How can insurance agents use AI?

I spent nearly twenty years in insurance, and every agent knows the thing we're all supposed to do: call clients out of the blue and ask how you can help, whether you can go over their policy. Most agents don't, because the day-to-day eats everything.

"Most agents don't do it because you're just so busy with the day to day. Well, what if you weren't? ... You'll have the capacity to do that, and then you'll win more customers because of it."

Where does AI help an agency first?

Follow-up and admin. When AI handles the follow-up, you can do more sales calls because it doesn't take as much time. The point is putting humans in front of more people, not removing them.

A guest on my podcast showed what that looks like: his AI assistant keeps the full conversation history from deals won and lost and emails him a pre-call script 15 minutes before each meeting.

What if my carrier controls my systems?

Then you're limited, and that's the carrier's doing. I told a room of captive agents I didn't have much to show that would help inside their agency, only because their carrier won't let them, not because there aren't a million things you could do with your own CRM and your own system.

What captive agents can still do:

• Use general AI for personal productivity.
• Build a lead channel they own, outside the carrier's stack.

Is there a lead channel agents can own?

I think local media may be the best way for insurance agents to get leads. You own the attention of the local people in your community. I helped one of the top five largest agents in the country launch a couple of newsletters in his community.

Why are independent agencies a strong AI market?

They're numerous, they're wealthy, they still run manual processes, and they aren't locked into one carrier's stack. My unproven "big bet" for them was a group membership around $700 a month with templates, automations and office hours, plus cheap employee seats so the team keeps it sticky. I'm not pursuing it myself because of focus. Pricing detail in what an AI membership should include and cost.

How will AI agents change how people buy insurance?

So much of the economy runs on arbitrage: people not knowing a better deal exists, or forgetting to cancel. Getting an insurance quote is hard because of all the forms. What if you didn't have to fill them out? AI agents are going to find your competitor or negotiate with you, and I'm mega bullish on an agency that helps businesses get in front of that.

This isn't new to me. Two and a half years ago I started an AI startup, went down the rabbit hole, saw that insurance agencies were one of the industries that would be disrupted, and got out.