Last Updated on: December 1, 2025

Becoming the Specialist: How Niches, Networks, and Relentless Execution Create Elite Producers

Every producer wants to win. But only a small percentage ever reach the level where winning becomes inevitable—not because they get lucky, not because the market is soft, but because they commit themselves to mastery. They study harder, niche deeper, build better networks, and execute with more consistency than everyone else around them.

In a recent episode of the Power Producers Podcast, I sat down with Jeff Rountree, principal of The Rountree Agency, powered by One Point Insurance Partners. What began as a conversation about pastrami and pasta turned into one of the most revealing dialogues of this Protégé Season 3 so far. Jeff’s story is one modern producers need to hear—because it is equal parts grit, reinvention, and the power of showing up with the right mindset.

This blog unpacks the biggest takeaways from our conversation and shows you exactly why producers like Jeff accelerate faster: they specialize, they build deep networks, and they lead with true value—not quotes.

Why Mastery Begins With Specialization

Every producer eventually hits the same wall: the realization that generalism is a ceiling, not a strategy.

Jeff has been in the industry for 16 years. Early in his career, he wrote life insurance, then moved into corporate training, then over to the P&C side helping Stillwater build agency networks across multiple states. When he shifted into commercial full time, he landed quickly in health and fitness, restaurants, and contractors.

But over time, he noticed what many producers never slow down long enough to see:

“The more granular we can get, the more expertise we can have. That’s better for us and our clients.”

That’s the heart of niche domination. When you go deeper than your competition is willing to go, clients stop comparing you to other agents. You become the advisor, the insider, the expert in a world full of amateurs rushing quotes.

This is why in our Killing Commercial community we obsess about niche specialization. Not to limit producers—but to simplify their path to dominance. When you niche down, Your:

prospecting sharpens
referral network explodes
solutions become predictable and repeatable
confidence grows
content becomes targeted
value becomes undeniable

Jeff understood this intuitively—and The Protégé amplified it.

Why The Protégé Accelerates Growth Faster Than Anything Else

Jeff discovered The Protégé the same way many producers do: by stumbling into one of the videos, watching it, and realizing his career could look very different.

Except he found the application two days after the deadline.

Most people would have shrugged and waited for next year. Not Jeff.

“I missed the deadline by two days, but I applied anyway. I figured—why not shoot my shot?”

He emailed the video the same night. Two days later, he was in.

This theme showed up again and again in our conversation: elite producers aren’t elite because they wait. They’re elite because they act.

And the reward for acting? Access.

Access to:

Top-tier mentors
World-class operators
Previous Protégé contestants
Niche experts
Captive advisors
Underwriting specialists
The industry’s best minds in commercial insurance

Jeff said it best:

“I’ve already won. The contacts and conversations I’ve had just by getting in have already changed how I operate.”

That’s the power of the environment. Your circle either accelerates you or traps you. In The Protégé, we intentionally expose producers to people operating at a higher level. When you spend 12 weeks with killers, your standards rise whether you want them to or not.

Producers Don’t Sell Insurance—They Run Marketing Companies

One of the biggest shifts Jeff articulated is something I’ve been preaching for years:

“We are not selling insurance. We are a marketing firm. Our job is consistent, predictable leads—and the markets to solve their problems.”

This is the mindset that separates $150k producers from $1M producers.

When you view your agency as a marketing company, everything changes:

You stop chasing random quotes
You stop taking any prospect with a pulse
You stop being reactive
You stop letting the market dictate your success

Instead, you start:

Building systems
Creating predictable lead flow
Matching niches to carrier appetite
Solving deeper business problems
Controlling the narrative
Controlling the pipeline
Controlling the renewal

This is why—in both killing commercial and the podcast—I repeat this truth as often as it takes:

You don’t grow because you quote more.
You grow because you control more.

Why Leading With Workers’ Comp Is Still the Ultimate Wedge

Jeff brought up another turning point: the experience mod.

Like many producers, he had written comp for years—but hadn’t yet used the mod as a surgical wedge the way we teach it.

But once he saw the Mod breakdowns, the valuation timelines, and the analytics behind the cost of risk, something clicked. Within days he had:

A complete workers’ comp content strategy
Conversations happening on social
Two mid-market opportunities opened
New prospects attracted by expertise, not quotes

His words:

“Just listening to your content on the x-mod blew my mind. I’m building an entire brand around workers’ comp.”

This is the power of leading with the business case, not the policy.
Most agencies mention workers’ comp.
Almost none own it.

And even fewer use it as the Trojan Horse to win the entire account.

When you show a CFO that a $50,000 mistake became a $250,000 sustained financial impact on their company over three years because nobody monitored their mod?

You aren’t a salesperson anymore.
You’re a solution.

Audit Prep: The Easiest Way to Win Loyalty and Prospect New Accounts

Producers love to overcomplicate service. Yet one of the simplest deposits you can make into your client relationship is something almost nobody does:

Show up for the audit.

Jeff immediately latched onto this strategy.

“That’s another level of service we should be doing. Most people aren’t doing that. I’m not doing that. I love it.”

Audit prep gives you retention.
It builds trust.
It ensures accuracy.

But just as importantly:
audit prep is prospecting.

You get a list of every subcontractor, vendor, or outside labor source used throughout the year—along with their certificate situation.

You can turn that information into a:

Pipeline
Referral network
Wedge
Reason to contact dozens of companies

And if you schedule the audit for a Friday at 3:00 p.m.?

It’s the easiest audit of the year.

Why Networks Matter More Than Markets

Throughout our conversation, Jeff said something repeatedly:

“I’m big on networks. There’s plenty of business out there for everyone—if you can connect the dots.”

That’s the truth most producers miss.

Markets come and go.
Carriers change appetite.
Rates shift.
Underwriters move.
Programs collapse.
Coverage changes.

But your network?

Your network compounds.

Jeff connected with:

Derek Hayden
Previous Protégé contestants
Judges
Captive experts like Warren Cleveland
Producers writing niches he wants to learn
People inside the Killing Commercial ecosystem

And every connection multiplied into more insight, more opportunity, and more ways to grow.

This is why I tell every Protégé contestant:

Only one person wins the title.
But everyone wins the opportunity.

The Producers Who Win Don’t Wait for Permission

Jeff ended the episode with something that every producer needs to internalize:

“Nobody will outwork me. I may not win—but nobody will outwork me.”

That’s the mindset that wins in commercial insurance is not Not

Luck.
Personality.
The market cycle.

But,

Work.
Consistency.
Specialization.
Relationship-building.
Execution.
Follow-through.

Producers like Jeff don’t wait for someone to hand them a seat at the table.

They build the table.

Then they teach others how to build theirs too.

Final Thoughts: Winning Isn’t a Title—It’s a Trajectory

The Protégé Season 3 is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons yet because it’s full of producers like Jeff—hungry, focused, humble, and driven.

And whether he walks away with the title or not, he’s already won.

He’s niching harder, executing faster, building deeper networks, elevating his skillset, changing his agency.

That’s the real prize.

That’s what happens when a producer decides to stop selling insurance—and starts becoming someone who solves business problems at a high level.

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