This is a YouTube interview (host: Andy Neary) with Brian and another speaker from B3 – Risk Strategies discussing how they built a durable sales niche around the Final Mile industry. Key points: the firm developed industry-specific coverage (not just carrier access), has grown to serve roughly 2,000 clients, and that specialization creates both competitive advantage and a target for competitors who attempt to undercut on price by stripping coverage. Speakers emphasize relationship-based selling, continuously evolving programs, proactive risk management advice, and staying focused in a lane to maintain long-term value.
Questions this video answers
"Probably 2000 or so."
Chapters
He goes, I've written 70 new accounts in the last two years. I'm like, how? And he said, there's nothing more powerful to go into a room with a prospect than say, we just work with you.
You guys. What I love about the niche you guys have built, and this actually blew me away when I heard this. How many clients do you have right now?
And then final mouse Fitz, probably 2000 or so.
That's insane, you know, because I think a lot of people in our industry say, well, I have a niche. Right. And then you dig into the books and like, oh, yeah, a dozen. Okay, great. You guys have thousands. Correct. But what's interesting, and we've talked about this offline, it's actually put a target on your back. Yeah. What's that experience been like? Because we could argue in the final mile space, you guys are the name recognition in many ways. What does embed like now that you've got other organizations who are trying to replicate or even trying to come after you because you are now the big boys.
Yeah. I mean, it's unfortunate because I think, you know, who's going to suffer is unfortunately, the clients. Right. I mean, because in order to compete, they don't have the data to support creating a program that is properly constructed in terms of coverage, properly priced to be sustainable and sustain losses over a long period of time. So again, many of these programs that are coming out, you know, their only way to counter what we've done all these years is, you know, price. We can save you X percent.
And, well, in the way they're getting the price out is cutting out product coverage. Right. That's the only mechanism in the insurance space. From an underwriter's perspective, too. Yeah. I'll give you a discounted price, but it also means I'm not going to give you the same. And I think that's. People are getting caught up at the price factor and not the coverage.
But I think that's a message I want people who are listening to this to hear. You could say you have an industry niche because you have a certain product. Right. Oh, we're working with this carrier who loves this. This, this niche. What you guys have done. The problem with that model is then anybody can get access to that carrier. Once they do, you don't have a niche anymore. You don't have a competitive advance.
Right.
What you guys did, though, is you've actually built coverage specific for that industry. Yes. And to your point, you're a competitor. You want to come in and chip away at the B3 client, the book of business. All you can compete on is price. But what you're forgetting is they built coverage specifically for the Final mile space. So you can go get that price. Mr. Final Mile Career.
Yep.
But now you could be dealing with a complete lack of coverage. I gotta believe you've had a bunch of opportunities to go outside the niche. Have you really tried to stay focused even if other opportunities present themselves to stay within your lane, your zone of genius?
Well, yeah, I don't think we've even had the time. I mean, again, with the evolution and the constant evolving of the industry, it's, we've had to continue to evolve with the industry. And again, I think you know, which, yeah, there's commissions and, and you know, this is how we earn a living. But we actually truly care about the industry because again, if this program goes away, it could be detrimental to the entire industry.
That's, that's, I think an important. I would love your advice, Brian, is, you know, it's one thing to say you have a niche, right? And you, but you guys have done so much work around the niche of building a program specifically for it that's led to having more than 2,000 clients. If you, if, if, if you were to give another producer a piece of advice, who wants to niche, what would you be? With all the work you guys have put in for 20 plus years in building a niche, what would be your advice?
If you're a relationship person, it's the only way that you're going to be successful for a long time in the insurance space. That's, that's just the feeling I have and probably because that's how we've lived our whole careers. But I think that when you're in a niche and you're, you are in it, your ability to understand the client and what their needs are and try to again, stay ahead of where they're evolving to, to provide them the right advice, the right coverage, the right direction is huge. And you don't get that unless you're living that and breathing it every single day. I mean, one of the greatest things about us is we have the ability to hear from clients nationwide that are doing all sorts of different verticals within Final mile and be able to apply what we learned from one to the other and, and see, oh, okay, this happened over here. That's great. How do we stop that from happening over this way? How do you advise them? So it's, it is, it gives us the ability to talk to clients and they really, truly know where their outsource Risk management. Yeah, just not just selling a product. We're giving them advice all the time. How do we avoid claims? Because look, you could have million dollar claims and f coverage just as easily. They could have a ton of little cargo claims that nickel and dime them to death. It's just death by a thousand cuts versus a huge loss.
Well, and I remember when I was talking, catching up with a friend of mine about a year ago who was working for an agency similar that they just did benefits and PNC for the auto dealer industry, auto dealers, motorcycle. And I remember catching up with them and saying, hey, how are things going, man? He's like, dude, it's been the best two year run of my life. I said, how? He goes, I've written 70 new accounts in the last two years. I'm like, how? And he said, there's nothing more powerful to go into a room with a prospect and say we just work with you.
But only, not only that, but we also become experts in our own industry. We understand policy forms. I mean, you know, again, another credit to my father who's, he was, he's a technician. He, he was a former inland marine underwriter, cargo underwriter for Chubb and his early days. And that's what he's really held his hat on is developing the best, the broadest, the most user friendly and the easiest to understand coverage in the industry. Because again, we can sit up there proudly say that in the last 30 plus years, we've never had a major loss that was uncovered.
