 19 years. If you want to build an agency that runs without you, this episode is the blueprint. [00:00] From $11M to $64M in four years [02:00] Getting over fear and betting on yourself [05:00] The agent to CEO mindset shift [07:00] What John still owns as CEO and why [10:00] Building culture across a remote team [12:00] Flying the whole team in for recognition [13:00] The weekly gamified competition [14:00] John Tunnell's five core values [21:00] Why some people can't scale with you [28:00] The pressure to perform at scale [33:00] Handing off hiring firing and payroll [36:00] Using AI tools and zip code heat maps [37:00] The non-negotiables at $64 million [39:00] Follow John Tunnell at @tunnelagency Follow John Tunnell on Instagram: @tunnelagency Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    43 min

  2. 6d ago

    456. Our Honest Take on the State Farm Changes (And Every Carrier Cutting Commissions)

    👉 REGISTER FREE - MAY 28TH, NOON CST - Double Your P&C Close Rate in the Next 30 Days: SAVE MY SEAT Watch the full episode on YouTube: WATCH NOW What's in this episode: Michael and Courtney Weaver sit down for one of the most honest conversations on The Insurance Buzz yet. The commission cuts are real, the frustration is valid, and Michael Weaver and Courtney Weaver are not here to sugarcoat it. This episode breaks down what the State Farm changes - and every carrier cutting comp right now - actually mean, why the insurance industry has officially gone performance-based, and exactly how agents can make smart, strategic decisions instead of emotional ones. [00:00] The one thing Michael and Courtney want every agent to hear right now [01:00] Why it is okay to be angry, frustrated, and feel like you were lied to [02:00] What Courtney Weaver says about not making decisions out of emotion [03:00] Commission cuts are not new - what every carrier is actually signaling [05:00] Should you stay or should you go? The honest framework for deciding [07:00] If you stay, stay - if you go, go - why half-measures will cost you [08:00] The insurance industry is now performance-based, period [10:00] Business opportunity: what happens when 40 to 50% of agents leave [12:00] Courtney Weaver on becoming the agent - and human - of the future [14:00] Your skillset cannot be taxed, taken, or inflated - own it [16:00] Permission to feel it, then move - what comes next is waiting for you [19:00] Michael Weaver's final word: sit on it, create a plan, then send it Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    21 min

  3. May 21

    455. $475K in Year One: The Exact Commercial Insurance Strategy With David Carothers

    Insurance agents — would you pay $100/month to know exactly what your producers are saying on every call? Most agencies lose that in one missed objection. 👉 JOIN THE FREE LIVE WEBINAR — MAY 21ST: SAVE MY SEAT Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What's in this episode: David Carothers wrote $475,000 in commissions his first year producing commercial — zero experience, zero prior clients. In this episode, David Carothers joins Michael and Courtney Weaver on The Insurance Buzz to reveal the niche strategy, underwriter playbook, and qualifying framework that made it happen. Michael Weaver and David Carothers cover the three-to-five prospect niche method, how to build an organic lead pipeline from free public data, and the mindset that separates producers who build massive commercial books from the ones who stay stuck. If you're serious about commercial, this is the episode. [00:00] The number one rule of commercial insurance [02:00] How to identify your three to five ideal commercial prospects [04:00] What you actually need to know before your first commercial appt. [07:00] The self-belief problem that kills more producers [09:00] Why you should go to every loss control visit and audit [10:00] How David Carothers built his first-year book around one carrier's appetite [12:00] The free public data strategy that generated $475K [15:00] The one question to ask your underwriter that no other agent is asking [17:00] Three qualifying questions to ask before working any commercial account [20:00] Why producers don't understand their hourly rate and what it costs them [23:00] What is actually hard about commercial and how to push through it [29:00] A $45M flooring company and why David Carothers walked away [36:00] The conference room visualization used before every new business appt. [38:00] How to connect with David Carothers at killingcommercial.com Connect with David Carothers: 🌐 Website: killingcommercial.com 💼 LinkedIn: David Carothers ▶️ YouTube: Killing Commercial Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    39 min

  4. May 18

    454. The Script That Makes Short-Term Disability Insurance Sell Itself

    Insurance agents — would you pay $100/month to know exactly what your producers are saying on every call? Most agencies lose that in one missed objection. 👉 JOIN THE FREE LIVE WEBINAR — MAY 21ST: SAVE MY SEAT Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What’s in this episode: Most insurance agents walk past short-term disability insurance every single day without writing a single policy — not because their customers don’t need it, but because they don’t know how to bring it up. In this solo episode, Michael Weaver breaks down a word-for-word script called the Debt Payment Protector Plan that any producer can use on their very next call to start writing more short-term disability insurance immediately. Michael Weaver walks through exactly how to open the conversation, how to qualify the lead without pressure, and — most importantly — how to get the customer emotionally invested in their own answer before a single product is ever mentioned. If you have customers with a mortgage, a car loan, or even a rent payment, you have a short-term disability conversation waiting to happen. This episode gives you the exact words to start it. [00:00] Emotion first, logic at the close — the one principle behind every sale [01:00] Michael Weaver goes solo — what this episode covers [01:30] Introducing the Debt Payment Protector Plan [02:00] The word-for-word script to open the conversation [03:00] The three most common responses — and how to redirect them [03:30] How to qualify the lead without convincing anyone [04:00] The "tell me more" follow-up that locks customers in emotionally [05:00] Agency Coach AI free training — scale your agency, save time [06:00] Why making customers vocalize the answer closes more sales [07:00] How to surface the repercussion of having no plan [07:30] Wrapping the emotional conversation and moving to the close [08:00] Who this script works on — renters, homeowners, car loans [09:00] Text Michael Weaver your results — 816-727-7610 Text Michael Weaver directly with your results or questions: 816-727-7610 Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    10 min

  5. May 14

    453. Commercial Insurance: How Ciara Gravier Built a Mega Agency Through Niching Down

    FREE TRAINING: Eliminating Objections in Life Insurance Before They Happen: Learn how to prevent objections before they happen and close with more confidence in your life insurance conversations. 👉 Register now: https://bit.ly/LifeInsuranceTraining Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What’s in this episode: Ciara built The Bunker Insurance from scratch in 2019 with one mission: fewer clients, more premium, and a brand that makes people feel safe. In this episode, Michael Weaver and Courtney Weaver sit down with Ciara to break down how she built a 96% commercial book of business running lean in one of the most competitive insurance markets in the country — South Florida. Ciara walks through how she niched into manufacturing, HVAC, and contractors, why she set a $1,000 minimum revenue threshold for every account she writes, and how she uses bold branding, direct mail, and old-school prospecting to stand out against national brokerages. If you’re serious about growing your commercial book in 2024, this episode is your playbook. [00:00] From a family agency to The Bunker: Ciara’s origin story [02:00] Why she went independent instead of captive [05:00] Going all-in on commercial: 96% of her book, zero personal lines [07:00] How “The Bunker” got its name — and the animal shelter mistake [11:00] Niching down in commercial when you don’t have special markets [13:00] The $1,000 revenue threshold that changed her agency [16:00] Setting boundaries with clients: no monthly payment chasing [19:00] How she asks clients communication preferences (and why it works) [21:00] Appearing larger than you are: competing with national brokerages [26:00] The tech stack: AgencyZoom, HawkSoft, WonderWrite, and ChatGPT [28:00] The exact ChatGPT prompt she uses for marketing campaigns [29:00] How a virtual employee produced 12 blogs in one hour [32:00] Where to focus first if you’re building a commercial book in 2024 [33:00] How to build a targeted prospect list of 135 ideal accounts [36:00] The ChatGPT prompt that makes you look like an industry expert [39:00] Why old-school prospecting still beats social media for speed [41:00] The drop strategy: what to say when you walk in the door Connect with Ciara: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaragravier/ YouTube: The Bunker Insurance Website: https://www.bunkeryourrisk.com/ Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    44 min

  6. May 11

    452. Stop Skipping Health Insurance: How to Uncover the Need Every Time With Drew Griggs

    🎯 FREE TRAINING: Eliminating Objections in Life Insurance Before They Happen Learn how to prevent objections before they happen and close with more confidence in your life insurance conversations. 👉 Register now: HERE Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What’s in this episode: Most agents skip health insurance conversations because they don’t truly believe in the product—or they don’t know how to bring it up naturally. In this episode, Michael sits down with Drew Griggs to break down tactical ways to uncover disability and income protection needs without sounding pushy or scripted. Drew shares simple pivots you can use on your very next call, why disability insurance matters more than most agents realize, and how better conversations lead to deeper relationships, higher retention, and more revenue. If you’ve struggled to confidently bring up health products, this episode gives you practical word tracks and mindset shifts you can apply immediately. [00:00] Why agents avoid health insurance conversations [02:00] The real reason some producers struggle to pivot products [05:00] Relationship-driven conversations vs transactional selling [08:00] Using personality styles to improve team performance [10:00] Why top producers take action faster [14:00] The mindset shift that changes health insurance sales [18:00] Why disability insurance matters more than most agents realize [23:00] The biggest mistake agents make with work coverage assumptions [24:00] Simple disability insurance pivots you can use today [28:00] How to position income protection during renters conversations [30:00] The review process shift that increased health production [33:00] The “two job offers” close that makes disability easy to understand [37:00] The $20 conversation that turned into a massive policy [43:00] Why agency owners may be coaching the wrong metrics [47:00] How better conversations create long-term client loyalty Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    51 min

  7. May 7

    451. Why We Built Agency Coach AI (The Story We Never Told)

    Your producers are losing sales on every call. And right now, you have no idea which ones or why. Agency Coach AI shows you exactly how to win—call by call. 👉 BOOK YOUR DEMO Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What’s in this episode: If your team is having conversations every single day and you have no idea what’s actually happening on those calls, that is your problem. In this episode, Michael breaks down the real reason Agency Coach AI was built. Not what it does. Why it exists. You’ll learn how to hold your team accountable without the guesswork, turn your managers into performance coaches with real data, and build a training library from the best calls your team is already making. One agency went from $90,000 to $210,000 in submitted premium in a single month. Same team. Same marketing. One thing changed. [00:00] The result that sparked this episode: $90K to $210K in one month [01:00] Why Michael is finally telling the full story behind Agency Coach AI [02:00] Eight months in, a thousand users, and the thank-you text that started it all [03:30] What Michael would have done differently as a 100-app-a-month producer [05:00] The AI role play that actually feels like a real sales call [06:30] Why daily training fell apart as agencies grew (and why it’s not just you) [08:00] How Agency Coach AI makes accountability simple for managers [09:30] Spot-checking your team’s live calls in 15 minutes a day [11:00] Meet Ava: the AI coaching assistant managers always wanted [12:30] How to build a custom training library from your best real calls [15:30] Data-driven coaching vs. emotional coaching: why it matters [17:00] The close rate proof: 7% to 23% in two weeks [18:30] 24% performance increase, 34% save rate, 40–60 hours saved [19:30] What to do right now if you haven’t checked it out yet Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    22 min

  8. May 4

    450. Are You Building Your Carrier's Brand or Your Own?

    AI is already deciding who gets recommended… and who gets ignored. Agency Coach AI shows you exactly how to win—call by call. 👉 BOOK YOUR DEMO  Watch the full episode on YouTube: HERE What’s in this episode: If you’re trying to sell to everyone… you’re losing to someone more specific. In this episode, Natalie Hales breaks down exactly how to stop building your carrier’s brand—and start building your own authority. If your carrier is pushing you into financial services, investments, or “doing more”… but you don’t know who you’re actually for—this is the playbook. You’ll learn how to define your niche, position yourself as the expert, and create messaging that actually attracts the right clients (instead of chasing the wrong ones). This is the difference between being busy… and being paid. [00:00] Why most agents are building the wrong brand [02:00] Natalie’s story: why financial advising actually matters [06:00] Step 1: Start with YOU before choosing a niche [08:30] Mega Market vs Segment vs Niche (and where agents get it wrong) [12:00] Real example: breaking down a niche in real time [16:00] The “conviction test” for choosing your niche [19:00] How to actually attract your ideal client [21:00] Positioning vs messaging (what most agents skip) [24:00] Why “busy” agents stay broke [27:00] How AI will reward niche authority (not generalists) [31:00] The Cheesecake Factory problem in your marketing [33:00] Why judgment > information in today’s market [35:00] The biggest mistake agents make with marketing [36:30] How to connect with Natalie 📲 CONNECT WITH NATALIE HALES 🌐 Website: https://www.nataliehales.com  🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathales If you’re serious about defining your niche and building real authority—go connect and book a call. Agency Coach AI - BOOK A DEMO Stop guessing. Start closing. 24/7 AI coaching with real-time grading, role-plays, and feedback your producers actually use. TEXT MICHAEL DIRECTLY Have a question or want to talk to Michael directly? It’s really him, not a robot.  Text “BUZZ” to (816) 727-7610 FREE 7-Day Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Try it: CLICK HERE Tools + Free Resources  https://www.weaversa.com Connect with Michael Online LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa YouTube: @michaelweavertraining Facebook: facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: @michaelweaver

    40 min
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4.9
out of 5
130 Ratings

About

The Insurance Buzz shares top tips for Insurance Agents on how to maximize their entrepreneurial journey. Sales training tips, mindset, and motivation and learn from some of the best in the industry and experts in the field as they share what they have done to be successful as an Insurance Agent.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael and Courtney Weaver
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    452
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Insurance Buzz
  • Show Website
    The Insurance Buzz

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