It's time for another InsuRant! This week it's all about how to handle the uncertainty and stress that this year has thrown us. From COVID-19 to social unrest, and the added stress of an election year, it's easy to sink into the negative. Rick talks about how to create a positive mindset when negativity is forced upon us daily, as well as how we can change our lives, and the lives of those we interact with daily. Let's focus on what we can do instead of what we can't!

This week we're excited to welcome two very special guests, Chris Cline and Craig Welsh of Westfield Insurance! Chris and Craig are experts on all things distribution, and they have a rule for us all to follow: the big 3 + 1. But what is the big 3+1? One answer is 4, but Chris and Craig are talking about these four steps:

Perpetuation

Digital & Marketing

Data & Analytics+

Diversity & Inclusion

Grab your notebook and take some notes - this episode is full of important information.

This week Rick is joined by Dustin Yoder, CEO of Sureify and he'll have you dreaming about insurance. One day Dustin woke up at 26 and knew that insurance was his calling. Tune in to this week's episode as Rick and Dustin talk about the top-down approach to technology in insurance, customer experience and expectations, and how you can enable more sales.

Let's press pause on everything happening in the world and take these next 18 minutes to think about how your agency scores compared to your competition. Rick gives you the four subjects you should be tracking, and what you should be doing to achieve a perfect 4.0. We're going back to school y'all, so tune in to see how you score!

On this week's episode Rick is joined by Gordon Hui, VP of Strategic Innovation at Hartford Steam Boiler, a division of Munich Re. Gordon focuses on providing turnkey IoT solutions for small commercial lines, what we all know as the businesses on main street in our towns. But what is IoT and how can it help the independent agent? Tune in to hear what Rick and Gordon have to say about the topic.

As we're all aware, things are different now, but there are some silver linings to this less-than-ideal situation. Rick has identified two areas that have shifted since the beginning of COVID-19: a change in technology and a change in customer expectations. 

But what can you do to meet these shifting needs and priorities? Tune in to this week's episode to find out.

On this week's episode, Rick is joined by Rob Galbraith, the most interesting man in insurance and Director of Innovation at AF Group. Rick and Rob talk all things insurance and the client digital experience. This episode is full of great insights - you won't want to miss this one!

It is time yet again for one of Rick’s InsuRants! This week Rick talks about how grateful he feels to be part of such a tight-knit industry. And don’t just take it from Rick, #VIPodcast producer Dylan Braun chimes in with what he has seen in the industry the past couple of months. We’re all #InItTogether, and Rick highlights how connected the insurance industry is in this challenging time.

If today's episode gives you flashbacks to your college Psych 1010 class... well, that's a good thing, according to our guest Dorothy L. Andrews, Principal & Chief Behavioral Data Scientist at Actuarial and Analytics Consortium. You may never have thought much about it, but behavior and psychology play a significant role in our industry - from a customer's sense of risk awareness to an underwriter's algorithms - the human mind is at work everywhere. In this episode, Dorothy sheds some light on:

How insurance products impact real people, including through their biases (12:56)

The three most basic psychological needs of our audience that we can work to fulfill (18:18)

When insurance companies should be building bonds with their (future) consumers (19:30)

The most important skill that actuaries are going to have to have for the future (25:20)

How you can connect in a physical way through technology (30:50).

Join us for a conversation with Gilad Shai, founder of BOUND API - an InsurTech startup with a mission to provide agents with digital distribution channels across the web. As the founder of a startup, Gilad is intimately familiar with mergers and acquisitions within the InsurTech space from both sides of the table. In this episode, Gilad and Rick discuss:

The three waves of the InsurTech revolution 

The dilemma every startup has to face 

Gilad's prediction for how technology will change the role of the agent 

And, just for fun, the one English phrase Gilad can't say