Finding Peak [Formerly The Ryan Hanley Show]

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Jackson and Jamieson Fregeau, Co-founders of Quandri.io, join the podcast for a deep dive into digital workers (aka Bots).Digital workers make automating the repetitive work of insurance easy, so your people can focus on what’s important.This is an episode you don't want to miss…Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Chris Cline, executive director of ACT, the Agents Council for Technology, for a conversation on the overcomplication of insurance.They explain why hard times demand a determined focus on simple, repeatable tasks that produce results.Don't miss this episode…Episode Highlights: Ryan shares that he is relaunching his newsletter, Finding Peak, which is focused on becoming the best version of yourself that you could possibly be. (2:17) Chris mentions that everything in the world is now on a single device, and it's not so much about being on the phone as it is about what is done there. (13:39) Ryan explains how Antifragile by Nicolas Nassim Taleb made him think about how he positions himself in the world, the skills he wants to acquire, and how he wants to set up his business and career so he can sustain himself personally and professionally. (21:15) Chris talks about the evolutionary way the brain works and how that impacts all aspects of our lives. (27:18) Chris discusses why he thinks people in the industry make things too complicated. (31:56) Chris explains that commercialized, competitive rating is one of the industry's hottest topics right now. (39:33) Chris believes that there is no such thing as the best tech stack unless it precisely matches the agency's business strategy. (47:50) Chris explains mid-funnel technology and why it is so successful right now. (56:24) Ryan believes that the winners and losers will be separated by true leadership moving forward. (1:05:52) Chirs mentions the importance of remaining steadfast around what you're trying to get accomplished, and truly giving your teams what they need to be successful through that. (1:16:50) Key Quotes: “Our brains are processing what's in front of us differently based on the experiences we've had. But you know, you and I can be in the same room and see very different things. But the core fundamental things I think we would see, it's just how do you let that stuff that sits in the margins, the complex stuff, the subconscious level stuff, minimize the interpretation.” - Chris Cline “You've got a relentless focus on processes first, making sure you got the right people in the right roles, doing the right things, and then use technology to bring that stuff to life.” - Chris Cline “Whenever things get funky, leadership wins. Being able to set a clear vision. Remain steadfast to it, be a clear and active champion around what you're trying to get accomplished. And truly give your teams what they need to be successful through that is integral.” - Chris Cline Resources Mentioned: Chris Cline LinkedIn Agents Council for Technology Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comLike other industry disruptions preceding it, the InsurTech movement was widely viewed as a threat to the existence of the independent agency channel. Thus far, the independent agent has proven to be an invaluable component in meeting client needs and expectations. Still, technology advances are the ecosystem in which they must operate – together with their carrier and digital partners.In this panel, leaders representing the three components of this dynamic, IA’s, carriers, and tech, share their thoughts on how to make the customer journey a smoother one and why collaboration is a win-win for all parties.Don't miss this conversation...Episode Highlights: Ryan introduces his guests: Amy Zupon, CEO of Vertafore, Tyler Asher, President of IA Distribution for Liberty Mutual, and Matt Masiello, CEO of SAA. Amy Zupon mentions that the increasing amount of M&A in the industry is catching her attention right now. (8:50) Amy Zupon explains that there is a huge amount of money invested in the space right now, and she sees this trend continuing. (11:07) Matt Masiello shares that we are currently seeing a lot of exclusive business channels being converted to independent agency channels. (13:25) Tyler Asher explains that in the next few years, what he sees is better quality service and continuous growth in market share. (15:55) Matt Masiello believes that small businesses need to be a part of other organizations to remain small and independent. (22:27) Amy Zupon explains that as a software company, they believe in an open platform, and they belong to groups where they participate with tech companies that are similar to them. (27:12) Amy Zupon explains that the Orange Partner Program's concept is to be open and to establish relationships because the partnership is about trust and communication. (33:06) Matt Masiello mentions that partnership has two bookends, first, you have to like your partner, and second, you have to have the same goal as them. (37:40) Tyler Asher shares that the agents, carriers, technology providers, and vendors still have a lot of work to do when it comes to integration. (45:24) Tyler Asher explains that retention is materially higher when customers engage in online digital capabilities for service. (54:24) Matt Masiello shares that the two things independent agencies can do to scale their business are lead generation and digitization. (57:47) Key Quotes: "We did start that Orange Partner Program with the philosophy of being open and building on relationships and collaborating with others to build things." - Amy Zupon "To really grow, it means taking a look at the digital resources that are out there and getting them into your agency, which includes building a digital brand, whether you're in a geographic market, or a digital market." - Matt Masiello "I think right now, the biggest gap is making sure that we're serving customers in the way they need to be served today." - Tyler Asher Resources Mentioned: Amy Zupon LinkedIn Matt Masiello LinkedIn Tyler Asher LinkedIn Vertafore SIAA Liberty Mutual Insurance Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this special episode, Ryan breaks down how in a "Human-Optimized" Agency of the Future, efficiency isn't the answer to exponential growth.Efficiency may be part of the solution, but it's not the whole solution, and a lack of understanding of this concept is where many insurtech startups go wrong.This is an episode you don't want to miss...Episode Highlights: Ryan believes that the Rouge model is proven to be productive, efficient, and replicable by anyone with the vision and guts to do so. (2:35) Ryan mentions that they are currently hiring at Rouge. Some of the positions they are looking for are aspiring chief revenue officers and producers. (6:11) Ryan explains that the positions available are not for traditional people but more for people that like to build relationships and have an open mind to a slightly different approach. (10:25) Ryan discusses how he got a great deal with a car dealership, and the moment he realized that the sales agent was just trying to sell something he had access to in his inventory. (15:30) Ryan shares that the Carvana experience with his car trade-in was much better, but recalls two things he had hiccups with, which were the verification and the lien. (20:36) Ryan explains that the car dealership experience he had was one example of a complete validation of the human-optimized model for the agency of the future. (27:08) Ryan mentions that an important part of a human-optimized model is the step-up process from self-service to automated, made by an inside force of licensed professionals and outsourced VAs. (31:48) Ryan explains that humans are still the most important part of the business, but if we push our customers directly to humans, we are limiting our ability to be efficient. (33:25) Ryan shares that the future of the insurance industry is still going to stand out in the future as long as the human-optimized model is utilized. (36:24) Key Quotes: "If your traditional local, independent agency still dictates the way business will be done, I don't believe that you have a future in the industry. You can maintain it for sure, but you're not growing." - Ryan Hanley "I also saw a lot of people that still believe that humans are not the answer. Humans are still an incredibly vital part of our business, still the most important part of our business. However, if we push all our customers directly to our humans, always the way we want it to be done, we are limiting our ability to be efficient." - Ryan Hanley "This is where I think the business is going. This is where I think our industry is going. I'm so bullish on the independent insurance industry. I just feel like this move to a human optimized model is the best way." - Ryan Hanley Resources Mentioned: Reach out to Ryan Hanley Rogue Risk SIAA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comThis episode is a replay of a live webinar Ryan  did for David Carothers and the Killing Commercial community, breaking down the step-by-step method he's used over the last decade to drive consistent inbound leads into his agency using video marketing.This is a hyper-tactical episode, so sharpen your pencil and get ready to learn ALL the secrets of inbound video marketing.Don't miss this episode...Episode Highlights: Ryan explains that he repeated the 100 days, 100 videos commitment in 2020, using the same technique he used in 2018. (8:24) Ryan discusses how he searches for and creates his list of topics, which he then turns into a headline for videos that provide solutions. (11:31) According to Ryan, if the video has good audio and clean visuals, consumers will pay attention to it; but, if the video has a busy background, their attention will begin to dry up. (15:30) Ryan mentions the advantages of using the sun as the video's lighting setup and having crisp, clean audio. (19:07) Ryan shares that he doesn't use his costly camera equipment, but rather the cinematic mode on his iPhone, which performs the job very effectively. (22:47) Ryan believes that it is important to have a simple, clean, and repeatable video setup. (25:17) Ryan explains how he grabs his video from his iPhone and why his video templates are remarkably similar. (29:27) Ryan discusses the video formula he uses: beginning hook, middle build, and ending payoff. (31:26) Ryan mentions where he publishes his videos and why he distributes them where he does. (42:12) Ryan explains how referrals and people who contact you as a result of your video are not the same thing and should be handled differently. (46:08) Ryan describes what he does and how he handles phone calls from people in the internet space. (50:15) Key Quotes: “We use video every day in everything we do not just to do video to get some attention. We do it to drive business” - Ryan Hanley “Your consumers don't care. They absolutely, positively, without a doubt, do not give a crap about what equipment you use. Here's what they care about. They care that you are clear that they can see you and they care that they can hear you. And then after those two things, nothing else matters.” - Ryan Hanley “Doesn't matter how big the account is, solve the problem. Go back and round out the account.” - Ryan Hanley Resources Mentioned: David Carothers LinkedIn Killing Commercial SIAA Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley is joined by Jason Cass for an absolute blitz of conversation on insurance, insurtech, and everything and anything else we could discuss in a 60-minute podcast. You will be educated, and you will certainly be entertained.You are welcome, insurance industry...Episode Highlights: Ryan mentions that he will be purchasing David Carothers' book The Dirty 130 for his team since the book when combined with the workbook, is an extremely exciting program for producers (3:07) Jason explains that everything he and Ryan talked about before about what will happen in the insurance industry is already happening. (5:22) Ryan believes that there are brilliant individuals flying about all over and that if you have the opportunity to give them lifestyle work rather than a traditional job, you can get fantastic people all across the country. (7:22) Jason acknowledges that SAA provided him with the contract that got him the appointments, and he was able to accomplish it even though he was in his basement. (11:21) Ryan and Jason discuss the clichéd Boomer attitude and why it has to go. (16:47) Ryan mentions that it surprises people when he tells them that the average age of his team at Rouge Risk is 37 because most people expect them to be in their 20s. (21:19) Jason discusses how Jake Jines became an employee of The Insurance Alliance and the $572,000 deal that Jake and Gavin just closed on their own. (39:21) Ryan believes that data will play a significant role in the future of the industry, but that it may be both positive and negative. (42:14) Jason explains how it is all about the client's behavior. It's about the agent and how they're going to use AI technology and data to meet that individual in a different way. (44:36) Jason believes that there will come a time when data sharing between agencies will be as simple as a FanDuel. (49:06) Ryan believes that how we develop culture and workstyle in our organizations is almost as important as any other decision we make since it is how brilliant people are attracted. (1:04:06) Key Quotes: “I also predicted after Dan Burris that AI would invent art that's never been invented before. And just if you look at the Colorado festival that happened like two or three days ago, the guy who won with the artwork, it was completely AI-generated.” - Jason Cass “There are talented people flying all over the place. And if you have the ability to offer them lifestyle employment versus the classic, I'm going to bang on you and you should thank God that you have a paycheck style employment, you can get amazing people throughout the country.” - Ryan Hanley “It's about that behavior of what's happening with the client. It's about the agent and how they're going to use that AI technology, that data to be able to meet that person in a different type of way, what those ways that are going to analyze that. That's where I think we're going to say, I mean, we just had data, but we didn't have anything.” - Jason Cass Resources Mentioned: Jason Cass LinkedIn Agency Intelligence Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Tanya Andolsen, President of Argosy Risk Specialists, joins the podcast for a deep dive into environmental insurance. We talk about what exactly environmental insurance is, why it's essential, and ultimately how independent insurance agents sell more of it. This is an episode you insurance nerds don't want to miss.Episode Highlights: Tanya discusses her background and how she got started in the insurance industry 27 years ago. (4:19) Tanya explains the concept of being in the environmental insurance industry and the processes they follow. (9:54) Tanya shares how everything can be related to our environment and how this can be explained to clients and contractors. (16:35) Tanya explains that if there is a pollution exclusion on a claim, the chance is that it is going to be denied. (19:01) Tanya shares the example of waste disposal as one environmental issue that could present an exposure for business owners if they are not properly protected. (23:35) Tanya explains that environmental insurance helps clients with the things they cannot control. (30:46) Tanya mentions that the process for environmental insurance is similar to other wholesale brokers that have an environmental division, and most policies are placed. (35:26) Tanya explains that it is very important to have access to resources that will help clients understand their coverage. (38:56) Key Quotes: "What environmental insurance does is it helps you with the things that you can't control; the people that are coming by your property, your neighbors, you know, those class action lawsuits, things like that." - Tanya Andolsen "A large percentage of what I see are developers, real estate investment trusts, and the reason they're buying it is that they've got the investors and lenders, and they want to make sure that they're covered and that there's protection there in the event of an environmental issue." - Tanya Andolsen "Unfortunately, our society is becoming more and more litigious, and, you know, those are the things that insurance is there to help you with, to help your bottom line, or protect you because the chances are you don't have this coffer of money set aside to defend yourself from an environmental claim." - Tanya Andolsen Resources Mentioned: Tanya Andolsen LinkedIn Argosy Risk Specialists Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Jeff Roy, Founder and President of Excalibur Insurance and one of the most innovative independent insurance agency owners in the world, joins the podcast for a conversation on digital virtual assistants, also known as robotic process automation.This is a conversation you don't want to miss.Episode Highlights: Ryan discusses Rogue Risk’s decision to switch to Nexure and change its agency management system. (10:34) Jeff mentions that during an interview with Taylor Rhodes for the Digital Insurance Plan podcast, he confirmed that Tarmika will be discontinued in 2025. (12:14) Ryan expresses his confusion as to why it is tough to create a CRM from an agency management system. (13:58) Ryan mentions that he really likes what Better Agency is doing and thinks that they've made a lot of progress to being a player in the industry. (18:03) Jeff explains that after seeing Applied Epic's demo, he became interested in the new feature that can run an AMS through the browser. (20:22) Ryan believes that understanding where the company goes without rating multiple carriers is the way to place business faster with the appropriate carrier. (24:33) Jeff explains that you need some AI and machine learning to be able to direct you to the proper company because companies are changing their prices and moving so quickly. (26:54) Jeff explains what it means to have a properly trained bot. (34:50) Jeff explains the difference between Robotic Process Automation and a Digital Virtual Assistant. (38:24) Jeff explains how robots function when assigned significant responsibilities. (40:34) Jeff mentions that their bot is safe with two-factor authentication and that it cannot be hacked in the same manner that their staff can. (44:43) Jeff mentions that if anyone is interested in learning more about robotic process automation, he will be giving a 30-minute lecture on how robots can make an agency more human. (50:42) Key Quotes: “You need some AI and machine learning to be able to direct you with the right company. Because companies are changing their rates and changing things.” - Jeff Roy “Why would you want to use a bot? Really, you want to replace anything that humans are doing that they don’t need to do with technology. And a bot, once it's trained, can do it reliable every time.” - Jeff Roy “The bot is secure double factor authentication, you know, there's no way of getting it hacked in any different than our staff. So that's why it was important that we had the double factor authentication to get in, because I don't want to log into anything without that.” - Jeff Roy Resources Mentioned: Jeff Roy LinkedIn Excalibur Insurance Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley breaks down how the best content creators in the world overcome their fear and dominate inbound lead generation.Don't miss it!Episode Highlights: Ryan discusses some of the key points of Ryan Holiday's book, The Obstacle Is the Way (5:15) Ryan explains how we can use fear as a signal to take action on the work that needs to be done. (8:54) Ryan discusses what would happen if he let fear prevent him from recording a solo episode. (11:51) Ryan believes we never know which content will be a hit, but we can generate more the next day, because it’s about releasing material and letting the market decide. (17:41) Ryan mentions he'll keep creating content, educating, and helping people with insurance problems because he doesn't know which videos are good and which are bad. (22:56) Ryan explains how he answers every question on their YouTube channel's comment section since he has no clue which response to which inquiry may lead to someone contacting him and doing business. (25:06) Ryan goes over several techniques for creating video material. (30:47) Ryan reminds us that we must not allow our fear to prevent us from fulfilling the duties we have set out to complete. (38:58) Key Quotes: “We can allow fear, false evidence appearing real, we can allow our perception of what might happen if we take a certain action keep us from doing that action. Or, we can use that fear as a signal. We can use it as a compass point, we can use it as our North Star for what needs to be done the work that needs to be done.” - Ryan Hanley “It's not about which piece of content wins. It's about putting the content out there and allowing the market to choose.” - Ryan Hanley “I will keep creating content, I'll keep educating, I will keep bringing value to people who have questions about insurance.” - Ryan Hanley Resources Mentioned:Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9

Became a Master of the Close: https://masteroftheclose.comIn this solo episode of The Ryan Hanley Show, Ryan Hanley breaks down three things he's learned about growing a digital, commercial insurance agency after the first 120 days of Rogue Risk being part of the SIAA ecosystem. This is an episode for the ages...Don't miss it.Episode Highlights: Ryan opens the episode by sharing his feelings lately about being creative. (2:00) Ryan explains that he looks at everything as an obstacle, and how he surrounds himself with great people. (7:14) Ryan shares that he has been happy with SIAA, and there are so many things that they are doing. (12:52) Ryan shares why they are currently getting from Hubspot from an insurance perspective. (17:43) Ryan shares that they are now in the process of transferring from Hubspot to using Nexsure. (25:58) Ryan explains that the vision and process for Rouge is on the right path. (29:34) Ryan shares that the biggest issue they always had was not having enough producers to do all the business. (35:12) Ryan shares how important it is to find a great producer, regardless of their location. (39:00) Ryan explains how to build trust with clients and validate them through that process. (44:27) Ryan discusses how clients always want to hear that you’ve got them. (52:52) Ryan shares that the last step to closing a sale is to send the video proposal. (56:17) Key Quotes: "There are amazing people out there who want to help clients who want to grow, who want to be successful, who want to make money, who want to help your agency, they're just not always going to be in your backyard. It's just that's the reality." - Ryan Hanley "The vision for Rogue, the process for Rogue, it only continues to solidify in my mind that we're absolutely on the right path. We're just seeing the results." - Ryan Hanley "Right now, growth is what's most important to Rogue. We need to grow, we want to grow, we can grow. We have everything in place, and we're starting to grow, which is great." - Ryan Hanley Resources Mentioned:Reach out to Ryan Hanley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Episodes You Might Enjoy:From $2 Million Loss to World-Class Entrepreneur: https://lnk.to/delkFrom One Man Shop to $200M in Revenue: https://lnk.to/tommymelloIs Psilocybin the Gateway to Self-Mastery? https://lnk.to/80upZ9