Select your operator type below. The diagnostic adapts to your role — agency owner, independent producer, or wholesale/MGA distributor. 20 minutes. A complete read of where you stand and what moves first.
Select Your Operator Type
Track A
Agency Owner
Under $3M revenue · Managing producers · Growth strategy
Track B
Independent Producer
Building or growing a personal book · Niche development
Track C
Wholesale / MGA
Managing retail partners · Program discipline · Carrier stewardship
Stage Detected
00
Agency Profile
Stage Determination
Agency Name
Your Name
Annual Revenue(not written premium)
Number of Producers(including owner)
Years in Business
Primary Lines Written
D1
Owner Architecture
25% weight
Q1. If you were unavailable for two weeks, what happens to your agency's new business production?
Q2. What percentage of your agency's revenue comes from accounts you personally service or produced?
Over 60%30–60%Under 20%
5
Q3. In a typical week, where does most of your time go?
Client service, renewals, and firefighting Most of my week is reactive and operational.
Split between production and management I'm producing and trying to manage simultaneously.
Strategy, producer management, and growth The team handles day-to-day. I'm building.
Q4. Do at least one of your producers prospect and close new business independently — without your involvement?
No I'm the primary or only source of new business.
Sort of One producer is developing but still needs me to close most accounts.
Yes Multiple producers prospect and close independently. I'm not required.
Q5. Are you actively building something in your agency — people, process, or systems — alongside your production work?
No building happeningSome, inconsistentlyDeliberate & scheduled
5
HD
Hunter Development
25% weight · Triage Signal
At your stage, the ability to attract, hire, and retain producers who hunt independently is the primary growth lever. These questions assess your hunter bench.
Q6. How would you describe your approach to hiring producers?
Reactive I hire when I'm overwhelmed or when someone walks in. No real process.
Occasional I've hired a few producers but it's been inconsistent and not always successful.
Intentional I have a clear producer profile, a hiring process, and I'm always building the bench.
Q7. What does your producer onboarding look like for a new hire?
Sink or swimInformal guidanceStructured playbook
5
Q8. Of producers you've hired in the last 3 years, what percentage are still with you and producing?
Under 40% High turnover. Most don't make it past 12–18 months.
40–70% Mixed results. Some stick, some don't. No clear pattern.
70%+ Strong retention. Producers stay because the environment supports their success.
Q9. Can you articulate what makes a producer successful specifically at your agency?
Not reallyInformallyWritten & applied
5
Q10. Do your producers have defined territory, niche, or account type ownership?
No Everyone competes for the same opportunities. Unclear lanes.
Informally Some understanding exists but nothing documented or enforced.
Yes Defined ownership. Each producer knows their lane and takes accountability for it.
D2
Market Identity
20% weight
Q11. Is there a specific industry or account type your agency deliberately targets?
No focus — write anythingInformal preferenceClear deliberate niche
5
Q12. If a prospect asked why they should choose your agency over a competitor, what would you say?
"We take great care of our clients." Our differentiation is service.
Something about experience or relationships Genuine but not sharply differentiated.
A specific, niche-based reason We know your industry, we have the right markets, and here's proof.
Q13. How much of your new business comes from referrals within a specific industry or niche?
Almost noneSome — no patternRegular niche referrals
5
Q14. Have your carrier appointments been chosen to support a defined niche — or accumulated reactively?
Accumulated reactively Appointments came in as needed. No strategic alignment.
Mixed Some intentional choices but carrier appointments don't tell a clear niche story.
Strategically aligned Top appointments were chosen specifically for appetite in our target niche.
Q15. Could you describe your agency's market position in one sentence — without using the word "service"?
No clear answerSomething genericSharp & specific
5
D3
Sales Engine
18% weight · Triage Signal
Q16. How many active prospects are in your pipeline right now — with names and dollar amounts you can state confidently?
I couldn't answer that right now No real pipeline visibility.
I could name a few Some tracking but informal and incomplete.
Precisely Pipeline is tracked, staged, and reviewed weekly. I know the number.
Q17. Do your producers have written production goals for this quarter — goals they could state without looking them up?
No written goalsAnnual onlyWritten quarterly goals
5
Q18. How often do you conduct a structured pipeline review with each producer?
Rarely or never Discussed when there's a problem or missed number.
Monthly, informally Some review happens but no consistent format or schedule.
Weekly, structured Same format every time. Producers prepare for it. Non-negotiable cadence.
Q19. What percentage of producer time is protected specifically for new business prospecting?
Whatever's left overSome protectionBlocked & non-negotiable
5
Q20. Do you know your agency's quote-to-bind ratio over the last 12 months?
No Not tracked or calculated.
Roughly I have a sense but not from actual data.
Precisely Tracked by producer. Used to coach performance.
D4
Carrier Strategy
15% weight
Q21. Of your carrier appointments, how many receive meaningful submission volume — 10+ submissions per year?
2 or fewer Most appointments are inactive. Over-appointed, under-utilized.
3–5 active A core group with meaningful volume. The tail is long but recognized.
Strategic set Intentional appointment list. Every appointment serves a purpose in the growth plan.
Q22. How would you describe your relationship with your top 2 carriers beyond submission activity?
Purely transactionalDevelopingGenuine partnership
5
Q23. Have you shared your agency's growth plan or goals with any carrier representative in the last 12 months?
No Carriers don't know our direction or goals.
Informally Discussed in passing but not as a structured growth conversation.
Yes, formally At least one carrier is aligned to our goals and invested in our growth.
Q24. Has a carrier ever proactively brought your agency an opportunity, referral, or introduction?
NeverOccasionallyRegularly — mutual
5
D5
Retention Health
12% weight
Q25. What is your agency's written premium retention rate over the last 12 months?
Below 80% or unknown Not tracked or below strong performance benchmarks.
80–88% Acceptable but below what strong agencies achieve.
89%+ Tracked monthly. Actively managed. Above industry benchmark.
Q26. Do you have a proactive renewal process — outreach 90+ days before renewal on key accounts?
No — auto-renewSome accountsConsistent process
5
Q27. Do clients have relationships with someone on your team beyond you personally?
No Most client relationships run through me. Team has minimal client contact.
Some accounts Larger accounts have team relationships but owner is still primary.
Deeply Clients are connected to the team. My absence doesn't threaten the relationship.
D6
Growth Infrastructure
10% weight
Q28. Do new producers follow a documented onboarding process — or learn by watching?
Sink or swim No documented process. They learn from watching me.
Informal guidance Some structure but it's not documented or consistently delivered.
Documented playbook Every new producer follows the same process. Owner not required.
Q29. Do you run a monthly business review using consistent metrics — compared to prior year?
No regular reviewOccasional, inconsistentMonthly, fixed format
5
Q30. Do you have a forward-looking headcount plan — hiring ahead of the growth curve rather than reactively?
No plan I hire when I'm overwhelmed. Reactive every time.
Thinking about it Some planning but decisions are still triggered by crisis.
12-month plan Tied to production milestones. Hire ahead of need.
Your results are calculated instantly. No data is stored or shared.
00
Wholesale / MGA Profile
Track C · Distribution Diagnostic
This diagnostic is calibrated for wholesale brokers and MGA producers managing dual clients — retail partners and carrier capacity. Six dimensions scored on a 0–10 scale. Triage signal activates if Retailer Portfolio or Submission Quality falls below 4.
Your Name
Organization / MGA Name
Your Role
Annual Premium Volume Managed
Number of Active Retail Partners
Primary Program / Niche Focus
W-D1
Retailer Portfolio Management
Weight: 25% · Triage Signal Dimension
Your retailer portfolio is your book of business. Tiering, contact rhythm, and performance accountability with retail partners is the primary lever for sustainable premium growth. Without it, volume is fragile and unpredictable.
W1. Do you have a formal tiering system for your retail partners (e.g., A/B/C by volume, loss ratio, and fit)?
No All retailers treated similarly. Time allocation is informal.
Informal I know my better retailers but there's no formal system or documented criteria.
Formal A/B/C tiering Documented criteria. Time and resources allocated to tier.
Tiered + scored Quarterly scorecards reviewed with top partners. CRM tracks tier and performance history.
W2. How would you describe your contact rhythm with your top 20 retail partners?
Reactive I respond when they call. No proactive outreach cadence.
Occasional I touch base periodically, but not on a structured schedule.
Scheduled Monthly or quarterly touchpoints with A-tier partners. Some stewardship and planning.
Systematic Documented cadence by tier. Annual business planning meetings with top retailers. Written recap after every substantive call.
W3. Do you actively recruit new retail partners with a pipeline and stages — treating it like a sales funnel?
No New retailers come to us. I don't actively prospect agencies.
Ad hoc I pursue some target agencies but without a structured pipeline or tracking.
Active pipeline Target retailer list exists. Stages tracked. Next steps documented.
Systematic recruiting Top 50 target retailer list. Tiered outreach strategy. Onboarding process with a clear "ready to submit" milestone.
W-D2
Submission Quality & Discipline
Weight: 22% · Triage Signal Dimension
Submission quality is the single behavior that most directly determines underwriter responsiveness, hit ratio, and carrier trust. Incomplete, off-appetite submissions burn relationships faster than any other factor — and the damage compounds silently.
W4. What percentage of submissions you send to markets arrive complete on the first attempt — with narrative, loss runs, and all required documents?
Under 50% We often send incomplete submissions and follow up with missing pieces.
50–75% Most are reasonably complete but we still chase documents routinely.
75–90% We have submission checklists. Most arrive complete.
90%+ Submissions are pre-screened and complete before hitting the market. Incomplete submissions are declined at intake.
W5. Do you have a submission triage process — pre-screening risks against appetite before accepting them from retailers?
No We accept most submissions and sort out appetite issues after the fact.
Informal triage Experienced team catches most off-appetite risks, but no documented process.
Documented triage Written appetite guides. Pre-submission calls or checklists. Off-appetite risks declined before they reach underwriters.
W6. What is your current hit ratio (bind rate on quoted submissions)?
Under 20% Significant mismatch between what we're submitting and what markets will bind.
20–30% Below benchmark. Some appetite or quality issues to address.
30–45% At or above benchmark. Reasonable appetite alignment and submission quality.
45%+ Above benchmark. Strong appetite discipline and submission quality reflected in conversion rates.
W-D3
Program & Niche Discipline
Weight: 18%
Program depth beats breadth. Wholesale operators who dominate 1–2 niches earn preferred underwriter attention, tighter carrier relationships, and pricing advantages that generalists cannot access. Specialization compounds.
W7. How would you describe your program / niche focus?
Generalist We write almost anything we can place. No defined program concentration.
Emerging specialization 1–2 niches producing meaningfully but no formal program structure or underwriting guidelines.
Defined programs 1–2 niches with documented appetite, underwriting guidelines, and dedicated carrier relationships.
Market-recognized programs Known in the market as the go-to source for our niches. Carriers come to us. Retailers refer us specifically for these classes.
W8. Do you operate within documented underwriting guidelines and binding authority parameters — with defined referral triggers?
No formal guidelines Authority decisions are judgment-based without documented parameters.
Basic parameters General limits understood but not formally documented with referral triggers.
Documented guidelines Written authority matrix, referral triggers, and regular audits to ensure compliance. Carriers see us as disciplined stewards of their authority.
W-D4
Carrier Stewardship & Reporting
Weight: 18%
Carrier relationships are capacity relationships. Carriers who trust your book give you access when markets tighten. Carriers who don't trust your reporting or loss discipline pull capacity first. Stewardship is risk management — your risk, not the insured's.
W9. How would you describe your carrier stewardship cadence?
Reactive We interact with carriers when there's a problem or at renewal. No proactive reporting rhythm.
Annual reviews We conduct year-end stewardship but little between renewals.
Quarterly Structured quarterly reviews covering production, mix, loss ratio trajectory, and corrective plans where needed.
Continuous stewardship Monthly reporting with quarterly deep dives. Written decks presented to carrier underwriting. Carriers treat us as a preferred distribution partner with advance access to appetite changes.
W10. Do you track and manage loss ratio by program and carrier — with corrective action plans when ratios exceed thresholds?
No Loss ratio monitoring happens at the carrier level, not ours.
Occasional We monitor overall loss performance but not systematically by program and carrier combination.
Program-level tracking Loss ratio tracked by program and carrier. Threshold alerts. Some corrective action when ratios deteriorate.
Proactive loss management Program-level loss ratio managed actively. Underwriting adjustments triggered by data. Corrective plans communicated to carriers before they ask.
W-D5
Distribution Infrastructure & Tech
Weight: 10%
The operational infrastructure supporting retail partners — portals, onboarding, training, appetite communication — determines how easy you are to do business with. Easy-to-work-with wholesalers attract better retailers and better submissions.
W11. What tools and resources do you provide to retail partners to support their ability to submit quality business?
Minimal Retailers figure it out. We answer questions when asked.
Basic materials Appetite guides and application forms available. Some training on request.
Enablement kit Submission checklists, class-specific guides, co-branded one-pagers, and regular appetite webinars. Structured onboarding for new retail partners.
Full distribution platform Portal or API for quoting and binding. On-demand training library. Office hours or underwriting hotline. Retailers can self-serve on most standard business.
W-D6
Market Intelligence & Advisory Position
Weight: 7%
The highest-value wholesale operators are not just submission conduits — they are market intelligence nodes. Retailers who trust your read on appetite, pricing trends, and capacity shifts give you first look at their best business.
W12. How would retailers describe your role in their business?
Market access They use us when they need a market they can't access directly. Transactional.
Reliable partner They trust our quotes and responsiveness. Preferred vendor, not strategic advisor.
Market intelligence resource Retailers call us before submitting to understand appetite, pricing trends, and how to position the risk. We shape how they approach us.
Strategic distribution partner We co-develop opportunities. Retailers bring us their most complex accounts first. Carriers consult us on program design. We are a node, not a conduit.
Your results are calculated instantly. No data is stored or shared.