"I've been going to member meetings for the Agents Alliance of California every year since 1972, and this year was the first year I wanted to be there."

This statement was made by a member following the Astonish Results keynote luncheon at the 2009 members' State of the Union in Palm Desert, California last month. It wasn't just the good food being served that brought every member into the 21st Century during the keynote. Instead, it was the REVOLUTIONARY theme that reminded agents to "STEP UP OR GET OUT" of the insurance industry before it's too late.

Following the keynotes given by co-founder & CEO Adam DeGraide and myself, the room was silenced and only heard one thing when Mike D'Arelli, Executive Director of the Agents Alliance, took the microphone back and said, "I don't know about you guys, but I think I need a cigarette!" If this wasn't enough to express what had just taken place in that ballroom, I don't know what is.

The presentation, attended by more than 700 agency owners and principles, spoke to the major issue confronting independent agents of all shapes and sizes:

How can I combat the effects of the soft market when my traditional approach to business no longer works?

After personally speaking with thousands of agents over the past two weeks, it's clear to me that most agents not only lack answers - they're not even sure what questions to ask.

While I was grateful for the incredible reception of our message, I remain very concerned that agents will struggle to translate knowledge into action.

Why? It's always exciting to speak with agents about topics such as social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, blogging, and world class sales cultures. Who wouldn't get excited? I've never seen agents pack into a ballroom like they did in the desert. Everybody wanted to hear how modern agencies are doubling and tripling their production. They all realize they must begin to incorporate these strategies into the DNA of their agencies. Intellectually, everybody gets it. The problem is that most agents don't know where to start.

Here's my advice: before you begin ANY sales and marketing initiative, ask yourself WHY you're doing it. Exactly WHAT are you looking to accomplish? Who is responsible, and HOW are you going to measure the results?

In Palm Desert, we described it this way: "If the ‘insurance genie' appeared before you and offered you three wishes for your agency, what would they be?"

What we've discovered is this: most agency principals aren't sure what they would ask for in clear, specific terms. And if they don't know, who does?

Astonish Results has created the greatest digital marketing system in the world for independent agents of all shapes and sizes. At Astonish, our mission is to get the system into the hands of every agency principal across the country who KNOWS WHAT THEIR THREE WISHES WOULD BE. Hope is not a strategy, and agents who are hoping for a return to a hard market (or) for the Yellow Pages to come back into vogue will have little chance for any lasting long-term success.

As it relates to growing your agency, here's what needs to happen:

1. Evaluate. In terms of potential to grow as an organization, where do we stand with our People, Process, and Tools?
2. Embrace the reality and start the difficult process of fixing weaknesses and improving strengths.
3. Engage where you need help and find the right people/organizations to achieve your goals.
4. Caveat. Don't seek the advice of people who either can't or won't help you. In other words, don't ask staff members if you should try something new. Most people hate change, and the mere thought of trying something new is enough to cause employees to throw a tantrum.

But if your name is on the sign, it's up to you to decide where you want to GO and GROW from here!

To discover how agencies across the country have regained control of their business and put processes in place to actually GROW in any market, take our 180-second tour at www.astonishresults.com. It will be the best 3 minutes you've spent in a long time. Ask yourself this: when was the last time you attended an insurance convention where people actually got psyched, had fun, learned progressive new strategies, and at the end of the day were speechless?

You know what you need to do. Will you do it?