<![CDATA[Stories That Sell Podcast]]>https://www.instagram.com/vicconnectsRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Wed, 10 Jun 2026 03:01:01 GMTWed, 11 Mar 2026 14:49:44 GMT60Victor GonzalezStories That Sell breaks down how businesses are born, built, and scaled. Real founders. Real stories. Real lessons. Each episode dissects the successes, failures, and strategies behind startups and business owners across the country—revealing the methods that actually lead to growth.episodicVictor Gonzalezvictor@clickrush.ioyes<![CDATA[How A Farm Girl Turned Into THE Leader In Insurance TechOps | Mariah Gates]]>Mariah Gates shares her origin story, growing up in the 90s, and the challenges she faced in fitting in with peers. She discusses her transition from banking to owning an agency and the impact of COVID-19 on her decision-making. Mariah also highlights the role of accelerated automation in the insurance industry, emphasizing the importance of standardization and structure in agencies, as well as the psychology of business owners and the value of focus and investment. The conversation delves into the challenges of agency ownership, common inefficiencies, lack of standardization, the impact of toxic employees, the importance of follow-up automation, optimizing workflows and integrations, balancing human touch with technology, the importance of change management and planning, the value of team feedback and emotional intelligence, and fulfillment in impacting others.

Takeaways

  • The importance of family upbringing and values in shaping an individual's perspective
  • The significance of confidence, support, and investment in entrepreneurship
  • The role of standardization and structure in the insurance industry Agency ownership requires confidence and standardization
  • Follow-up automation is crucial for increasing closing ratios
  • Balancing human touch with technology is essential for success in insurance agencies

Chapters

  • 00:00 The Origin Story
  • 22:11 Taking the Leap
  • 30:33 Accelerated Automation
  • 40:35 The Challenges of Agency Ownership
  • 48:40 Optimizing Workflows and Integrations
  • 01:03:54 The Importance of Change Management and Planning
  • 01:11:47 The Value of Team Feedback and Emotional Intelligence
]]>f3e83e32-2292-4394-b7b2-c4c6a9a541eeSat, 11 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT<p>Mariah Gates shares her origin story, growing up in the 90s, and the challenges she faced in fitting in with peers. She discusses her transition from banking to owning an agency and the impact of COVID-19 on her decision-making. Mariah also highlights the role of accelerated automation in the insurance industry, emphasizing the importance of standardization and structure in agencies, as well as the psychology of business owners and the value of focus and investment. The conversation delves into the challenges of agency ownership, common inefficiencies, lack of standardization, the impact of toxic employees, the importance of follow-up automation, optimizing workflows and integrations, balancing human touch with technology, the importance of change management and planning, the value of team feedback and emotional intelligence, and fulfillment in impacting others.</p><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>The importance of family upbringing and values in shaping an individual's perspective</li><li>The significance of confidence, support, and investment in entrepreneurship</li><li>The role of standardization and structure in the insurance industry Agency ownership requires confidence and standardization</li><li>Follow-up automation is crucial for increasing closing ratios</li><li>Balancing human touch with technology is essential for success in insurance agencies</li></ul><p></p><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 The Origin Story</li><li>22:11 Taking the Leap</li><li>30:33 Accelerated Automation</li><li>40:35 The Challenges of Agency Ownership</li><li>48:40 Optimizing Workflows and Integrations</li><li>01:03:54 The Importance of Change Management and Planning</li><li>01:11:47 The Value of Team Feedback and Emotional Intelligence</li></ul>no01:14:06How A Farm Girl Turned Into THE Leader In Insurance TechOps | Mariah Gatesfull<![CDATA[Mastering The Art of Storytelling To Never Go Broke | Yehuda Plotzker]]>Yehuda Plotzker, the founder of Sleek Marketing, shares insights into the insurance industry and the skills required for success. He discusses his journey, upbringing, and the challenges of sales in the industry. The conversation also delves into the impact of AI on business and the future of work. The conversation delves into the power of storytelling in sales, the importance of human interaction, building trust through storytelling, the impact of misleading marketing guarantees, challenges in the life insurance industry, the reality of agent recruitment and work ethic, and personal and professional goals.

Takeaways

  • Insurance industry success requires a high barrier of success despite a low barrier to entry.
  • Sales skills are crucial for success in the insurance industry and business in general. The power of storytelling in sales
  • The impact of misleading marketing guarantees

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Sleek Marketing
  • 18:26 The Attraction to Insurance and Sales Skills
  • 24:02 The Power of Storytelling in Sales
  • 32:59 The Impact of Misleading Marketing Guarantees
  • 46:50 The Reality of Agent Recruitment and Work Ethic
]]>b9e78d75-91a2-4561-b02c-fc710bad6a54Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:09:35 GMT<p>Yehuda Plotzker, the founder of Sleek Marketing, shares insights into the insurance industry and the skills required for success. He discusses his journey, upbringing, and the challenges of sales in the industry. The conversation also delves into the impact of AI on business and the future of work. The conversation delves into the power of storytelling in sales, the importance of human interaction, building trust through storytelling, the impact of misleading marketing guarantees, challenges in the life insurance industry, the reality of agent recruitment and work ethic, and personal and professional goals.</p><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>Insurance industry success requires a high barrier of success despite a low barrier to entry.</li><li>Sales skills are crucial for success in the insurance industry and business in general. The power of storytelling in sales</li><li>The impact of misleading marketing guarantees</li></ul><p></p><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 Introduction to Sleek Marketing</li><li>18:26 The Attraction to Insurance and Sales Skills</li><li>24:02 The Power of Storytelling in Sales</li><li>32:59 The Impact of Misleading Marketing Guarantees</li><li>46:50 The Reality of Agent Recruitment and Work Ethic</li></ul>no00:53:283Mastering The Art of Storytelling To Never Go Broke | Yehuda Plotzkerfull<![CDATA[Scaling To 500+ Agencies Profitably | Ben Griffioen]]>In this episode of the Stories That Sell Podcast, Ben Griffioen, Marketing Director and Owner of Firefly Insurance explains how niching down, identifying holes in the marketing, using speed to scale and more helped him turn Firefly Agency into a 500+ Agency model that has grown profitably while running lean.

This is an episode you surely do not want to miss!

For more episodes like this, make sure to like and subscribe and visit us for your businesses free marketing report at https://www.clickrush.io/free-audit

]]>54c9b978-a903-4e34-be56-9d62618036c4Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:24:13 GMT<p>In this episode of the Stories That Sell Podcast, Ben Griffioen, Marketing Director and Owner of Firefly Insurance explains how niching down, identifying holes in the marketing, using speed to scale and more helped him turn Firefly Agency into a 500+ Agency model that has grown profitably while running lean. <br /><br />This is an episode you surely do not want to miss! <br /><br />For more episodes like this, make sure to like and subscribe and visit us for your businesses free marketing report at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.clickrush.io/free-audit" target="_blank">https://www.clickrush.io/free-audit</a></p>no01:25:362Scaling To 500+ Agencies Profitably | Ben Griffioenfull<![CDATA[How To Fuel Yourself To Success With These Tricks That It Feels ILLEGAL | Alexis Collins]]>In the first episode of the Stories That Sell Podcast I interview Alexis Collins, owner of "Gains On The Go", a mobile protein bar designed to help fuel athletes, employees and more for a healthier alternative at sporting events, work place and more. As a partner of 1st Phorm, Alexis is supplying the best quality protein and snacks for athletes and employees across the US.Learn about Alexis' upbringing as an 2 sport athlete who transitioned into a budding entrepreneur today.

]]>https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/storiesthatsell/episodes/How-To-Fuel-Yourself-To-Success-With-These-Tricks-That-It-Feels-ILLEGAL--Alexis-Collins-e3dgc475eec5a72-2b6f-4f1e-acff-34d6b7de81eeSun, 11 Jan 2026 19:59:21 GMT<p>In the first episode of the <strong>Stories That Sell Podcast</strong> I interview <em>Alexis Collins</em>, owner of "<em>Gains On The Go</em>", a mobile protein bar designed to help fuel athletes, employees and more for a healthier alternative at sporting events, work place and more. As a partner of 1st Phorm, Alexis is supplying the best quality protein and snacks for athletes and employees across the US.Learn about Alexis' upbringing as an 2 sport athlete who transitioned into a budding entrepreneur today.</p> no00:56:271How To Fuel Yourself To Success With These Tricks That It Feels ILLEGAL | Alexis Collinsfull