Articles by Randy Schwantz

Schwantz is founder of The Wedge Group. Phone: 214-446-3209. Website: www.thewedge.net. Email: randy@thewedge.net

3 Steps to Building an Agency Growth Machine

How much did your agency grow last year? How about over the last five years? If your answer is anything less than 10%, then this article is for you. In it, I want to share with you three keys to …

Getting an Agent-of-Record: It’s Easier Than You Think

Sally wants to close every piece of business she works on, but she doesn’t. She’s not even close. Her price is never good enough. The coverage gap is never big enough. And even if it is, it doesn’t end up …

The Most Expensive Data Breach You’ll Ever Have

Last week, a producer in one of my classes was distracted beyond belief — fidgeting with his mobile device, sending emails, and texting. As happens to most of us when we’re nervous, his leg was shaking like a tree in …

Optimizing Producer Effectiveness: Using Stats Not Feelings

We were in the locker at half-time, down by two points. Kenny, our center, felt like he was playing a terrible game. He already had two fouls, and the guy he was guarding seemed like he was scoring at will. …

Who’s Your Best Client – Creating Your Avatar

I hate marketing, and I hate marketers.” I said that over and over, much to my demise. Marketing is to selling as mustard is to a hotdog. They are just better together. A common phrase amongst great marketers is this: …

It Takes a Crisis to Make You Change Your Game

Jon got the mail as he pulled up into the drive. There was a thick envelope from the credit card company. Jon opened it, and the balance was much bigger than he’d expected. Jon and his wife had a bad …

Engaging Prospects During COVID-19

It’s not the dog in the fight; it’s the fight in the dog. Are you ready for the fight? And what fight is that? It’s the fight for the buyer’s mind. Most buyers are very confused right now. For that …

Teach New Producers to Diagnose Success Early and Often

There is a fun phrase in golf, “Drive for show, putt for dough.” It’s a subtle shot at those guys that can rip it off the tee but can’t putt, so they don’t score so well. The reality is even …

Why Small Agencies Struggle to Hire New Producers

It’s hard to find a needle in a haystack, unless you know what you are looking for The very best agencies that are committed to hiring new producers, who have senior leaders dedicated to recruiting, a bevy of internal resources …

Why Hiring New Producers is Such a Crapshoot

You probably think this is a horrific analogy and has zero relevance to hiring new producers. If that is the case, you’ll surely dismiss the idea and continue to train, coach and develop new producers your way. I hope it’s …