Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers sits down with Shawn Fitzgerald, Craig Bender, Scott Hobson, Mike Crowley, Doug Benz, Roe Polczynski, Cayla Carrillo in New York at the Go Big event for the Big I of New York. 

Episode Highlights:

  • Shawn shares he has enjoyed meeting many people that he had only met digitally in person at the Go Big event. (4:23)
  • Shawn explains that one thing he learned at this event is that one of the areas where he definitely needs to step it up is the blogging space. (8:05)
  • Craig shares that he got into the insurance industry with the influence of his mom, who was also in the industry. (10:34)
  • Craig mentions that his favorite part about being part of the insurance industry is building relationships. (13:07)
  • Scott explains that lobbying the public is more like storytelling and advocacy. (17:19)
  • Mike shares his experiences and takeaway from the Go Big event, which their team found to be very informative. (27:31)
  • Doug explains that he enjoys learning about the cutting-edge stuff that is out there and about clean data at the event. (34:43)
  • Cayla and David talk about what a great person James Jenkins is. (39:14)
  • Cayla shares that as a sales organization, you have to know the numbers and metrics in order to grow. (45:01)
  • Cayla mentions that it is essential to build relationships and trust with customers to be able to customize for them. (51:19)

Tweetable Quotes:

  • “I mean, you learned so much. So many different things, seeing what different companies offer, and really seeing how you can expand your own agency from just coming to an event like this.” – Shawn Fitzgerald
  • “Every independent agent, every Big I member, is and can be a very powerful lobbyist for the industry that we love so much, and for our customers.” – Craig Bender
  • “We become friends. They know us. The comfort level is through the roof. We never sell on the first call, because we don’t know them. How can we customize for them?” – Cayla Carrillo

Resources Mentioned:

The Power Producers Podcast where we are refining and redefining the sales game.

Kyle Houck

Insurance

Solving Insurance Back Office Bottlenecks: How Automation and Compliance Tools Empower Agencies and MGAs

The insurance industry is undergoing a quiet transformation. While headlines often focus on the flashy front-end tools and direct-to-consumer disruption, the real revolution is happening behind the scenes — in the back office. From agency onboarding delays to outdated compliance workflows and manual licensing tasks, these friction points cost MGAs, carriers, and agencies valuable time, revenue, and relationships.

Read More »
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 »
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 »
Killing Commercial Login