The Insurance Dudes©
The Insurance Dudes©
The Insurance Dudes: Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman
The Insurance Dudes is a weekly podcast for independent and captive P&C insurance agency owners, hosted by Craig Pretzinger and Jason Feltman, covering lead generation, sales scripts, DISC-based hiring, producer training, recruiting, automation, and the KPI tracking that scales an agency past $10 million in premium.Craig and Jason ran their own agencies blind for years. No read on contact rates, quote rates, or close rates. Just grinding, and blaming the leads when production stalled. Then they started tracking the numbers that actually move revenue, and production jumped without adding a single hour to the week.That shift became this show: 800+ episodes on what actually runs an agency. Real-time vs aged lead economics, how many dials a day a producer should be making, scripts for the rate-increase objection, how to leave a captive carrier and go independent, how to run an agency on a 4-day week, and how to value and sell an agency when you're ready to exit. No theory, no motivational filler. Just the math and the systems that took two agencies to over $10 million in new annualized auto premium.If you're wearing every hat in your agency and ready to stop, this show is built for you.Website: theidudes.com Built from the show: TeleDudes for outsourced overseas dialers, TeamIQ for DISC-based hiring, LineShield for phone reputation, and Insurance Agency Trader for buying or selling an agency.New episodes every week. Subscribe, and let's sell some policies.
Great Agencies Don’t Hire Salespeople, They Build Them
Shoot Us A Message! Hiring insurance producers who actually write premium comes down to building a repeatable training system rather than searching for a unicorn salesperson. In this episode, we break down why relying on experienced talent often leads to high turnover and bad sales habits inside your agency. Learn how to recruit for coachability, structure daily producer onboarding, and run consistent sales training to ramp new hires to full quota faster. If you need a structured framework t...
Sep 30
28 min
Why Most Agents Fail the Exam
Shoot Us A Message! How to help new insurance producers pass the licensing exam on their first attempt and reduce onboarding drop-off. Melissa, the Insurance Exam Queen joins us to break down why most candidates struggle with the insurance licensing exam and how agency owners can fix their preparation process. When bringing new talent into your agency, long study cycles and repeat test failures cost time and revenue. Structuring a clear study framework helps your new hires get licensed faste...
Sep 23
41 min
The Future of Insurance: Technology, Risk & Relationships
Shoot Us A Message! How P&C insurance agency owners can adapt to modern technology, evaluate emerging risk, and strengthen client retention to scale their business. In this episode, we discuss the changing landscape of insurance technology, managing risk profiles, and maintaining strong relationship-driven service. Learn how to implement sustainable agency growth systems and streamline your operations in a shifting market. If you are looking to scale your agency systems and processes, ch...
Sep 16
53 min
From Wild Claims to Agency Success: Michelle O'Connor's Journey
Shoot Us A Message! Scale your P&C insurance agency by building repeatable operations, handling complex claims, and tightening your client acquisition process. In this episode, we sit down with agency owner Michelle O'Connor to break down the operational shifts required to build a sustainable book of business. We walk through navigating claims handling, transitioning into agency leadership, and setting up daily processes that protect retention while driving steady agency growth. F...
Sep 9
59 min
The 15-Minute Meeting That Changes Everything
Shoot Us A Message! Meetings: the overlooked habit that keeps an agency from falling apart This episode breaks down why daily meetings are the “glue” that keeps an insurance agency running smoothly. We explain how inconsistent check-ins create hidden problems, while short, focused meetings surface roadblocks, accountability gaps, and team momentum before the numbers slip. We discuss why meetings are often avoided, why that avoidance makes problems harder to fix, and how AI tools can help tr...
Sep 2
15 min
$6 Million Non-Renewed - Then Everything Changed with Dan Kitajima
Shoot Us A Message! Struggling to stay profitable when carriers change the rules on you overnight? Dan Kitajima shares the brutal moment his captive agency lost $6 million of book in six months, right as he had just signed a $20,000-a-month office lease - and how that shock forced him to rethink everything. We pushed Dan into the numbers behind the move from captive to independent, from broker fees and comp plans to closing ratios, retention, and why hyper-specializing can beat trying...
Aug 26
46 min
The Hiring Mistake That Costs Visionary CEOs Their Best People with Mandy Keene
Shoot Us A Message! Hiring for insurance agencies requires a specific strategy to avoid turnover and protect your company culture. This episode covers the common hiring mistakes that lead visionary CEOs to lose their best talent and how to implement better agency systems for long term retention. Mandy Keene, a specialist in helping business owners align their team with their vision, joins us to discuss role fit and leadership. Learn how to identify the right candidates for your P&C agenc...
Aug 19
55 min
How $500 Became a 50-Employee Insurance Empire
Shoot Us A Message! Struggling to grow when your best move feels too risky to make? We discuss how to scale a P&C agency from scratch. The episode focuses on the transition from a small startup to a 50 employee operation by implementing specific outbound dialing processes and hiring the right producers. Guest Dan Garzella, owner of The Garzella Group, explains his journey of building an agency empire starting with only 500 dollars. If you are looking to scale your outbound effort...
Aug 12
57 min
Why Your Agency Hiring Process Is Failing
Shoot Us A Message! Hiring Producers for P&C Agencies. In this episode, we discuss effective recruitment techniques for finding high performing talent in a competitive market. We break down the mechanics of role fit and how to screen for candidates who actually want to work. If you are looking to improve your hiring process, hiring producers, and team culture, check out TeamIQ. Key Takeaways and Timestamps 0:00 Introduction to hiring challenges 4:15 Why role fit is more important th...
Aug 5
25 min
Mastering the Insurance Sale: Six Stages to Success
Shoot Us A Message! How to close more P&C deals in 6 steps. In this episode, we break down the six stages of every successful insurance sale. We explain how to move prospects through the funnel using consistent outbound dialing and proven lead generation strategies. Mastering these stages is essential for agency growth and maximizing your overall agency valuation. Improve your results with our outbound lead gen and dialing tools at Teledudes. Key Takeaways and Timestamps 0:00 The firs...
Jul 29
31 min
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