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"Leveraging Referrals: Maximizing Your Business Relationships for New Lead Generation" emphasizes the importance of leveraging referrals in financial service providers' marketing efforts. Doug Witcher highlights the benefits of referrals, such as higher trust from customers and a higher likelihood of closing a deal, and provides tips on how to effectively utilize referrals in a business, such as asking for referrals, making it easy for customers to refer others, and being appreciative of referrals.

That morning Bill woke up with laryngitis. “Great,” he croaked at the mirror, “the big sale is today, and I sound horrible.” Stopping off at the pharmacy on the way in for some lozenges, he found his voice in even worse shape. While he could talk, it was just barely above a whisper and for not more than a few sentences.

Over the past few years, more customers have started seeking out local deliveries of food and goods. This has caused a shift in the commercial auto and trucking space, dramatically impacting the demand for delivery and driving growth in the gig-economy delivery market.

By now you’re aware that Smart Start Commercial is an efficient way for agencies of all sizes to profitably write small commercial. Whether your agency is a start-up looking to gain access to our portfolio of Standard National Carriers and establish acumen in the Commercial arena, or a larger Commercially-focused shop leveraging the efficiencies of the Smart Start team to write and service small business clients profitably, Smart Start is a one-size-fits-all solution!   

In my home state of Minnesota, we have two seasons: winter and cabin season. Cabin season has finally arrived. The highways clog with RVs and trucks towing boats as people get out of Dodge and head up north to their cabins. I’m sure it’s the same in your neck of the woods during the summer months.

Choosing a network partner can make or break your business. Independent agents should consider these four key characteristics of a network before committing to an insurance agency network.

Agency Networks have historically been viewed as a great way to access markets, which is certainly a value proposition of most networks, aggregators, and cluster groups. However, the typical costs of participation make the financial equation puzzling. 

As we approach the halfway point of 2022, we continue to see the ripple effects on our industry of economic instability wrought by the pandemic. Although we’ve been seeing indications of a hard market for some time, the state of the insurance industry shows no signs of reversing this trend and it continues to tighten from a risk perspective.

One of the most destructive sales myths in circulation is how the “bulldog” insurance agent finally got the contract, the deal, the sale, after months of constant work. This myth is held up as the epitome of what sales is all about. For the vast majority of insurance agents, the sale is not worth hundreds of thousands in commissions.

If you’re a captive who is experiencing challenges but also feeling lost about how to transition into the independent world – an independent agency network can help guide you.

Disruption is changing the landscape for thousands of independent and captive agents. The M&A disruption and new distribution models alter agency working environments, increase competition in many markets, impact compensation, job satisfaction, geographic opportunity and growth. While unplanned change can be for the better, for many agents, being in control of the change is preferred.

Cyberattacks can result in a significant loss of time and money— not to mention lasting emotional effects. Your clients need to be aware that this can happen to them and could have major impacts. Here are some tips and solutions to help offer them peace of mind.