The Ontario Broker - February 2018 - 17

on digital leads, Adam's presentation was on
using the data available in your brokerage to find
opportunities for growth.
"It was eye opening to hear Adam explain how he
breaks down numbers and the depth he goes to.
I had never heard anybody in our industry think
about a buying experience the way he was. He had
a very fresh perspective," said Zac.
When he returned to his brokerage, Zac saw
the applications for the ideas he had long been
pondering. "We weren't using all the data we had
effectively. We had been looking at a PIF count,
but we broke it down into something manageable.
Instead of 'we want you to grow by 60 policies
a year,' it was 'we want you to grow by five a
month' and that sounds a lot more tangible. We
used numbers to increase
accountability and make
success more attainable."

dive I had to do. He's certainly someone I look up
to in the industry."
According to Adam, the benefits of attending
YBC are unparalleled. "It's the premiere event of
the year to network with like-minded peers that
are trying to better themselves. The people that
really apply themselves in the case study and get
out of their comfort zone will learn a lot from the
exercise."
This year's conference will feature a new case
study: "We'll be refining the format to make it
even better. Vendors and insurance companies are
extremely interested in this event because they
know that the people who attend are the future of
their brokerage," said Brett.

I HAD NEVER HEARD
ANYBODY IN OUR
INDUSTRY THINK
ABOUT A BUYING
EXPERIENCE THAT
WAY.

After putting some of Zac's
initiatives in place the
brokerage saw a relatively
flat year go through nearly
instant growth. "The only
thing we really changed was
our sales people now saw and
understood their numbers. It
seemed to motivate them and
promote change," said Zac.
"Now we're using data to our
advantage and it seems to be
getting really great results with staff by showing
them, 'here's what these numbers actually mean
and here's how you can affect them.'"

After two historically high months, Sutherland
Insurance will continue with the new initiatives in
place. And Zac has a lot more ideas to further this
approach. "The wonderful thing about numbers is
that you get more value the deeper you dive. The
first sales meeting I ran with analytics compared
to what I'm showing now has already changed
drastically."
For his part Adam is glad to have had the chance
to contribute to the conference: "YBC is pretty
near and dear to me. There was a ton of people
that helped me out a huge deal when I started. I
love the idea of giving back and trying to better
the industry and the channel and helping where
I can."
Adam's advice had a clear impact with Zac.
"What Adam said really stuck with
me. I went back and did the deep

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This was a big part of an
eventful couple of years for
Zac. In addition to being
made VP and taking on a
bigger role in the company,
he also got married. He
bought a home. And got a
dog. YBC can be a chance for
professional
development,
making connections and
forging lifelong friendships.
But it's also a chance to define
your career path and
ultimately, who you
want to be.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ontario Broker - February 2018
