Matt Knopke, CLCS

These two men are in critical condition and fighting for their lives. Yesterday we met with a client and 70 of their employees to share this story and prevent others from experiencing similar. They crashed a work truck going 70+ mph when they hit a slippery patch in the road. Please pray for them. At Federated Insurance we have a 4-point plan that we implement to help prevent tragedy. If your agent isn't doing this, they aren't doing their job. How is your employer protecting you? What are you doing to protect your employees? Call me / text me / email me. Here to serve you 🫵 Have you been in a serious accident? Please share your story below. Do you know anyone who has passed away on the road? Honor them below. God bless 🙏✝️ Dan ***** Follow + bell @Dan for more on small business, insurance & sales ♻️ repost to help keep our roads safe. "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." - Nahum 1:7

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David saved his civil construction company $32,549. I wonder what he'll do with it? Reinvest it into the company? Buy new equipment? Bonus a key employee? Pay for a year of his kids college? Whatever he decides to do with it will be better than paying it to the insurance company. David and I spoke for the first time a few months ago, it ended with him asking for an email and time. I sent him a copy of The Business Insurance Playbook. A few weeks later, he agreed to meet, and he told me, "I read the first few chapters of your book, liked it, and figured I'd meet with you. I vaguely knew what your book shared, but it helped clarify things". From there, David agreed to some due diligence. Which led to him hiring one agent, to exclusively represent him and get quotes. David ultimately kept it simple, and trusted the "playbook". His eyes were opened that using multiple agents to get quotes rarely makes sense. (Check out Chapter 3 in the book Hire One Agent) Instead of playing the game that everyone else does, he did things differently. And now he reaps the rewards. Consolidated 4 expiration dates into 1. Broadened coverage Higher Limits $32,549 What would you do with $32,549? P.S. This book is literally a 30 minute read because I know you don't have time nor the desire to read a book about insurance. If you own a business, send me a message and I'll send you a copy.

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Stop making excuses for poor performance or your business will tank. Leadership is hard and often time you have to be stern. Be stern now or lose $$ later and have a bunch of drama. You need to have standards for your organization which yields transparency for anyone working there. If your team isn’t performing, it’s always going to be your fault. So lead from the front, set the expectations, and hold the team accountable. #gettowork

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Is a Pre-Purchase Inspection worth the cost?? Let me answer that question with a question. Is saving $99,000 more or less important to you than saving less than 1% of that $99K? Let me explain, here we have a 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet that was for sale at a local dealership. The potential buyer calls me from Michigan and hires me to inspect this supposed "CLEAN CARFAX", 1 owner Porsche that was listed as "Celebrity Owned". Upon arrival at the dealership, I was informed by 2 separate salesmen about how clean and beautiful this car is, To which I always reply, "𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕, 𝑰'𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕". My job isn't to sell the car OR kill the deal. My job is to inspect, verify, inform and educate the potential buyer on the condition of the car and the accuracy of the seller's claims. During my inspection, I found that the car had previous damage on the right side and it had been repainted. The claim of having "New Tires" was easy to spot as false when verifying the date codes on the tires. When I asked if there was any proof of Celebrity Ownership, I was told, "𝑵𝒐, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏". When I called the dealership to schedule the appointment to inspect, I always ask if there is a lift on-site so an undercarriage inspection can take place, I was assured that this was no problem, however, once on-site I was told by several employees that "No one knows how to operate the lift" So I was not able to see any discrepancies with the underside of the car. For less than 1% of the total purchase price of this Porsche, I saved this buyer from a $99,000 mistake!!! NEVER take a dealer's word for it, NEVER trust what a seller is selling you. Have it inspected by a disinterested 3rd party that will provide you with the truth and prepares you to make a wise investment decision. Contact us for a FREE Consult. 407-791-4034 #prepurchaseinspection #usedcarinspection #autoinspection

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Would You Trust a Financial Advisor Who Cold Called You? It's a simple question. 99% of you said, "Duh...no, that's a HELL no". The 1% of you who said "Maybe" are likely enrolled in one of these old school commercial insurance coaching programs who still teach cold-calling tactics from the 90's or you're following an insurance guy who is sharing his cold-calling stats each week (0-100, booked calls to dials ratio). (because deep down inside you want to believe it works) Back to my original question... Would you trust a financial advisor who cold-called you out of the blue and said: “Hi, I’d like to help you manage your wealth and protect your financial future. Got 15 minutes to chat?” Of course not. You’d laugh, hang up, and think, “This guy’s begging me for a meeting, and I’m supposed to entrust him with my wealth...assets...family fortune? How good can he really be?” Now, replace “financial advisor” with “insurance agent.” Sound familiar? Both professions technically have the same job: to protect the wealth and assets of business owners (or HNW individuals). But while one is seen by the public as a trusted advisor, the other is viewed as…well, closer to a used car salesman. Why is that? Because the sales tactics still being taught in the insurance industry right now are sending the wrong message. Cold calling, “dialing for dollars,” and competing on price all scream: “We’re a commodity. Give me a shot and I'll get quotes back to you in no time at all. We compete on Price...Price...Price.” Meanwhile, financial advisors have mastered the art of positioning. They’re seen as specialists, strategists, and problem solvers. They sell trust, not transactions. Sorry all you cold-call-chest-thumper insurance "coaches", perception is reality. If the insurance profession wants to be seen as trusted advisors, it’s time to stop acting like a used car salesman who is just trying to push inventory off your lot. What’s the alternative? Do what the top insurance pros do, not what these sales coaches or insurance 'influencers' are teaching: 1) Focus on Industry Niche Specialization: Own a specific niche and become the go-to expert in that field. 2) Build Relationships, Not Transactions: Use value-driven content, personalized outreach, and events to connect authentically. 3) Sell Insurance as a Productized Service: Package your expertise as a high-value solution, not a commodity. 4) Elevate Your Brand: Create authority through LinkedIn posts, newsletters, and webinars. Trusted advisors educate first, sell second. Here’s the Truth... Financial advisors don’t cold call. Why? Because their profession knows that the act of cold calling destroys the perception of credibility, expertise, and trustworthiness. So why do we, as an industry, keep selling insurance like a commodity when we claim to want the same level of respect as financial advisors? Final Thought... If you sell like a commodity, you’ll be treated like one.

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Probably one of the most powerful videos that I have ever shared. I went back through and took over 4 pages of notes as I can't recall a video that does a better job, in less than 30 minutes, to accurately describe what we are going through with the US and world economies. #money #wealth #gold #unitedstates #world #economy #dothemath Let me know what you think after watching it.

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You are a small business owner. Death. Disability. Divorce. Disagreement. Distress. Done. One of more of these D's will drive your exit from the company. And it may not be voluntary. There are six common mistakes business owners make. Would you like to see if you are making them right now? The Faculty Chair of the Business Strategy Institute will be hosting live, Zoom BusinessKillers presentations. Date, times to follow. No obligation to attend.

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Family owned companies believe their problems are unique. The opposite is true. Qualified professionals can help untangle the emotional dynamic from the day-to-day business operations. Protect the family. Preserve the wealth.

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FACT. Every Small Business Owner has at least one partner. Who is it... Most lawmakers in government never started a company. Never had an original idea. Never took any risk. Never developed a marketing plan. Never did any advertising. Never bought equipment. Never paid for P&C coverage. Never had to meet payroll. Never applied for a line of credit. Never managed an office. Never found employees. Never helped retain employees. Never assumed any responsibility/liability for your company's 401k. Never went without pay. Never dealt with cash flow issues. Never struggled with technology. Never struggled with competition. Never worked seven days a week. Never struggled with sleepless nights. Never truly enjoyed a vacation. Never contributed one dime to your enterprise. The current wealth transition in the Small Business Community (alone) is $160 Million - every hour of every day. And your "silent partner" is going to take a lot of what you have worked so hard to build.

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Day 155 of my $250K challenge, and after making $107K I decided it’s time to stop being “realistic.” This challenge is basic. I do it every year. It was a mistake and it’s sucking the fun out of my life. So, it’s time to up the stakes. It’s now a $500K challenge and I’ve got some ground to make up, FAST. #insurance #roofing #generalcontractor #contractor #insuranceagents #makemoney #sidehustles #waystomakemoney #businessideas

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What does it mean to be prepared for hurricane season as a small business? If you take proactive steps, you can protect your business and ensure a quicker recovery if disaster strikes. Understanding your small business insurance policy is crucial in safeguarding your assets from hurricane-related damages. Take the time to review your coverage, ask the right questions, and fill any gaps to avoid financial setbacks. Developing a hurricane emergency plan can help you prioritize tasks, establish communication methods, and designate responsibilities for a seamless response when a storm hits. Stay prepared, stay protected! Don't wait until it's too late—take action now to secure your small business against the unpredictability of hurricane season. Your peace of mind and business resilience are worth the effort! #Retail #SmallBusinesses #HurricanePreparedness #SMB

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From my personal experience selling insurance, one of the greatest concerns clients have before making a purchase is cost. (I'm sure this is your concern too.) My initial reaction? Offer the cheapest option available in the market to counter this objection. But that didn’t solve the problem. I realized I needed to understand the reason behind their inquiries before they would consider making a purchase. With that shift in mindset, cost is no longer a major concern for me, nor is the decision to make a purchase (or not). I transitioned from offering inexpensive products as a quick fix to focusing on solving the real problem. My resolve: 1] Focus on quality rather than quantity. 2] Value deep engagements with customers, even if a sale doesn’t result from it. 3] Seek meaningful connections with clients. This realization has opened channels for genuine relationships, where we can talk about anything under the sun—even the dramatic impact of the Beijing Women's Conference on society (though Gen Zs may not relate). Walking in a new direction feels like a breath of fresh air... even when those interactions don’t lead to a sale. Here’s what I’ve learned: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐍𝐎𝐖. Do your research. Engage more. It’s not so much about how much, but about 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓯. Let me know what you are looking for today.

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