

The Agent Leader Podcast
Brent Kelly--The Agent Leader Podcast
The podcast for independent insurance agency leaders and their teams to learn practical strategies and behaviors to become their best version possible. Hosted by Sitkins Group President, Brent Kelly, The Agent Leader Podcast provides agencies with leadership, sales, and self-development methods that actually get results.
With our focus on a total-team approach to improving independent insurance agencies, we dive into sales, service, and leadership teams.
Leadership is not a title. Leadership is influence. Become a better leader and gain influence with your clients, team, and community.
With our focus on a total-team approach to improving independent insurance agencies, we dive into sales, service, and leadership teams.
Leadership is not a title. Leadership is influence. Become a better leader and gain influence with your clients, team, and community.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 18, 2023 • 23min
Three Questions for Leadership Capacity
This is the first in a series about agency capacity. There's a lot that goes into that, and a lot to discuss, from leadership capacity, sales capacity, service capacity, and what all that means for your agency in terms of results, processes, systems, and pretty much everything you can think of.
How can you gain clarity on your leadership capacity? Start by asking yourself these three questions:
What must I change to stop trying to have it all?
What "good" things can I stop doing, in order to do the best things?
What must I do to become more proactive, and less reactive?
To learn more about our private client network, visit sitkins.com/experience
To watch the video or read the transcript, visit sitkins.com/blog/three-questions-for-leadership-clarity

Mar 28, 2023 • 27min
Five Reasons Why You Don't Need a Coach
Let's talk about five reasons why your agency doesn't need a coach in this episode of The Agent Leader podcast.
Now obviously this title shouldn't be taken seriously, and be taken as more of a challenge to you as an insurance agency leader. Are you willing to work with others to develop and improve yourself and your team? After all, no one ever accomplished something great, alone.
So let's dive into these five reasons why you wouldn't need to be striving for the best version possible of you or your agency.
You’re immune to the outside forces in the world
You’re waiting to sell out
You believe that your team is not worth investing in
You are the competition that is feared in your marketplace
You’re getting incredible results
If you’re ready to grow your agency and want to learn more about how we work with agencies, visit sitkins.com/experience

Mar 7, 2023 • 29min
Two Vital Questions for Sales Leaders
What are the two vital questions that every sales leader should be able to ask, and of course, get answers to?
As an agency leader or as a producer, it's important to hear this message so you can develop your own personal accountability in becoming a great sales professional.
It’s all about how you can Define, Document, and Deliver within your agency. As Brent says, it’s really hard to manage air – if nothing has been defined or documented, it cant be delivered.
Get ready to add these two simple but powerful questions to your leadership repertoire:
“I thought we agreed on.”
“Help me understand…”
To learn more about our network of growth-minded agencies, visit sitkins.com/experience
To read the transcript or watch the video recording of this episode, visit https://www.sitkins.com/blog/two-vital-questions-for-sales-leaders

Feb 28, 2023 • 25min
Intentionality
Brent Kelly starts this episode off with a challenge to insurance professionals - how many of the things that you can control are you truly in control of?
How much of your time, energy, and effort is lived with intention, intentionality, versus accidental and reactive?
With that in mind, Brent goes through three areas where you can be more intentional to become your best version possible.
Be Intentional with your communication
Be intentional with your calendar
Be intentional with your commitments
Listen in for specific examples for each of these three areas of intentionality and some impressive stats from our member agencies – including an 80% growth rate!
To learn more about our network of growth-minded agencies, visit sitkins.com/experience
To read the transcript or watch the video recording of this episode, visit sitkins.com/blog/intentionality

Feb 21, 2023 • 26min
Seven Barriers to Your Success
Brent talks you, the agency leader, through beliefs that are holding you or your agency back in this episode of The Agent Leader podcast.
Get ready to discuss seven beliefs that could be holding you back from the true results you want in your agency:
Your past is better than your future
Fitting in is better than becoming world class
We replicate vs. revise
We can’t write larger accounts
We can’t work on referrals only
We can’t really differentiate
We’re done learning, expanding, and growing.
If you’re ready to break through these belief barriers and become your Best Version Possible, visit www.sitkins.com/experience to learn more about our network of growth-minded agencies.
To read the transcript or view the video recording of this episode, www.sitkins.com/blog/seven-beliefs-holding-you-back

Feb 8, 2023 • 31min
A Culture of Excellence in Your Agency
Brent shares some solo thoughts on a really important topic today - your agency's culture. What is a culture of excellence? What does a culture of excellence mean to you as an agent leader, to your agency, your team, your clients, and your community? You name it. It's all about a culture of excellence.
So let's go deeper in this idea of what excellence means to you and having the ultimate competitive advantage.
Listen as Brent shares some heartfelt clues to success on becoming the competition that is feared, never losing to someone who is more prepared than you, and personal accountability in this episode of The Agent Leader podcast.
To read the transcript or watch the video recording, visit www.sitkins.com/blog/culture-of-excellence
To learn more about our client group, visit www.sitkins.com/experience

Feb 1, 2023 • 32min
Marketing Your Agency for Growth
Mary Savage, Director of Marketing at UNICO Group, joins Brent to share her experience in agency development and growth through marketing.
Listen in for a great perspective on agency challenges from the marketing side, including how Mary's team builds relationships with their advisors so that they're seen as a trusted team member, and not as a service center. Using our Risk Concierge Program, UNICO's marketing team branded a sales playbook that has helped their producers, and agency, grow and succeed together.
Get great tips to independent insurance agency success, and a little basketball talk, on this episode of The Agent Leader.
To learn more about our membership group, visit https://www.sitkins.com/experience

Jan 25, 2023 • 24min
Ten Building Blocks of Producer Success
Discover the ten foundational blocks crucial for insurance producer success. Topics include building high-performance teams and ensuring active engagement from producers. Emphasize the importance of relationship management and developing unique selling systems. Learn the value of relentless preparation and having a structured sales playbook. Explore strategies for effective pipelines filled with ideal clients and personal accountability for ongoing growth. It's a deep dive into accelerating your agency's performance and client relations!

Jan 12, 2023 • 41min
We're All In This Together - Interview With Allison Hammons
Allison Hammons of Knight Insurance Group joins Brent on this episode to share tips to her success in independent insurance.
Listen to gain clever tips on:
Recruiting talent, both internally and externally
Creating a solid culture that includes praise within the agency
The importance of having mentors
Plus more great takeaways, available in video and text format at https://www.sitkins.com/blog/were-all-in-this-together-with-allison-hammons
If you're interested in getting your agency to its Best Version Possible, visit sitkins.com/experience

Jan 5, 2023 • 43min
Wisdom in the Room - Interview with Dan Mickells of UNICO Group
There's plenty of Wisdom in the Room with Dan Mickells of UNICO Group joining Brent as a guest on The Agent Leader for this episode.
Dan shares stories of success, and stories of failure, that will help anyone in insurance sales learn some important lessons along the way - including why it's important to not be afraid to fail.
Get ready to take notes, Dan's agency has the success to support their strategies like:
Going deep in conversations with clients
Meeting expectations
Meeting people to make good things happen
Sunday planning sessions
Perfect schedules
Getting your team all on the same page
The importance of stepping out of your comfort zone to grow
Plus more great conversation and ideas from a great independent insurance agency leader.
To read the full transcript or watch the video recording of this episode, visit www.sitkins.com/blog/theres-wisdom-in-the-room-interview-with-dan-mickells
If you're ready to be in the room with growth-minded leaders like Dan Mickells, visit sitkins.com/experience to learn more about our private client group.