The 300 · State of Small Commercial Production 2026

Welcome to The 300.

Your seat is reserved. The research survey below is the second step — your responses directly shape The 300 Report: State of Small Commercial Production 2026. There are no right or wrong answers. Answer as honestly as possible; data integrity validation is applied to all responses, and inconsistent answers may be excluded from the cohort findings.

Estimated completion: 18–22 minutes · 9 sections

Screener — Role & Level Identification

All respondents · Determines survey path and VantageScore seed

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 Other

S2. 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 has risen, 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 Other — my situation does not clearly fit any of the above

Background & Book Profile

All respondents

INTEGRITY CHECK — Q1-INT: The following question validates consistency with later responses. Answer it as carefully as the others.

Q1-INT. In a single sentence, how would you describe what you do professionally to someone outside the insurance industry?

Data quality question — be direct and honest. No right or wrong answers.

Q1. How many years have you been producing in commercial lines?

Include all years across all carriers and agencies

Less than 3 years 3–5 years 6–10 years 11–15 years 16–20 years 21+ years

Q2. What is your approximate current annual premium under management?

Personal book or agency total

Under $1 million $1M–$2.9M $3M–$4.9M $5M–$9.9M $10M–$19.9M $20M+ Prefer not to answer

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

Under $10,000 $10,000–$24,999 $25,000–$49,999 $50,000–$99,999 $100,000–$249,999 $250,000+ Varies widely — I do not have a consistent account profile

Q2b. What is the approximate premium of your single LARGEST active account or client relationship?

Include all locations or entities within a single ownership group

Under $100,000 $100,000–$249,999 $250,000–$499,999 $500,000–$999,999 $1,000,000+ Prefer not to answer

Q4. What is your primary commercial niche or specialty?

Select the one that best fits

Restaurants / Food Service Contractors (General or Specialty) Janitorial / Cleaning Services Retail / Wholesale Trade Professional Services (Offices, Consultants) Manufacturing / Light Industrial Transportation / Auto Hospitality / Hotels Healthcare / Medical Offices Franchise / Multi-Location Accounts I consider myself a generalist (no primary niche) Other

Building Your Niche

All respondents

Q5. What primarily drove your decision to focus on a specific niche?

Select up to 3

Carrier partner encouraged or needed a niche focus Followed a large initial account or anchor relationship Personal background or passion in that industry Saw a clear market gap or opportunity in my territory Agency leadership pushed for specialization Mentor or coach strongly recommended niche focus Needed efficiency to hit higher income milestones Reacted to losing business in generalist competition I still consider myself a generalist today

Q6. How important was niche focus to reaching your current income level?

1 = Not at all important · 5 = Extremely important

Not at all

Extremely important

Q7. What was the first income milestone you crossed AFTER committing to a niche?

Select the first milestone you remember crossing after making a real commitment

$50,000–$74,999 in annual commission $75,000–$99,999 $100,000–$149,999 $150,000–$199,999 $200,000–$249,999 $250,000–$499,999 $500,000+ I have not yet committed to a clear niche

Prospecting: What Actually Works

All respondents

Q9. Which prospecting channels have produced your best results?

Select all that apply

Direct referrals from existing clients CPA / accountant referrals Commercial banker referrals Direct mail to targeted lists Targeted walk-ins for intelligence gathering Professional associations / trade groups Article or book gifting with personal notes LinkedIn / social media outreach Cold calling Niche consultants or industry advisors Commercial realtor referrals Attorney referrals

Q12. How systematized is your prospecting process?

1 = Entirely reactive · 5 = Fully disciplined system

Entirely reactive

Fully disciplined system

Income Trajectory & The Pallets Model

All respondents

Q13. Which income milestones have you crossed in your career?

Select all that apply

$50,000 in annual commission income $75,000 $100,000 $150,000 $250,000 $500,000+ Prefer not to answer

Q15. Have you ever written a single relationship — a franchise group, chain owner, or multi-location account — that produced $200,000 or more in total premium?

No names required — describe the structure and how you got there

Yes — and I will describe it briefly below Yes — but I prefer not to describe it Not yet, but I am actively pursuing this type of relationship No — this is not part of my current model

Q16. Approximately what percentage of your revenue comes from your top 20% of relationships?

Less than 40% 40–50% 51–60% 61–70% 71–80% More than 80% Not sure

Where Producers Get Stuck

All respondents · Owner-Producers answer both sub-questions

Q17a. At what income level have you personally stalled — or where do you most commonly see producers stall?

Select 1 — answer as a producer

$50,000–$74,999 $75,000–$99,999 $100,000–$149,999 $150,000–$199,999 $200,000–$249,999 $250,000+ I have not experienced a significant stall

Q17a-b. What were the primary reasons for that stall?

Select up to 2 — producer lens

Inconsistent prospecting behavior Too reactive — servicing heavy, not enough selling Weak pipeline management and follow-up discipline Fear of calling on larger or ideal accounts Lack of niche or market focus Limited market / carrier access for target accounts Poor time management and prioritization Mindset or comfort once income reached a "good enough" level Lack of coaching or management accountability

Owner-Producer — Owner Lens Question Below: Put on your owner hat. Reflect on the producers in your agency — not yourself.

Q17b. At what income level do you most commonly see the producers in YOUR AGENCY stall?

Select 1 — answer as an owner observing your producers

$50,000–$74,999 $75,000–$99,999 $100,000–$149,999 $150,000–$199,999 $200,000–$249,999 I do not see a consistent stall level in my producers

Sales Process & Discovery Skills

All respondents

Q20. How well does training currently available in the market prepare producers for small commercial success?

1 = Very poorly · 5 = Extremely well

Very poorly

Extremely well

Q21. How would you rate your own discovery / needs analysis skills?

1 = Weak · 5 = Elite

Weak

Elite

Q22. What is the single most important skill a commercial producer can develop to increase income?

Select 1

Prospecting discipline and consistency Discovery / needs analysis depth Deep niche and industry knowledge Carrier access and market leverage Pipeline management and follow-through Building a systematic referral architecture Objection handling and closing discipline Other

Carrier Relationships & Market Access

All respondents

Q23. How important is direct carrier relationship depth (vs. wholesale access) to your production success?

1 = Not important · 5 = Critical

Not important

Critical

Q24. How would you describe your current carrier access for your niche?

Excellent — I have the right markets and preferred status with key carriers Good — adequate access but room to deepen relationships Limited — carrier access is a genuine constraint on my growth Still developing — I am building carrier relationships in my niche

AI Adoption & Technology

All respondents

Q25. How are you currently using AI tools in your production activities?

Select all that apply

Prospecting and account research Writing emails and client communications Drafting proposals or coverage summaries Personal skill development and training Market and industry intelligence gathering I am not currently using AI tools in my work I am aware of AI tools but haven't found the right use case

Q26. How open would you be to using an AI coaching tool that practiced discovery conversations, scored your performance, and tracked your improvement over time?

1 = Not at all open · 5 = Very open — already looking for this

Not open

Very open

Owner Lens — Agency Development

Agency owners and principals only

O1. What is your primary challenge in developing producers to the $100K+ income level?

Select up to 2

Hiring the right people in the first place Lack of a structured training or development system Not enough time to coach producers consistently Difficulty holding producers accountable for activity Carrier access limitations for my producers' target niches Retaining successful producers once they reach $100K+ Compensation structure that doesn't incentivize the right behaviors

O2. What would a producer development platform need to deliver for you to pay $199–$499/month per producer?

Select up to 3

Measurable increase in producer income within 12 months A built-in accountability and progress tracking system AI-powered practice and skill drilling between coaching sessions Niche-specific content and vertical intelligence Carrier appetite and market intelligence Peer benchmarking against other producers at similar levels An owner dashboard showing producer progress without micromanaging

O3. What is the current average annual commission income of your producers (excluding yourself)?

Under $50,000 $50,000–$74,999 $75,000–$99,999 $100,000–$149,999 $150,000+ Varies widely across my team Prefer not to answer

Your responses are fully anonymized. No individual data will be attributed to you or your agency. The 300 Report publishes aggregate patterns and benchmarks only. Your contact information is never shared with carriers, vendors, or third parties. Data integrity validation is applied to all cohort responses.

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Your responses will be processed within 48 hours. The 300 Report delivers to all participants upon study completion. Your VantageScore placement will be emailed separately.

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