MRL #122- How To Write $100k in the Next 12 Months

A few years back, a noob Producer stuck his head in my office.

We’ll call him Eddy.

Eddy came from the carrier side. He knew coverage, that was obvious. But had no clue what he was doing regarding prospecting or sales.

He was on the introverted side and did not have a particularly extensive network.

He’d heard from others in the office that I had come up from a similar situation and found success.

So he asked me for my take on building a book.

I gave him my plan. Just a handful of simple things I did every day. And I assured him, if he followed the plan he’d write plenty of business too.

Twelve months later, he’d written over $100,000 in new revenue (and has every year since).

Not because he was a natural. He wasn’t.

But because he followed the plan and didn’t quit when it got boring.

Now I’m going to share that same plan with you.

You don’t need a mentor. You don’t need seeded business.
You don’t need to be some cold call wizard.

You just need a clear path and the discipline to stay on it.

Here’s how you do it.

Start With One Industry

Avoid the generalist trap.

Pick one vertical. Construction. Trucking. Manufacturing. Whatever. Just pick one.

Why?

Because when you focus on one industry, your job gets so much easier. You start to understand the industry jargon, their risks, and the carriers and coverages in play.

There’s already a steep learning curving in this biz. Do yourself a favor and go an inch wide and a mile deep to start. This dramatically decreases the amount of info you have to learn.

(It’s the total opposite for generalists)

If your agency already writes in that industry, even better. Ride the wave.

Make a list of 200 to 300 businesses in that industry. If you don’t have a database like ZoomInfo or InsuranceXdate do it by hand with Google search if you have to.

Start working accounts five months out. That’s the sweet spot. You’re early enough to be useful, but close enough to be relevant.

Now, here’s the part most people skip.

Make 40 Calls a Day

Not 100. Not 10… 40.

It’s enough to fill your pipeline without frying your brain.

Don’t overthink your script. Keep it light and direct. Here’s a super simple script that works if you’re just getting started on the phones:

“Hey, are you ever open to a conversation about your insurance?”

That’s it.

Don’t try to impress them. Don’t try to persuade or trick them. Just try to start a conversation.

If they say yes, great. Book a call or set a follow up. If they say no, no worries… move on.

If you keep doing that consistently you’ll have more than enough deals to hit $100k.

There’s so much low hanging fruit out there.

You just have to shake enough trees to make it fall.

Offer Due Diligence, NOT a Quote

Most producers fall back to quoting way too early.

They hear a little interest and start scrambling for markets.

Slow down.

Your job isn’t to sell anything on the first meeting. It’s to learn and qualify the prospect.

Learn about their business. What’s working for them. What’s not working. How’s their current program structured? Do they like their agent? If not ideal, what does ideal look like? etc…

The first meeting isn’t about pitching. It’s about listening.

From there, you simply ask if they’re interested in your Due Diligence process.

Remember, due diligence is the tip of the spear.

You decide if its a BOR play or a quote play as a result of what you uncover during due diligence.

Not before.

Build Your Network On The Side

I’m not a social butterfly.

And I’m not suggesting you need to hit every networking happy hour in town.

But it never hurts to have a few referral partners in your corner. True. We rail on networking. But only when it’s presented as a replacement for cold outreach.

The truth is, it works. And if you’re a noob, you have time to do both (cold outreach and networking). So do both.

Find a CPA, a payroll rep, maybe a benefits broker. Someone who works with the same types of clients you do.

Take them to lunch. Build a relationship. Keep in touch.

I’d rather have three solid referral partners than fifty fair weather contacts.

A few solid referral partners should spin you off at least 2-3 new opportunities a year.

Keep It Boring. Keep It Simple. Keep It Going.

Everyone wants the shortcut.

The secret sauce.

The growth hack.

But that’s not how this works.

You write $100K by doing the right things over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over and over and over and and over.

Long after they stop being exciting.

• One industry

• 40 calls a day

• Due diligence

• Build connections

That’s it.

It’s not flashy. But it works.

The reason most producers never get to $100k?

They either don’t know the right things to do in the first place. Or they quit doing the right things when it gets boring.

Don’t be that guy (or gal).

Don’t try to find an easier way. Don’t overcomplicate it. Don’t chase shiny objects.

Just do what I outlined above.

If you want to go further into the game plan you can do that with the Producer Playbook.

It’s our step-by-step guide to building a book of biz from zero.

That’s it for this week.

Kick ass take names,

Micah