Insurance Industry: Follow Amazon, Take Some Risks!

Steve Anderson didn’t set out to write a book about Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s astounding track record of cyclical experimentation, failure, experimentation, and success. But in his research of strategic future issues for the IIABA Agents Council for Technology, he discovered some lessons for the insurance industry – taken directly from 20 annual shareholder letters written by Bezos. To truly innovate, the industry first needs to take more risk, and the proper sort of risk, Steve says. “In our industry,” he explains, “the core value most would say is, ‘We take care of our customer.’ At Amazon, a customer needing to contact them is a failure, not something of value.” Agents should look for self-service options for customers to fix things without contacting the agency. “What can we do to automate, paying attention to when the customer has a problem, and proactively reaching out to the customer and fixing it?” Steve says. In this enlightening installment, he outlines key nuggets from the new book, “The Bezos Letters” – available, surprise, on Amazon.
Date: December 9, 2019
Appearance: Insurance Industry: Follow Amazon, Take Some Risks!
Outlet: Insurance Journal
Format: Podcast

Click here for more information about The Bezos Letters

For the last 21 years, Jeff Bezos has written annual letters to shareholders that reveal the underlying principles and strategies he used to grow Amazon. Steve Anderson discusses tracking down those letters and how he’s discovered 14 principles in Bezos’ words that define and explain Amazon’s incredible success.

Date: November 18, 2019
Appearance: BFM Radio: The Bezos Letters
Outlet: BFM Radio
Format: Podcast

Click here for more information about The Bezos Letters

In this episode we dive into:

1. Where Steve came up with the idea to write his book “The Bezos Letters” and how it went from an idea to reality.

2. Why the biggest risk often times is not taking the risk at all.

3. Why constant change is actually required to move forward and grow.

4. The behind the scenes research it took for “The Bezos Letters” to come to life.

5. Why Steve shifted the layout of the book away from chronological and into 14 main principles and organizational cycles.

6. Why Jeff Bezos believes that failure is necessary for growth and success.

7. The importance of allowing ourselves to be counterintuitive and how this principle has allowed Amazon to continue to grow.

8. The significance of the first letter that Jeff Bezos sent to shareholders and how he constantly revisits this message throughout his correspondence.

9. Why Amazon always maintains a day 1 mindset.

10. The secret 15th principle that Steve would add to his book.

11. Why the “Flywheel” is one of the most important principles, but also may be the hardest to implement.

12. How the principles of Amazon don’t simply apply to business, but also can be actively applied to our personal life as well.

Date: November 11, 2019
Appearance: Life Outside the Hustle: Grow Your Business Like Amazon with Steve Anderson
Outlet: Life Outside the Hustle
Format: Podcast

Click here for more information about The Bezos Letters

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Holiday Travel Tools and Tips

Some people would call me a road warrior. I started traveling for business 25 years ago as I began speaking for and consulting with a wide variety of organizations across the country. In 2019, I took 38 trips to 52 different cities and was away from home 110 days. I guess that gives me the qualifications to know something about how to best survive travel.

Travel tips

While most of you don’t travel to the extent that I do, I have learned some tips and tricks over the years that can help make your travel experience the best possible. I hope that a few of these items will help make your holiday travel as smooth and enjoyable as possible.