What’s up, everybody. 2021 is over for all practical purposes, so we’re going to focus on all things 2022 going forward, which is why I wanted to come to you with my top 10 companies you need to be paying attention to in the insurance space this next year.
The first one is one of my favorites. These are not in any particular order. But I don’t have a problem telling you that Kate Bradley Chernis and her team at Lately is one of my favorite pieces of technology that I use both at Florida Risk Partners and in Killing Commercial and all of the other things that I do. The reason why is because they take the content creation and distribution game to a completely different stratosphere. You can upload a video, have it transcribed, have the subtitles put in it, create automatic 140, 280, or 560 character posts with mentions, hashtags, link shortening, and more. They also use machine learning to determine when people are on your social profiles the most and schedule posts to hit your assets at those times. Kate Bradley Chernis is an animal, and Lately.ai should be in any company that wants a social presence in 2022.
The next company that I’m going to talk about is probably one of my favorites on the wholesaler side. And that is ProWriters. My friend, Brian Thornton, is crushing it in the Cyber and E & O game right now. The ability to go onto their web-based quoting platform, get multiple quotes from different carriers, as well as vulnerability assessments and coverage comparisons on a single easy to read dashboard, makes them our wholesaler of choice. There is no one better in the business regarding cyber and professional liability. And if you want to get savvy with it, you can take and create an iframe in your web domain. Use it as a landing page, send traffic directly to it, and prospects can start their quotes themselves. You can also use it as a great prospecting tool to learn more. You’re welcome to reach out to me and schedule time to talk, or you can check out my man, Brian Thornton, at ProWriters.
The next one that I want to talk about is Wunderite.  Peter McDonald at Wunderite is a beast. He’s competing with the big boys out there in the software world and does not care. He takes the headaches of filling out complex (we all hate Acord forms. Let’s call it what it is) and makes it easy. You can fill out Acord forms and supplementals and do all kinds of crazy stuff with the technology they’ve built, and it makes your job and your client experience so much better.
The next company I want to talk about is Yellowbird, founded by serial entrepreneur and tech veteran Michael Zalle. Yellowbird is an incredible technology for people who work in the middle market. What I can do is use their app. Think of it as an Uber for safety and loss control professionals. I can go on their app. I can find the person in the state where I need a job site assessment, a noise study, ergonomic study, anything at all that I need. Then, I can use their marketplace to contract with that person, have that work done, get a full-blown report sent back to me so that I can deliver what we promise at the point of sale for our clients. Yellowbird. You have to know who these guys are. You may not have heard of them yet, but in 2022, you’re going to go back and remember David told us about this. We should have listened.
Another one that I want to bring up, number five, is I P F S.  Why in the world is David talking about a premium finance company? Because I hate premium financing, and these people have made me love it! They have taken agency-bill and completely removed it from our agency. They collect the down payment as a payment processor. They add that to the finance agreement that they financed, and then they fund everything to the wholesalers on my behalf. And once the payment clears, they send me back my commissions. I cannot think of a more seamless process than what the TotalPay solution from IPFS has done for our agency. My man Davie Holt,  National Sales Leader for IPFS, is your contact. If you have headaches around agency-bill and premium finance payment processing, I highly recommend them. Get in touch with my man. He can make it so much easier for you.
The next one on the list is Better Agency. Now, I will disclose that I am an investor in Better Agency. That’s not why I’m recommending it. I’m recommending it because I get pumped about what these guys are doing in 21. But I also know what’s coming in 2022. And if you don’t know it yet, at one o’clock Eastern time, on January 7th, Will Shaw, Nicholas Ayers, and Jordan Hatch are going to join my podcast, The Power Producers Podcast, live and make a huge announcement. They released Acord forms and downloads in 2021. The roadmap is to be proficient in commercial insurance, just like personal lines. You probably should if you don’t have these guys on your radar.
Next is undoubtedly one that’s close to me. And that is my great friend, Todd Thams at Mod Advisor. Todd and I have gotten to be very close over the last little bit. Since he’s decided to launch mod advisor, we were friends loosely prior, but I’ve gotten to see what he’s built. It is something different than anything that’s out there in the industry. Right now, many people think they have a great software product. This guy has one. I know because I’m using it in my agency, and it is not the same old, same old, it’s transparent pricing. It’s tech that is of agents by agents for agents. Todd is another one of these guys, just like my friend, Peter McDonald, who was an agent and is an agent. And he saw a problem, and he set out to fix it in man, what a job he has done.
The next company I want to talk about is Loss Run Pros. You know how hard it is to get loss runs from your clients and prospects if you’re in commercial insurance. This company’s web-based solution has a very easy-to-use user interface that will automate that process for you. And they guarantee results. Loss Runs Pro will take your game to a completely different level. You’ll write more business and make more profit because you’re not spending your time chasing around trying to find the information you need.
Chenango Brokers is next on my list. My friend, John Mason, has markets that other people don’t. He has the experience as an independent agent to understand what you need from a wholesaler. He has specific programs only he has access to, and he has capacity where others don’t. Now you must understand that he is not excess and surplus lines. John has admitted markets only. Suppose you’re somebody who has a huge book with Erie, and you don’t have a lot of other appointments because the lion’s share of your business goes to an Erie or an Auto-Owners or a Cincinnati or somebody like that. In that case, Chenango Brokers is an excellent way for you to augment your carrier mix. I can tell you their Allstate auto insurance program is a huge fan favorite here at Florida Risk Partners. And I am so thankful that I got to know John and have started using Chenango Brokers to place some of our business, to be more competitive than what we can be. Even with some of our direct appointments in an ever-changing marketplace in Florida.
Last but not least, my man Jess Dantice from Zenjuries. Holy cow, you want to talk about agent tech, indie tech. This guy is revolutionizing the way claims are handled inside your agency and for your clients. His application is something otherworldly. Nothing like it exists. Nothing is a competitor. And the results these guys get in handling workers compensation claims through their app-based product. It’s amazing. Jess. Dantice from Zenjuries. Tell him David sent you. I love this guy. I love his technology. He’s every bit as good a person as he has a good product. Make sure you reach out to him and tell am I sent you.Â
Now I could probably list ten more. Those are the ten that I find to be the most intriguing. The companies that have made the most significant impact or will have the biggest impact on my agency.  If you’re not on board with any of these, I highly recommend you pick out one or two that will meet a need that you have in your agency. Reach out to them learn more about it. I can tell you this of all of these companies. You’re not going to get hounded. It’s not a timeshare sales presentation. And if they give you a hard time, make sure you come back and let me know, and I’ll handle business on the backend. I want you guys to be able to get the tech you need from the right people for the right price. That’s the only reason I’m putting this thing out there. So I wish you nothing but the best in 2022. And I’d love to hear your feedback on the Top Ten.
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