Screener
Role & Level Identification
Your answers to S1 and S2 determine your survey path and provide your initial Vantage Score™ seed placement.
S1
Which best describes your current role?
Select one — this determines your survey path
I am primarily a producing agent / producer
I am primarily an agency owner or principal (with producers who report to me)
I am both an active producer AND an agency owner / principal
S2 · Vantage Score™ Seed
Which best describes your current position in your production career?
Select the one that most honestly reflects where you are RIGHT NOW — not where you aspire to be
Still building foundational habits — prospecting is inconsistent, no defined niche, income below $75K or highly variable
Niche identified and committed to — some prospecting rhythm, results still inconsistent, working toward or recently crossed $75K
Defined niche with a disciplined system — consistent prospecting, pipeline managed, income growing steadily in the $100K–$149K range
Precision-targeting ideal accounts — book concentrating around high-value relationships, minimum account size rising, income in the $150K–$249K range
Writing pallet-level relationships — one franchise group or multi-location account produces what used to take twenty accounts, income $250K or above
Section 1
Background & Book Profile
All respondents complete this section.
INTEGRITY CHECK: The following question is used to validate consistency with later responses. Please answer it as carefully as the others.
Q1-INT · Integrity Check
In a single sentence, how would you describe what you do professionally to someone outside the insurance industry?
Q1
How many years have you been producing in commercial lines?
Include all years across all carriers and agencies
Q2
What is your approximate current annual premium under management?
Personal book or agency total
Q2a
What is the approximate premium range of your TYPICAL small commercial account?
Select the range that best describes most of the accounts in your active book
Varies widely — I do not have a consistent account profile
Q2b · High-Signal
What is the approximate premium of your single LARGEST active account or client relationship?
Include all locations or entities within a single ownership group
Q4
What is your primary commercial niche or specialty?
Select the one that best fits. Note a second niche in Other if relevant.
Restaurants / Food Service
Contractors (General or Specialty)
Janitorial / Cleaning Services
Professional Services (Offices, Consultants)
Manufacturing / Light Industrial
Healthcare / Medical Offices
Franchise / Multi-Location Accounts
I consider myself a generalist (no primary niche)
Section 2
Building Your Niche
Q5
How deliberately did you select your current niche?
I chose it deliberately before I started writing it — it was a strategic decision
I gravitated toward it naturally over time — not a plan, but a pattern I noticed
A mentor, manager, or agency assigned it to me
I don't have a real niche — I write whatever I can get
Q6
How would you rate your depth of knowledge in your primary niche today?
1 = Still learning the basics · 10 = I could teach an underwriter something new
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Still learning Could teach the underwriter
Section 4
Income Trajectory & The Pallets Model
Q13
Which income milestones have you crossed in your producing career?
Select all that apply
✓
$50,000+ in annual commission income
✓
$75,000+ in annual commission income
✓
$100,000+ in annual commission income
✓
$150,000+ in annual commission income
✓
$250,000+ in annual commission income
✓
$500,000+ in annual commission income
✓
None of the above — still building toward first milestone
Q15 · High-Signal
Do you currently have any "pallet" relationships — a single owner or entity with multiple locations or entities that you insure together?
Yes — I have one or more multi-location / franchise relationships
Not yet, but I am actively pursuing this type of account
No — I haven't thought about my book this way
I'm not sure what this means
Section 5
Where Producers Get Stuck
Q17
What is the single biggest obstacle holding you back from growing your book right now?
Select the one that most honestly applies — not the most comfortable answer
Prospecting discipline — I don't prospect consistently enough
Niche clarity — I'm trying to write too many different types of accounts
Discovery depth — I move to quoting before I fully understand the account
Closing — I get to the proposal but can't convert consistently
Service work — account management is crowding out new business activity
Carrier access — I can't always get the quotes I need for my niche
Hard market conditions — my prospects are getting hit with massive increases
Mindset / confidence — I know what to do but struggle to execute consistently
Q18
In your experience, at what stage do most deals that don't close actually die?
Before the first meeting — can't get the appointment
During the first meeting — lost control or didn't create enough urgency
After the proposal — quoted but never heard back
At close — prospect went back to incumbent or shopped further
At renewal — lost the account I worked hard to win
Section 7
The Future of the Profession
Q29
How confident are you that the independent agent model remains viable in small commercial over the next 10 years?
1 = Not confident at all · 10 = Completely confident
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Not confident Completely confident
Q30
What is the single most important thing a producer must do in the next 3 years to remain competitive?
Section 8
AI & The Independent Producer
Q31
Are you currently using any AI tools in your production work?
Yes — actively using AI for multiple tasks in my workflow
Yes — experimenting with it but not yet consistent
No — I've looked into it but haven't started using it
No — I don't see the relevance for my kind of work
Q34
If you had access to an AI coach with deep expertise in small commercial production — available on demand, trained on real carrier, producer, and agency intelligence — would you use it?
Yes — absolutely. I'd use it regularly if it was genuinely useful.
Probably — I'd try it and see if it adds value
Unlikely — I'm skeptical AI can add real value to this kind of work
No — I prefer human coaching or none at all
Submit Your Survey
Your responses shape the most credible benchmark study ever produced on small commercial production. Thank you for contributing your expertise — the industry needs this data, and you are uniquely qualified to provide it.
Submit & Join The 300 →
All responses anonymized · No data shared · Results delivered within 24 hours