You’re new to Bold Penguin but have been in insurance for a relatively long time. What are your immediate goals for the Exchange?‍

One thing we’re looking at right now is how we can enhance the Exchange to be more customer-centric; to create connections. I want to increase our quality of conversations and match accuracy by implementing an approach that starts the sales process by building rapport with prospects and then transferring that rapport to our agent partners. We want to help people who already need insurance get into a buying mood. 

This is something that I want to add to the current Bold Penguin Commercial Insurance Center experience. The last thing a busy small business owner wants is to chat with a bot or a heavily scripted call center representative. They want to have a consultative discussion with an agent that will be able to meet their insurance needs. One goal we have for the Exchange is to facilitate this connection between business owners and insurance professionals that specialize in quoting for their industry.

How do you view the ideal culture that supports and benefits from an ecosystem like the Exchange?‍

The “Green” model of the Bold Penguin Exchange powers the robust ecosystem essential for serving small businesses in the digital age. By “Green,” we mean nothing of use gets wasted: a prospect that is not an ideal fit for an agency or brokerage doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

The principle behind the Exchange’s continued success is “Prospects are Priceless. Our profitability comes through steady improvement of our overall organizational sales intelligence and acumen. Sell what you know and monetize every opportunity–not just for profit but for successful outcomes overall. Ultimately, our success will be measured by the quality of the customer’s small commercial insurance experience. 

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What sort of impact do you hope to have on Bold Penguin as an organization?‍

I’d like my work to make Bold Penguin a business that’s even more empowering to our partners by focusing on ways to help them find and engage with customers that are ready to buy. There’s an adage, “insurance is sold, not bought.” One way we can support agents is by being a go-to source of solutions for reducing or eliminating common customer objections about how they buy small commercial insurance. It’s not about unpacking people’s “baggage”; it’s about removing obstacles in the customer’s path. 

Another one of my favorite expressions about the insurance business is “turn your users into surgeons.” Agents and brokers are trained professionals with years of experience and education. They know what they’re doing. We’re here to deliver the vital support they need–we sterilize the scalpel; they use it. We’re at our best when we free our partners to do their best. Together, we’re changing the face of small commercial insurance.