3 Crucial Things Most Insurance Agents Gloss Over (According to Top Agent Perry Olson)

At EverQuote, we’re lucky to work with some of the best agents in the industry. One of these agencies (who also happens to be one of the top P&C agents in the country) is State Farm’s Perry Olson, who has offices in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada. Perry generously shared with us some of the strategies he’s used to become a State Farm Lifetime President's Club Member, Chairman's Circle Qualifier, Ambassador Travel Qualifier, Multiple Million Dollar Round Table Member, and in 2017, one of the first agents to qualify for Trophy (top 10 with State Farm) in both of his offices in the same year! (You can bet he knows what it takes to be a top agent.)

In this article, we’re going to share three tips from Perry—but that’s only a sample of the insights Perry has for agents.

To learn all the tried-and-true practices that contributed to his high achievement, check out our free ebook, 10 Things Every Agent Should Be Doing (But That Most Aren't): Tips For Agents From Top Agent Perry Olson.

1. Stick to an uncomplicated, clearly-defined sales process and use it for every prospect.

Perry has an internet lead process and a live transfer process that his producers must use to contact 10 prospects each day. The lead process looks like this:

1. Call.
2. Text.
3. Email.
4. Mail.
5. Follow-up call.
6. 60-day follow-up call.

His agency’s live transfer process looks like this:

1. Text (while on the initial transferred call).
2. Email (while on the initial call).
3. Mail.
4. Follow-up call.
5. 60-day follow-up call.

Perry says all agents should have a system in place—and they need to stick to it. His own producers call, text, email, and send red envelopes (read more about that in the next tip) to 10 leads each day. This strategy allows producers to both spend time on the warmest prospects and follow up on opportunities, rather than just making 50+ cold calls a day.

2. Have producers send at least one email quote with an attention-grabbing subject line to every lead they are working.

Another small-but-mighty tip from Perry: When sending emails, make sure producers put the most important information in the subject line. For example, “Auto quote: $125/month” or “Quote: $125 for auto and renters.” The subject line is your virtual “first impression,” so it needs to be powerful and succinct.

3. Hire for attitude and work ethic first and foremost—not experience.

When it comes to employees, what matters most to Perry is that they have a strong work ethic and show up to work every day. In 12 years, he’s only had to fire a handful of employees—he credits this to his hiring practices.

The most important question Perry asks prospective employees is: “If I give you the job, are you going to show up?” He also asks about their prior work experience, although this is less important to him than their attitude toward hard work and consistently showing up. Perry avoids asking potential new hires what they disliked about their old jobs; it creates awkward situations that usually lead to negative comments about former employers. Instead, he prompts them to talk about what they liked best and about their strengths.

When it comes to hiring successfully, for Perry, it’s crucial to get along with employees. His is essentially a family business, so he hires people whom he likes, and who have strengths where he has weaknesses.

Want to know more things the most successful agents do differently than everyone else?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. To learn about seven more things that will set you apart from your competition, just click the link below to download our ebook, 10 Things Every Agent Should Be Doing (But That Most Aren't): Tips For Agents From Top Agent Perry Olson.