MRL #115- The First Meeting Formula

Author

Max Revenue
June 04, 2025

I’ve had enough bad first meetings to know what NOT to do.

For example, walking into my first meeting ever (about 3 weeks in) I didn’t know what Motor Truck Cargo was when talking with a trucking prospect.

Don’t recommend. LOL.

That said…

Holding a successful first meeting is probably not what you think.

You don’t need to wow the insured with your vast technical knowledge, or name drop every client your agency writes, or wow them with fancy logo’d binders full of fancy logo’d “reports”.

Not necessary.

In fact…

The first meeting isn’t about proving anything to the insured.

It’s about diagnosing whether the insured actually needs what you offer and whether they’re open to doing something about it.

Here are a few insights to help.

The First Meeting Might Start on the First Call

One of the biggest unlocks for me was realizing that many of my best first meetings didn’t happen in person.

They happened on the cold call.

I’d be asking a prospect about their due diligence process, and if the conversation flowed naturally into my normal first meeting talk track, guess what?

That was a first meeting.

I used to rush the call to “book the real meeting.” Now I let the conversation unfold naturally, as long as they’re engaged.

And if we get to the first meeting talk track, great.

Side note:

If you're using our daily prospecting tracker, don't forget to mark these conversations down.

They count as meetings.

Start With A Non-Salesy Opener

When you do get to that first sit-down, whether on the phone or in-person, how you start matters.

Here’s the intro Micah recommends:

“Hey, I appreciate the time. I know we put 20 minutes on the calendar. Does that still work for you? Great. Just want to say up front, I’m not a fit for everyone. My goal today is simple: learn more about your business, hear about your insurance experience, and share a different approach we’ve used to help others in your space. If it makes sense to go further, awesome. If not, no worries.”

Keep it simple. No pitch. Just a genuine offer to listen and maybe, just maybe, be helpful.

It disarms people.

It makes you sound like a peer.

And it turns the whole interaction from adversarial to collaborative.

Ask These 3 Questions

And watch the yellow brick road appear before your eyes:

  1. “On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your insurance program overall?”

  2. “What would make it a 10?”

  3. “What’s your process been for due diligence over the last few renewal cycles?”

The second question is the real kicker.

It gives you a peek behind the curtain, into pain points, friction, and blind spots they may not even be aware they have.

It allows them to voice concerns without badmouthing their agent. They don’t have to commit to anything. But they almost always reveal something.

“Well, I guess if they were a little more proactive…”

“I mean, I don’t really know if we’re getting the best rate…”

Write these nuggets down and underline!

These are the threads you’ll pull later.

Explain The Game

After you’ve asked about the business, the future goals, the pain points, and the renewal process, you have one more job:

Explain how the insurance game really works.

I don’t mean a 20-minute lecture on rate filings and loss trends.

I mean a simple breakdown:

  • There are thousands of carriers.

  • Most of them don’t write your class.

  • The relevant pool is small (3-4 if you’re lucky).

  • They only release quotes to one agent per cycle.

  • Whoever gets there first, wins.

“You wouldn’t hire three realtors to sell your house. Why are you sending three agents to the same five carriers?”

You can draw it out. You can use visuals. But always keep it simple. Relatable. Understandable.

Because once they understand why blindly quoting is stupid, they’re open to a new approach.

Sell Process, Not Policies

At the end of the meeting, simply make an offer.

“If you’re interested, all I need to start is your current policies and 20 minutes of your time. I’ll do the work—compare rates, review coverage, talk to underwriters, figure out if you’re overpaying or missing something. Then I’ll bring it all back to you. No pressure, no games. You can hire me, or you can stay put. Any interest?”

No hard close. No assumptions. Just an offer to help.

Be Flexible, Not Dogmatic

For the first 7 years of his career, Micah was BOR or nothing. It worked, but it also cost him deals.

Now he’s more flexible. He still leads with due diligence—but if the prospect is worth it and quoting makes sense, he’ll play that game too.

That pivot has 3x’d—maybe 4x’d—his yearly revenue.

Sticking to principles is cool and all.

But being adaptive is way more profitable.

Wrapping Up

The first meeting isn’t your time to pitch or flex.

It’s your time to learn more about their business and qualify the insured.

Ask smart questions. Let them talk. Listen for gaps. Explain the game. And offer them a better way to buy insurance than what they’re doing now if they’re interested.

Want the full framework?

We put all the scripts, templates, and talk tracks in the Producer Playbook.

It’s helped me and a bunch of other producers go from guessing to winning, and I think it’ll help you too.

See you next week.

Kick ass take names,

Trey