Insurance Banter with Burand & Borup

Don Phin joins Insurance Banter to chat about HR issues in agencies.  Memorable quotes include:

• A fair days wage isn't what you say it is...it's what the market says it is
• You need to move from expectations to agreements
• Put water cooler conversations on the calendar for remote employees

If you'd like to get in touch with Don, please check out his website at https://www.donphin.com/.  

Chris Boggs joins Insurance Banter to talk about:

• As an agent, is it better to advise on coverage or price?
• Why he chose to move into consulting
• The current state of continuing education
• and more

Chris built a long career as an agent, a carrier employee, an educator and an insurance book author.  No matter how long you've been in the industry, you will gain some valuable insight from this conversation! 

Adam Klug of Specialized Recruiting Group joins Chris and Paul to talk about:

• Identifying the right talent for your team
• Why an Employee Value Proposition is so valuable
• Creative ways to find the right talent for your team. 

Chris and Paul are joined by Skylar Romines to discuss:

• What prompted her to make the move from brokerage to owner's representative
• The current challenges Skylar sees in the insurance market landscape
• How she thinks the industry can best serve people going forward

Skylar is the Founder of ATW Advisors, an independent risk advisory and owner's insurance rep firm.  You can find out more here: https://atwadvisors.com/

Chris and Paul had a great discussion with Russ Banham.  The conversation was wide ranging and VERY interesting.

Where else will you find a conversation touching on Meatballs (the movie), Hank Greenberg from AIG, the importance of a mentor, and Russia?

Who knew insurance could be involved with spy-craft, popular culture, Broadway, the Pulitzer Prize, climate change, and a bill you'll be getting in the mailbox sometime soon?  

Russ started his association with the insurance industry as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce back when newspapers were actually a thing!

This is a wide ranging conversation.  Surprisingly, you can learn why specialization is important for your career and start thinking about why the industry is headed for regulatory problems if they don't start doing things differently...all in the same episode.  

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

If you want to learn more about Russ, please check him out at https://www.russbanham.com 

Mark Robinson from Michelman & Robinson, LLP joins Chris and Paul again to take a deep dive into Carrier / Agency Agreements.  

How do you know the agreement your about to sign will help your business in the long term?  

What are the limitations it places on the authority of both parties?  

As an agency, the value of your business is closely tied to the expirations (or X-Dates) of your clients.  How is that section addressed in the agreement?  

Finally, they talk about a few common pitfalls to look out for.

If you'd like to engage with Mark's firm, please visit the website at www.mrllp.com.  
If you need to get in touch with Chris for other consulting issues, he can be found in cyberspace at www.burand-associates.com.

Finally, if you are on X (formerly known as Twitter), please give us a follow at https://x.com/insurancebanter...we are old dogs trying to learn new tricks and would love for our friends to come along for the journey!

What is holding you back as a salesperson and how you can overcome the roadblock(s) and experience greater success?

Chris and Paul are joined by Connie Kadansky to explore this topic in greater detail.

If you'd like to contact Connie, she can be reached at:
[email protected]
www.exceptionalsales.com
(602) 380-5431

Chris and Paul are happy to be joined by Greg Lang from Reinsurance and Insurance Network (RAIN), LLC (http://rainllc.com) to continue the conversation around Captive Insurance.  

Greg is an instructor for an upcoming course presented by the International Center for Captive Insurance Education (https://iccie.org/course-catalog/reinsurance-and-other-risk-transfer-mechanisms).

This discussion focused on fronting carriers in the captive insurance space.  They discussed what role fronting carriers fill, risks and costs involved, general timelines, and current examples in the marketplace.  

Fred Fisher returns to discuss absolute exclusions.  Have a copy of your E&O policy ready if you are an insurance agent as you listen to this one!  You may want to negotiate new terms and conditions! 

Do absolute exclusions negate the traditional maxims of insurance like:

• Reasonable expectation
• Contracts of adhesion
• Coverage should be broad and exclusions narrow

A very insightful discussion that just may change how you view the industry...no matter where you sit!   

Chris and Paul are excited to be joined by Fred Fisher to discuss how Independent Agencies can compete with the "Big Boys".

The three topics they explore:

1.  Why is this a problem for Independents?
2.  What is the Difference in the approach
3.  How can independents compete?

If you want to compete with the "Big Boys"...this is the episode for you!