When you're in an environment like the one we created at our old agency, everything is elevated, and it groomed an organization full of selling machines. The pace, the rhythm, the money motivation, it was contagious. We set the tone for an unmatched sales culture because we knew it would lead producers to a growing book of business, a long sustainable career, and inevitable generational wealth. There was always a sense of keeping up with the Joneses" in our office which ultimately became a standard mentality. The unspoken rule was always wanting to do better than you did the previous month. Although this sounds like a tough environment to work in, it was quite the opposite. Agents were having fun, making money, and living a lifestyle they always wanted. We bring up the topic of sales culture at our former agency not because we want to talk about our achievements but because we want to help agents cultivate a winning system inside the independent channel. We are the co-founders of GloveBox: Ryan Mathisen, Andy Mathisen, and Sean Mulhern, and this is our story of running a successful agency inside the world of insurance.
Having a team of hungry producers is always a great foundation when you have a sales organization. If you have the will to be great at your job, you can sell a lot of insurance and reap the rewards for years to come. This industry thrives off integrity and endurance, not skill and education. When we built our team, we asked our candidates two questions: How much money do you want to make?" and Are you willing to sacrifice 12-24 months to reap the rewards of insurance?". By asking the right questions upfront, you set the expectation what an evolving career as an insurance agent looks like.
Just ask Sean, who grew a book of business faster than anybody, not only at the agency, but in the whole country. Month after month, he would receive recognition as the top producer, and most of the time he would have twice as much written premium as the next person. Sean was the insurance agent GOAT, and everybody knew it. His lead generation was top tier, his quoting/selling was as efficient as you can be, and his process was streamlined and maximized. Operating your day, week, and month with a dedicated system/process was the difference between being elite and average. He was able to look at his marketing, prospecting, quoting, selling, etc. with an eye for efficiency. Where can things be simplified? What can it be enhanced? How can I operate bigger, faster, stronger? This led to numerous months of 6 digits in written premium and an annual production of 7 digits. In personal lines, this was unheard of, but when he hit the commercial scenes, his process only scratched the surface before we moved on.
Enter Ryan, who held just about every position in the agency. He was able to quickly earn the respect of his peers through a genuine knack for business and some of the savviest sales practices you'll see. He rose to the top of the organization because of his reputation for making everyone better, the Tom Brady of insurance if you will. The man did it all and paved a recipe of success for years to come because everyone around him operated at peak performance when he was around. Having someone in your agency that agents wanted to learn from him, and model after, is a major key to establishing a healthy sales culture. The many agents who were successful in our system were at this level because of the leadership that Ryan portrayed. From scripts, to selling tactics, to maneuvering your way around a quoting system, to getting a deal closed, these are the leadership traits that make a difference. Anybody can learn how to quote and sell, but how effective are you from A to Z?
Rounding out the process to scalability is having a sustainable lead generation process. Andy dedicated years to a particular way of marketing which resulted in everlasting partnerships and business opportunity. With focus on confidence, consistency, and persistence, he established a system that any agent could replicate with success. When you set aside time each day to build a network and cultivate it properly, the fruits of your labor are never in question. The problem with many agents is the commitment to a certain process. It can take 6 months to establish a legitimate referral partner network but once it's up and running you're halfway home to success. Andy provided his agency the method, resources, and demeanor to generate results. Having a proven marketing process can be the engine in your insurance career and having this in place early on is worth the sacrifice.
Our agency eventually grew to $100MM in premium based on a particular style, culture, and method. We want all independent agents to have this success and we are always willing to tell our story. On October 14th, you will have the chance to hear directly from these agents who became the co-founders of GloveBox, as we talk in detail about these agency best practices. Register for the virtual ACT Tech Summit today and get ready for a dedicated workshop on agency scalability!
Author Bio:
Andy Mathisen is Co-Founder & CMO of GloveBox