453. Commercial Insurance: How Ciara Gravier Built a Mega Agency Through Niching Down

FREE TRAINING: Eliminating Objections in Life Insurance Before They Happen: Learn how to prevent objections before they happen and close with more confidence in your life insurance conversations. 👉 Register now: https://bit.ly/LifeInsuranceTraining Michael and Courtney Weaver sit down with Ciara Gravier of The Bunker Insurance and Risk Management — who built a 96% commercial book from scratch using a $1,000 revenue threshold, bold branding, and old-school prospecting. If you’re growing a commercial book, this is your playbook. [00:00] How Ciara got into insurance — and why the family bet paid off Her parents opened a captive agency at 49, went independent, and when they sold, her dad’s biggest regret was not starting sooner. [02:00] Captive vs. independent — and why commercial sealed the decision South Florida’s personal lines market was brutal — Michael Weaver and Courtney Weaver dig into why independent was the only path that made sense. [05:00] 96% commercial, zero personal lines: why she went all-in Her entire model is the 80/20 rule — fewer accounts, more revenue per client, zero personal lines prospecting. [07:00] How The Bunker got its name (and the animal shelter mixup) “The Bunker Risk Shelter” was her first try — until people called asking if they could drop off their cat. [11:00] Niching in commercial without special market appointments Manufacturing, HVAC, and contractors — no special programs, just a clear read on carrier appetite and sticky risk. [13:00] The $1,000 revenue threshold that changed everything If the agency isn’t making at least $1,000 annually on an account, she won’t write it — and won’t customize a renewal proposal either. [16:00] How she set client boundaries — and why they respect it Nobody gets her cell — she asks communication preferences on day one and clients respect it because expectations are set upfront. [21:00] Looking bigger than you are to compete with national brokerages Her pitch: “You’re a small fish in a big pond at that national brokerage — here, you’re a big fish.” [23:00] The yellow envelope direct mail strategy Every prospect gets a yellow envelope every month — whether they open it or not, they’re going to wonder who keeps sending it. [26:00] The tech stack: AgencyZoom, HawkSoft, WonderWrite, and ChatGPT WonderWrite killed the emailed supplemental, and a virtual employee runs her entire ChatGPT content operation. [28:00] The exact ChatGPT marketing prompt she reads from her phone “Act as a marketing strategy expert and create a strategy for [business] — include email copy, subject line, audience segmentation, and CTA in table format.” [32:00] Where to focus if you’re building commercial in 2024 Old-school prospecting still wins fastest — pick your prospect, check carrier appetite, build a list of 100, and start dialing. [33:00] How to build a targeted prospect list of 135 ideal accounts Use Reference USA or your state’s workers’ comp expiration data — filter by revenue, employee count, and industry before you prospect. [36:00] The ChatGPT prompt that makes you look like an expert in any vertical “Find and share the most important 20% of learnings on [industry] so I can understand 80% of it” — run it before every prospect meeting. [39:00] Why this business is still about relationships — and patience Michael Weaver and Courtney Weaver press Ciara on this — what you work on today, you see in 60 days, and people still buy from people they like. [41:00] The drop strategy: what to actually say when you walk in Don’t pitch on the drop — bring something useful, come back in six weeks, and build the relationship first. Connect with Ciara: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaragravier/ Instagram: @bunkyourrisk YouTube: The Bunker Insurance Website: bunkeryourrisk.com RESOURCES & NEXT STEPS Agency Coach AI See how top agencies are grading 100% of calls and increasing production. 👉 Learn More & Book a Demo: https://www.agencycoachai.com Text Michael Directly Got a question or want to go deeper on this topic? Text "BUZZ" to (816) 727-7610 7-Day FREE Demo – Weaver Sales Academy Start closing more life and P&C with a proven, plug-and-play system. Try it here: https://www.weaversa.com/7DayYoutube More Tools + Free Resources Download scripts, watch free trainings, and access coaching: https://www.weaversa.com 📱 CONNECT WITH MICHAEL & COURTNEY Michael Weaver LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelweaverwsa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themichaelweaver Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_michaelweaver_ Courtney Weaver LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-weaver-4b8139a0 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneyvie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyvie