As you get started killing commercial insurance, something you have to do is create your ideal prospect profile. You cannot deliver value and an exceptional client experience to your clients if you don’t define who it is you are going to go after and be able to give the most value. It’s crazy because this is a natural place for any agency to start in commercial insurance. Still, as I’ve talked to agency owners from all over the country, none of them know how to begin writing good commercial business. They write what comes in the door, what calls on the phone, who fills out a web form for a quote, and that’s just how they build their commercial practice.Â
You can’t do that and be successful, ultimately, in larger commercial accounts. I don’t take anything away from these agencies because they have good commercial books. Still, my goodness, the amount of services that it takes just to handle the basic and mundane tasks, is a drain on the profit margins of the organization. It’s nuts!  And the fact is there’s only so much that you can automate.
If you want to deliver an awesome client experience, then you need to identify who the ideal prospect for your firm is. It could be a different one for each producer. You might have three or four total that you’re going after. Still, by diving deep into that ideal class of business, you’re going to be able to handle risk management functions. You can look at things like loss control, the total cost of risk analysis, training, and development, leadership accountability programs, all of these things that help your clients save way more money than you’re ever going to be able to negotiate down in premium.
I go to continuing ed all over the country, and when I’m in there, I hear people talk about the differentiation of agencies. It’s crazy because the one question that instructors always ask is who differentiates themselves by customer service? And I look left, and I look right, and every agent in the room has their hands up. The ironic thing is when I look left and right, and I see agencies that my firm takes business from every day because they don’t deliver an awesome client experience. See, customer service is the verbiage that we used ten years ago. Customer service is the expectation. If you want to make yourself different, you have to deliver an awesome client experience.
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An awesome client experience starts from the prospect phase through onboarding and, ultimately, to them becoming your client. So if you want to do that, focus with a narrow focus. Anybody can hunt with a shotgun; it doesn’t make sense. Be a sniper; hunt with a rifle and pick off precisely what you want your target to be. And I can promise you, and you will kill commercial insurance.
Influence is one of the most powerful tools we have in business, leadership, and personal life. Used well, it inspires people, builds trust, and creates ethical results. Used poorly, it can slide into manipulation and self-interest.
Reinvention is one of the most powerful themes in the insurance industry. Some of the best commercial producers in the country did not grow up wanting to sell insurance. They did not study risk management in college. They did not come from an agency family. They found this industry after they tried something else. They found it after life pushed them toward a career where performance, autonomy, and mindset determine the outcome.
The most successful producers in the middle market did not get there because they quoted faster, smiled bigger, or knew how to talk longer. They got there because they learned how to differentiate themselves so clearly that prospects had no choice but to see them as trusted advisors. They learned to operate like businesspeople first and insurance technicians second. They learned how to tie operational mechanics to insurance outcomes. They learned how to control their time, their pipeline, and their future.
In commercial insurance, the most dangerous threats to your book of business aren’t always visible on the loss runs. One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities for middle market producers is ignoring the personal lines needs of their business owner and executive clients.
The commercial insurance industry is one of the few professions where someone can enter with no experience, no connections, and no background in risk management and still build a long, lucrative career. But success is never automatic. It requires hunger, humility, curiosity, and the willingness to keep showing up even when the process feels overwhelming. That is why the story of Pam Seidler has already started making waves among new and aspiring commercial producers.
In an industry where tradition often outweighs innovation, artificial intelligence and automation are slowly but steadily reshaping how independent insurance agencies operate. The push toward smarter, more efficient workflows is no longer a matter of if—but when. While many agencies are still evaluating how AI fits into their operations, early adopters are already reaping the benefits of streamlined submissions, faster processing, and actionable data insights.
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