Finding great insurance producers is one of the biggest challenges agency owners face. The right producer can accelerate growth, strengthen client relationships, and enhance your agency culture. The wrong hire can drain resources, disrupt morale, and slow momentum.
Strong producers are not always the ones with the longest resumes or the most polished interviews. They are the ones with the right mindset, discipline, and relationship skills. Here are practical strategies to help agency owners find and attract great insurance producers.
1. Hire for Character and Drive, Not Just Experience
Experience matters, but mindset matters more. Many top producers were not originally in insurance. They came from sales, business development, or other relationship driven industries.
Look for candidates who demonstrate resilience, coachability, and self motivation. Ask about how they handle rejection and how they structure their day. A strong internal drive often predicts long term success better than technical knowledge alone.
Insurance knowledge can be taught. Work ethic and attitude are much harder to develop.
2. Look for Relationship Builders
Insurance is a trust-based business. Great producers are skilled at building rapport and maintaining long term relationships. During interviews, listen for examples of how candidates stay connected with clients after the sale.
Ask how they generate referrals, follow up with prospects, and maintain visibility in their community. Producers who focus on relationships rather than quick transactions tend to build more stable and profitable books of business.
3. Evaluate Prospecting Habits
Every producer needs a system for generating leads. Ask candidates to describe their prospecting strategy in detail. Do they rely on referrals, networking groups, social media, cold outreach, or niche marketing?
Candidates who can clearly articulate their process demonstrate discipline and planning. Producers without a consistent prospecting system often struggle to maintain production over time.
Consistency in prospecting leads to consistency in revenue.
4. Assess Cultural Fit
Even a high performer can create tension if they do not align with your agency values. Evaluate how the candidate approaches teamwork, service standards, and communication.
Discuss expectations around collaboration with service staff and client communication practices. Agencies that prioritize culture alongside production tend to retain producers longer and experience fewer internal conflicts.
A strong cultural fit strengthens both performance and morale.
5. Invest in Training and Development
Great producers are rarely built overnight. Agency owners who commit to structured onboarding, mentorship, and ongoing education create stronger long term results.
Provide clear goals for the first ninety days and the first year. Offer training resources and regular coaching conversations. Producers who feel supported and guided are more likely to grow into high performers.
Kansas PIA supports agencies with education, professional development, and management resources designed to help independent agents build stronger teams.
The Bottom Line
Finding great insurance producers requires intention, patience, and clarity. Focus on character, relationship skills, prospecting discipline, cultural alignment, and long term development. When you hire strategically and lead consistently, you build not just a sales team but a growth engine for your agency.
Strong producers build strong agencies. With the right approach and the right support, you can find and develop the talent that drives lasting success.