shoptalk
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

In this episode of The Power Producers Podcast, David Carothers and co-host Kyle Houck are joined by Stephen Sedlak. David, Kyle, and Stephen discuss strategies for making connections, boosting your credibility, and how to have productive meetings with your clients.   

Episode Highlights:

  • David shares that Christian DeLozier is now officially in Killing Commercial. (1:16)
  • David talks about his phone conversation with the new member of Power Producer Mastermind. (5:57)
  • David explains that he struggles to poke holes in smaller accounts since he doesn’t know the players as much as he does in the middle market. (8:32)
  • David mentions that he hasn’t done anything based on renewal cycles for a long time. (11:34)
  • David explains that your skillset must adjust to the account size. (20:06)
  • Stephen mentions that If you can get clients to talk a little bit more, and you know it’s likely to be an area where they have a problem, that appointment will go 10 times better than simply rattling off questions and having them answer them. (22:00)
  • David believes that one of his talents is that he can go in and collect all of the information he needs from someone simply by talking to them. (22:27)
  • Kyle mentions that he lays out the things he wants to discuss with a customer before speaking with them. (23:16)
  • Kyle explains how name-dropping boosts credibility. (25:06)
  • David explains the significance of making connections with other people, especially while at a networking event. (29:41)

Tweetable Quotes:

  • “The very first thing I do is I put the summary of coverages in the premium page in the very front of the binder. It’s the first page I talk about because I know for a fact that if I don’t hit that first the whole time I’m talking they’re either going to be rude and disrespectful and thumbing through my binder looking for it and not listening to me.” – David Carothers
  • “One of the things I bring to the table is to help you avoid the mistakes that some of my other clients have made because I’ve been with them as they’ve grown through that process.” – David Carothers
  • “If you can start that those questions off to where they’re starting to talk a little bit more and because you know that’s probably going to be an area where they’re going to have an issue that appointment is going to go 10 times better than you just rattling off a bunch of questions and having them answer them.” – Stephen Sedlak

Resources Mentioned:

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

Kyle Houck

marketing

Email Marketing Strategies That Actually Work for Insurance Agencies: From Segmentation to Conversions

Email marketing is often treated as an afterthought in the insurance industry. Producers focus on cold calling, referrals, and in-person meetings—but overlook one of the most powerful tools already sitting in their hands: their email list.

If you’re an insurance producer or agency principal and you’re not actively leveraging email marketing to drive revenue, retain clients, and expand your footprint, you’re missing a golden opportunity. When executed properly, email marketing delivers unmatched ROI, enables targeted cross-selling, builds credibility, and enhances retention—all at a fraction of the cost of other lead-generation tactics.

Read More »
Insurance

Beyond the Buzzwords: How Insurance Leaders Are Using AI, Voice Tech, and Community to Drive Real Innovation – A Conversation with Christopher Luiz

The insurance industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and the lines between technology, relationships, and service delivery are blurring more every day. As InsurTech continues to capture the attention of carriers, agents, MGAs, and startups alike, the challenge has shifted from finding new tools to figuring out which ones are actually worth using. Too often, insurance professionals are overwhelmed by noise—buzzwords like “AI-driven,” “revolutionary,” or “disruptive” are plastered across every product demo and sales pitch. But for forward-thinking insurance professionals, the real focus isn’t just on adopting the newest thing—it’s on building ecosystems where people and technology thrive together.

Read More »
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 »
Killing Commercial Login