Age of Indiependence

Our creative energy kicks in when there is a problem to be solved! Don't miss this energizing convo on Age of Indiependence podcast with Quantum Assurance International’s Director of Education, Amanda Mapp. It turns out clients want us to solve real problems, and over-apologizing keeps us from seeing the best outcomes. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

Episode Highlights:

Amanda believes that fear of judgment or rejection keeps us from taking risks because we don't see risk as something that will benefit us regardless of the outcome. (8:56)

Amanda agrees with Katlyn that if we can educate our children to have a mentality change, it will be tremendous for their risk tolerance and desire to take more risks. (11:38)

Amanda discusses why the price is the most painful aspect of a policy. (15:41)

Amanda discusses what factors influence her satisfaction. (18:47)

Amanda believes that in the insurance industry, we must be extra creative in order to solve challenges (25:44)

Amanda explains that regardless of where we were raised geographically, how we sound in general, not just like the things we say, can affect how the call will flow, and that the person on the other end of the line will impact how that discussion goes. (27:10)

Amanda emphasizes the importance of associates understanding that they too, are consumers. (29:53)

Amanda explains that, instead of sharing a story, we may ask some questions to learn more about the client's situation, which also builds connection and ultimately works towards the goal of addressing an issue. (32:14)

Amanda explains that switching the roles of customer and associate is one method to encourage people to understand how something sounds. (33:38)

Amanda discusses why it is important to practice dealing with situations in stressful scenarios. (36:24)

Amanda mentions TikTok as a wonderful way to learn that has a lot of very excellent knowledge since there are so many extremely educated and really talented individuals on there sharing their experiences and spreading a lot of information (38:12)

Key Quotes:

“Being a success is subjective but somebody being satisfied is internal.” - Amanda Mapp

“In insurance, we have to get extra creative with solving problems. Because we don't have a one size fits all solution for people, at least it shouldn't be that way. So, we have to think outside the box and think how do we, adjust coverages or look at different carrier options to make sure that a customer's problem is actually being solved at the end of the day.” - Amanda Mapp

“I think there's a disconnect sometimes where our associates don't always realize that they're also consumers. So they put themselves in only the suit, you know, in the worker position, right? And they don't think about themselves as the consumer.” - Amanda Mapp

Resources Mentioned:

Amanda Mapp Linkedin

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Haig Ardzivian, VP of Operational Innovation at Quantum. Haig shares how your agency can grow with intentionality. When it comes to change, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Get the cliff notes on Lean Six Sigma and hear how to find a "NorthStar" that keeps your team on a strategic path while you grow.

Episode Highlights:

Haig shares his background story and how he crossed paths with Quantum and eventually became the operational innovation VP. (2:48)

Haig explains that the whole concept of Lean Six Sigma is how you look at a process, the various steps of the process, and analyzing potential failure points. (6:11)

Haig shares that in an agency, people management is an advantage, especially if the agency has effective leadership. (11:37)

Haig shares his advice to agency owners which is not to expect their people to know how to bundle. (16:08)

Haig explains that it is very important to talk to your people and get their take on things and review them. (17:37)

Haig talks about the importance of being able to be disciplined enough to not change all the time. (21:29)

Haig explains that it's important as a leader to see the difference between when something is a preference and when it's better. (26:18)

Haig shares that if you are looking to scale your company's progress, always think about the funnel strategy. (31:01)

Haig talks about what happens when you lose credibility with your brand, and scale too fast. (32:07)

Haig explains that it is very important to understand what your primary goal is and make sure you are always focused on it. (36:58)

Haig shares that you have to check your effectiveness and that when you do, you will be able to see where you can create the most impact for your company. (43:06)

Key Quotes:

"I think the owner, from a cultural perspective, has a much bigger impact on a smaller agency, because they're always around. And they can lead through people seeing how they handle certain situations. And I think that's very impactful in an agency." - Haig Ardzivian

"Another thing about change management, you know, going off of your thoughts on, like, entrepreneurial spirit, let's move fast, and let's get things done, is that you have to be disciplined enough to not change all the time." - Haig Ardzivian

"Whatever you're great at, and whatever your passion is, maximize that as much as you can. Because that's fun for you, you're good at that. But when you're looking to scale, you have to think about your funnel, more than anything else." - Haig Ardzivian

Resources Mentioned:

Haig Ardzivian Linkedin

Quantum Assurance International

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

If you aren't giving your customer service team a quantifiable measure of their performance, you could be in danger of extending trust without clarity. In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, hosted by Katlyn Eggar, find out which Top 5 indicators you can score to drive client success.

Episode Highlights:

Katlyn shares the first mistake that makes your customer service department vulnerable. (0:34)

Katlyn explains why accountability is all about visibility because without seeing the right data, customers can feel unsatisfied. (05:51)

Katlyn mentions that we should write down the when, why, and how many. (8:08)

Katlyn shares why not scoring for performance on your customer service team could also make your agency vulnerable. (11:11)

Katlyn shares five targets that touch on what you don't want to miss for your agency scoreboard. (14:03)

Katlyn suggests that not giving your team members a score or a quantifiable measure of their performance, could lead to the danger of extending trust without clarity. (17:25)

Katlyn shares that the fifth metric will help you know when you need to provide more coaching to your team. (19:30)

Key Quotes:

"If you're not giving your team members a score or a quantifiable measure of their performance, you could be in danger of extending trust without clarity. Anytime you extend trust, pause to make sure you're extending clarity" - Katlyn Eggar

"We shouldn't assume that the coverages the client chose when they first purchased a policy are the coverages they still need today." - Katlyn Eggar

"If you're trying to improve your agency's retention, it starts with your team and your people and just knows that there are quantifiable things you could use as indicators to figure out how well your service team is doing." - Katlyn Eggar

Resources Mentioned:

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this episode of Age of Indiependence Podcast, host Katlyn Eggar is joined by Brian Ahearn, Author, Coach, and Chief Influence Officer at Influence People. Science tells us that the methods you use impact your ability to influence and persuade. In "Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents", Brian Ahearn shares how you can increase your impact in your agency. 

Episode Highlights:

Brian tells us that he does set goals but he did not set a New Year's resolution. (6:23)

Brian shares some highlights of the books that he has published. (9:23)

Brian recalls the moment he realized that his passion was persuasion, influence, and helping people grow. (12:05)

Brian tells us that there are scientific ways to be a more effective influencer. (17:20)

Brian explains that 95% of our decision-making comes from a subconscious level. (23:09)

Brian explains how a sales coach can persuade people new to the insurance industry to be persuasive. (25:10)

Brian gives his advice to everyone in the industry to make sure they don't miss out on the tool of compare and contrast. (30:51)

Brian points out how important it is to know other people's personality types. (39:30)

Brian says that the motivation of wanting to control schedules and income can help people in sales be successful. (46:44)

Brian explains the importance of the principle of liking. (47:58)

Key Quotes:

"Pave the way to success, make your goals public, take some active steps, whatever your goal is, it has to be voluntary, it has to be yours, it can't be thrust upon you." - Brian Ahearn

"It's not that it's unimportant to understand your personality, but it's always more important to understand the person that you're interacting with." - Brian Ahearn

"Focus on the principle of liking, which says that it's easier for people to say yes to you if they know you, and they like you. But don't spend your time trying to get people to like you." - Brian Ahearn

Resources Mentioned:

Brian Ahearn Linkedin

Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents

Influence People

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Brett Young, CEO at Erb and Young. Brett discusses how his team has grown over the years, why they are always recruiting, and what steps they take to find the next winning team member. 

Episode Highlights:

Brett discusses his agency, Erb and Young. (1:46)

Brett talks about what it's like to work on his team. (6:18)

Brett talks about a time when their business model wasn't making progress. (9:44)

How has Brett had to adapt their team culture to support growth? (11:48)

Brett mentions that as businesses grow and add team members, they become more specialized in their work. (14:25)

Brett explains why they are continuously hiring. (16:45)

Brett explains their recruitment strategy. (18:37)

Brett mentions that he is a team builder at heart. (20:25)

Brett explains that they defined their ecosystem five years ago, over the course of their ten-year lifetime. (21:50)

Brett describes what they're searching for in a candidate during the recruitment process. (25:15)

Brett believes that the insurance industry is highly unique in that it provides people with an almost unlimited amount of not only income but also autonomy. (32:29)

Brett explains why it is important to sell the agency's goal. (33:55)

Brett discusses some of the things that interviewers should stop doing. (35:21)

What advice does Brett have for someone who is interviewing for a new job? (37:30)

Key Quotes: 

“As you grow and as you add team members, you just become more specialized in what you do.” - Brett Young

“Content has been a massive strategy in regards to showing the heart of who we are.” - Brett Young

“It's important to sell the dream to make sure that people know that this is a long term deal and it's worth it. Because there are going to be tough days, there are going to be tough situations, there are other jobs you can go out and get a quick fix. And this is just not one of them.” - Brett Young

Resources Mentioned:

Brett Young Linkedin

Erb and Young

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

Communicating with others well directly impacts your outcomes. In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Amanda Mapp, Education Manager at Quantum Assurance. Amanda talks about the DISC personality types, how to better understand people with different personality types from yours, and how to deal with personality differences!

Episode Highlights:

Amanda talks about the Leadership Academy at Quantum Assurance. (5:10)

Amanda discusses why she wants to bring the DISC personality traits to people's attention. (5:57)

Amanda discusses the DISC personality type classifications. (13:33)

Amanda discusses the personality of someone with the D "Director" personality type. (17:25)

Amanda explains that, while there is a formula that may work for many conversations, there will always be something that needs to be adjusted depending on the customer. (22:31)

Amanda shares why she has a soft spot for those with the I personality type. (24:03)

What are some of the things that would drain an I if they happened often in an insurance agency? (26:46)

Is it common to find an I in a sales role? (29:23)

Amanda discusses why the S personality is known as the "feeler" personality. (30:13)

Amanda discusses personality type C. (37:27)

What advice does Amanda have for those who want to improve their communication skills at work or at home? (45:41)

Key Quotes:

“We have to realize that while there's a formula that might generally work for a lot of our conversations, there's always going to be something that we have to adjust depending on the customer that we have.” - Amanda Mapp

“If we can get our strong folks in one category to focus on that one thing, we're going to see better production from them.” - Amanda Mapp

“I love anything that talks about personality because sometimes it's like horoscopes, sometimes it's so dead-on and sometimes people are like, that's not me. But I just want to be like, yes, it is, you just don't want to see it.” - Amanda Mapp

Resources Mentioned:

Amanda Mapp - Linkedin

Quantum Assurance

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Kat Ternes, Vice President of Revenue at AgencyZoom. Recruiting comes with a bunch of challenges! Hear what hurdles Kat had to overcome to build her team, and how this can help you find top talent for your agency. 

Episode Highlights:

Kat shares how she was first introduced to AgencyZoom. (3:17)

Kat discusses some of the challenges she has faced when it comes to recruiting. (5:54)

Kat talks about the team culture and core values of AgencyZoom. (7:47)

Kat shares how they established their seven core values together with the team. (12:53)

Kat explains how their team members are rated on a one-to-five scale. (19:46)

How would Kat Ternes describe what it’s like working in the startup world? (22:14)

Kat shares how she's building her own candidate pool. (28:33)

Kat discusses how she organizes her schedule. (34:36)

Kat explains why great, successful salespeople don't normally leave their jobs. (39:15)

Kat emphasizes the need of recognizing that the job market and the employee market are currently globalized. (41:36)

Key Quotes:

“Great successful salespeople don't normally leave their jobs. They're making good money. They're happy. They have freedom in their lifestyle because they're at 120% quota. Their boss doesn't care if they don't come in on Fridays.” - Kat Ternes

“Thinking about it through that lens, that I'm not an insurance agent recruiting, I am a small business owner who has a sincere impact on my community and I am truly trying to help your career and grow. It is the lens that we should look through more.” - Kat Ternes

“I am not here to say that recruiting is easy. What is easy, and most of us already have as a skill, though, is networking.” - Kat Ternes

Resources Mentioned:

Kat Ternes Linkedin

AgencyZoom

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar catches you up to speed on highlights from this summer and shares her recent episode cliff notes, favorite quotes, and spoiler alerts!

Episode Highlights:

Katlyn shares how she’s spent the summer vacation with her family. (1:55)

Katlyn shares a couple of highlights about her podcast episode with Ryan Frank. (11:23)

Katlyn mentions what she and Cassidy Arbeli discussed. (13:51)

Katlyn shares her interview with Justin Marks. (15:23)

Katlyn recaps some key takeaways from her podcast interview with Ethan Barhydt. (17:38)

Katlyn explains why her podcast episode with Ethan, was by far, one of her favorites. (19:08)

Katlyn mentions an important element in making a long-lasting positive impact on a person’s life. (22:56)

Katlyn shares her episode with Peter van Aartrijk. (23:43)

Katlyn mentions Jeff Kirchick’s book entitled, Authentic Selling: How to Use the Principles of Sales in Everyday Life. (26:23)

Key Quotes:

“We're focusing on branding the client relationship, and where the biggest opportunities are to solve problems for them. Now, you've created that consultative approach within your agency, and anyone can start there.” - Katlyn Eggar

“It's totally possible for your sales team to get on the phone and quote and close a new policy without even mentioning the name of your agency. And so, I just wanted to leave you with that little tidbit today, because it's such a great reminder to all of us about how every conversation is a branding moment for our agencies.” - Katlyn Eggar

“At the end of the day, the bottom line for me is don't just look at the numbers, you've got to listen to the calls, you've got to get inside of the call, not just look at the outcome, and that will point you in the right direction so that you can start figuring out how to coach those behaviors.” - Katlyn Eggar

Resources Mentioned:

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International

In this throwback episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Grant Botma, the Founder of Culture Course and Stewardship. Grant talks about his mission and purpose and shares the four questions to ask when evaluating the past and creating goals for the future.

Episode Highlights:

Grant gives a little background about himself. (3:40)

Why Grant describes himself as a compassionate capitalist. (5:17) 

How Grant’s kids have become a champion of what their family's building. (9:12)

Why Grant named his company Stewardship and what makes them different. (11:17)

Grant shares one of the important things he talked about in his book. (13:23)

Why Grant thinks that working is beautiful. (13:33)

How he gives his employees freedom. (16:22)

How long does it take for Grant to create certain changes within a company? (23:09)

The four questions to ask when evaluating the past and creating goals for the future (36:53)

What three areas should you focus on to grow your business? (41:45)

What’s the best way to connect with Grant? (47:44)

Key Quotes:

“I teach my children that in the heart of every compassionate capitalist society is this, you find the needs, and then you fill them. If there's a genuine need that somebody has out there, you do anything and everything that you can to fill it, to serve them, to love them to care for them.” - Grant Botma

“I'm the same person, whether I'm here in this podcast, whether I'm at the office, whether I'm at home, it's a whole lot easier to live my life that way. And my kids see that and I try to do my best to model it for them. And it's fun to have that type of mission or approach in life because your family supports you in ways that make a huge, huge impact.” - Grant Botma

“I think work is beautiful. I've actually believed that we were designed and created to work. And it's one of the reasons why we enjoy thinking about work or even doing work from time to time, right? It's a lot of fun at times.” - Grant Botma

Resources Mentioned:

Agency Intelligence

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Grant Botma LinkedIn

Culture Course

Stewardship

Advertisers:

Agency VA

We Got Your Podcast

In this episode of the Age of Indiependence podcast, host Katlyn Eggar interviews Jeff Kirchick, Strategic Sales Director at Cresta. Whether you realize it or not, every day you are selling something. Jeff Kirchick explains how the timeless skills of salesmanship impact your everyday conversations, why the customer is not always right, and how to detach yourself from the outcome.

Episode Highlights:

Jeff gives some background and insight on Cresta. (5:20)

Does Jeff think that sales is a science or an art? (6:59)

Jeff shares why it’s important to give people a framework from where they can operate. (9:25)

Jeff mentions why people should treat the customer the way they would treat their best friend or family member. (12:20)

Jeff gives some details about his book entitled, Authentic Selling: How to Use the Principles of Sales in Everyday Life. (18:47)

Jeff explains why children have the capability to be better and more authentic salespeople. (25:09)

Jeff mentions why a good leader asks open-ended questions. (32:00)

Jeff shares one of his favorite chapters from his book. (34:58)

Jeff mentions one of the reasons why he wrote the book. (42:26)

Jeff how Cresta works and why it’s such a valuable tool. (46:59)

Key Quotes:

“It was kind of a logical fit for me to come to Cresta, which is both within contact center and AI. Their philosophy is not using AI to replace people, but rather, to use AI to upskill people. In other words, to learn the behaviors of the top-performing agents or sales agents.” - Jeff Kirchick

“Give them a framework that they can operate within. Because, you know that you need to exist within that framework to succeed, but, make it loose enough that the individual can still act in a way that is their authentic self.” - Jeff Kirchick

“This book is for salespeople, but, it's also for everyone. The reason for that is because I think everyone is a salesperson in some way.” - Jeff Kirchick

Resources Mentioned:

Jeff Kirchick Linkedin

Cresta

Reach out to Katlyn Eggar

Quantum Assurance International