Power Producers Podcast

By David Carothers

We are refining and redefining the sales game. A place where sales professionals can come to learn from other sales professionals and thought leaders who have mastered their craft. Real sales professi... more

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FAQs about Power Producers Podcast:

How many episodes does Power Producers Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 685 episodes available.

Power Producers Podcast episodes:

October 21, 2022Throwback: Ringing the Bell with Mariah Davis
In this throwback episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck interview Mariah Davis, President and Owner of Oakview Insurance Services, Inc. Mariah talks about her journey from being a captive agent to an independent insurance agency owner and how she built her agency. She also shares the struggles she faced that made her stronger and better.

Episode Highlights:
How did Mariah get into the insurance business? (2:54)
Mariah mentions that when she was a captive, she didn’t know what profit-sharing was. (5:07)
What is it like for Mariah, working with her father? (5:17)
How long has Mariah been an independent insurance agent? (9:19)
What led Mariah to be an independent insurance agency owner? (9:24)
Mariah thinks that it’s essential to have district managers in the insurance industry. (10:04)
What was Mariah’s biggest challenge during her transition? (13:39)
Mariah mentions that it’s common in the insurance industry to start as a captive, then be independent. (15:25)
Mariah shares that some groups like the Mastermind and IAOA, are vital to getting the independent channel to talk to each other. (20:17)
David thinks that there’s a tipping point where people finally, were raised in a way where collaboration made more sense than it did a long time ago. (20:49)
Has Mariah’s growth been organic over the 10 years? (22:52)
Mariah mentions the Shiny Object Syndrome. (29:15)
Mariah mentions that it’s vital to change your workflow. (30:39)
Mariah shares that in December of 2019 she was diagnosed breast cancer. (35:52)
Mariah mentions that she has her struggles, but the nation is also struggling with the pandemic and the ramifications of it. (42:23)
Kyle shares a story about his newborn baby. (43:41)
How many treatments does Mariah still have to undergo, before she can ring the bell? (47:16)
What makes Mariah’s agency unique? (48:20)
What does Mariah’s strategy look like? (51:54)
Mariah mentions the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (57:23)
Tweetable Quotes:
“I feel like I know every position in our agency because I’ve had to be every position in our agency at one point or another. That just gives me a better understanding of what our team goes through with their chair.” – Mariah Davis
“I’ve had wonderful support, I have a wonderful spouse, and I have a wonderful support system of friends and the community. And everybody just rallied around me and so I can’t help but be positive. I am such a practical person that it was the only thing I can do. Having doubts being upset, you know, being depressed is just not that productive.” – Mariah Davis
“Everybody has a trial and tribulation. And so either we can pick up and we can keep going. Or we can just fall apart and wallow in it. And I just chose not to do that. And it’s a choice. I’m going to be positive about it. And I’m going to be this and we’re going to continue with life.” – Mariah Davis
Resources Mentioned:
David Carothers LinkedIn
Kyle Houck LinkedIn
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
Mariah Davis LinkedIn
Oakview Insurance Services, Inc.
Susan G. Komen Foundation
...more
1h 2min
October 19, 2022Bound and Determined with Meg McKeen
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck interview Meg McKeen, Founder & Consultant at Adjunct Advisors. Meg talks about her life as a digital nomad, how she created a virtual business, and shares the lessons she learned as a woman in the industry.

Episode Highlights:
Meg explains what a digital nomad is and her current setup for working from anywhere, as she is always on the move. (3:12)
Meg shares that the life of being a digital nomad is not easy, as it opens up different challenges along the way. (7:25)
Meg explains why she decided to start her business virtually and how it benefited her operations when COVID came. (11:33)
Meg shares that the most common issues that her clients bring up are mostly related to the misalignment of talent, timeframes, and goals from the producer back to the organization. (16:29)
Meg mentions that one thing that helped her succeed in business is knowing how to navigate a system that was not built for her. (27:29)
Meg shares that one of the most rewarding things she can do is to walk away from really nice revenue because of a values misalignment. (41:44)
Meg explains that it is important to show producers that it is okay to say no, and to be there to support them when they do. (45:37)
Meg mentions that she supports using discovery meeting calls. (53:37)
Meg advises listeners that if they are not on their way to their goal, it's not too late to change their course. (57:56)
Tweetable Quotes:
"The problem that I see over and over again is a misalignment of talent, timeframes, and goals from the producer back to the organization." - Meg McKeen
"Instead of trying to figure out how to play a game or navigate a system that wasn't built for you, create an entirely different one. I'm never gonna fix ‘all the problems’ that you've just highlighted in our business... What I can do is introduce some ideas, some concepts, and support for those who want to go about it differently." - Meg McKeen
"The perspective that I've had for 23 years on our business is that it's a business that wasn't built for me. So if I want to be successful in whatever, and I've been on the carrier side, I've been on the agency side, and now I'm out schlepping my own services, I have had to figure out how to navigate a system that wasn't built for me." - Meg McKeen
Resources Mentioned:
Meg McKeen LinkedIn
Adjunct Advisors
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
1h 3min
October 17, 2022Weeding Out The Competition with Marcus Harris
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck interview Marcus Harris, Insurance Executive at Arnold Insurance. Marcus discusses how they value their producers, clients, and company at Arnold Insurance and shares the importance of different generations in the insurance industry.

Episode Highlights:
Marcus shares his background and how he got into the insurance industry. (7:52)
Marcus talks about his marketing company, which initially started as a video production company because he loved the concept of telling stories through video. (12:04)
Marcus mentions that he initially started the insurance business when his dad offered to help him start an agency in Denver. (19:38)
Marcus explains that part of what Arnold Insurance tries to drive home for their producers is that they need to finish the job to protect their clients, the agency, and themselves. (26:08)
Marcus shares that, for him, working with his family is a blessing and rewarding as everything is an opportunity for them to work together. (28:23)
Marcus discusses his experience with Keystone. (33:34)
Marcus explains that one of the biggest challenges from his perspective of growing an agency is getting bigger clients, and the only way to do that this is to know your stuff. (38:09)
Marcus explains that you are in the right competition when you overcome others by being consistent and gladly competing with the ones that are left. (47:12)
Marcus shares how much he enjoys the rush of getting the Broker of Record. (54:10)
Marcus explains that the insurance industry needs a new generation, and it is always great to welcome people that are trying to build their careers in this industry. (56:31)
Tweetable Quotes:
"I think that's what we're trying to drive home with our producers is, hey, you've got to finish the job, you've got to protect us, protect the agency, protect yourself. And then you've also got to take the opportunity to truly educate your client, make sure they know what they have." - Marcus Harris
"Insurance is a massive industry, right? I mean, there are tons of those guys in every corner. Most of those guys you get rid of, by just being consistent. And then the guys that are left, you're glad to be competing against those guys. That means you're in the right place. " - Marcus Harris
"I think you realize that you weed out a ton of your competition by stuff that's very much in your control. And when you get to a certain level, yes, you're going to get beat by guys that can hit the ball better than you like that. Just note, they’ve just got a skill set that is different, right?" - Marcus Harris
Resources Mentioned:
Marcus Harris LinkedIn
Arnold Insurance
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
1h 3min
October 14, 2022Big I Oklahoma
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers goes live at the Young Agents Conference in Oklahoma with guests Julie Hamill, Ryan Smith, Bradley Owens, Jase Riggs, Trent Willis, Wes Becknell, Shania Slavick, and Krista Kautz to discuss their experiences at the conference.

Episode Highlights:
Julie Hamill shares that her favorite part of the conference is networking. (2:42)
Brad Owens mentions that he was reawakened by what David Carothers spoke about at the conference and is ready to read the book "The Dirty 130". (3:41)
Jase Riggs, Wes Becknell, and Trent Willis explain that there were a lot of great things that happened at the conference, and the real challenge is being able to apply and implement those things in real life. (10:54)
Trent Willis shares that one of the things that separate successful agency owners is that they take action. (13:46)
Trent Willis and Wes Becknell explain that attending conferences like the Young Agents Conference helps you to get better by knowing what successful people are doing. (19:46)
Shania Slavick mentions that this was one of the most successful events they have attended, especially being able to bring new attendees that are young agents. (25:26)
Krista Kautz shares the heartwarming story of her peers setting up a fundraiser for her stepmother who is battling cancer. (30:22)
David Carothers encourages all the listeners to help out and raise the target goal of the fundraiser which is $25,000. (35:54)
Tweetable Quotes:
"I think this success is really going to be who goes back and implements what they learned, right? That's what we come to conferences and learn. But can we go back and implement it?" - Trent Willis
“We're definitely trying to battle that talent gap. And the students were so engaged and amazed at how cool this industry could be. And then the amount of connections that they're getting for potential employers. Because, anyone knows that whenever you first come out of college, it's hard for some to get a job because you're competing against other resumes with experience.”- Krista Kautz
“I think the thing that sets us apart as successful agency owners is that all of us sitting around right here, we all take action. We take the first step. We're not scared to have this conversation. We don't let fear get in our way.” - Trent Willis
Resources Mentioned:
Ryan Smith
Julie Hamill
Bradley Owens
Jase Riggs
Trent Willis
Wes Becknell
Shania Slavick
Krista Kautz
Smith & Sons Insurance Agency, Inc.
The Affinities Group
CompSource Mutual Insurance Company
Riggs & Associates Group
Cornerstone Insurance Group
Rocklake Insurance Group
BIG I Oklahoma
Berrong Insurance Agency
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
40min
October 12, 2022Becoming the Protege with Sean Kirby
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers interviews Sean Kirby, from Performance Group Indiana, and contestant from The Protege season 2. Sean shares his experience on the show and the things he has been able to apply in the real world, and how he got an immunity because of his work product.

Episode Highlights:
Sean shares how he became interested in joining the Protege for season 2, after watching the first season. (3:40)
Sean explains that the relationships he gained with the other contestants on the show were a welcome surprise to him. (5:04)
Sean mentions that he had a great experience going through the challenges and how he has been able to apply them to his business. (7:45)
Sean shares how he was able to come up with the Blue Collar Blueprint, and so far has come to gain appointments from it. (9:15)
Sean explains that one of the challenges he has been faced is being too friendly and not separating the business enough to take things to the next step. (11:17)
David explains that Sean has a great team, and it's only a matter of consistency in being able to see results. (15:15)
David and Sean share some of their experiences with one of the more unique characters on the show. (21:16)
Tweetable Quotes:
"It made me become a bit more creative than I think I usually am, like, in a marketing sense. I've got some great coaches, so they've helped me fine tune where I fit in the marketplace and how to really build something for the customer." - Sean Kirby
"The persistence behind it, it will all pay off. I'm in the right group right now. One of them's got to hit. That's all I need." - Sean Kirby
"There was nobody that I would say just nailed it every week. The people that made it through are the ones that were the most consistent in their work product, period." - David Carothers
Resources Mentioned:
Sean Kirby LinkedIn
Blue Collar Blueprint
Performance Group Indiana
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
27min
October 10, 2022Make it Equitable with John A. Borja
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers interviews John Borja. John discusses building books of business and shares insight on how to tackle the challenge of attracting to new producers.

Episode Highlights:
John explains that he has been in the business for 15 years as an independent broker and has worked with three different brokers and brokerages, and this is his third time building a book of business from the ground up. (2:30)
John believes that building business books has a lot of appeals, but that the part that is hard and can be discouraging is the part where you have to fix things up. (4:39)
John explains that in California the broker owns the book of business, but principles make it hard to move. (5:54)
David explains that the way that he attracts producers, and the way that he hires producers is he makes them referral partners to his agency first. (12:29)
John explains how you may move the book of business with an agreeable attitude between your principal and yourself. (19:24)
John believes that agencies continue to make it difficult for producers to move on to other organizations, both at the regional and national levels. (22:52)
John explains how crucial it is for producers going forward to know what is negotiable up front. (25:22)
John mentions that he likes The Power Producers Podcast's intro because it is very relevant to the lifestyle of a producer. (27:54)
John discusses his decision to target and work with larger accounts. (32:04)
From a leadership standpoint, John believes it is not difficult to change, particularly if you know it will have a direct influence on your organization's income. (36:53)
John explains how he learned early on that this industry is greater than him, and that there is a lot of information out there; it's simply a question of choosing which one to emulate. (42:57)
Tweetable Quotes:
“I have a little bit more knowledge on building books of businesses now at the third try then at the first try.” - John Borja
“I know that agency principals struggle with attracting new producers and I believe building books of businesses have big appeal. But at the same time, the restart or revamp stage is the part that is very, very hard. And it kind of can be discouraging.” - John Borja
“From a leadership perspective, I don't think it's difficult to evolve, especially if you know that it's going to create direct impacts with your revenue to your organization, good or bad.” - John Borja
Resources Mentioned:
John Borja LinkedIn
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
50min
October 07, 2022The Wood Sessions 4
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck sit down with Clayton Wood, Managing Partner at C.B. Wood Financial. They discuss Clayton's book, The Chronic Cost, and how it can help companies with 50 to 500 employees better understand and save money in the employee benefit buying process.

Episode Highlights:
Clayton explains that the book, The Chronic Cost, was written to be concise and understandable for everybody. (3:06)
Clayton shares that the book The Chronic Cost also goes through how you can economically get to a company with 50 employees. (4:32)
Davis mentions that putting something in print that you can hand to people gives you more credibility because not everyone is into the digital age and some people would rather just read a book. (5:34)
Clayton discusses about the great feedback they have received since the book came out and how some clients got in touch with him after not hearing from them for a while. (7:59)
Clayton explains that having the goal of signing up clients for a monthly subscription has a strong connection with having recurring revenue. (11:11)
David explains that people that are looking to write a book have to integrate the traditional and digital print of their books. (13:14)
David shares how people can get a free copy of the book. (14:56)
Tweetable Quotes:
"We wanted to be concise to the point and make it understandable for anybody, but the book is meant for anybody in the buying process of employee benefits we target in the book." - Clayton Wood
"We're just trying to find another avenue to share our ideas with people because everybody needs to talk in a different way." - Clayton Wood
"I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the digital age that we forget, not everybody's caught up in the digital age is what we are. There are people who would prefer to just get a book and read it." - David Carothers
Resources Mentioned:
Clayton Wood LinkedIn
C.B. Wood Financial.
Book: The Chronic Cost
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
19min
October 05, 2022Becoming the Protege with Ryan Smith
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers interviews Ryan Smith, a contestant on The Protege. Ryan talks about his experience on the insurance reality show, and shares some of the lessons that he has learned thus far.

Episode Highlights:
Ryan shares his background growing up in Lawton, Oklahoma and what led him to join the insurance industry. (2:48)
Ryan explains that part of his struggle in his submissions to The Protege is talking too much. (10:28)
Ryan shares that his goal is to be a fourth-generation agency owner and take the company to new heights. (12:50)
Ryan explains that having mentors through the independent agent channel has been so valuable for him. (20:39)
Ryan shares how he thinks he would be able to stand out in The Protege challenges. (28:38)
Ryan elaborates on how he is still analyzing how he can be able to be more intentional and focus on the words he is using in a strategic way. (31:15)
David reveals that one of the things he was looking for was to see how many people would contact Josh Gurley. (38:47)
Ryan explains how contestants connect with each other and bond every episode. (43:09)
Ryan shares that the interaction with the coaches and friends that root for him has been the most motivating experience for him. (47:00)
Tweetable Quotes:
"Ultimately, my goal is to be the fourth generation agency owner, Smith and Sons. And I mean, I'm a part owner already, but I want to take this generation of the business to new places to new heights." - Ryan Smith
"Having mentors, you know, through the independent agent channel, has been so valuable for me talking with people like Beaux Pilgrim, Jason Cass, and Mike Crowley." - Ryan Smith
"Insurance agents are not just old guys sitting around with fishing poles holding the dollar over you and saying, ‘Oh, gotcha’. You know, there's really a lot of excitement and a lot of fun that can be had in this industry." - Ryan Smith
Resources Mentioned:
Ryan Smith LinkedIn
Smith & Sons Insurance Agency, Inc.
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
54min
October 03, 2022A New Way to Aggregate with Kenny Urbania
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers interviews Kenny Urbania, Chief Executive Officer at The Agency Collective. Kenny discusses The Agency Collective's desire to help not only in the growth of agencies but also in the development of a leader. Kenny also shares the structure they have at The Agency Collective for agents in terms of commissions and bonuses.

Episode Highlights:
Kenny shares his background story and discusses his 24 years of experience in the insurance industry. (2:05)
Kenny explains that The Agency Collective is more of a professional service business or agent co-op where they make a collective effort to put their premiums together in order to get better deals for the agencies and better bonuses for the agents. (6:05)
Kenny shares that in most situations, they do not charge anybody to join them, unless they want to get their premium right away. (12:27)
Kenny mentions that they monitor loss rates because they never want to touch commissions in order to provide agents 100% commission. (16:13)
Kenny shares that The Agency Collective is structured in a manner that they strive to pay agents as much as possible while still being the best partners with carriers. (22:41)
Kenny explains the importance of renegotiating the compensation levels and bonuses for the agents every year. (28:18)
Kenny shares that in addition to personal lines they also have commercial lines, life & financial, and they try to run on all platforms. (30:54)
Kenny shares one of his favorite success stories of a captive agent that broke free and took only 9 months with The Agency Collective to surpass the income he was making after 10 years. (43:36)
Tweetable Quotes:
"We never want to touch commissions, we want to give the agents 100% of the commissions. We work on contingency and bonuses. And that's one of the reasons why we watch loss ratios." - Kenny Urbania
"The bottom line is it's all about the revenue you can bring to your agency and the profitability and working together with the right person." - Kenny Urbania
"We all sell boxes, some are bigger, some are smaller, I don't care how big the agency is, or how small the agency is, there's nobody that gets treated differently." - Kenny Urbania
Resources Mentioned:
Kenny Urbania LinkedIn
The Agency Collective
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
47min
September 30, 2022The Wood Sessions 3
In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck sit down with Clayton Wood, Managing Partner at C.B. Wood Financial. They discuss pharmacy benefits and how they work in the P&C world and why P&C agencies should have a conversation with their clients about benefits.

Episode Highlights:
Clayton explains that the purpose of this series of episodes is to help P&C brokers and listeners understand that cross-selling may add an extra revenue stream to their business. (3:42)
Clayton defines a pharmacy benefit manager in the industry. (4:22)
Clayton discusses the importance of having a transparent pharmacy benefit manager. (7:30)
Clayton mentions that some health care plans have a brilliant marketing strategy, but it is only to make employees pay more. (14:28)
David explains to the listeners why service fees are valuable. (19:13)
Clayton explains that in the P&C world, prescriptions are a problem for small businesses with 50 to 150 employees, and it will be one of their largest percentages of claims. (21:37)
David believes that any P&C agency that does not even discuss benefits with its clients, whether they sell them or not, is allowing someone else to come in and have that conversation. (23:33)
Tweetable Quotes:
“What we're doing here on this four-episode series or more, if we decide to do more is just to help the P&C brokers, the audience of this podcast, just understand, that there is a way to add an extra revenue stream to their business by cross-selling.” - Clayton Wood
“Putting a pharmacy benefit manager that's transparent in is really important. Nowadays, there's a special term for them, they're called pass through PBM’s, which means they don't add any spread to the drugs, and they pass on 100% of the rebates.” - Clayton Wood
“Any P&C agency out there right now, that is not even having a conversation with their clients about benefits, whether they sell them or not, is opening up an opportunity for somebody else to come in and have that conversation.” - David Carothers
Resources Mentioned:
Clayton Wood LinkedIn
C.B. Wood Financial.
David Carothers
Kyle Houck
Florida Risk Partners
The Extra 2 Minutes
...more
26min

FAQs about Power Producers Podcast:

How many episodes does Power Producers Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 685 episodes available.

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