Vertafore Insurance Podcast

Networks are a polarizing topic in the insurance industry. What value is worth giving up your entrepreneurial freedom for? Indie model purists would say….nothing! But the shrewd capitalist in many questions this. Kat Ternes, CEO of Indium, tackles this question head-on in her vision for the business. The model she’s building for this unconventional network is one to consider.

You’ll walk away with:

• A high-level overview of the great Networks debate in 2023
• Why Kat chose to lead Indium after a successful startup exit
• Breaking down Indium’s unconventional model
• Why this model will be successful in 2023 and beyond
• Tackling the AMS vs CRM challenge

Dana Pasquali, Vice President of Product Management, came into the insurance space with a drive to create real change. After successfully leading product teams in companies as young as an analytics-focused startup and as mature as General Electric, she is bringing her knowledge and passion for innovation into insurance. Keep an eye on her.

You’ll walk away with:

• Who is Dana Pasquali and why she chose Vertafore
• What makes a “successful” product team
• Mastering the art & science of choosing the right problems to solve
• Why data must be the foundation of any competitive product strategy
• What’s to come for midsize agencies in 2023+

This week Dean Giem, Founder of Paradox Insurance, and Liri Halperin Segal, Founder of LeO, join us to talk about how to leverage artificial intelligence in your agency. This isn't The Future; it's here.

Tune in to meet Dean and Liri, plus:

• Hear why Dean started a scratch agency
• Learn how to leverage rich 3rd party data to understand your prospects’ coverage gaps before walking in the front door
• Learn how AI can help you ask the right clients for the right referrals
• Understand how to create a smarter cross-selling strategy
• and more!

We live in a data economy. Agency owners need better access to the gold in their backyard. They need to see a wholistic view of their team, clients and business. They need open architecture to power a tech stack without duplicate entry. They need insurance-specific AI-powered Next Best Action predictive intelligence. August Butterbrodt, Sr. Director of Product Management, explains how his data science team at Vertafore is tackling these challenges head-on.  

  Tune in to meet August and walk away with: 

• What has been Vertafore’s data delivery strategy in the past 
• 2023 data challenges for every size agency 
• Why data is your jet fuel 
• How Vertafore is solving for agency data challenges 
• What to expect in 2023 

Just over a year ago, big bets were made on modernization. Legacy tech debt was limiting faster and smarter innovation from happening within the walls of insurtech leaders. It was time to invest in the future. We saw partnerships in the headlines with big names that brought with them big promises. Today, the question is: now that bets have been placed, who is leading the race for modernization? 

I’m joined by Jace Hopper, VP of Product Management; August Butterbrodt, Sr. Director of Product Management; Ralph Severini, Global Leader of Insurance Alliances for Amazon Web Services. 

  Together, we tackle: 

• What does “platforming” actually mean 
• What is Vertafore’s plan of attack for platforming 
• How is Vertafore re-engineering our data strategy
• Why did we choose Amazon as our digital transformation partner?
• What makes our partnership with Amazon unique? 
• What should agencies expect in 2023? 

Mariah Gates, founder of Gates Insurance, loves being on the bleeding edge of technology. Time and again, she has experimented with success, even when she couldn’t at first see the true impact. Today, she defends her title yet again for Most Innovative Agent by dipping her toes into chatGPT’s waters.   

  Tune in to meet Mariah and walk away with: 

• How to overcome the challenges of being a female agency owner in a male dominated industry 
• How she gets buy-in from her team for new tech (it’s spicy) 
• How to measure service performance (and profitability) for the first time 
• What is chatGPT
• 6 crazy examples of bad actors using this tool nefariously
• How Gates Insurance is eliminating low-value tasks with chatGPT 
• How Gates Insurance is supporting high-value tasks with chatGPT 

In 2008, Daniel Seong, founder of Great Park Insurance, lost everything. He and his wife had to shut down their business and, for a short period of time, live off food stamps with their 4 kids. It was during this time that Great Park Insurance was created. Today, 15 years later, the story of Great Park Insurance is one for the history books. And it’s one you don’t want to miss.  

  Tune in to meet Daniel and walk away with: 

• What is the makeup of a true entrepreneur
• Do you have to have an ego to be an entrepreneur
• Is success the result of fate or (free) will 
• The tech suite that powers 13 months of personalized communication in 1 month 
• How he saves his sales team 45 min during discovery/qualification 
• The secret to his 1 million Tik Tok followers 

They say: “timing is everything.” Is that true when it comes to selling your agency? Mark Crites, Partner at Reagan Consulting, tackles the ins and outs of this question. We take a hard look at buyer health in 2023 and help you understand how to identify which buyers are the best for you.     Tune in to meet Mark and walk away with:

• New performance data points the Best Practices Study reviews in 2023+ 
• Proof that niches still lead to riches 
• Is the fear of M&A activity killing main street America a ghost fear? 
• Should you sell your agency in 2023? 
• Who is the best buyer for you: private equity, public brokers or someone else? 
• (Just because) Some thoughts on Silicon Valley Bank  

This week Bob Rusbuldt, CEO at The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, joins us to share why he's retiring and a peek at the future of the national association. If you’re a history buff, you’ll love this one. You’ll walk away learning: 

• The #1 challenge indie agencies faced in 1986 
• Why Bob chose to become the Big I CEO instead of a fighter pilot 
• His first week as the CEO (PSA: he was in the white house bunker) 
• How the best leaders balance optimism with realism 
• The genesis of Trusted Choice 
• What's changed between 1986 and now for the indie agent 
• What's next for The Big I 

This week Krystal Buller, Learning & Development Specialist at Vertafore, joins us to talk about how to increase employee AND client retention through a great onboarding experience.    Tune in to meet Krystal, plus: 

• Why Krystal ended up in the Learning & Development field 
• How she's increased Vertafore's employee retention through a great onboarding experience 
• Onboarding Best Practices for insurance agencies to consider 
• The biggest "miss" when it comes to creating an amazing onboarding experience