Doug Benz on Being the Coolest Insurance Agent in Western New York

Jun 1, 2023

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Spartan philosophy, built in the black-ops lab of business: https://www.findingpeak.com

Finding Peak podcast: https://linktr.ee/ryan_hanley

Doug Benz, co-founder of New Buffalo Insurance (with his incredible wife, Liz Benz), is one of my personal favorite people in the insurance industry.

One of the things that I enjoy about Doug is he always has one eye on the future while staying true to his professional insurance agent roots.

I loved this conversation and I'm sure you will too...

Episode Highlights:

Doug discusses how insurance sales used to be a secret business controlled by families and how people outside those families didn't know how much money you could make doing it or what it was really all about. (7:15)
Ryan mentions that some business owners prioritize maximizing their personal income over growing their agency, and how this can negatively impact their ability to attract and retain employees. (13:21)
Doug shares why he decided to take a field trip to New York City, and how it changed his life. (24:20)
Doug believes that the world is returning to a better spot, and people are buying buildings and doing things again, leading to more insurance needs. (36:35)
Ryan discusses the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in a hardening market and the importance of marketing and adding value during this time. (39:39)
Doug shares how he shifts his mindset when he's going into dark places and how it it helps in an industry many different dimensions. (48:00)
Doug mentions that discipline and clarity are essential for success, but getting into a rhythm and feeling good is hard. (50:59)

Key Quotes:

“I'm excited about this year. I feel like last year was just like the one year since we started. It was just like, what is going on? And in terms of you know, we had some nice growth from premiums on the rise, but in terms of like new business, it was awful compared to the years prior. And I'm like what's going on? So, it feels like we're back on track this year, a little bit. But it's like a little bit of scariness out there. I'm not gonna lie.” - Doug Benz

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