CIB Group Services LLC

The best B2B sales career…that you've likely never considered: commercial insurance broker. 10 reasons why you should choose commercial insurance broking: 1. Uncapped, high six-figure income potential. Your earnings can grow to $250K, $500K, even $1M or more. Because you earn residual commissions. On every client. Every year. 2. Consultative, trusted advisor B2B Sales. Your clients are CEOs, CFOs, and business owners. You consult with them to understand their business and risk management needs, then propose solutions. You become a respected, trusted client advisor. As essential as their lawyer and accountant. You provide an important, big-ticket service and invaluable consulting advice. If you want to sell something important to important people -- this is it. 3. Residual Commissions from Repeat Sales. Commercial insurance programs renew every 12 months. So your income rises as you stockpile residual commissions when your clients renew. Residuals are the compound interest formula that lead to growing your net worth. 4. Relationship Sales. You'll enjoy the long-term satisfaction that comes from developing strong ongoing relationships with your clients. Many of your clients become your friends. And, after cold prospecting in the beginning, you'll find most of your clients through networking and referrals. 5. Stable Industry. The insurance business is much more resistant than most to normal economic cycles. Because every business always needs insurance to cover their exposures and risks. Insurance demand will forever remain rock solid. 6. A Satisfying and Rewarding Long-Term Career. You will learn a profession and gain knowledge and skills that will place you in demand. As a top producer, you will never be without work. This is a lifetime professional B2B sales career. 7. Business insurance sales is much different than other insurance sales. Your prospects and clients are business people, CEOs and business owners. They need insurance and your advice. You are a consultant to them. You will not be selling home/auto/life insurance to friends and family. 8. Great Work Culture. You can choose to be an employee of a professional firm in a local, community-active and entrepreneurial organization. Without the bureaucracy, politics, and hassles of large corporations. Or if a huge corporation is your preference, you can work for a mega-broker. 9. Build Your Own Business – Inside a Business. You will build your own book of business. You decide the types of businesses and people that you want as your clients. You get to do the best part of having your own business -- client development. Without a financial investment or management headaches. All the support structure is already built for you. 10. Work/Life Balance. Your clients are local. You can build your career where you live and work. So you can be home every night if that's important to you. #sales #b2bsales #insurance

Jim’s final LinkedIn post of 2024. One how-to-succeed in 2025 advice for (1) new commercial insurance producers and (2) commercial insurance brokers hiring new producers. For new producers: Use your phone every day to call people. For brokers:  Speed up your hiring process. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

Insurance experience "halo effect" hiring bias. A widespread conscious bias that favors hiring producers inside the insurance industry. "Halo effect" hiring bias assumes that if an individual has worked in insurance - even if for a short tenure or they've been an unsuccessful producer or they've never been in sales - they must be highly skilled, talented, and deserving of attention. Madness. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

Recruiting for clients in the Northeast (NY, NJ and New England states). Lots of candidates ask:  "Do you have any client openings down South?" Recruiting for clients in the Southeast. Waiting for the first candidate to ask: "Do you have any client openings in NY, NJ or New England?" Anecdotal evidence on the migration pattern of B2B salespeople. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

Gallagher buying AssuredPartners. Hmm. Could be a windfall of 2025 new client opportunities for producers with agent/brokers NOT named Gallagher and AP. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

My question (to a potential new producer recruiting client): "How are you going about finding a new producer?" Their answer: "We're always looking." What this means: "We're doing nothing. Hoping someone great falls in our laps. And we're OK with BS'ing ourselves." #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

Insurance experience "halo effect" hiring bias. A widespread conscious bias that favors hiring producers inside the insurance industry. "Halo effect" hiring bias assumes that if an individual has worked in insurance - even if for a short tenure or they've been an unsuccessful producer or they've never been in sales - must be highly skilled, talented, and deserving of attention. Madness. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales 

Be more curious. Less judgmental. OK I’m trying but… Who’s out there selling people on a 5th year MBA program? From the same non-top tier (I’m being kind) university where they just finished their bachelor’s degree? For goodness sakes, bypass these EZPass MBA programs, get a starter job, and get your career going. Get your MBA later. From a top-end school. Or never. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales

12 questions ambitious B2B sales people should answer going into 2025. 1. Do you earn recurring commissions on your clients?  (Or does your company keep the residuals from your sales?) 2. Do you keep ongoing relationships with your clients - and get to build closer relationships?  (OR are you always back to chasing the next new account to survive?)  3. Can you make $500K+ or $1M+ someday (not tomorrow) -- seriously, can you make this kind of big-time six-figure income eventually? (OR does your company cap your income potential at way too low a plateau?) 4. Can you be home most nights?  (OR is your sales job a relentless road warrior grind with heavy overnight travel?)  5. Are you building your own clientele?  (OR are you chasing a sales quota in a territory assigned to you?) 6. Can you become financially independent and control your destiny?  (OR are you over-relying on your company to help you with this?)  7. Are you selling in a stable industry?  (OR are you selling in a shrinking industry with uneven demand for your product/service?) 8. Are you selling for a growing, healthy company?  (OR is your company showing signs of distress, for example, cutting back on staff or constantly changing the sales force compensation plan?) 9. Are you making the “big sale” – something really important to the buyer?  (OR are you making a “small sale” – the product/service isn’t mission critical to the buyer?)  10. Are you an indispensable member of a strong, local firm and an active, respected business leader in the local community? (OR are you one of hundreds/thousands of sales reps fighting for survival in a big company?) 11. Do your clients depend on you as a trusted professional advisor akin to their accountant and lawyer? (OR are you selling commoditized products and services?) 12. Does your job enable you to become an intrapreneur – to run your own business BUT inside an established business with a support structure?  (OR are you stuck being an employee in a large corporation?) #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales #b2bsales

Hiring new producers in 2025? 3 sure-fire strategies that FAIL more often than they succeed. My "to don't" list for new producer hiring. #1: Don't hire fresh-out college grads without sales experience. #2: Don't hire technical insurance people without sales experience. #3: Don't hire "excuse-ridden" retreads/recycled producers with failed sales experience. AVOID these 3 pitfalls. You will increase your new producer hiring success. #insurance #insuranceindustry #sales