My question for you is: does this prospect even deserve to have a seat at the table? You’re the only one that can answer it. That’s the topic of today’s article.
One thing I always do when I meet with a prospect is to visualize a conference room, just like the one we have in our office. I envision all of my clients sitting around the table, but one chair is empty. The empty chair is for the prospect. And the question you have to ask yourself as a producer is, does this prospect belong in this chair? See, too many times we’re out producing business, and we get our eye off the ball. We know who our ideal prospect is, but if it’s money, why not just go ahead and write this type of account this one time? The problem with that thought process is that you don’t realize you’re diminishing the value proposition for every one of the clients that are already in your book of business.
If you have your ideal prospect in mind, and you know who that should be, you should never deviate from that. At the end of the day, if you have an empty chair at your conference room table, you should only fill it with somebody who deserves to be in the presence of every other client that’s already in your book. If you don’t think that way, you’re going to end up losing the important people that are at the table, and you’ll find out that those chairs turn into revolving doors.
If you’re going to sell based on value, stick to your guns! If you’re going to sell based on price, good luck. In a time where we’re competing against Google and Amazon, not other agencies, you need to do everything you can to provide a remarkable client experience and remain relevant in an ever-changing marketplace.
If you can envision an empty chair in a conference room full of your clients, you’re going to kill it in commercial, if you only let the worthy sit in that empty chair.
Until next time: kill or get killed!
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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