I’m sure you’ve heard it said before that your network is your net worth. Today we’re going to talk about why you need to focus on being a connector as a producer.
Understanding the importance of your network is paramount as a producer, and if there’s one thing I feel I’ve done good over the course of my career, it’s that I’ve focused on being a connector. I have taken great pride in solving problems for peers, company people, and even employees and team members in my agency. I typically know who can solve their problem if I don’t have the solution myself.
Think about this for a second. If you can introduce your client, who has a payroll problem, to an outstanding payroll rep in your network, what have you just done? You’ve solved the problem for your client, which immediately gives you credibility and better standing with them, but you’ve also helped somebody make money because they sold a deal to somebody in need. By connecting those two, I didn’t necessarily make money right then and there, but what I did do is I made a big deposit in the relational bank account that I have with my client and the person to whom I referred the business.
Though think about how to build your network, think big. The problem is that too many people do what we do have a scarcity mindset. They want to keep everything close to the vest, and the problem is that they can’t grow that way. With an abundance mindset, you’re willing to talk to peers who do the same thing. You can talk to service providers who are servicing the same types of clients that you have. You’re able to introduce your peers to carriers who may be able to solve their problems or, in some cases, wholesalers.
And listen, even if it never comes back to mean money for you, you’re going to sleep well at night knowing that you took the time out of your day to take a relationship that you’ve harvested. You’ve nurtured it over the years and introduced that relationship into someone else’s professional life. And that, I can tell you, is equally as satisfying as any dollar you’re ever going to make.
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In the middle market, producers don’t lose because the competition has better pricing.
They lose because the competition understands people better—their motivations, their fears, their priorities, and what makes them say yes.
The cyber insurance market has softened in recent years. Requirements that were once rigid — like mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools — have been relaxed by many carriers. But here’s the danger: just because carriers aren’t demanding these safeguards today doesn’t mean businesses can afford to ignore them.
The insurance industry is entering one of the most transformative seasons in its history. For decades, our world has been shaped by carriers, underwriting cycles, prospecting methods, and the grit of producers willing to outwork their competition. But today, a new force is reshaping the landscape—and most producers, agency leaders, and industry professionals aren’t ready for it.
The commercial insurance world isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s unpredictable, chaotic, and constantly demanding producers to manage competing pressures—client needs, renewal deadlines, life events, prospecting goals, and agency responsibilities. And if you’re a middle-market producer, multiply that by ten.
In the middle market commercial insurance space, the role of the producer has never been more critical—or more misunderstood. Too many producers still view their job as selling policies instead of what it truly is: protecting the assets and livelihoods of the businesses they serve.
The middle market rewards depth, not breadth. Yet many producers still approach it like a volume game, quoting everything that moves, chasing price, and hoping activity turns into production. From the outside, it looks like hustle. From the inside of the underwriting and wholesale world, it looks like noise.
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