What do you do when your
producers aren’t producing?
Metrics, activity tracking, and scorecards don’t
just hold producers accountable—they give them a blueprint for success.
By Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA
What do you do when your producers aren’t producing?
At Beyond Insurance, we frequently get calls about this from agency leaders who feel stuck, frustrated, or unsure how to turn things around. In the insurance and risk management industry, one uncomfortable truth often gets swept under the rug: Not all producers are pulling their weight. While top performers may carry the revenue load, a surprising percentage underperform to a startling degree. So how do you address it without killing morale—or losing momentum?
That’s where real accountability begins.
But how do agency leaders and producers alike ensure that accountability is not just a buzzword, but a guiding principle? The answer lies in metrics, planning, and activity tracking.
Producer accountability isn’t just a nice-to-have. Without it, performance suffocates, pipelines stagnate, and growth grinds to a halt. During a recent Beyond Insurance conference, keynote speaker Lester Morales, CEO of Next Impact, LLC, explained that when he served as chief growth officer for Willis North America, he managed 200 producers for its $350 million practice. The math was brutal: The top 100 producers brought in 92% of the revenue. The bottom 100? Thirty were too new to judge, but fifty—yes, 50—were flat-out non-productive. Together, they generated less than 1% of total revenue.
Let that sink in: 25% of the team was draining resources, commissions, and leadership energy—and delivering zero value.
This isn’t a people problem. It’s a systems problem. Without clear benchmarks, transparent metrics, and regular accountability, underperformance becomes the norm. And once it’s normalized, it becomes toxic—demoralizing your high performers and sending a message that mediocrity is acceptable.
And don’t kid yourself—if you were spending your own money, you wouldn’t tolerate it. So why does your agency?
The fix isn’t about being harsh. It’s about being clear. Metrics, activity tracking, and scorecards don’t just hold producers accountable—they give them a blueprint for success. That’s leadership. That’s culture. That’s how you turn a floundering team into a force.
Stop managing blind. Start measuring smart.
Most agencies think they’re data-driven. But if you’re only looking at booked revenue, you’re watching the scoreboard—not the game.
Let’s break this down: Revenue is a lagging indicator. It tells you what happened after all the effort, after all the conversations, after the prospects either said yes—or ghosted you. But what actually drives revenue? Activities.
And most producers? They don’t just need motivation—they need measurement.
Start tracking what actually matters. These aren’t vanity metrics. These are your producer’s heartbeat:
- How many first-time meetings are they landing?
- Are they making daily calls and consistent follow-ups with warm leads?
- How many referrals are they generating?
- Are they active in their community and network?
- How many proposals are being sent—and are they converting?
These activities are your early warning system. When they dip, your revenue will too—weeks or months later.
A CRM full of names means nothing if no one’s moving through the pipeline.
Don’t run your agency blind. Get real-time feedback. Use a scorecard. Shine a light on the activities that create momentum. Because once you manage the right inputs, the outputs will take care of themselves.
Planning is powerful
Let’s talk about something real: plans. Not the kind you scribble on a vision board during a burst of January motivation. Not vague wishes like “grow the book” or “get more clients.” We’re talking about actual, measurable, accountable plans.
As Lester Morales puts it bluntly: “You can’t grow what you don’t define.”
So, define it. Start with the big picture—say your agency wants to write
$1 million in new business this year. Great. Now let’s get honest about where that million is coming from. Maybe it’s:
- $500,000 from property and casualty
- $200,000 from employee benefits
- $300,000 from personal lines
Nice start. But don’t stop there.
Break it down again by niche—construction, real estate, healthcare, captive opportunities—whatever fits your agency’s strategy and producers’ expertise. You’re not just forecasting numbers; you’re shaping the story you want your agency to tell at the end of the year.
And here’s the thing: Numbers don’t lie. But feelings? Feelings are notorious fibbers.
Morales nails it when he says the biggest lie in sales is, “I’m really optimistic about this prospect.”
Optimism doesn’t close deals. That’s why, instead of asking a producer how they “feel” about their pipeline, the better question is:
- How many calls to warm leads did you make today?
- How many connections did you make this week on social media?
- How many meetings did you schedule this week?
- How many follow-ups are on your calendar?
Discipline, not hope, builds momentum. And if you want a shortcut to predicting whether a producer will succeed, don’t look at their personality. Look at their calendar, and make sure they are focusing on warm leads rather than cold calls. Why? Because it’s inefficient in today’s world.
As Morales said, “With social media, email marketing, event marketing, and all the tech and reports that support them—why would anyone cold call? These tools help producers answer the two hardest questions in sales: Who should I call, and what should I talk to them about?”
A review of your producer’s calendar shows you proof of effort, proof of discipline, and the clearest predictor of future results.
Why pipeline weighting works
Too often, producers fill their CRM with stale prospects—”I’ve been working on this account for 17 years!” The truth? They were never close to closing it.
A weighted pipeline removes emotion and forces clarity. Here’s one way to score opportunities:
- 0%—Never spoken to them
- 20%—Exchanged emails or initial outreach (warm lead)
- 40%—Had a real meeting (Zoom counts)
- 60%—Client is engaged, requesting info
- 80%—Verbal “yes”
- 100%—Signed deal
So, if you have a $100,000 prospect at 20%, it only counts as $20,000 toward your weighted pipeline. This system gives leadership a clearer view of what’s real and what’s fantasy.
The three Cs: Coverage, conversion, close
To gauge true performance, you need to understand your producers’ three Cs. Ask them:
- Do you have enough in the pipeline?
- How many people in your pipeline give you a real shot?
- How many deals did you actually win?
Let’s say your producer has a $167,000 goal. If the average deal is $20,000, they need nine closes. At a 20% close ratio, that’s 45 real opportunities. And with a 20% conversion rate, you need 225 meaningful meetings. If only 2% of your calls turn into meetings, you need to be contacting 3,000 people. The math doesn’t lie.
Once producers walk through this math, it’s humbling. The moment they realize how many contacts they need to generate to hit their goals, it often sparks a new level of commitment.
Producer plans must include a “why”
Being a new producer is hard. Without a strong reason behind their work, many producers eventually burn out. That’s why one of the first questions every agency should ask their producers is: “Why are you doing this job?”
Is it for their family? Their future? A desire to build something meaningful? Understanding this “why” anchors them in purpose, especially during tough quarters.
Inventory analysis: Your hidden growth strategy
Want to grow revenue fast? Start by taking inventory. Ask your producers to analyze their client list and determine:
- Who generates the most revenue?
- Who has multiple lines of business?
- Who is underserved?
This analysis often reveals that 20% of clients generate 80% of revenue. Your producers should be spending time on the right relationships—the ones that matter most.
Bring it all together: Calendars and cadence
You want to know if someone will hit their number? Don’t look at their optimism. Look at their calendar.
Producers who time-block their prospecting, meetings, and client service activities are significantly more likely to succeed. Why? Because they’re prioritizing what drives results. When producers build a rhythm—and stick to it—their pipeline stays active, their close ratio improves, and their confidence grows.
The bottom line
When it comes to producer accountability, it all comes down to this:
- Create a granular plan
- Track activity, not just outcomes
- Use weighted pipelines for reality-based forecasting
- Know your producers’ “why”
- Do regular inventory analysis
- Stick to a disciplined schedule
The best agencies don’t leave performance to chance. They measure, coach, adjust, and hold everyone—from principal to junior producer—to the same high standards.
It’s not about micromanagement. It’s about clarity. When everyone knows the goal, their role, and the numbers behind success, accountability becomes a culture, not a correction.
Because in the end, numbers don’t just tell you what happened. They tell you what’s possible.
The author
Carolyn Smith, APR, TRA, chief training officer for Beyond Insurance, creates and delivers transformative programs, including the Trusted Risk Advisor certification, BIGN Producer Boot Camp, and Quest for Success, that have positively impacted the lives and careers of countless professionals. These programs help industry professionals build a career that they love and achieve the success they deserve.
