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The most successful sales people are the ones who know how to have meaningful conversations to connect with their buyer. Sales is really about one thing – cultivating relationships. Because a relationship opens a door for you with a prospect, and the trust cultivated from navigating that relationship is what closes the deal.

The insurance industry is rapidly changing. It’s often said that we’ll see more change in the insurance industry in the next five years than we saw in the last 25. In order for independent agents to grow their agencies and remain competitive, things can no longer be business as usual. As we kick off 2019, here are four questions every independent agent should ask themselves.

Many independent insurance agents, both new to the industry and established agents, at some point find themselves asking the question: “Should I join an aggregator or agency network?” Here's your answer.

Look for a new way to do something you have always done the same way. This is tough to do, but once you start, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

If you’re a Smart Choice® partner, then you understand the benefits of joining an agency network. One of the most common reasons agents join a network is to gain access to carriers and markets that are otherwise unobtainable for them. I’ve got 26 more reasons why your decision to join and stay in Smart Choice® is a smart move!

Why should I join an agency network and what are the benefits? Most people would provide the answer of: “access to markets and carriers!” Although that probably is the biggest reason, the truth is that agency networks offer so much more than that.

While I could list dozens of reasons and benefits for agencies to be part of a network, it might be more advantageous to think about all the reasons agents traditionally cite for not joining a network.

In today's hyper-competitive insurance market, agency marketing is more important than ever. In Safeco’s Agent for the Future survey, 38% of independent agents said they plan to increase their investment in marketing. However, only 16% said they planned on hiring a dedicated marketer.

Almost every salesperson in the world has some method of keeping track of appointments; most often it’s a calendar of sorts. And, while it should come as no surprise, so do most people who make appointments with salespeople.

I recently rolled out the 2019 theme for my territory: Failure is a choice. My management team and I identified our top goals for next year and made a plan for keeping them our number-one work priorities. By doing so, we’re making the choice to work actively toward our goals rather than take a passive, come-what-may attitude.

As we finish up 2018, I look back over another record year for Smart Choice® agencies and the growth we’ve experienced together. We have reached two significant milestones this year.

In business, this is often the time of year when we begin planning for what’s to come in the next year – from budgeting and goal-setting to creating actionable punch lists and enacting plans. But, it should also be a time of reflection.