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Despite major industry curveballs and notable strike-worthy pitches, Milwaukee Brewers fan Ryan Von Haden has been batting a thousand as a producer for TRICOR Insurance.
Since joining TRICOR in 2006, Von Haden has been the company’s leading P&C producer and has managed to grow his book of business to more than $10 million in premium and $1.3 million in revenue.
He became a partner and vice president of business accounts at TRICOR in 2014 and has since become a regular on Insurance Business America’s Top Producer list. We caught up with Von Haden to find out more about his insurance journey:
How did you get started in the industry?
It was a family business for me. My grandpa started an agency back in the mid-50s and my family has been working in the agency in my hometown ever since. When I finished college, I joined the industry and have been working in insurance ever since.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is having the ability to go out and make a positive difference for a client. There’s always a new challenge or opportunity, which is fun to experience on a day-to-day basis.
You joined TRICOR in 2006 and have since been the company’s leading P&C producer. What’s the secret to your success?
It’s all about relationships – retaining the ones you’ve already got and working hard to build new ones. You have to have the right services available within your agency and good companies that you represent, but at the end of the day this industry’s all about building relationships and getting people to trust what you can do for them.
What have you learned from working at TRICOR?
I’ve learned that nothing comes easy. I’ve been able to do fairly well up to this point in my career, but sales is a hard industry. It takes a long time to build relationships and get people to trust what you can do for them. A lot of people come and go in this role. The biggest thing to remember is that it’s tough, but if you stay persistent and keep a good attitude, you can succeed.
What challenges have you faced in your role?
The changing marketplace can be challenging. Technology brings new exposures and therefore new risk transfer and insurance needs for clients to worry about. I would say the biggest challenge right now is evolving and changing with the marketplace in order to ensure our clients have the appropriate protection.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of the insurance career ladder?
Don’t expect success to come overnight. You’ve got to work hard and be an active member of the community by volunteering and getting to know people. You’ve got to be willing to put yourself into uncomfortable situations sometimes. You may not always want to go to a benefit or a fundraiser, but it’s an important part of what we do for the communities we service.
If you weren’t working in insurance, what would you be doing?
I played college baseball right the way through college, so I always anticipated being a college baseball coach and professor. But when I got into it a little further, I realized I would have to travel all over the place and move constantly, so I decided I didn’t want to do that.
What are your favorite hobbies?
My main passions right now are hunting and golf. Growing up, I loved all sports and basically doing anything outdoors. Baseball was my favorite sport but now my key focus is spending time with my family.
