Episode 110: WHY This Agent’s Revenue and Time Off is TRIPLE the National Average

You may remember Russ Castle from back in Episode 11.  Russ is known as the niche authority.  With a successful independent agency, he is back to give us an update on his story and the lessons he has learned over the past few years.

Highlights:

  • Starting his niche marketing with fire sprinkler and extinguisher contractors, which was successful but not overly profitable
  • His move into focusing on the habitational market
  • The 10,000 hour rule to see success
  • Russ’s marketing strategy to generate interest from the proposals sent out which sent him from county to state wide
  • Facing the challenges of getting quotes out quickly in a time that technology was not where it was today
  • Obtaining lists from the right people and investing the time and effort into them
  • Utilizing direct mail to access and maintain clients
  • Building success in a niche with only three employees
  • Writing a book to help others not only in habitational insurance but his knowledge on being a landlord

 

About Our Guest:

Russ is a third-generation independent broker from Redwood City, CA (Silicon Valley).

Over 30 years ago he started his career and soon discovered that specializing in niches was the future for his agency. He has been growing his brokerage insuring landlords all over CA for almost 20 years.  As

a member of the Unstoppable Profit Producer Platinum Coaching Member since 2016, led by Mike Stromsoe, I frequently collaborate with other agents to continually grow.  Russ contributes this factor as a major part of his success.

Recently Russ was honored by Rough Notes magazine as the Agent of the Month.  In that article he shared this…

“To sum up: I’m living the dream, and I haven’t had to disappoint my children. When my son went to New York to pursue his acting dream, I was there for his performances. My wife and I are empty nesters now. Our two children have grown up, and we can come and go when we want. This business allows for that. Last year, I was out of the office for more than 50 days, part of that spent on my other full-time job of overseeing facilities at Menlo Park’s Church of the Nativity and Nativity Catholic School, including building a new gym. The best part was seeing the kids’ faces when it was done. We also went to Kenya with our Rotary group and installed a computer system in a school on Pate Island and a water treatment plant in the Mara for the Maasai people.”

“My ultimate goal is to be known as someone who helped others achieve more,” Russ concludes.

Russ is living the #UPPlife!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellcastle/

https://insurancebycastle.com/

 

 

Until next time, get out there and make a difference, be unstoppable, and leave no regrets!

 

Mike Stromsoe
The Unstoppable Profit Producer
Call 800-770-9984
Email [email protected]

Episode 100: Secret Habits of UPP Agent Success and Achievement with Bill Butler

 

I am so excited to have reached our 100th episode and there is still so much to come.  In today’s episode, I could not be more excited to have returning guest, Bill Butler.  Bill has been a Platinum Coaching Member since 2015 when James Malinchak told him the best thing he could do for himself and his business was to find a coach. Listen as we discuss what skills and attitudes have contributed to his success.

 

Highlights:

  • Learning is the first step into success, the next is action on what you have learned
  • You can dear the same things in different ways depending on the evolution of your business
  • How authors Jim Collins (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0) and David Goggins (Can’t Hurt Me) have impacted us as leaders and as entrepreneurs
  • Pushing yourself mentally and physically, to move out of your comfort zone to reach greater heights
  • Discovering the power of public proclamation
  • Creating a great agency and the advantages of being a small business to get there
  • Setting a goal to achieve each month in creating and furthering your agency
  • Fostering your carrier relationships

 

Be one of the first 100 people to get a copy of David Goggin’s book, Can’t Hurt Me.  Listen to find out how.

 

About My Guest:

Bill Butler, Butler & Associates Insurance Agency

 

Bill was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1975 and is the only child of Dan and Linda Butler.  He moved with his family to Minnesota in 1986 and is now married to his wife Shannon and they live in Burnsville.

Bill enlisted into the MN Army National Guard in 1993 as a junior in high school.  In his almost 13-year career in the Military he served in various units in MN and with the Active Duty Army with the 101st Airborne Division as a Scout Sniper and with the Pathfinder Company.  He graduated from US. Army Ranger School with class 02-00.

In 2004 Bill transitioned from the Military to his family’s insurance agency in Apple Valley Minnesota his parents founded in 2002.  Since becoming part of the family business, Bill has gained experience in all areas of independent agency operations. He has over seventeen years of experience in the insurance industry and is a Certified Insurance Counselor and Certified Workers Compensation Advisor.  He joined the UPP Coaching program in 2015 after attending the fall UPP Boot Camp in 2014.  Bill has worked hard taking action and putting in place People Processes & Promotions as outlined by Mike and in doing so was named the inaugural UPP Implementer of the year by his peers.

In December of 2017 Bill was named President of Butler & Associates Insurance. Butler & Associates is Honored to have been named the Rough Notes Agency of the Month July 2019.

Now growing the niche commercial division of his insurance is his number one passion.

 

Until next time, get out there and make a difference, be unstoppable, and leave no regrets!

 

Mike Stromsoe
The Unstoppable Profit Producer
Call 800-770-9984
Email [email protected]

Episode 71: Mike’s in the Hot Seat

We are turning things around on this week’s episode with Andrea Wyatt taking over the podcast. Agents have been contacting her with many questions, so she thought that it was time to put Mike into the hot seat to answer them.

Highlights:

  • Learning customer interaction skills at the age of eight working a drive-thru
  • Getting into the insurance business with his dad and moving on to forge his own path
  • Managing the quick growth of his company
  • How the UPP program began
  • The philosophy of the 3 Ps
  • The latest program UPP Fast Start
  • Technology changes – life in the industry before computers
  • Success stories of agents who implemented the training
  • Creating success from failures

www.uppfaststart.com

 

Until next time, get out there and make a difference, be unstoppable, and leave no regrets!

Mike Stromsoe
The Unstoppable Profit Producer
Call 800-770-9984
Email [email protected]

Skip to toolbar