Over the past 8 years, I’ve spent time in more than 600independent agencies as a consultant or vendor. Seventeen years ofinsurance production gave me a ton of experience, yet there’s stillso much to figure out. Early in my career, the one thing that keptme interested in the business was the ability to learn everyday.

Insurance agencies are like snowflakes, no two are alike.However, after spending lots of time with agency owners inhyper-growth mode, I learned that there are several traits theyhave in common. Below are five that stand out, and duplicatingthese tips can help your firm become a high-performing agency.

1. Culture: Top-performers have a culturethat’s focused on production. When we talk about building a salesfocused culture, people often assume that we’re dismissing theimportance of great service. This is not the case. In fact,agencies with the best sales culture tend to have the best serviceteams as well. Keep in mind: You can’t flip a switch to create aworld-class sales culture. It takes communication, training,charisma and an owner that’s laser-focused on their people,processes and tools. You’re slow to hire and quick to fire but topperformers love working in your agency. Not only are they growingprofessionally and personally, they’re having fun doing it. You’rea leader not a manager and employees know that they have yoursupport every day.