DBH News & Events

We are excited to announce that Demmie Hicks has been invited to speak at the IBA West Blue Ribbon Conference in May. The Blue Ribbon Conference is a premier event hosted by IBA West for industry Executives to meet and network. There are business sessions that showcase CEO's, industry analysts and other entertaining presenters sharing their expertise on timely and provocative topics.

Keep in mind

"If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful."

- Jeff Bezos

CEO and Chairman of Amazon.com

Q: Who is the 'triple threat' at your agency?

It wasn’t that long ago that a great personality was a winning ticket to selling insurance.

So producers who were highly skilled in what we call the personal arts – conversational, gregarious, empathetic and the like – could make a decent living, provided they also knew a little something about insurance.

And when insurance got more complex, broadening that base of knowledge, the products of protection, became more important. But strong personal skills could still carry the day.

How times have changed.

To build relationships with new clients, the best producers have 1) strong personal skills, 2) insurance technical expertise and 3) knowledge of a client’s business or industry. These producers are the “triple threat,” as they say in show business (about those who can sing, dance and act), and they’re the ones prospective clients notice, relate to, and appreciate.

So. Who in your agency is the “triple threat?”

More important, what is your agency doing to develop producers, especially young or new producers, to become triple threats – and increase the likelihood they’ll bring in new business?

If the answer is “nothing,” or if you’re not satisfied with the results of your efforts, here are three things to consider.

1. Assess the triple threat caliber of your producers. If you spotted great potential in those new hires, but somehow that potential hasn’t been fulfilled (even after a gracious grace period), it’s time to recalculate their personal skills, technical expertise and business acumen. This need not be a complex undertaking. A simple assessment is an easy place to begin (and e-mail us if you’d like to know more about that).

2. Take action. Now. Don’t wait to undertake a professional development effort. Start helping young producers gain the fundamentals they need to really engage their prospects. Show them how to dig deep in preparation, so that they sharpen their business acumen and learn how to ask thoughtful questions. Teach them the difference between listening and active listening. Prepare them to “show up” – not to push products, but to provide value to prospects. Get outside help if you have to – just do it.

3. Foster tandem selling. Consider building a triple threat through two producers, not one. As the business author Marcus Buckingham says, people spend too much time working to correct weaknesses rather than adding to (and leveraging) strengths. Now, apply that wisdom to your agency. How might the producer with the encyclopedic mind and business savvy team up with the one who has a black belt in the personal arts? If you’ve never explored that idea, now is the time.

Producers with excellent personal skills, solid technical expertise and sharp business acumen grow agencies. The good news is that agencies can grow these producers. Does that describe you?