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 culture that’s focused on production. Whenwe talk about building a sales-focused culture, people often assumethat we’re dismissing the importance 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.

Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine youraltitude.

2. Technology

Agents experiencing hyper-growth understand that technology canscale a business quicker than manual processes. When they invest in new technology it’s implementedproperly and everyone in the agency buys in. I can’t tellyou how many times I’ve seen agents invest in the latest andgreatest technology then expect it to be a magic bullet.Unfortunately, it sits on the proverbial shelf and collects dustbecause they can’t culturally adapt.

It's not faith in technology, it’s faith in people.

3. Sales and Marketing

Agency owners at the helm of fast-growing agencies viewthemselves as sales and marketing organizations that happento offer insurance products. They’re active on social media, emailmarketing and have a top-notch website. They add to their pipelinewith purchased leads and have a strategy for every prospect theyencounter. They have a sales process that everyone in the agencyfollows and it’s reviewed in meetings, trained to new hires andmost importantly, it works! The term “sales” isn’t a bad word butis embraced in the hyper-growth agency.

Nothing happens in an insurance agency until something issold.

4. Metrics

Agents that are growing know how many quotes they receivedtoday, yesterday, this week, last week, last quarter; well, you getthe picture. They know how many sales, lines of business, premiumand new commission is written, then celebrate when sales goals arereached or exceeded. They know how many cross-sells the service orsales team converted and chances are; bonuses are determined bythese metrics. Whether they have 2, 20 or 200 people they knowtheir teams closing ratios; which rep should get the next lead andhave this data available in real-time. Agencies that are data-driven can turn dials, pull levers andmake changes on the fly. This ensures a pipeline full of leads thatare being distributed to the right person with the highestpropensity to close.

Stop guessing! You can’t manage what you don’tmeasure.

5. Change

How often have you looked at your agency and wondered whatcould’ve been? Change is a core principle that every agency ownerneeds to embrace or risks being left behind. Don’t be afraid, youcan be whatever you want, but it’s not going to happen unlessyou change. The world completely changed outside of youragency, has it changed internally? Recruiting top talent, adoptinga digital presence and developing a sales process for the connectedconsumer is key to your success. These are changes that need to bemade if you want to not only survive, but thrive in 2015 and beyond.

If you’re not changing, you’re dying.

One of best things about our business is the ability to createwhatever type of agency you choose. You’re unique and there’snobody that can replicate what you do on a daily basis. You have achoice every day your feet hit the ground so maximize theopportunity and, lets get growing!

Stuart Ganis started his career as a producer in 1989 andlater co-founded an independent agency that grew to 20 million inpremium volume within 5 years. After the sale of the agency, Ganisstarted a consulting firm helping agents in areas of sales,marketing, operations and M&A advisory services. Stuartcurrently serves as the VP, Strategic Partnerships for EverQuote. Follow Ganis on Twitter @StuartGanis.