Service Over Sales: How Hospitality Principles Create Better Insurance Producers

In commercial insurance, producers are often taught to chase numbers, meet quotas, and close deals. But what if the true secret to success in this business has nothing to do with selling and everything to do with serving?

That idea sits at the heart of a powerful conversation I had with Joe Hollier from Garcia Insurance Services, better known as Mr. Hotel, on the Power Producers Podcast. Joe’s story is one that every producer can learn from. He started his career in hospitality, spent two decades working in restaurants and hotels, and eventually found his way into insurance. What he brought with him from hospitality turned out to be his biggest competitive advantage — the ability to understand people.

Today, Joe is building a brand around hospitality insurance that’s rooted in empathy, culture, and service. His message is clear: producers who serve first and sell second will always win in the long run.

The Power of Service in a Sales-Driven World

If you’ve been in this industry long enough, you’ve heard the phrase “sales solves all problems.” There’s truth to that, but only to a point. Sales can open doors, but service is what keeps them open. Joe learned that lesson the hard way — not in insurance, but in the kitchens, dining rooms, and front desks of the hospitality world.

In hospitality, every shift is a master class in reading people. You learn to sense frustration before a guest says a word. You anticipate needs. You fix problems quietly. That’s the same mindset producers need when managing client relationships.

Hospitality also teaches something else most salespeople overlook — consistency. A five-star guest experience isn’t a one-time event. It’s a system. Every table is wiped the same way. Every plate is inspected before it leaves the kitchen. Every guest gets a greeting and a smile. The best agencies operate the same way. They build repeatable systems for delivering a consistent client experience, not one that depends on the mood or memory of a single producer.

When you approach insurance through the lens of service, sales become a byproduct of doing the right things for the right reasons.

From Hospitality to Risk Management: Translating Experience Into Expertise

Joe’s story mirrors what I’ve seen in many of the best producers I’ve coached. They didn’t start in insurance. They came from industries where people and pressure collide — hospitality, retail, construction, or logistics. Those environments teach the two skills that every producer needs: communication and resilience.

When Joe worked as a bartender, sound engineer, and restaurant manager, he learned how to handle stress while keeping a smile on his face. He learned that behind every complaint was a person with expectations. In insurance, those same lessons apply. Every renewal conversation is a balancing act between empathy and expertise.

As Joe said, “Hospitality teaches you how to take care of people, how to connect with them, and how to manage stress — all skills that make you a better producer.”

Producers who can make clients feel seen, heard, and valued will always outperform those who treat them like transactions. The ability to connect on a human level isn’t soft. It’s strategic.

Building a Brand That Serves Before It Sells

In an age where everyone wants to talk about marketing funnels and automation, Joe did something simple and brilliant — he built a brand identity that told prospects exactly who he serves.

He calls himself Mr. Hotel.

It’s catchy, but it’s also clear. Within seconds, prospects know his focus. That’s what every producer should aim for when developing a personal brand. Specificity builds trust. When you claim a niche, you tell the world that you understand its challenges and its culture.

Joe’s brand doesn’t stop at a logo or tagline. He’s building a content ecosystem that blends storytelling, hospitality culture, and risk expertise. He’s not just quoting policies; he’s educating hoteliers on how to reduce claims, improve employee safety, and strengthen their guest experience.

This approach is how you move from being a vendor to being a trusted advisor. When you serve first, the sale takes care of itself.

Differentiation Through Education, Not Price

The easiest way to lose a prospect is to lead with price. The easiest way to keep a client for life is to lead with education.

Too many producers still define “value” by the dollar amount on a quote. But as Joe and I discussed, price is just the visible tip of a much larger iceberg. The real opportunity lies in helping clients understand what drives that price — the risk factors, the claims history, the safety culture, and the operational decisions that shape their premiums.

I tell my team all the time: when you frame it as price, it equals premium. When you talk about cost, it opens the door to strategy.

Helping clients control cost instead of chasing lower price changes everything. It shifts the focus from short-term savings to long-term value. When you can prove that your guidance improves their total cost of risk, you stop competing with other agents entirely.

That’s what Joe is doing in the hospitality space. He’s not trying to out-quote his competitors. He’s helping hoteliers identify hidden risks that impact their bottom line — from slip-and-fall exposures to property conditions to staff culture. He’s selling expertise, not policies.

Mentorship, Accountability, and Growth in the Modern Agency

Every successful producer can point to a time when someone believed in them before they believed in themselves. For Joe, that support system came through mentorship and community.

In our conversation, he talked about accountability as the driving force behind growth. “Pressure isn’t always bad,” he said. “Sometimes it’s exactly what you need to get better.”

That’s true for every producer. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort. It happens in the uncomfortable moments — when you record your first cold video message, when you face rejection on a big account, or when you put your work in front of others for critique.

Mentorship accelerates that process. Being surrounded by professionals who share feedback, challenge assumptions, and offer encouragement shortens the learning curve. It’s the same reason The Protege exists: to provide structure and accountability in a business that too often throws producers into the deep end without a plan.

If you want to grow faster, find mentors who make you uncomfortable in all the right ways.

Diversity and Inclusion: Why Representation Matters in Insurance

During the podcast, I made a point to highlight something we all need to talk about more — the lack of diversity in the insurance industry.

The truth is, our space still looks a lot like it did decades ago. It’s overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly white. That has to change.

Joe and I both agreed that more women and minorities in the industry isn’t just a matter of fairness. It’s a matter of strength. Diversity brings new perspectives, better ideas, and a deeper understanding of the clients we serve.

I said it during the episode, and I’ll say it again here: “Ladies, we need you. The industry needs you. Some of the best producers I’ve ever worked with have been women — absolute savages who are technically sound, detail-oriented, and bring a different approach.”

Representation matters because it changes the narrative. It helps the next generation see what’s possible. It attracts clients who want to work with people who understand them. And it pushes all of us to be better leaders, mentors, and collaborators.

Service as Strategy — The Long Game in Client Relationships

Joe’s approach to business is simple but powerful: “Service over sales.”

At 53 years old, he has learned that the real measure of success isn’t how many accounts you close this quarter but how many relationships you build that last a lifetime.

When Joe sits down with a hotel client, he isn’t there to pitch a policy. He’s there to understand their business — their staff, their guest experience, their pain points. He treats every client like a long-term partner, not a short-term transaction.

That mindset is rare, but it’s what separates the professionals from the producers. Anyone can write a policy. Few can become an indispensable part of a client’s success story.

Joe put it best when he said, “I don’t want you to feel like I’m selling you insurance. I want to know your business as well as you do, just from a different perspective.”

That’s the level of commitment it takes to win in the middle market.

When you prioritize service, everything else improves — retention, referrals, reputation, and revenue.

Bringing It All Together: What Producers Can Learn from Hospitality

There’s a reason so many of the best producers I’ve met came from backgrounds outside of insurance. They bring real-world experience that connects them to business owners on a deeper level.

Hospitality, in particular, teaches lessons that every producer should apply:

Treat clients like guests. Your clients should feel cared for, not managed.
Anticipate needs before they ask. Great service is proactive, not reactive.
Create consistent experiences. Build systems that deliver quality every time.
Stay calm under pressure. Clients look to you for composure during crises.
Play the long game. Focus on relationships, not renewals.

When you apply these principles, you transform from a salesperson into a trusted advisor. And when you operate like a trusted advisor, you build a book of business that lasts.

Redefining Success in Commercial Insurance

The commercial insurance landscape is changing. Technology is evolving, markets are hardening, and competition is fierce. But one thing hasn’t changed — people still want to do business with people they trust.

That’s why Joe’s message matters so much right now. Service over sales isn’t just a philosophy. It’s a business model that creates longevity. It’s what turns producers into partners and clients into advocates.

It’s also a call for cultural change inside agencies. We have to move away from the transactional mindset that values activity over impact. We need to build teams that understand that empathy, education, and expertise are the real differentiators.

Hospitality and insurance share one universal truth: people remember how you make them feel.

The best producers never forget that.

Service Over Sales: How Hospitality Principles Create Better Insurance Producers

November 12, 2025 No Comments

That idea sits at the heart of a powerful conversation I had with Joe Hollier, better known as Mr. Hotel, on the Power Producers Podcast. Joe’s story is one that every producer can learn from. He started his career in hospitality, spent two decades working in restaurants and hotels, and eventually found his way into insurance. What he brought with him from hospitality turned out to be his biggest competitive advantage — the ability to understand people.

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Service Over Sales: How Hospitality Principles Create Better Insurance Producers

The Power of Service in a Sales-Driven World

From Hospitality to Risk Management: Translating Experience Into Expertise

Building a Brand That Serves Before It Sells

Differentiation Through Education, Not Price

Mentorship, Accountability, and Growth in the Modern Agency

Diversity and Inclusion: Why Representation Matters in Insurance

Service as Strategy — The Long Game in Client Relationships

Bringing It All Together: What Producers Can Learn from Hospitality

Redefining Success in Commercial Insurance

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