Hey everybody, and welcome to the All Aboard newsletter. Today, we're going to talk about something that should matter to all of us:
Setting a standard of excellence in your business!
And what better way to explore this than by studying the man of the hour himself - Curt Cignetti coach of the national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
In just two years, he's turned around the losing-est program in history. So let's break down his approach to building a championship organization and see how we can apply those same principles to our insurance agencies.
Lets dive in.
What we can learn from Cignetti
If the embedded link doesn’t work, you can access the video here: Click Me (LINK)
For the best experience and most information, I highly suggest you click the video!
Resourcefulness Over Resources
Indiana faced plenty of challenges the last two years - low levels of talent relative to competition, less money and prestige than their competitors, and underdog status in every big game. Literally - doubters all around.
Sound familiar? It can be easy to feel outgunned by the big carriers, the established agencies, the disruptors with massive marketing budgets. Whether you’re a large agent or a brand new scratch agent - we all have challenges and we all have moments where we feel like we can’t win.
But as Tony Robbins says, "The best resource, is resourcefullness." Cignetti and his team are great examples of that concept. You don't need to have the best of everything to win. You just need to find a way.
Shift your mindset from “We can’t do it” to “HOW can we do it?”
Building the Right Team
Look at their resume and be objective! Scrutinize!
Recruiting is crucial, but it's not just about landing the top talent. It's about finding the right fit for your system and culture. Agents typically take one of these two paths
Hiring experienced agents who've performed without a lot of resources, knowing they could explode with your training and marketing behind them
Developing your bench by bringing in junior team members (SDRs, office assistants) and graduating them into full-fledged agent roles
The key is to pursue both strategies - recruiting and developing. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
But also be real about the people you’re bringing in.
Are those experienced people actually stars who will excel with more resources? Or are you just picking off someone else’s trash heap?
Those high ceiling people you’re developing? Are they going to do the work and stick around?
So, while you need to pursue both strategies to scale - there are plenty of landmines with both paths.
This week’s edition of All Aboard is brought to you by:
Scale Army
Speaking of hiring - Hire Cheaper
Sometimes I get asked: “Andrew, how do you all get so much stuff done.”
The answer is straightforward: Anytime we have more things to do than we have time for, we hire more people.
And I know - Wages are expensive, which is why we started to look at hiring people internationally.
International hires are synonymous with being a “V.A” aka an assistant and nothing more. But thats a limited way to think.
In the past 18 months, we’ve hired 15 people internationally who currently do tasks related to:
Marketing
Graphic Creation
Video Editing
Accounting/Bookkeeping
Building AI based apps
Quality Assurance
Data Analysis
And a lot more.
We’ve hired through a lot of firms and Scale Army is amongst the best. We love that they’re based out of Miami but hire all over the world (we prefer LATAM).
If you want to chat with them, email Karina ([email protected]) and/or Mira ([email protected])
Full disclosure -If you decide to sign up, the newsletter does get a small affiliate fee which helps us invest in better resources to improve the quality of this newsletter! And as an aside - I would never take a referral fee from a company I didn’t believe in.
Meritocracy and Standards
Cignetti is ruthless about running a merit based culture. The best performer plays, period. He's not afraid to cut players who don't meet the standard, even if he brought them over from a previous team.
In your agency, that means:
Rewarding results, not just tenure or likeability.
Holding everyone to the same standards (no playing favorites with family or friends).
Being willing to make the hard decisions when someone isn't cutting it and moving on.
Remember, your agency isn't a charity. The scoreboard doesn't lie. It's not about what you've invested in someone - it's about the results they deliver.
No part of me is saying to be a ruthless, emotionless machine. There are always exceptions - for example, if someone is a 10/10 culture fit and a 10/10 work ethic, but results on there, it doesn’t mean fire them. But it could mean finding a different job that is right for them to excel without dragging down the team.
Discipline and Fundamentals
Doing the little things right is foundational to succeess.
Indiana was an extremely disciplined team in 2026. They had a mantra of: No dumb penalties, no busted coverages, no missed assignments - That resulted in them being the 2nd least penalized team in the country.
In your agency, that translates to:
No unforced errors (accurate quoting, compliance)
Everyone hitting their individual targets (goal attainment)
Clear roles and responsibilities (no gaps = less dropped balls)
Define your fundamentals and coach to them relentlessly. For our sales team, that looks like:
15 quotes per day
Every prospect gets a quote on the phone (we email policies, not quotes)
Detailed notes in the CRM after every call
Consistent follow-up
5 Fundamentals (there are more).
(Inbound/Service in the video if you’re curious)
Don’t know where to start? Sit down and think about all the little things that someone does on a perfect call. It might take a while to build the list, but after a few days of seeing small mistakes and small wins, you should be able to craft it.
Then, start with two or three non-negotiable fundamentals. Once those are locked in, add more.
But always uphold the standard - because once you let it slip for one person, its going to start slipping for others too.
Closing
Building a championship-caliber team and culture isn't easy, but the formula is relatively simple:
Be resourceful: Don't let a lack of resources hold you back. Find creative ways to achieve your goals.
Recruit and develop the right people: Hire for fit, not just talent. Invest in developing your team's skills early and often.
Reward results: Establish a true meritocracy. The best performers should reap the greatest rewards (monetary and non-monetary).
Uphold your standards: Define clear expectations and hold everyone accountable to them, no exceptions.
Coach the fundamentals: Identify the core skills and habits that drive success. Train and reinforce them relentlessly.
Execute on those things, and you'll be well on your way to an agency that wins, no matter the headwinds you face.
Until next time,
- Andrew
Three ways I can help you:
1.) If you need leads, calls, or data analytics - We’d love the opportunity to show how Next Call Club can help you grow faster and more profitably than before. We’re ready for the TCPA changes and can help you be ready too!
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