Accelerate Your Insurance Sales Podcast

How to Build, Scale, and Sell an Insurance Agency on Your Own Terms

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When Nancy Giacalone was told by her former partners that having a female agency owner "wasn't a good look," she didn't argue. Inste...

Why Analytics Can Make or Break Your Agency

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Many agency leaders run their businesses on gut instinct. While intuition is important for speed, relying on it for your year-end forecast or retentio...

Why Consistency Always Beats Talent | College Sports Lessons In Sales

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every producer wants to land massive enterprise accounts, but very few are willing to embrace the daily, unglamorous grind required to get there.In th...

Protect Your Clients from Catastrophic Plan Risks

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When renewals rely on spreadsheets, scattered email chains, and the "tribal knowledge" of a few account managers, errors become invisible - ...

Stop Quoting Spreadsheets. Use Forensic Audits to Win Clients.

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most brokers pitch self-funding as a silver bullet for cost containment, focusing on administrative fees and stop-loss premiums. But they ignore the e...

How an Immigrant Mindset Built a 100% Commission Empire

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most brokers treat ancillary benefits as an afterthought - a quick box to check at renewal while focusing on the medical plan. But what if auditing a ...

Why Clarity is the Ultimate Sales Weapon In Insurance

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The insurance industry is purposely complex. Many brokers use confusing jargon and convoluted strategies to maintain the status quo and protect their ...

The Predictive Care Playbook for Brokers | with Ryan Chapman

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most health insurance brokers rely on reactive cost-containment strategies. They wait for a catastrophic claim to hit and then scramble to manage it t...

"I Retired at 41... Then Lost Everything" | The Mark Holland Story

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

At 41 years old, Mark Holland had won the game. He sold his agency, BenCom, and was in the Cayman Islands planning a life of philanthropy and leisure....

How to Build Confidence When You Have Zero Experience

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“How am I going to get any credibility?" This is the question that paralyzes most new producers. But waiting for "gray hair" to build...

From "Placing Insurance" to True Risk Advisory | with Andy Bassett

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most agencies are stuck in the trap of "placing insurance" - chasing quotes, competing on price, and hoping for a renewal. But the agencies ...

The Missed Opportunity of Retiree Medical Benefits

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most advisors ignore the post-65 retirees sitting on their clients' health plans. They assume it's just a cost of doing business or that the e...

"Your Sales Tactics Are Outdated" with Jack Grovenstein

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The insurance industry is still in love with the 1990s. We glorify the "grind" of cold calling and spamming inboxes, ignoring the reality that the mod...

Using Technology To Better Price Insurance Risk

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The construction industry has digitized, but the insurance industry hasn't kept up. Most carriers still price risk based on outdated proxies, igno...

Your "Dead" Leads Are Worth $270,000 (Stop Ignoring Them)

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every insurance agent has a graveyard of "dead" leads; prospects you called once, got sent to voicemail, and never touched again. You think ...

Stop Selling "Health Insurance" - Sell Risk Management Instead

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most agencies treat employee benefits as a secondary revenue stream - a product to be sold rather than a risk to be managed. They silo their commercia...

Why You Should Call the Competitor Who Just Stole Your Client

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Losing a big account hurts. Your natural instinct is to get defensive, blame price, and block the other broker on LinkedIn. But what if the secret to ...

"You Look Too Young": The Generational War in Insurance Sales

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

"You look too young. You can't talk to me about my benefits." That was the feedback Stephanie Handschuh received from a CFO early in her career. It i...

How a Wharton Grad Runs a 108-Year-Old Insurance Agency | with Bill Rue, Jr.

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In an industry obsessed with mergers and acquisitions, staying independent is a radical act. Most agencies sell out or fade away, but Rue Insurance ha...

How Doing Less Helped My Company Grow More

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the insurance industry, we are taught that value equals output. We measure success by how hard we grind, how many calls we make, and how much reven...

Bet On Yourself: The Mindset You Need to Win in 2026

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most producers claim they want to dominate in 2026, but they are waiting for permission. They wait for the "perfect time" to invest in thems...

How to Clone Yourself With AI (And Sell While You Sleep) | with Jim Carter III

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building a personal brand and driving sales usually requires you to be awake, on camera, and actively recording. It’s a time-intensive grind that pl...

The Accounting System That Guarantees Agency Profit

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most agency owners treat profit as an afterthought; it's just whatever is left over at the end of the year. This "Bank Balance Accounting&quo...

Why Executives Need to Train Like Athletes, with Pete Mueller

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Executives are "corporate athletes," facing the same intense pressure, grueling schedules, and high stakes as professional athletes - but wi...

Using AI To Multiply Your Agency's Value, with Rodney Mattos Sr.

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Efficiency is the new equity." In the traditional agency model, growth usually means hiring more people to do more manual work. This linea...

She Went From Poverty to Top Producer

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The insurance industry often hires for pedigree: the right degree, the right school, and a polished background. But my guest, Misty Carson, proves tha...

Insuring America's Volunteer Firefighters | with Ed Mann

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Volunteer fire departments and EMS organizations face risks that most businesses can't even imagine. From wrongful termination claims to the uniqu...

The "Status Quo" Sales Process is Killing Your Growth 

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The status quo is a lack of desire to do something different simply because what you've always done is comfortable. In the insurance industry, this m...

Why This Top Producer Still Makes 40 Cold Calls A Day | with Micah Salas

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is a dangerous myth in the industry that building a personal brand means you never have to pick up the phone again. Producers start posting on L...

The ROI of Embedded Clinical Advocacy

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most employers are wasting money on "cost containment" solutions that nobody uses. They buy a 1-800 number or a wellness app, hoping for sav...

Why Your Top Producer Is About to Quit

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Agency leaders make a fatal assumption: that their million-dollar producers are self-sufficient. The reality is, these all-stars drive 80% of your rev...

A Doctor's Warning On How Fee-For-Service Is Failing Your Clients

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The fee-for-service model isn't just failing your clients; it's actively burning out the very doctors they’re supposed to trust. My guest t...

The Cure for Fragmented, Cobbled-Together Benefit Plans

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The benefits market is flooded with solutions that promise innovation but deliver total chaos. They're built on "razor-thin margins" to ...

The Italian Approach to Sales: Less Stress, More Success

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American way of selling is a high-stress, quantity-obsessed grind. We're taught to chase more prospects, make more calls, and just do more: a ...

Stop Marketing Like It's Still The '90s | with Aubrey King

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most insurance agencies market themselves like they're still stuck in the last century, relying on tired tactics, generic messaging, and treating ...

From Venezuela to Miami: How a Family Agency Reinvented Itself

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most independent agencies lack a compelling story, have no true specialization, and fight to be seen as anything more than a commodity that can be rep...

The Future of Insurance: Collaboration Over Competition with Jessica Brooks-Woods

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The future of this industry belongs to those who collaborate. My guest, Jessica Brooks-Woods, CEO of NABIP, is here with a game plan for why unified a...

Time Management: The #1 Differentiator in Sales

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every producer in this industry, from the rookie to the top all-star, gets the exact same 24 hours in a day. It's the ultimate equalizer. Yet, mo...

The CHAMP Plan: A New Solution For Hard-to-Insure Workforces

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every broker has clients with a workforce they can't solve for: hourly, seasonal, part-time, etc. These are the "hard-to-insure" employees who are oft...

How Independent Agencies Can Thrive and Scale in a Competitive Market with Pam Schlotzhauer

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The modern market is designed to crush the independent agency. For many, the goal is no longer to thrive; it's just to survive in an increasingly ...

Stop Hiring. Start Using AI.

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, the insurance industry's default answer to every growth problem is to "hire more people." Need more sales? Hire a producer. This isn't a ...

From The Battlefield to The Boardroom: A Marine's Approach to Benefits

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the boardroom, the biggest enemy is often fear. CFOs and HR leaders get paralyzed by the fear of change, letting their teams suffer under broken he...

How Tragedy Drives Purpose: The Journey of Tom Sutter

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when your world collapses? When your son is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, and you meet another father in the hospital wh...

3 Unconventional Sales Rules That Get Results

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I break down the 3 unconventional sales rules that have generated millions for my company. You'll learn why your goal is a clear ...

Building Lasting Client Relationships In Chaotic Industries | with Brennan Grone

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if industry chaos is your biggest opportunity to build unbreakable trust? My guest, Brennen Grone of Rainbow, joins me on The Broker's Voice ...

How to Guarantee Your Insurance Agency Scales, with Dan Meylan

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being a great salesperson doesn't automatically make you a great CEO. The industry is filled with agencies great at bringing in business, but lack...

The Power of Setting "Impossible" Sales Goals

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The insurance industry is addicted to "realistic" sales goals. We set safe, comfortable targets that we know we can hit, which feels like sm...

Elite Producers Share Their Biggest Lessons At The Northwoods Retreat

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I recently took a small group of elite producers into the Northwoods to prove there's a better way to get together than the typical insurance conf...

I Hosted a Retreat for Top Advisors. Here's What I Learned.

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I was tired of the broken industry conference model: the fire hose of information, the unhealthy food, and the complete lack of focus on real growth. ...

How Introverts Can Dominate Sales (Without Networking)

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The traditional sales playbook was written for extroverts. It tells you to work the room, dial for dollars, and constantly be "out there”, whic...

What Makes True Captive Different? (with David Vorhees)

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every broker has that client who's trapped—too big for small group rates but terrified of the massive financial risk of traditional self-funding...

The Blueprint for Fixing American Healthcare with Dave Chase

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2014, I was at a crossroads that every consultant hits: I knew the traditional way of selling benefits was broken, but I didn't have the p...

Ditching the Carrier Playbook for a Client-First Model | with Wes Spencer

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The insurance industry is full of brokers who talk about innovation but still push the same tired, carrier-first products. My guest this week, Wes Spe...

How To Grow Your Sales Without Cold Calling

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If your primary prospecting strategy is to make as many cold calls as possible, you're building your business on a foundation that's cracking. The bel...

How to Achieve Sales Success With an Authentic Brand with Ragan Edwards

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you think you need a specific resume or 20 years of experience to succeed in this industry, you are flat-out wrong. The belief that there's only on...

How To Plan A Record-Breaking Quarter

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Independence Day! I hope you enjoy the holiday, but remember to keep your foot on the gas coming out of it and into Q3.I'm going to be direc...

Using Digital Strategy To Build A National Insurance Brand | with Guffy Wright

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, I'm joined by a producer who cuts through the noise: Guffy Wright from The Mahoney Group. If you're an insurance professiona...

How To Leverage AI To Scale Your Sales

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, I'm cutting right to the chase: if you're an insurance professional putting your head in the sand on this whole AI thing, you...

Building Mental Health Resources That Actually Work | with Jenny Weaver

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

June is mental health month, and I wanted to dedicate at least one of my episode’s this month to this topic. Jenny Weaver from AllyHealth joined me ...

3 Lessons on Legacy and Living From a Weekend With Friends

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s your legacy? How will you be remembered?Even though everybody listening to this is driven by success, it’s important to remember why you wa...

Introducing the Netflix of Benefits Education | with Luke Aslesen

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Aslesen, the super-passionate co-founder of INFRMD, joined me this week to share why he felt the need to create “The Netflix Of Benefits Educat...

How I Design My Life For Business Success

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are your health and fitness really that important to business success? In this episode, I’ll explain why I believe they are. I’ll also walk throu...

How To Successfully Transition In Your Insurance Career | with Stephen Snyder

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Snyder joined me this week for a wide-ranging discussion on Kentucky, college baseball, transitioning from voluntary to employee benefits, and...

A Lesson On Success From My Conversations With Top Insurance Advisors

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Which of your clients do you actually align with? They might not be the ones who make you the most money, but they’re consistent, reliable, and thei...

A Masterclass On Building Brand Awareness | with Madison Baker & Madison Cole

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Madison Baker and Madison Cole are two of the best examples of how content can change your career. They’re both young and early in their careers, bu...

The 3 Habits That Saved My Insurance Career

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We flipped the script on this week’s episode as Amy Essig, our Director of Client Content Strategy, interviewed me about my daily habits and how I t...

A Better Way For Brokers To Get Paid | With David & Alex Goldfarb

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David and Alex Goldfarb, the Benefits Brothers from DSG Benefits Group, joined me this week to talk about how they each found insurance, advice for th...

How To Master The 4 Pillars Of The Insurance Sales Cycle

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Accelerate Your Insurance Sales Podcast, I’m sharing the 4 pillars of modern insurance sales that will change the way you view and ...

Insurance Lessons From Growing Up In A Family Restaurant | with Justin Burgess

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I was joined in studio this week by Justin Burgess, an insurance consultant who works in the RV niche who has built an impressive social brand recentl...

3 Lessons On Leadership and Life From The Northwoods

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This past weekend, I had a chance to spend times with two very close friends of mine, Shaun Peet and Kyle Depiesse, and I learned some life and leader...

How to Become the BEST in Your Niche | with B3 - Risk Strategies

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Jungeberg and Bryan Ice have made a niche for themselves in the final mile delivery space, which has allowed them to serve over 2000 clients. I...

How to Create Prospecting Leverage | Do More in Less Time

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most producers do not have leverage when it comes to prospecting. Why? Because they're still primarily relying on outdated sales tactics. This week on...

How To Overcome Self-Doubt and Build a Personal Brand | with Joe Erle

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Erle, Cyber Group Practice Leader at C3 Risk/Insurance Services, joined me to share his journey into content creation, as someone who has some anx...

How To Build Credibility Through Social Media Content | with Amy Essig

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My colleague Amy Essig, Director of Client Content Strategy for us at Complete Game Consulting, joined me this week to talk about our “Content Done ...

Homeless To Health Insurance Success | The Inspiring Story of Tommy Gaffney

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My guest this week, Tommy Gaffney, has been homeless twice: once when he was a teenager, and again after the 2008 recession. Both times, his persevera...

Customer Service That Says, "I Love You!"

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you elevate your customer’s experience? By showing them that you actually care about them, proactively engaging with them, and being aware of...

Find Your Work-Life Integration | with Meghann High

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Meghann High, Founder and President of Inspire Benefits Consultants, joined me in studio to share her journey into insurance, what made her decide to ...

Stop Wasting Money! Avoid These Common Insurance Marketing Mistakes

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The “traditional” ways of marketing your business are just not effective in the modern world, especially in the insurance industry. With the chang...

Building A Captive From The Ground Up with David Vorhees

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David Vorhees, founder/CEO of True Captive, joined me to talk Kansas City sports, how his athletic background has impacted his career, why he founded ...

Do You Have The Drive To Succeed?

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fair warning: I get pretty fired up on this one.  In this week’s podcast, I share the simple truth of this business: you’re only going to succee...

Using AI To Scale Your Insurance Agency, with Rodney Mattos, Sr.

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Accelerate Your Insurance Sales Podcast!  This week, I was joined in studio by Rodney Mattos, Sr. from Triforta to discuss how we eff...

318. The Top 5 Lessons I Learned In 2024

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the final episode of Bullpen Sessions, I share the 5 things I learned this year that I’ll carry forward into 2025.  These lessons apply to pret...

317. Finding A Purpose In Your Insurance Profession with Akua Smith

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do you do what you do? Is it for money, or because you have purpose? My guest this week, Akua Smith, wouldn’t hesitate to answer that question:...

316. How To Lower Health Insurance Costs Without The Noise with Nick Reber

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Your solutions may be amazing, but if employers perceive that they’ll disrupt their employees’ benefits too much, you’re not gonna have much suc...

Exciting Announcement RE: The Future Of The Bullpen Sessions Podcast

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I have a special announcement to make about the future of the podcast. Don’t worry, it’s all good news: I’m excited to take this show to the ne...

315. How To Create The Ultimate Differentiator In Your Market with Kris Tawney

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re just starting out in this (or any) industry, you’re going to get told “no”, solely based off your age/lack of experience.  But as ...

314. YouTube Tips For Insurance Professionals with Rod Powell Sr.

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rod Powell Sr. is such an interesting guest for Bullpen Sessions for two reasons: He has a background as an R&B artist before joining the insur...

313. The Ultimate Guide to Sales Training in the Insurance Industry, with Kareim Cade

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s podcast is a replay of an amazing webinar I hosted with Kareim Cade.  We talked about the current insurance industry, why sales traini...

312. The 3 Pillars Of Marketing That Drive Sales

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’m going to be delivering a TEDx style talk later this week all about grabbing attention to grow your business, and in this week’s Bullpen Sessio...

311. How To Turn Content Into Closed Business with Chris Bayer and Chris Boling

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s episode of Bullpen Sessions is a replay of an amazing webinar I hosted with Chris Bayer and Chris Boling, and it’s all about how conte...

310. Seek Personal Happiness Over Industry Popularity

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I spent way too long focusing on industry popularity instead of what would actually grow my business.  This week is a cautionary tale for younger pr...

309. Success Tips For Women Targeting A Male-Dominated Niche with Rocio Luna

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rocio Luna joined me this week to share her career journey, how she overcame imposter syndrome, and what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated...

308. 3 Tactical Tips To Take Your Insurance Business To The Next Level In 2025

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I recently attended a business-building workshop and wanted to share with you some amazing insights I learned. This week on Bullpen Sessions, I’ll ...

307. Revolutionizing Content Marketing In The Insurance Industry with Marcus Sheridan

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Sheridan is the author of “They Ask, You Answer”, a book which I frequently reference both on podcasts and when talking to clients.  I was...

306. Hiking Camino de Santiago Changed My Outlook On Life And Business

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Spain to hike the Camino de Santiago trail as part of a retreat/mastermind, and it completely changed my outlook on lif...

305. Building World-Class Insurance Producers with Pat Corrigan

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Corrigan, founder of Palladium Point, joined me this week to give my audience a bit of the perspective of a recruiter in this industry. Tune in t...

304. Taking "The Big Leap" Towards Sales Success

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I want to share what I learned from reading the book “The Big Leap”, written by Gay Hendricks.  Hendricks shares some common mindsets...

303. Re-localizing Healthcare With Community-Owned Health Plans (with Niko Caparisos)

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Niko Caparisos, Principal at Prosperity Benefits and Program Architect for Community-Owned Health Plans, joined the show this week to share what it me...

302. The Top Sales Secret No One Teaches You

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re headed into Q4, so I want you to ask yourself: have you set yourself up to hit your sales goals this year?  In this week’s Bullpen Session...

301. Care Navigation Employees Actually Love (with Matt McQuide)

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“If you build it, they will come.”  Sounds great, but isn’t always true in the healthcare industry. For employees, navigating healthcare can b...