Be a Connector

connector

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.

Becoming A Connector

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.

Money In the Relational bank

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.

An Abundance Mindset

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.

 

 

Employee

Why Employee Ownership is the Key to Sustainable Agency Growth and Talent Retention

In an increasingly competitive commercial insurance landscape, agency owners are struggling to find long-term solutions for succession planning, talent retention, and business perpetuation. Many have considered private equity sales, others offer limited equity to top producers—but a growing number are discovering a more powerful alternative: the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

Read More »
Captive

Captive Insurance as a Business Continuity Plan: How Strategic Advisors Protect and Grow Their Book of Business

In today’s competitive commercial insurance market, your book of business is under constant attack. Competitors are targeting your best accounts every day, just like cybercriminals probing a website for vulnerabilities. If you don’t have a plan to defend and grow your client relationships, you’re leaving yourself exposed.

Read More »
Sales

How to Reverse Engineer Your Sales Funnel and Crush Your Q4 Insurance Production Goals

As we enter the fourth quarter, many commercial insurance producers begin to panic. Whether you’re behind on your goals or just trying to hit that final sprint, the Q4 crunch is real. But the producers who consistently win don’t treat Q4 as a Hail Mary. They plan with precision, reverse engineer their goals, and execute with ruthless consistency.

In this post, we’ll break down how you can reverse engineer your sales funnel, identify your revenue gaps, and finish the year stronger than you started. Whether you’re writing workers’ comp or cyber liability, these strategies apply across all middle market verticals.

Read More »
wholesale

Mastering Wholesale Partnerships: Submission Strategies, Underwriter Relationships, and Technology Tools for Middle-Market Success

In today’s competitive insurance marketplace, middle-market agencies must leverage every available advantage to win and retain business. One of the most underutilized yet powerful resources at an agent’s disposal is the wholesale market. By establishing strong partnerships with wholesalers, agents can access capacity, expertise, and proprietary programs that are often unavailable through direct channels. However, success in the wholesale arena requires more than simply submitting risks and hoping for the best.

Read More »
Client

How AI-Powered Workflows Are Transforming Sales, Marketing, and Client Communication

In the fast-paced world of commercial insurance, where every hour counts and every interaction matters, producers and agency owners are turning to artificial intelligence not as a replacement for human connection—but as a force multiplier. AI tools like ChatGPT are no longer just novelties or futuristic concepts. They are strategic business assets, helping commercial producers streamline workflows, scale personalization, and reclaim valuable time.

Read More »

Responses

Add Your Heading Text Here

Killing Commercial Login