Most insurance producers think they need more leads. What they actually need is more clarity. Clarity on: → Who they serve → Why they’re different → How they want to grow → And who should be referring them business In this episode of Getting Past the Premium, Elliot Bassett sits down with Abby Arcishewsky, founder of Archway Strategy, to break down how producers can build intentional, strategic, revenue-driving sales systems — starting with their value proposition and referral process. If you’re...
Jul 02, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Most insurance producers cap out at $600K. Not because they lack talent...but because the system around them is broken. In this episode of Getting Past the Premium, I sat down with Ryan Deeds, VP of Strategy and Analytics at Alkeme, to break down the real reasons producers and agencies stall out. Ryan’s built sales systems for 300+ producers across 57+ acquired firms...and what he’s seeing is uncomfortable, but true: “40% of our clients were generating just 3.5% of our premium.” That’s not growt...
Jun 26, 2025•54 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Most insurance producers don’t make it past year three. Wells Gunn did…and built a thriving, specialized book in the independent grocery industry. In this powerful episode of Getting Past the Premium, host Elliot Bassett sits down with Wells to unpack the exact mindset, process, and strategies he used to go from cold-calling 100 prospects a week… …to leading a national risk practice for Houchens Insurance Group. No gimmicks. No fluff. Just the hard-earned truth about what it really takes to win ...
Jun 18, 2025•46 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In this throwback episode, originally aired on January 4, 2023, Josh Gurley, Insurance Agency Owner at HM Advisors, redefines what it means to be an advisor. Josh explains how truly understanding your clients’ risks and proactively servicing them sets top-tier advisors apart, turning your sales process into a relationship-building tool for long-term success. Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/ Ellerbrock-Norris Wealth Strategies: https://www.ellerbrock-norris-ws....
May 21, 2025•57 min
In this throwback episode, originally aired on July 17, 2024, Brandon Schuh of Christensen Group challenges the traditional insurance model by asking: what if you ran your agency like a law firm? Brandon unpacks how positioning yourself as a trusted advisor—not a quote machine—can transform client relationships, streamline your sales process, and unlock long-term growth. Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com Ellerbrock-Norris Wealth Strategies: https://www.elle...
May 14, 2025•41 min
David Sliman, CEO of Sales Proformance Consulting, is back! We dive deep into the core principles that drive a highly effective sales presentation. David has worked with hundreds of sales team to teach them how to set themselves apart. He covers: setting the agenda up front, separating a sales presentation from a sales proposal, thinking of objections as building blocks (not road blocks), and avoiding the dreaded "email it to me" request at all costs. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock...
May 07, 2025•45 min•Season 5Ep. 7
In this throwback episode, originally aired on September 1, 2022, Andrew Atkinson, Business Insurance Professional from INSURICA Southwest, joined the show to discuss the best ways to provide value to your clients, prospects, and your team. Andrew brings a thorough and practical understanding of commercial insurance, with a specialization in Workers’ Compensation. He works with clients to help them improve their Experience Modifier (E-Mod) rating, lower their total cost of risk, and win contract...
Apr 30, 2025•41 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Let’s face it… tech is taking over! But sometimes, nothing beats the power of a face-to-face meeting. In this throwback episode, originally aired on February 8, 2023, we sit down with Michael Bodack to explore how personal connection can be the ultimate sales differentiator. Michael breaks down his proven approach to client relationships and reveals strategies to stay competitive in a digital-first world. Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/ Ellerbrock-Norris Weal...
Apr 23, 2025•45 min•Season 5Ep. 5
How do you earn the right for a prospect's time? How do you set yourself apart from the agency down the street? And how are you being creative with your follow-up? David Sliman, CEO of Sales Proformance Consulting, has led sales teams across multiple industries, including insurance and risk management. He joins us today to discuss his four principles of selling – and it starts with speaking the language of your ideal client. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerb...
Mar 12, 2025•42 min•Season 5Ep. 4
"I hate the word broker." Casey Schrader is more a fan of the word advisor. As Regional Sales Manager and Risk Advisor at Oswald Companies, he practices what he preaches. Brokering is about selling a product. Advice is about expanding how you think and how you serve your clients. Casey also dives into marketing and content creation, creating "warm calls" as opposed to cold calls, and driving value with your clients over sales. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.elle...
Feb 26, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 3
We all want the best talent. Recruiting can be pain, but even beyond finding good people, developing them can be equally difficult. Brett Young, President & CEO at Erb and Young, is taking a unique approach to training and development: Erb and Young University. From weekly trainings to onboarding to its "Masterclass" series, finding a way to focus on helping your team learn and improve is vital to scalable success. Brett walks us through how they're using technology to scale their training p...
Feb 12, 2025•49 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Tim Leman, CEO at Gibson, joins the show today to talk through one of the biggest catalysts of growth at your insurance practice: Intentionality. How do you build your business to grow in the areas you most want to grow, in the locations you most want to hit, and with the beliefs you most want to instill in your team? From the corporate level all the way down to the individual producers, learn how to get everyone on the same page and pushing toward the same goal. Tim covers sales, recruiting, ma...
Jan 15, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 1
When you're building a book of business, you control your own destiny. If you hit a plateau, it's easy to blame the product or to blame the market, but often times, the problem is you. Today, Angus Nelson, Founder and Executive Coach at Evolve Leadership, joins the show to talk about creating lifetime value and taking control of your outcomes. He discusses innovation, mindset, seeking intentional coaching and more. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norri...
Dec 11, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Micah Salas, Senior Vice President for Christensen Group Insurance, started inside of a large captive agency and moved into the independent world. He joins the show today to discuss the "business plan" you learn coming up in trenches vs. what independent agencies face. He dives into building your client profile and niche, finding the volume of prospects you need to succeed, avoiding paralysis by analysis, and creating quality opportunities. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: ht...
Nov 13, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 35
There is a difference between marketing and sales. And the sooner you create that distinction in your firm, the more scalable you'll become, according to Brett Young, CEO of Erb and Young. Brett joins us this week to talk about how his agency has built a brand in their market, grown within their niche and scaled with a repeatable process. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/ Ellerbrock-Norris Wealth Strategies: https://www.ellerbrock-norris-ws.c...
Oct 30, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Julie Richt, President and Founder at Lucid Insurance, has seen about every side of the insurance industry in her career. Her path led her to starting Lucid, an MGA focused solely on property insurance. Learn why she's taken such a unique approach to her company, how the industry is evolving, how specialized offerings like hers have become more valuable, and what to expect from the current property market. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com Ell...
Oct 16, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 33
Ryan Brott, Chief Growth Officer at Ellerbrock-Norris, joins Elliot this week to talk about the value an agency can bring to a clients. Your commission percentages aren’t going to change, so how can you change your service model to add value and add revenue? LAUNCH is a tool Ryan uses to expand his offering beyond insurance and encompass more risk management “impact areas.” Learn how you can do the same within your model. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbroc...
Oct 09, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 32
Shawn Fitzgerald of Sound Harbor Insurance is in a similar place to the majority of Getting Past the Premium listeners. He's four years into owning his own insurance agency. He faces growing pains. He's grown his team. And he's overcome a few obstacles. Shawn and Elliot talk through the most important actions you can take as a business owner – from finding a mentor, investing in yourself, focusing on goal-setting, and understanding your audience. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norr...
Sep 25, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 31
From brand awareness to sales activities to written revenue, what you measure and how you measure it will change. But the reason behind sales analytics doesn't change: You want to know how much it costs to bring in new clients, and what revenue those new clients will generate. Ryan Brott, Chief Growth Officer at Ellerbrock-Norris, joins the show this week to break down how Ellerbrock-Norris is tracking its sales goals. At the end of the day, knowing how many top-of-funnel activities it takes to ...
Sep 18, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 30
Acquisitions have become a major part of growth in our industry, but without strong organic growth, agencies aren't able to thrive. Harrison Brooks, Partner at Reagan Consulting, joins us today to discuss organic growth. We dive into where you should be investing your dollars in marketing and sales, how to compete with the national players, where there are opportunities and more. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com Ellerbrock-Norris Wealth Strat...
Sep 11, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Growing an insurance agency can be done hundreds of different ways. The tools you use to enable your sales team can expedite that growth – if it's the right tool, if it's adopted correctly, and if it's serving a true purpose. Caleb Cramer joins GPP today to talk through sales enablement. It's not about which tools you use – it's about solving a problem or creating efficiency with the tool, no matter which tool it is. And... (drumroll)... Caleb is joining us at LAUNCH to help independent agents e...
Sep 04, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 28
What's your story as an agency? In the insurance and risk advisory world, many stories are the same – come to us for a free quote. That's not a story. Andy Bassett, CEO of Ellerbrock-Norris, joins the show to talk about his firm's story, and how their "Protect Your Purpose" tagline has resonated since they've rolled it out over a year ago. Whether it's appealing to clients or recruiting for you team – it starts with that brand story. Learn how to tap into what makes you unique by listening in. E...
Aug 21, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 27
Insurance sales for years was based on carrier availability and exclusivity. Today, it's much more nuanced – and providing value is the path to winning new business. Which brings us to the BOR – or Broker of Record. Nick Aube, Founder at Producer Systems, joins the show to discuss developing a BOR sales strategy – or a sales strategy based on educating clients, providing value to those clients, and getting out of the quote-and-pray model. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: http...
Aug 14, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 26
How do you set a new producer or insurance advisor up for success? From selecting a training program, developing internal processes to align the team, and understanding your target market, bringing on new agents or advisors can be difficult. It's a competitive market – and every independent agency is different. Colby Allen, a financial consultant and analyst, helps independent insurance agency owners understand the value of their agency. He joins us today to discuss which milestones your new pro...
Jul 24, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 25
What's the difference between running a law firm and an insurance agency? No, that's not the start of a joke – it's a mindset that you should be using as a risk advisor. When someone is hiring an attorney, they aren't quoting out 10 different ones, they are finding one that they trust. Brandon Schuh, head of specialty insurance practice at Christensen Group, joins the show to discuss how you deliver service. Are you going to quote out hundreds of policies you won't win every year, or are you goi...
Jul 17, 2024•41 min•Season 4Ep. 24
His LinkedIn profile reads "I keep peoples fingers on their hands." When it comes to niching down, Cole Williams has carved his out expertly. As a Risk Advisor with Insurance Associates, Inc., Cole focuses his agency on meat and food processors in Nebraska. He understands how to build a target market, how to become an expert in that niche, and how to grow while operating in that niche. Listen in to learn how you can carve out an expertise and build a network within it to ultimately scale your ag...
Jul 10, 2024•39 min•Season 4Ep. 23
“It takes the same amount of energy to sign a small client as it does to sign a large one." Rob Jacomen, Co-Founder at Basecamp Insurance Growth Mastermind, joins us this week and drops some knowledge on what it takes to build a $1 million book of business. The first step: Get focused on your audience. This isn't a new idea by any means, but Rob dives deep. How do you pick your audience? How do you get introductions? How do you establish yourself as an expert? We cover it all – so listen in. Enj...
Jul 03, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 22
Cyber liability coverage is a policy that every insurance agency needs to sell. But how are you handling it at your company? Is it a tack-on policy, or a true consultation? Daniel Metcalf, Co-founder and President at CyberFin, partners with agencies across the company to help small-to-medium-sized businesses find better coverage for their clients, while also taking a more holistic risk management approach. Listen in to learn how to give a white-glove service to your clients and prospects as it r...
Jun 26, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Ryan Brott, Chief Growth Officer at Ellerbrock-Norris, joins Elliot this week to pull back the curtain on how Ellerbrock-Norris is growing and thriving. From client referrals to COIs to cold calling, learn how to develop proven processes and build strong relationships through their four primary lead-generation channels. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norris: https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com Ellerbrock-Norris Wealth Strategies: https://www.ellerbrock-norris-ws.com LAUNCH: https://g...
Jun 19, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Brett Young, CEO of Erb and Young, joins us to discuss building relationships. A relationship becomes valuable to a client for two primary reasons: trust and access. So how do you build relationships, build your value prop and ultimately build your book of business? Start by building trust and providing access. But then you run into a problem: scale. How do you deliver on trust and access while still being able to scale your business? Listen in. Enjoy the episode! Episode Links: Ellerbrock-Norri...
Jun 12, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 19
