Resources

This week we welcome guest Jason Walker, a heavy hitter in the insurance world who helps agencies modernize and, in his words, “Do less and make more money.”  

During this week’s episode, Rick breaks down why technology is so essential for enhancing the customer experience and why it will be impossible to grow without it—because, ready or not, tech has already changed everything.

Today on the episode, Rick talks to insurance marketing expert Peter van Aartrijk about the essential toolkit agencies need to build their brand the right way.

Listen in to this week’s podcast for a dive into all things sales training.

In this episode, Rick and Ashley Fitzsimmons discuss the perception of an independent agent versus the reality, and how agents can transform from a frustrated paper-pusher to a trusted risk advisor.

This week we are talking about how to create a positive reputation online, how to maintain it, and why it’s so important.

This week on the podcast we welcome Dimitrios Argitis, VP & GM of Vertafore Canada

Dylan Braun, producer of the show, joins Rick this week to rant about hiring, company culture, and keeping employees happy post-pandemic.  

This week we have social extraordinaire Brett Allen, owner and creator of BOSS Social.

Today Rick takes a look back on the last couple of years and all we’ve learned together. 

Today on the show we have Tim Wilson-Humphries, an independent agent who specializes in health, life, and Medicare. 

Today we’re talking about the importance of good listening, MGA/MGU market trends, and hiring young talent. 

In this episode, we welcome special guest Matt Masiello. Matt is the author of Insurance Agency 4.0 and is the current CEO of SIAA. As he puts it, “The future for the independent agency is bright.”  

In this episode, Rick is talking about getting engaged in the insurance industry—and not just a little bit engaged, but full, all-in engagement with networks, peers, and user groups. 

Rick and Crystal discuss how to attract the best and brightest talent via office environment, culture shift, and technology. Plus, Crystal shares the questions she thinks are missing in most interviews that would help make better hiring matches from both sides of the table.  

No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, this episode details legislative matters up for consideration in the near future that will affect the insurance industry at large.

Rick and Michae Freilichl chat about his four big pillars for the independent agent: scale, skill, scope, and access to capital.

Listen in as Rick discusses some of the silver linings of the past year and what he is most excited for right now: basketball and a slow return to something close to normal. 

We’ve got a VIP on the VIP podcast for this episode! Listen in as Rick talks with Bill Pieroni, CEO of ACORD.

Rick shares expertise in technology, client relationships, and managing employees. 

This week, we welcome Bradley Flowers of the Insurance Guys podcast and founder of Portal Insurance, and we’re talking about sales versus service.

If you like stats, this episode is for you.

Get comfortable with discomfort, with Torey Maerz. Torey is here to remind us that we can do hard things, and 2021 is going to be a year of massive change and adjustment for insurance when the world opens back up.

In this episode, Rick answers some questions that people across the industry can relate to.

In this episode we welcome Kelly Lennon, Vice President and Risk Advisor for Technology at USI Property & Casualty.

We're talking about a no-excuses approach to reaching your goals with a little inspiration from a silly but great movie, Wedding Crashers, and this applies to everything in your life—insurance-related or not.

In this episode, Rick outlines the top 3 reasons why retention is so important and provides a 3-step playbook for how to implement a winning retention strategy.

Tyler Asher believes that independent agents can turn their competitive advantage into superpowers in the market, and he’s here to tell us how.

In this episode Rick outlines six proven strategies for slaying your sales goals in 2021.

We put a bow on 2020 and welcome the new year with James Thom, Chief Product Officer at Vertafore. 

Our 10 most popular episodes from 2020.

So, for the last episode of the year, and as a final farewell to 2020, Rick recapped everything we talked about here at the VIP over the last 12 months.

As we wrap up the year and look forward to 2021, Rick is excited to welcome Elizabeth Schenk, CEO of Agency Network Exchange (ANE), to the podcast!

Tune in to hear Rick's 6 buckets full of thanks for those that have made an impact on his year.

This week on the VIP we are excited to welcome Nicole Smith, founder & CEO of JMS Creative Leadership Solutions and author of 20 Leadership Golden Nuggets: Practical leadership lessons to use today.

Rick talks about six categories to think about for successful business planning.

As 2020 winds down we're evaluating lessons learned and planning for 2021!

In this rant, Rick challenges us to re-energize, seize the moment, and end the year strong!

In this week's rant, Rick breaks down insurance market connectivity and gives tips on how you can start and modernize your connectivity processes.

Today's guest, Brad Schrum of Wingman Insurance — a cybersecurity and cyber-insurance expert with 25+ years of experience — is going to walk through some simple steps we can take to secure our data and explain why cybersecurity insurance is necessary for all insurance businesses.