Joe D'Annunzio - From Cold Calling to Leading a National Brokerage

Joe is a national brokerage president whose early days cold calling in the White pages may have proven to be the perfect guide to show how insurance really works today—human first, tech-enabled, and built for the moments you hope never happen. Joe joins us to share the arc from answering a newspaper ad to leading Brokerlink’s 5,000 + person team, weaving together discipline, mentorship, and the power of community. Along the way, he explains why insurance isn’t just a policy; it’s a promise—and why that promise still depends on a person you can look in the eye when things go sideways.We get candid about the industry’s past and future: the grind of phone-book selling, the rise of SEO and inbound leads, and how 40,000 monthly website visits now fuel local advisors across 240 communities. Joe opens the hood on practical AI—bots that compare renewals in seconds, a 24/7 chat that handles routine updates, and a client app that mirrors modern banking—while keeping cybersecurity as the first principle. He also draws a clear line between digital convenience and licensed advice, showing why younger buyers research alone but still want human confirmation before binding a legal contract.We talk scale, choice, and trust: more markets to fit unique needs, local branches that show up at the rink and the supermarket, and community giving that signals real skin in the game. Joe doesn’t dodge the hard parts—messy connectivity with carriers, regulatory friction, and the gap in client education—then offers a smarter approach to mitigation and alerts that actually help. If you’re exploring careers, you’ll hear straight talk on recession resilience, leadership growth, and the mindset that carries you: learn deeply, take risks, and be kind. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to tell us what part shifted your view of insurance.Send us a text Support the showFind The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

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