Mastering Business Growth

Michelle Hubert

In today’s competitive multiline insurance landscape, the success of an agency force hinges on the strength and leadership of those guiding it. Field leaders play a pivotal role—not just as coaches and advisors, but as architects of high-performing organizations.

A strong agency network is built on five pillars: building top-performing agency teams; optimizing agency operations; deepening relationships; maximizing sales results; and leading with purpose (see sidebar).

Let’s take a closer look at each aspect:

Building Top Performers

The foundation of a high-performance agency team begins with selecting the right agency owners. Effective recruitment is not a one-time event but a daily discipline. Field leaders must prioritize recruiting activities, ensuring that at least 80% of candidates come from warm sources such as referrals and centers of influence (COIs). This approach increases the likelihood of attracting candidates who align with the organization’s culture and values. It not only increases the quality of prospects but also improves conversion rates and long-term client retention.

The selection process must be intentional and standardized. A consistent evaluation framework ensures that each candidate is assessed on the same criteria, increasing the probability of selecting those with the potential for long-term success. Engaging veteran agents in the process further strengthens recruitment efforts, as their experience can provide invaluable insight into identifying individuals with the right skills and mindset for agency ownership.

Once high-potential candidates are selected, the focus shifts to developing them into successful business owners. A structured training and development plan is essential for equipping new agency owners with the skills to manage their practice effectively and lead their teams with confidence. Effective onboarding provides them with the tools and knowledge needed to build a strong foundation, while joint work opportunities accelerate their learning by allowing them to work alongside experienced professionals.

Ongoing development must extend beyond initial training. A culture of continuous learning, or “everboarding,” assures agency owners refine their business acumen, adapt to market changes and enhance their leadership capabilities. Field leaders should guide agency owners in business planning, helping them establish clear goals and strategies for growth. Supporting agency owners in developing and retaining team members is equally important. Teaching agency owners to create structured onboarding and everboarding processes, incorporating performance standards to ensure accountability, will help them build high-performing teams in their own organizations.

High-performing teams must also plan for the future. Succession planning ensures long-term stability and business continuity. Field leaders should proactively identify potential retirements at least five years in advance, allowing ample time for transition planning. Engaging veteran agents in selecting and mentoring successors ensures that incoming agency owners inherit not just a book of business but also the leadership insights necessary to sustain and grow it.

To ensure a seamless transition, successors must be gradually integrated into the retiring agent’s book of business and community. Retiring agents should remain involved for at least a year post-transition to provide mentorship, retain key client relationships and maintain operational stability. This phased approach minimizes disruption and maximizes client retention.

Maximizing Sales Results

For agency owners to achieve sustainable and predictable growth, field leaders must help them optimize their sales processes and business development strategies. This requires analyzing and refining agency operations, leveraging corporate partnerships and providing access to sales training and market intelligence. By strengthening these core areas, field leaders can create a more consistent and scalable approach to growth.

An effective sales process begins with strong business development systems. Like field leaders, agency owners should prioritize warm sources—such as referrals, COIs and business introductions—with the goal of generating 80% of new business from these channels. Focusing on warm leads not only enhances prospect quality but also boosts conversion rates and supports long-term client retention.

Training is another essential component of business development. Producing team members should receive structured training to enhance their ability to identify and close sales opportunities. Field leaders should advocate for implementing joint-work strategies, such as the 5/5/5 model, where new producers conduct joint sales calls with experienced agents, demonstrating the process five times, doing it together five times and observing the new team member five times, while providing mentoring and coaching. This hands-on model accelerates learning and ensures that producers adopt best practices early in their careers.

In addition to refining internal processes, agency owners must fully leverage their partnerships with the company to maximize growth opportunities. Many agencies underutilize the corporate resources, talent and tools available to them. Field leaders play a vital role in bridging this gap by ensuring agency owners understand and take advantage of company support services, marketing programs, underwriting assistance and specialized sales training.

Beyond resources, strengthening relationships between agency owners and corporate teams is essential for long-term success. Whether through regular check-ins, strategic planning meetings or joint client engagement initiatives, field leaders should encourage collaboration that fosters trust and alignment between agency teams and corporate support functions.

To stay competitive, agencies must continuously evolve their sales strategies and stay informed on industry trends. Field leaders can enhance agency success by providing access to external resources such as third-party sales training programs, professional development workshops and business networking events. These resources equip agency owners and their teams with the latest techniques in prospecting, client retention and cross-selling.

Additionally, staying updated on market intelligence—including industry trends, competitor strategies and regulatory changes—allows agencies to adapt and refine their sales approach proactively. Field leaders should facilitate opportunities for agency owners to gain insights from industry experts, ensuring they remain ahead of market shifts and can position their businesses for growth.

Deepening Relationships

One of the most impactful ways field leaders can support agency owners and drive long-term success is by helping them cultivate stronger, deeper relationships with their clients, their teams and the organization as a whole. A key component of this effort lies in elevating the agency owner experience and creating a culture that fosters engagement and retention. To do this effectively, field leaders must deepen their own relationships with agency owners, ensuring agency owners feel supported, understood and equipped to navigate challenges and seize growth opportunities.

High-quality, thoughtfully planned events can serve as powerful tools for connection, collaboration and culture-building. Equally important is the personal touch. Field leaders must demonstrate genuine care for agency owners and their families, recognizing that professional success is intertwined with personal well-being. Taking time to connect on a personal level shows agency owners they are more than just producers—they are partners in a shared mission.

Agency owners thrive when they feel supported not only in business but in life. Field leaders should prioritize the holistic development of their agency force, engaging them in conversations around leadership growth, time management and work-life integration. Providing access to resources such as leadership coaching, peer mastermind groups or personal development workshops builds loyalty and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. By reinforcing these principles, field leaders can create an environment where agency owners feel supported, engaged and motivated to stay and grow within the organization.

Long-term retention is the byproduct of consistent engagement. Field leaders must build structured systems that ensure regular check-ins with agency owners and their teams. These conversations provide an opportunity to assess morale, surface challenges and reaffirm goals. Quarterly engagement touchpoints, peer networking opportunities and retention-focused feedback tools, such as annual satisfaction surveys, can further strengthen relationships.

To truly enhance the agency owner experience, it is essential to address key challenges agency owners face, such as navigating market fluctuations and leading teams. Understanding these pain points allows field leaders to offer targeted solutions. At the same time, these challenges present opportunities to refine processes, introduce innovative business strategies and create a stronger sense of community. By proactively addressing challenges and capitalizing on opportunities, field leaders can create an agency owner experience that is both rewarding and transformative.

Field leaders must also implement a strategic communication cadence—daily, weekly and monthly—to reinforce trust and ensure transparency. Whether through one-on-one meetings, newsletters or team updates, consistent communication keeps relationships strong and aligned. This includes both formal communication, such as structured meetings, and informal interactions, like casual check-ins and spontaneous conversations. A balance of both ensures clarity while fostering approachability and openness.

Publicly recognizing agency achievements, whether through internal accolades or external spotlights, further enhances morale. Celebration fosters community, drives motivation and ensures every agency owner feels seen, supported and celebrated.

In short, field leaders deepen client relationships by investing first in the agency owners who serve them. When you elevate the experience, everything else follows.

Optimizing Operations

To drive excellence across their organizations, field leaders must embody operational efficiency in every aspect of their work—only then can they expect agency owners to follow suit. By strengthening systems and processes, monitoring business metrics and leveraging data analytics and technology, field leaders can optimize operations and align their teams with company objectives.

A strong operational foundation is essential for sustained success. Field leaders must continuously refine systems and processes to ensure efficiency, scalability and alignment with company objectives. Strengthening these areas enhances decision-making, improves accountability and drives overall agency performance.

An effective annual plan provides direction and ensures alignment with company goals. The plan should include key performance indicators, recruitment and retention goals, marketing and training initiatives and revenue and productivity targets. Clearly defining objectives and strategies helps field leaders stay on track and measure progress effectively.

The annual plan should include a schedule of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual agency meetings. Scheduling these meetings in advance demonstrates their importance and creates consistency for agency owners. Tracking progress against the annual plan, regular business reviews and data-driven assessments help field leaders make informed decisions and adjust strategies as needed.

Field leaders must establish and analyze key business metrics to ensure operational success. These metrics provide visibility into performance, highlight areas for improvement and guide strategic decision-making. Crucial business metrics include:

• Recruitment and retention
• Sales and performance
• Agency growth and development
• Operational efficiency
• Market positioning
• Agency engagement


By maintaining a strong focus on these metrics, field leaders can proactively address challenges, drive efficiency and support sustainable business growth.

True leadership in the multiline insurance industry is measured not only by results but by the ability to elevate others to achieve lasting success. When field leaders build structured operations, model excellence and develop strong partnerships with agency owners, they create an ecosystem where high performance becomes the norm. As field leaders invest in their own growth and the development of those they lead, they lay the groundwork for a culture of excellence that endures well beyond individual achievements.