Act Like You’ve Been There

Growing up when I played baseball, there was this saying when you won a championship or a tournament or whatever else that said, act like you’ve been there before. That’s probably the best advice I could give any producer out there who’s trying to break into the middle market. You know what? Do you want to hear more?

Growing up, I played sports pretty much my entire childhood and adulthood by playing baseball in college. And if you played ball as I did, every one of us had that crusty guy that held the scorebook in his hand, smoking a cigarette, coaching third base. That guy had a lot of wisdom and probably had more life experience than many of us do. But some of that wisdom is relevant to being a producer today. Anytime we would win a tournament, or we would be the league champions or anything of that nature, the first thing that would come out of that guy’s mouth is to act like you’ve been there before.

One of the biggest mistakes producers make when doing cold calling marketing drops or even going into first appointments is to allow themselves to feel inferior. They beat themselves mentally before they ever walk in. And then they beat themselves up when they leave because they didn’t get the results they wanted.

So my advice is to follow the crusty guy, smoking a cigarette and keeping score in the third base coach’s box:  act like you’ve been there before. Mentally prepare yourself; know that you belong at that table before you ever walk in. Walk into that lobby to meet the gatekeeper like that’s your company. You’re just showing up for work that day. And have a conversation like you’ve been friends for years. I know it sounds crazy, and it sounds easy, but it’s not because if it were, everybody would already be doing it.

The truth is if you can commit to acting like you’ve been there before and mentally preparing yourself every single day before you start your cold call journey, whether that be on the phone, in person, or even going into a first appointment, you’re going to absolutely kill it in commercial insurance. And you’re going to be amazed by the amount of momentum you pick up and the confidence you gain going forward as soon as you get that first win by trusting what I’m telling you and acting like you’ve been there before.

Risk

From Policies to Profitability: How Strategic Risk Consulting Can Transform Middle Market Insurance Production – A Conversation with Doug Benz

Middle market producers often believe that bigger accounts come from quoting better, faster, or cheaper. But in reality, the leap from writing $5,000 policies to closing $1.2 million in premium starts with a different mindset. It starts with consulting over quoting. That’s exactly the story that unfolded at Producers in Paradise when Doug Benz shared how he landed the largest account of his career—not by selling insurance, but by solving problems no one else could.

This post breaks down the step-by-step strategy Doug and his mentor David Carothers used to win a high-stakes, complex account through total cost of risk analysis, claims data visibility, and certificate compliance solutions. If you’re a commercial producer trying to break into the middle market, this blueprint is for you.

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Risk

From InsurTech to Relationship-Driven Risk Management: Lessons for Modern Insurance Producers – A Conversation with Brett Fulmer

In a constantly evolving insurance landscape, commercial producers are being forced to adapt—quickly. Between InsurTech advancements, shifting market conditions, and increasing client expectations, producers must learn how to balance innovation with deep relationship-building and technical risk expertise. On a recent episode of the Power Producers Podcast, industry veteran David Carothers sat down with Brett Fulmer, principal at Newport Beach Insurance Center, to talk about navigating these dynamics with authenticity and strategy. What followed was a roadmap for producers who want to succeed in today’s middle market.

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Insurance

How Successful Insurance Producers Can Stay Grounded, Build Respect, and Avoid the Arrogance Trap

In the commercial insurance industry, success can come fast—especially for driven producers who are focused on the middle market. The money starts coming in, the book grows, and you find yourself standing in rooms where you once only dreamed of being. But with that success comes a subtle trap—one that’s caught more than a few top producers off guard: arrogance.

It’s not always loud or obvious. Sometimes, it’s the silent erosion of empathy. Other times, it’s the misplaced belief that your way is the only way. In this post, I want to explore how insurance producers can stay grounded even as their careers take off, how they can build respect by honoring where they came from, and how to avoid becoming the very kind of producer people whisper about after conferences for all the wrong reasons.

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