Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

CEO Newsletter

Another year, another beginning. As the excitement of New Year’s fades, and the boredom of late winter settles in, the feeling of a new beginning often fades as quickly as it began. But now is the time to dig in and do something different to grow your agency. It’s a challenge each and every year to come up with ways to expand and evolve, but there’s almost always something obvious that you have yet to explore out of fear.

It isn't always a chance of scenery needed to make life better. Sometimes it simply requires opening your eyes.

— Richelle E. Goodrich

I know we often preach about making your agency more well-rounded by working ON your business rather than IN your business – by cross-selling, being a full service financial assistance agency, etc. And I realize that at many times, especially in the last decade, it’s been difficult to afford more help to  overcome growing pains. But it’s worth it if you ever intend to earn more money and grow.

This year, I challenge you to do something that scares you - be aggressive in seeking out new business – be aggressive in writing a new TYPE of business. We have Smart Start as a wonderful way to develop your commercial lines knowledge, while earning commission. This program has been a great asset to agents looking to expand into this market. There are also several articles in this issue that address how to write hard to place risks. These types of risks are business that most agents will turn down. While we always want to make sure we’re writing solid business and being mindful of the carrier, don’t let an unusual request automatically send you running for the hills…and in the process lose a potential (or EXISTING in some cases) client.

Learn about the E&S markets available to you through Smart Choice® so that you’re prepared when a client walks through the door with one of these cases. Come to the realization that working together with your standard carriers, underwriters, and E&S carriers will help produce coverage for a client who’s having a hard time shopping a risk. It’s a group effort.  One of our State Director’s, Mike Miller, has writ-ten an in-depth article about how to go about placing these risks.

Be prudent and smart of course. Not every risk is worth taking. But I encourage you to become a more well-rounded agency by challenging yourself to break out of your comfort zone and educate yourself so you’re comfortable writing various lines. It will inevitably lead to growth and referrals if you set yourself apart as more knowledgeable than your peers. Work on YOU as you plan for the future of your agency. Jim Rohn said “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”