In this episode, Chris and Paul are joined by Bob Ford to discuss behavioral styles in selling. 

How does a producer gain trust?  
How do successful salespeople adapt in an ever changing environment?  
Why doesn't the Golden Rule work in insurance sales?  

Find out the answers to these questions (and more) in our 40th episode!  

Chris and Paul are excited to welcome Al Rhodes and Michelle Bradley from Sigma Actuarial Consulting Group and Risk 66 to the podcast.  They discuss current trends in the captive insurance space, how a company can start the journey to forming a captive, and what emerging risks are being addressed.  

You can learn more about what Al and Michelle are up to by visiting sigmaactuary.com 

Chris and Paul are joined by Jason Bogart from Deep Customer Connections.  The discussion centered around how insurance carriers can grow legitimately, without tricks, in the independent insurance agency space and what tactics they can use to grow faster than the industry norm.  

You can learn more about Deep Customer Connections at www.deepcc.com.  

Mike Strakhov from Live Oak Bank joins the podcast to talk about consultative finance and the current and future banking products available to independent agents.  For a private buyer competing against publicly traded brokers or private equity backed firms, having a solid financing plan in place can help you win a deal.  Listen in to learn more

Mark Robinson from Michelman & Robinson joins Chris and Paul to discuss a few business practices that often challenge agencies.  What exactly can an unlicensed employee do in the agency?  Can you pay referral fees for business?  What process should you set up when charging fees to clients?  

A lot can be learned from this in depth discussion.  If you'd like to know more, Mark's website is: https://www.mrllp.com/field/insurance/ 

Bill Wilson makes his first appearance on Insurance Banter to discuss why insurance isn't a commodity and how agents can stand out from the crowd.  We always learn something new when we talk with Bill...and hope you will come away with a few nuggets from the podcast!  

Jon Persky from Optimum Performance Solutions joins Chris and Paul to talk about his favorite perpetuation horror stories.  It's been said what can go wrong, will go wrong.  Here's a chance to learn from other's mistakes so you don't make them yourself!  

Chris and Paul are excited to be joined by Jeff Albright from the IIABL.  They discuss what the independent agents in Louisiana have learned from the recent hurricanes and get into a discussion about how carrier operations and agency relations have changed over Jeff's 40+ year career.  

Chris and Paul are joined by Mark Robinson and Ryan Hong from Michelman & Robinson, a full service national law firm.  

The discussion focuses on the common pitfalls when selling an agency, what goes into a letter of intent, and what advisors you should engage.  Even if you aren't interested in selling your business now there are tips on what you can do day to day to improve your business and increase value.  

Chris and Paul are joined by Chris Behymer from Markel Specialty.  They discuss how to provide value to clients, the role of education in that process, and end with a discussion on surplus lines.