Read more about the pros and cons for each ( and other topics on hiring and more ) at nb-talent . com / nikki-knows •
AGENCY RECRUITING
Five days in-office and you ' re totally out of step with the market .
5 . Culture matters - people want more out of life and work than ever before . Culture isn ' t a ping pong table in your breakroom . It is :
• Giving people the flexibility to juggle a career and a homelife
• Being generous with time off and remote work
• Getting rid of toxic employees even if they are top sales people ( yes , really !)
• Supporting causes that are important to your teams
You ' ll be surprised how much harder people will work when they feel valued and appreciated .
6 . Ask your best people if they have any great industry contacts and give meaningful financial incentives to refer them . ( If they won ' t refer , you ' ve probably got a culture or compensation problem .)
7 . Now is a good time to search - annual bonuses are often paid out in March / April for 2023 ' s performance , so now ' s a great time to begin the scouting / interview process - they ' ll be ready to bounce by the time they get their check .
ONLINE PROMOTION & SEARCH
If you ' re searching for candidates online , it ' s simply a numbers game - you have to make some general assumptions :
• Someone who ' s been somewhere 20 + years probably isn ' t going to make a move
• If you ' re a tiny shop , targeting folks at the large nationals probably isn ' t going to fly ( for several reasons )
• Your pitch has to be something unique to cut through the noise
• Leverage your network - if you see someone who looks like a fit and you have mutual connections , ask for an intro
• LinkedIn is a great tool but remember that not everyone checks it daily , so consider other programs that give you access to phone numbers and emails ( yes these cost money , and is why a recruiter can often make sense )
“
people want more out of life and work than ever before . culture isn ' t a ping pong table in your breakroom .”
FINDING PRODUCERS
You probably already know your options :
• Pull successful producers away from your competitors
• Uncover the small percentage of folks in carrier land who have the personality for sales , but don ' t realize it or see it in themselves - then paint the picture and teach them the sales piece
• Find folks who are great at sales in other industries and teach them insurance
• Find complete newbies and train them from scratch
Read more about the pros and cons for each ( and other topics on hiring and more ) at nb-talent . com / nikki-knows •
Nikki Brandt , CPCU , AU , AIS , AINS is an insurance industryspecific recruiter . She founded her recruiting firm , NB Talent , in January of 2021 after 14 years in underwriting , field production , and agency production roles .
MARCH / APRIL 2024
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