How to Get Started as a Commercial Insurance Producer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your First Year
- Daryl Henry
- May 21
- 4 min read
Starting out as a commercial insurance producer can be overwhelming. The opportunities are endless, but without a clear plan, it's easy to get lost in the noise. I’ve been there. That’s why I want to share a framework I use and revisit quarterly to stay on track. This is a step-by-step guide to help you get started, hit your validation goals, and build a long-term, sustainable book of business.
Whether you're new to insurance or pivoting to commercial lines, this is how you set a strong foundation for success.
Step 1: Start With Your Long-Term Goal—Validation
Let’s begin with the big picture. Most producers talk about hitting "validation"—a target that varies by agency. For me, I use $150,000 in annual revenue within three years as a benchmark. Adjust this number to fit your agency’s expectations and your timeline, but the key is to create a measurable goal with a clear deadline.
Break this goal into yearly benchmarks. For example:
Year 1: $40,000 in revenue
Year 2: $100,000
Year 3: $150,000
These numbers aren't just theoretical—they should drive your weekly activity.
Step 2: Reverse Engineer Your Revenue Targets
Now that you have your 3-year plan, let’s break it down.
In Year 1, if your goal is $40,000 in revenue and you want to keep your book manageable long-term, set a minimum revenue per account—say $2,500. That means you need to write about 16 accounts in Year 1.
Why is this important?
Because if you start off writing a bunch of $500 accounts, you’ll either need to offload them later or settle for a lower ceiling. Be intentional from the start: aim for accounts that help you grow efficiently.
Step 3: Pick One Niche and Master It
One of the biggest mistakes I see new producers make is trying to be everything to everyone. Don’t do it.
Pick one niche—just one—and go deep. Whether it’s electrical contractors, real estate investors, or daycare centers, focus on understanding everything about that market:
What coverages they need
Who the carriers are
What pain points they face
How they buy insurance
Here’s how you choose your niche:
Start with what your agency already does well
Then consider what you know or have experience with
Finally, verify the niche can support your revenue targets
Once you’ve identified your niche, immerse yourself in their world. Listen to their podcasts, read their trade magazines, join their LinkedIn groups, and study the vocabulary they use. Become someone who talks like them, thinks like them, and solves problems like them.
Step 4: Pick a Sales System and Stick With It
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to sales. Pick a system that’s proven and stick with it.
Whether it’s:
Dynamics of Selling
Charles Specht's Permission-Based Selling
Max Revenue’s Due Diligence
Nick Aube’s frameworks
Pick one and work it until you master it. The sales system should help you:
Get the prospect’s attention
Win the appointment
Move them through the sales cycle
Close the deal
And here’s a tip: Listen to other producers, not just company reps. Underwriters are great for coverage knowledge, but sales strategies? That’s best learned from people who actually close deals.
Step 5: Structure Your Weekly Calendar Like a Pro
Your calendar is your power tool. Without it, people will pull you in a hundred different directions.
Do the same things at the same time every week. It helps reduce decision fatigue and makes your workflow more predictable.
Here’s my weekly calendar as an example:
Monday AM: Admin tasks
Monday PM: Customer follow-ups and prospecting
Tues/Wed/Thurs AM: Cold calls
Tues/Wed/Thurs PM: Prospect meetings, reviews, needs analysis
Friday AM: More prospecting and pitch meetings
Friday PM: Admin wrap-up
Saturday AM: Content creation (emails, videos, blog posts)
Create a rhythm. People respect boundaries when you show up with structure.
Step 6: Build Your List and Start Outreach
Now it’s time to go to market.
Use tools like:
Insurance XDate
ZoomInfo
Dun & Bradstreet
ReferenceUSA (often free through your public library)
Build your lead list around your chosen niche, set a minimum account size, and begin outreach using multiple channels:
Phone calls (most scalable of all active methods)
Email campaigns
Drop-ins (useful, but hard to scale geographically)
You need to get comfortable with the phone. Period. Yes, in-person meetings are great, but they don’t scale. Phone and email do. You’ll eventually blend all three, but don’t skip the phones just because they’re uncomfortable.
Step 7: Find a Coverage Mentor
You’re going to need product knowledge—and lots of it.
Here’s a trick: Find a wholesaler or underwriter who specializes in your niche. These people know the products inside and out. They can help you:
Understand the underwriting appetite
Learn the nuances of coverage
Spot the red flags
Sell with confidence
Pair your sales mentor with a coverage mentor, and now you’ve got a winning team.
Step 8: Review and Reassess Every 12 Weeks
This journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
Every 12 weeks, stop and ask:
What worked?
What didn’t?
What goals do I need to set for the next 12 weeks?
Your first 12 weeks are about experimenting, failing fast, and adjusting. Maybe your first niche isn’t a fit. That’s okay. Don’t panic. Fail fast and pivot with purpose. That’s how real growth happens.
Final Thoughts: Get Focused, Stay Focused
If you’re just getting started as a commercial insurance producer, remember this: you can do anything—but not everything.
Pick a niche.
Pick a sales system.
Build your list.
Own your calendar.
Find the mentors.
Review quarterly.
If you do those six things, I promise you—12 weeks from now, you’ll feel like you’re making progress. And a year from now? You’ll be miles ahead of where you started.
Ready to Take Action?
✅ Download the 12-Week Producer Planning Template
📲 DM me on LinkedIn if you want feedback on your plan💬 Have a question? Drop it in the comments or email me directly.
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