Endless Customers Endless Customers Podcast

How Berry Insurance Cracked the Content Code [Endless Customers Podcast Ep. 110]

View the full transcription of this episode.

Close Transcript Popup Close Transcript Popup Default
"

This transcript has been generated by AI and not checked for accuracy. 

\n \n

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:06:00
Corin Cook
Businesses can't let fear hold them back. If there's something that you want to address in your industry, if you have an opinion

00:00:06:00 - 00:00:08:19
Corin Cook
you need to create that disruptive content to build trust.

00:00:08:19 - 00:00:15:08
Bob Ruffolo
You're listening to The Endless Customers podcasts brought to you by the team at impact!

00:00:15:08 - 00:00:21:03
Bob Ruffolo
Ellis customers is the proven system to become the most known and trusted brand in your market.

00:00:21:03 - 00:00:29:13
Bob Ruffolo
you want to start to learn the principles of endless customers and how you can implement them in your business, pick up a copy of Endless Customers, a national bestseller. Wherever books are sold.

00:00:29:13 - 00:00:37:13
Bob Ruffolo
Ready to start implementing endless customers in your business? Talk to impact about how our coaching program can help you implement endless customers to success.

00:00:37:13 - 00:00:40:06
Bob Ruffolo
And if you want to experience endless customers in person,

00:00:40:06 - 00:00:45:10
Bob Ruffolo
do not miss our upcoming conference impact live August 18th through 20th in Hartford, Connecticut.

00:00:45:10 - 00:00:48:05
Bob Ruffolo
There are limited spots available, so make sure you register today.

00:00:48:05 - 00:00:50:22
Bob Ruffolo
And now onto the show. Here's your host Alex

00:00:50:22 - 00:01:13:07
Alex Winter
Some companies implement endless customers and see quick wins. Others, they turn it into a long term strategy and transform how their business works. Today, we're talking with one of those teams. Corinne Cook is the senior marketing manager at Berry Insurance, where she's been part of this journey for several years. She's joined by our coach, Brian Casey, who's been working closely with their team to help turn belief into execution.

00:01:13:09 - 00:01:22:08
Alex Winter
From content and coaching to alignment and video, Berry Insurance shows what the system looks like when it becomes part of your culture. Karen and Brian, welcome to the show

00:01:22:08 - 00:01:24:08
Corin Cook
Thank you. It's great to be back.

00:01:24:10 - 00:01:25:21
Brian Casey
Good to be back, Alex.

00:01:26:00 - 00:01:42:04
Alex Winter
Awesome. I'm happy to have you on the show. It's going to be a great conversation today. I'm really excited to dive in. And we're talking about content and we're talking about video, but we're also talking about coaching and how it really shaped the success that you've had at Berry Insurance. So before we get into the nitty gritty

00:01:42:04 - 00:01:50:11
Alex Winter
Corinne, can you just set the stage for our viewers and listeners out there about what Berry Insurance is, and then also your role and how you're part of the whole mix?

00:01:50:11 - 00:02:07:14
Corin Cook
Sure. So Berry Insurance is a small, family owned, independent insurance agency offering both personal and commercial insurance. We're located in Franklin, mass. And we've been around for over 100 years now. And I am the senior marketing manager there, and I've been here since 2019.

00:02:07:14 - 00:02:09:11
Alex Winter
Wow, 100 years. That's impressive.

00:02:09:11 - 00:02:10:16
Corin Cook
103.

00:02:10:18 - 00:02:11:15
Alex Winter
Oh 103

00:02:11:15 - 00:02:14:23
Alex Winter
well, and I'm a fellow Massachusetts person myself. So you're in good company.

00:02:14:23 - 00:02:15:12
Corin Cook
Go, Sox.

00:02:15:12 - 00:02:21:05
Alex Winter
Yeah. Let's go. Don't let Bob ruffle here. You say that because he's a big Yankees fan. I know

00:02:21:05 - 00:02:35:05
Alex Winter
anyways, let's get into what role coaching, played in your journey with endless customers and just your relationship with your coach and how that affects the day to day, the accountability piece and just everything you do when implementing the endless customer system.

00:02:35:05 - 00:02:56:07
Corin Cook
Sure. So, back when I started in 2019, I came from a background of journalism and public relations. So I really wasn't new to knowing how to ask the right questions and write an article. But what was very new to me was writing for digital marketing. So writing,

00:02:56:07 - 00:03:05:11
Corin Cook
not just to to sound good and to convey the information I wanted to convey in the most direct way, but writing to solve problems.

00:03:05:11 - 00:03:08:22
Corin Cook
So Brian was very helpful in that and teaching me,

00:03:08:22 - 00:03:31:04
Corin Cook
you know, how to write for, for SEO, how to write for different buyer stages. All of that stuff that goes into writing for digital marketing in the online space. So that has been critical. He's helped us like keep our momentum going, and he's helped us keep up to date with industry trends and updates, which has been really important.

00:03:31:06 - 00:03:44:17
Corin Cook
In fact, we took a couple of years off of coaching. A few years ago, we felt like we were in a really good place. We were on top of things, self-sufficient, doing everything we needed to do. And I continued to go to the impact conferences twice a year.

00:03:44:17 - 00:03:53:21
Corin Cook
And then at a conference last year, I had this moment, listening to all the session sessions, realizing like, oh, we're not as up to date as we used to be.

00:03:53:21 - 00:04:10:08
Corin Cook
There's stuff we need to catch up on. The world is changing, especially in the evolving world of AI. A lot is changing and how we need to market, so we decided to get back on board with coaching, working with Brian and also Joe on the HubSpot side, and both have been tremendously helpful and

00:04:10:08 - 00:04:13:03
Corin Cook
helping us with some of these new changes.

00:04:13:04 - 00:04:19:23
Corin Cook
You know, we do our best as a marketing team to keep up with industry trends and ideas of our own, but having

00:04:19:23 - 00:04:34:17
Corin Cook
this team of really talented people at impact who do this 24 seven as a job, as well as work with so many other clients who are doing incredible things. I think all the coaches it impacts see firsthand what everyone's doing and what's working was not doing.

00:04:34:22 - 00:04:38:23
Corin Cook
So they've been able to bring some really cool ideas to the table for us to try.

00:04:39:01 - 00:04:45:15
Alex Winter
That's amazing. Yeah, that's really cool to hear. And impact live is a great event that happens twice a year. We actually have one coming up and I am I can see you in a few weeks.

00:04:45:15 - 00:04:47:07
Corin Cook
Yes, you, me and two others.

00:04:47:07 - 00:04:49:13
Alex Winter
Awesome. Yeah. For everybody out there listening, watching

00:04:49:13 - 00:05:05:02
Alex Winter
18th through the 20th in Hartford, Connecticut, Impact live is coming and it's going to be a good one. We have a lot of really juicy subjects, especially around AI and everything going on in that space. So I'm excited to see you. Can you just tell everybody, since we're talking about it, why you go every year and why you find it

00:05:05:02 - 00:05:12:06
Alex Winter
so valuable to continue to go into, you know, interact with other other companies and hear from the coaches and hear from guest speakers and things like that.

00:05:12:06 - 00:05:14:20
Alex Winter
Well, like what? What's driving you to go twice a year?

00:05:14:20 - 00:05:29:12
Corin Cook
Yeah, I think it's kind of, you know what I, what I just mentioned, we only know what we know. We don't know what we don't know. So going to the conferences, see what other coaches and other companies are doing is always really eye opening.

00:05:29:12 - 00:05:40:12
Corin Cook
Especially at that point where we did stop coaching, going there and seeing all the changes has been helpful to make sure that we are staying on top of things as much as we can, because marketing changes all the time, and something that

00:05:40:12 - 00:05:45:22
Corin Cook
we've been doing for three years or plus, all of a sudden you might have to pivot and do completely differently.

00:05:45:22 - 00:05:50:04
Corin Cook
So seeing how everyone else is taking on the changing world of marketing has been super helpful.

00:05:50:04 - 00:06:09:23
Alex Winter
It's also interesting, I remember years ago coming out and filming a case study in Franklin, mass. With you guys, and I was fascinated that you're an insurance company doing endless customers. And it was one of those things where it worked so incredibly well for you. And I think a lot of people out there may not think that content and video and social media would work for the insurance space, but

00:06:09:23 - 00:06:11:01
Alex Winter
I feel like you proved them wrong.

00:06:11:01 - 00:06:17:12
Alex Winter
Can you talk a little bit about how how well it's worked for you as a company and as an organization and why it's been so effective?

00:06:17:12 - 00:06:31:01
Corin Cook
Yeah, I think we always kind of joke around over here that people see, insurance is like one step above the used car salesman, like it's feels like an industry that you don't really want to to trust, you know, especially because it's so complicated, even if

00:06:31:01 - 00:06:34:19
Corin Cook
if you read through a policy like half the stuff in there, you're like, what am I even looking at?

00:06:34:19 - 00:06:38:16
Corin Cook
So there's a lot of questions to be answered. And I think

00:06:38:16 - 00:06:57:00
Corin Cook
in this industry, not a lot of people are doing it. So I really think that gave us the upper hand and being honest about about things like pricing, about things like where insurance does fall short. It's, you know, it's that essential piece of building trust that I think really helps in this bad advantageous for us.

00:06:57:00 - 00:07:09:23
Alex Winter
And you guys have been really standing out. Talk about disruption. It's certainly something that a lot of other insurance companies I don't see doing so good on you. I'm Brian, I'm gonna come over to you. I have a question about coaching. So going back to the coaching piece,

00:07:09:23 - 00:07:17:13
Alex Winter
what's it like from your perspective and what stood out with the way that burying Corinne and the team there has been implementing endless customers for you?

00:07:17:13 - 00:07:36:04
Brian Casey
one thing that's very cool about the Barry story is that Caitlin, the owner, started writing content. So she caught the vision pretty early on. And instead of being like, this is something that, you know, sounds good, she did like, got just dirty. She got her hands in the work, started doing it, eventually hired Corinne,

00:07:36:04 - 00:07:41:18
Brian Casey
and now Corinne is in a position where she's managing a content writer and a videographer as well.

00:07:41:20 - 00:07:50:04
Brian Casey
So, one, just to see the growth from not having a marketing team, having your own or doing your marketing to having a marketing team built out.

00:07:50:04 - 00:08:04:09
Brian Casey
And it's been awesome to see, like Corinne have like that upward mobility as well, which is pretty typical when you bring in a content manager, if they're really good at their job, they begin to own a little bit more of your marketing efforts altogether in terms of like how they approach it.

00:08:04:09 - 00:08:21:02
Brian Casey
I can like, joke back and forth with Corinne on coaching calls because, like, I'll say something to be like, oh yeah, that sounds good. And I'm like, sounds good. Like we're going to do it or sounds good. Like, that's an interesting idea. But I would say like 90% of what we talk about by the time we meet next time, it's already actioned.

00:08:21:02 - 00:08:42:22
Brian Casey
that's a big difference between certain clients and how they want to, how they want to work outside of the meetings that we have with them. With Barry, it's never really been a question. If we have a meeting, we say here, here are the action items. I don't have to follow up. I don't have to, do anything special for the next call and expect that what we talked about was going to get done is going to get done.

00:08:42:22 - 00:08:56:18
Brian Casey
And so that's where I think they've just been able to make progress, even in periods where they didn't have coaching. Is that proactive? I'm going to get it done type of mindset, that Caitlin has created in the company.

00:08:56:18 - 00:09:12:09
Alex Winter
that's a really great point. Caitlin is a force to be reckoned with. She's so intelligent and she's also just a go getter. And, I think what I'm what I'm getting at is we know through all of our experiences, especially you coaching, how important being is from leadership and from the top down.

00:09:12:09 - 00:09:14:10
Alex Winter
Can you talk a little bit about why that's so important?

00:09:14:10 - 00:09:17:21
Alex Winter
And then also how that has like helped to build

00:09:17:21 - 00:09:31:06
Alex Winter
set Corinne up for success and then to build out to have a content writer and have a videographer and have this team, like they really have their own internal marketing team that's just cranking 24/7. And it's it's cool to see that implemented. So what was that like from your perspective?

00:09:31:06 - 00:09:50:01
Brian Casey
Yes, I think like the leadership component of this is you really dictate how everybody views the work to be done. And ultimately, you could hire a content manager and say something along the lines of, this person is going to help us get more leads and give us more sales opportunities. Or you could take the approach of something more along the lines of,

00:09:50:01 - 00:09:54:12
Brian Casey
this person is being brought in to help us to become the most trusted voice in our space.

00:09:54:14 - 00:10:01:07
Brian Casey
We know that customers are out there, and we want to have the best possible experience as they're seeking an option,

00:10:01:07 - 00:10:21:08
Brian Casey
in evaluating options. And that's what this person's here to do. So leadership frames everything for the company and ultimately leadership is the ones that are going to hinder or facilitate the success of your entire content program. If you have companies, that are, you know, unwilling or shy to talk about, like the disruptive type content

00:10:21:08 - 00:10:25:13
Brian Casey
that typically stems from a leadership standpoint, leadership being a little bit gun shy about something.

00:10:25:18 - 00:10:31:12
Brian Casey
Yeah. And oftentimes like that's where the actual magic happens is when we say things that have never been said before.

00:10:31:12 - 00:10:38:17
Brian Casey
Corinne mentioned it. But in the age of AI, where everything is regurgitated, content, you kind of have to say something nobody else has said before. It.

00:10:38:17 - 00:10:45:07
Brian Casey
Yeah. So leadership plays a big deal in setting the tone and culture to say this is who we are as a company.

00:10:45:07 - 00:10:51:08
Brian Casey
Companies that do in this customer's really well, it's not a marketing initiative. It's not a content play.

00:10:51:08 - 00:10:58:22
Brian Casey
It's a this is who we want to be to the world. We want to be trusted. We want to be known. We want to be helpful in educational.

00:10:58:22 - 00:11:05:06
Brian Casey
And that permeates throughout the entire organization, not just the content we create, but decisions we make as businesses as well.

00:11:05:11 - 00:11:18:16
Alex Winter
Great points. Corinne. What was that like for you having Caitlin as in that leadership seat and giving you that support and really allowing you the space to to build this team out and to push you to create this content and to disrupt.

00:11:18:16 - 00:11:30:22
Corin Cook
mean, Caitlin's the whole reason that it actually worked, you know, it really was top down leadership. I think a lot of companies where they may struggle with incorporating and less customers is the buy in from the team.

00:11:30:22 - 00:11:46:18
Corin Cook
We're fortunate we have a pretty small team of 14 people, so alignment was pretty easy, especially with Caitlin at the top being that person saying, this is what we're doing, this is how we're doing it, and making sure at the beginning it was an intentional, everyday effort to really talk about,

00:11:46:18 - 00:11:56:14
Corin Cook
this new marketing strategy and how we're integrating it into everything we do, whether it be, you know, our our sales are recruiting, our customer

00:11:56:14 - 00:12:04:20
Corin Cook
service. We really it's touched every part of our organization. So at the beginning it was a lot of constant brainstorming sessions. It was a lot of,

00:12:04:20 - 00:12:14:04
Corin Cook
sales and communication training. And now it's much less of an effort. It's just kind of what we do every day as a marketing team. We're not reaching out to the team

00:12:14:04 - 00:12:16:17
Corin Cook
saying, okay, what content ideas do you have for us?

00:12:16:17 - 00:12:32:13
Corin Cook
It's them coming to us. Say, hey, we should write an article about this. So it was because of her leadership and her decision to jump on it and say, this is what we're doing, and here's how we're going to implement it. That has really made my job easy because, you know, everyone's on board. Everyone's so aligned.

00:12:32:13 - 00:12:45:04
Alex Winter
that's wonderful to hear. And you really when you have that alignment it it just becomes like a repeatable system and process that you can just keep creating content that your buyers want and that they need to hear. And that's going to put you in a

00:12:45:04 - 00:12:51:11
Alex Winter
really great position to be found and not just search, but with all this artificial intelligence noise that's happening as well.

00:12:51:11 - 00:13:05:20
Alex Winter
print, I want to stay on you for a second. So can we talk a little bit about. We were joking right before we got on the show about how you have this really cool setup and you have an awesome videographer there. What was it like hiring a videographer and building out the video portion of this equation?

00:13:05:20 - 00:13:11:14
Alex Winter
Because I know you do the written part very well and you're very strategic. But what was it like adding video into the equation?

00:13:11:14 - 00:13:32:18
Corin Cook
Yeah, it was definitely a game changer for us because for about a year it was just me writing content, and all of a sudden we added this whole new piece to our marketing team, which is something that I know nothing about. I have zero video background, so it was interesting to kind of start that collaboration and figure out how we're integrating both video and written content, and it really became a game

00:13:32:18 - 00:13:40:07
Corin Cook
changer in that rather than just writing an answer, now we can show it and more importantly, we can show our team.

00:13:40:07 - 00:13:43:07
Corin Cook
We have a lot of personality over here, so

00:13:43:07 - 00:13:58:08
Corin Cook
we definitely make our videos. There's a lot of fun, there's a lot of humor. But more importantly, I feel like it builds trust because you're seeing the faces that you're working with every day. It's just, you know, in this digital world, I think a lot of people gravitate toward video now.

00:13:58:08 - 00:14:00:20
Corin Cook
So video has been huge for us.

00:14:00:20 - 00:14:11:01
Alex Winter
it sounds like it was great. And you guys are. I love your YouTube channel. You do have a ton of personality in your videos. And for everybody out there watching or listening, you should definitely go check out Berry's YouTube channel. But

00:14:11:01 - 00:14:17:07
Alex Winter
were there any like, speed bumps or were there any issues that you had to kind of work through, especially being new to the video piece?

00:14:17:07 - 00:14:20:05
Alex Winter
Like, how was that that journey for you as you work through it?

00:14:20:05 - 00:14:38:20
Corin Cook
Yeah, I think we're very fortunate to hire such a great video producer. So he really kind of knows what he's doing. So it's okay that I don't know what I'm doing in a video because I can trust him. But it was a lot of figuring out, like, how is video different from written content? How are we going to implement you know,

00:14:38:20 - 00:14:40:13
Corin Cook
they ask you out there and let's customers

00:14:40:13 - 00:14:41:07
Corin Cook
into video.

00:14:41:07 - 00:14:45:19
Corin Cook
So I think that was kind of the biggest challenge at the beginning, figuring out the strategy of it.

00:14:45:19 - 00:14:52:08
Corin Cook
And I think also the biggest challenge, I think in general with implementing and as customers was just kind of waiting for

00:14:52:08 - 00:15:00:09
Corin Cook
the payoff, waiting for the fruits of our labor, because it's something that you need to kind of commit to a lot at the beginning, and you put your blind faith into just pumping out this content and waiting for results.

00:15:00:09 - 00:15:02:07
Corin Cook
And one day they come. But at the beginning,

00:15:02:07 - 00:15:08:04
Corin Cook
you say, I'm doing all this work, is it going to when is it going to happen? Me so yeah, that was the initial challenge, I think.

00:15:08:04 - 00:15:22:23
Alex Winter
Yeah, that's a good point. It's a lot of up front. And Brian, this is probably a good question for you. It does take time to build the the systems, the processes to put the content out, to get the, as we say, the content train rolling. What's that like as you're coaching,

00:15:22:23 - 00:15:28:07
Alex Winter
teams and coaching clients to get them to, like, see the light at the end of the tunnel and be like, it's it is going to work.

00:15:28:07 - 00:15:30:20
Alex Winter
You just have to keep putting in the effort. Like Corinne just said.

00:15:30:20 - 00:15:45:04
Brian Casey
the cool thing is I, I found the stat the other day. 65% of AI results are content that's published in the last 12 months. So a part of that is changing. Recency plays a big factor in the current environment.

00:15:45:04 - 00:15:57:00
Brian Casey
it is possible that you can see results quicker. But ultimately, I think it comes back to the conversation of is this a content play or is this how we want to present ourselves to our market or potential buyers?

00:15:57:00 - 00:16:14:14
Brian Casey
And there are ways that we can present ourselves and change the dynamic, who we're known and how we're known. If we start to use content early in the sales process, for instance. So there are some easy, quick wins where if we identify potential misalignment or a lack of education that would cause friction and deals,

00:16:14:14 - 00:16:25:10
Brian Casey
we can very much take content, leverage it in a way that helps us to overcome those challenges where it actually starts to build some momentum, from an assignment selling standpoint,

00:16:25:10 - 00:16:34:15
Brian Casey
while the engine is building to the point where, you know, you have a sustainable engine of traffic and leads coming to your site.

00:16:34:17 - 00:16:41:13
Brian Casey
As we kind of think about in the historical way of like traffic leads to leads, leads to sales, which is, again, all just being disrupted.

00:16:41:13 - 00:16:56:15
Alex Winter
What do you see for the future? As a coach with with AI, do you feel like we're certainly I focus here at impact and I know at Berry Insurance they are as well. How does that play into your day to day and coaching and just coaching calls in general.

00:16:56:15 - 00:16:57:09
Brian Casey
Yeah, I don't know

00:16:57:09 - 00:17:04:17
Brian Casey
who's going to cosign on this at impact. But my personal take is that AI is going to be used more for recommendation engine

00:17:04:17 - 00:17:11:00
Brian Casey
than Google ever has been, just because there is some intelligence behind it. Like yesterday I used,

00:17:11:00 - 00:17:23:06
Brian Casey
AI to evaluate the ingredients between two different baby formulas and then give me an example of like, what are the differences between these and why should I care and use that to determine which one I was going to buy?

00:17:23:06 - 00:17:39:11
Brian Casey
And so I think there's still going to be some people using Google for some general information. And then as soon as they're ready to make a decision, in a sense, they're going to ask ChatGPT, like, who would you recommend for this? Or what are the, you know, what should I be doing when I'm making this type of decision?

00:17:39:11 - 00:17:56:20
Brian Casey
Because that's just above and beyond what Google's ever been able to provide. It's never been able to provide you a good recommendation based on logic. Yeah. So if that is true, and I believe that is true, people are using AI as a recommendation engine. Bottom of funnel customers exist on that platform.

00:17:56:20 - 00:18:02:05
Brian Casey
Those recommendation style questions that people are asking before they reach out to you are happening in AI.

00:18:02:05 - 00:18:12:13
Brian Casey
So it's more important now to be showing up and mentioned in AI than it is to be ranking on Google, which I had an hour long conversation with about yesterday.

00:18:12:13 - 00:18:13:23
Alex Winter
Corinne, how is that affecting

00:18:13:23 - 00:18:16:07
Alex Winter
your content and your strategy as you're moving forward?

00:18:16:07 - 00:18:31:19
Corin Cook
I think it's something we're definitely still learning. It's something that we talk about every every training call. I think everybody's kind of experimenting right now and learning, but it's certainly changing how we do written content. There's a whole, you know, new strategy of

00:18:31:19 - 00:18:37:05
Corin Cook
how to get selected for AI. Not it's not keyword based anymore. It's not. We want them to find our articles.

00:18:37:05 - 00:18:40:05
Corin Cook
And so we want them to to show what we're saying. So

00:18:40:05 - 00:18:50:06
Corin Cook
there are all sorts of new ways that we've been experimenting with the help of Brian, to make our articles show up more in AI and to make it so not only that, we're the ones being

00:18:50:06 - 00:18:55:05
Corin Cook
sourced, but being the ones being recommended as well. Like he said, it's going to be a recommendation engine.

00:18:55:05 - 00:18:57:13
Corin Cook
So we want we want our name in the game there.

00:18:57:16 - 00:18:58:19
Alex Winter
Yeah, absolutely.

00:18:58:19 - 00:19:00:17
Alex Winter
that's the new playing field. And I agree with you both

00:19:00:17 - 00:19:03:02
Alex Winter
that's how I use GPT. That's how I use AI right now too

00:19:03:02 - 00:19:07:16
Alex Winter
the logic and reasoning piece to compare and contrast and try to get the answers that I really need.

00:19:07:16 - 00:19:09:04
Alex Winter
So it's just really fascinating.

00:19:09:09 - 00:19:12:07
Alex Winter
So I have a question here. This one's this one's cool. We're going to switch gears a little bit.

00:19:12:07 - 00:19:19:21
Alex Winter
Corinne you had mentioned you were doing previously. They ask, you answer now endless customers. But you took a break from it because you were doing really well.

00:19:19:21 - 00:19:23:11
Alex Winter
You had all the systems and processes in place and you were crushing it for a while.

00:19:23:11 - 00:19:35:03
Alex Winter
what made you realize that you needed to go back to coaching again? And you were you had that moment where you're like, maybe we really do need to bring it back. We talked a little bit about this. I know you're at Impact Live, but can you, as the content manager, just kind of

00:19:35:03 - 00:19:38:07
Alex Winter
discuss a little bit about like what was happening behind the scenes?

00:19:38:07 - 00:19:51:06
Corin Cook
Yeah, I think like a lot changes in a couple of years. So as much as we were keeping up with, you know, everything coming out, it was just like I said, there's just such a talented team at impact who

00:19:51:06 - 00:19:57:07
Corin Cook
They were on top of AI day one. So I was certainly looking to all the coaches there to be like, what are we doing?

00:19:57:07 - 00:20:05:13
Corin Cook
How do we do this? Taking the the webinars, even when I wasn't starting coaching, but I think sort of just going to the conference in and seeing that really,

00:20:05:13 - 00:20:16:03
Corin Cook
know, digital marketing changes all the time. But I think we're kind of at this precipice of the biggest ever change. So we're all learning how to remarket. I think in in 2025.

00:20:16:03 - 00:20:24:21
Corin Cook
And so that was definitely eye opening. And I'm really glad that we started up with coaching again and that we had the support from leadership to do start up again.

00:20:24:21 - 00:20:38:21
Alex Winter
Yeah. That's great. And do you feel like you're coaching with Brian right now? Is is working like do you do you feel like it's it's putting you back into a good rhythm, into a better place or I don't want to put words in your mouth, but is is that feeling happening for you and what's that like for you in the team?

00:20:39:01 - 00:20:55:17
Corin Cook
Yeah, definitely. I mean, we're already so busy with what we have going on, and I feel like every time I get off a call with Brian, I have a whole nother list of seven more things to integrate. It's just because, like I said, with the work he's doing every day and also with the other teams he's working with and seeing what they're doing,

00:20:55:17 - 00:21:01:08
Corin Cook
he has so many fresh ideas to bring to us, and we've already seen an improvement in our content.

00:21:01:08 - 00:21:08:18
Corin Cook
We had a big, you know, traffic drop these last several months as I sort of taking over standard traffic. So we've been

00:21:08:18 - 00:21:21:04
Corin Cook
changing how we optimize articles and how we're found in AI and everything. And I think it's really helped. And our traffic is back up again this month. And I think it's just a testament to the work we've been doing.

00:21:21:04 - 00:21:24:05
Corin Cook
And just kind of the the extra push that Brian gives us.

00:21:24:05 - 00:21:34:19
Alex Winter
is there anything that helped that shift? Like was there a piece of content or something. Is it sounds like you were having fall off like a lot of people out there are. We even experienced that with this AI revolution.

00:21:34:19 - 00:21:43:17
Alex Winter
something that really, like, switched the game up for you and like, put you back into good standing from a search standpoint and from just like numbers and analytics?

00:21:43:17 - 00:21:56:13
Corin Cook
the we, we changed optimizing articles has really helped changing, how we structure paragraphs, how we integrate more, charts and visuals and just make it so much more visually

00:21:56:13 - 00:22:03:18
Corin Cook
digestible. I think that is super helpful. And I think that's going to continue to make our content better and better.

00:22:03:18 - 00:22:06:09
Corin Cook
I would say that's probably the number one thing right now.

00:22:06:09 - 00:22:12:19
Alex Winter
Very nice. Brian, what are you seeing? You know, as you're coaching them, that's that's been working really well. And that stands out in your mind.

00:22:12:19 - 00:22:30:15
Brian Casey
two things. One, I worked with Vin to do some performance technical updates to increase their performance, like their technical performance of their website, which I think is having a rising tide raises all boats. Affect like a lot of the top content is performing

00:22:30:15 - 00:22:35:06
Brian Casey
like it used to in one of the top spots, but it's getting more than it used to.

00:22:35:07 - 00:22:39:22
Brian Casey
So I think that is one of the pieces is like your your website is kind of this foundational piece.

00:22:39:22 - 00:22:54:17
Brian Casey
That depending on the performance of it could sink or rise your boat. And then I think the other piece is we talked about like how they are currently prioritize optimization. And we tried to create a strategy that

00:22:54:17 - 00:22:57:01
Brian Casey
was going to put us in a better position.

00:22:57:03 - 00:23:16:18
Brian Casey
So essentially we we instead of doing like a round robin, this one hasn't been touched in three years. Let's update it. It was more of a what's we're working. Well let's look in console. Look at let's look at these analytics platforms and identify where the where where are the places where we can make like small little jumps that would have a big impact on the amount of people finding us.

00:23:16:20 - 00:23:18:20
Brian Casey
And that has helped as well.

00:23:18:20 - 00:23:30:10
Alex Winter
Very nice. I want to ask this question. This is, I think, a relatable one. There's a lot of people that are out there watching and listening that are maybe at the start of their endless customer journey. Maybe they just read the book,

00:23:30:10 - 00:23:44:01
Alex Winter
and they're more curious. But what would you give for advice to marketing leaders that are either at the beginning of their journey or maybe they're stuck somewhere in the middle and they're trying to just master endless customers and help it out and help implement it in their business.

00:23:44:03 - 00:24:00:05
Corin Cook
I would definitely say you have to go all in. I kind of mentioned before, it's a big jump. It's a big time investment. It's a financial investment. But I think you have to fully commit to make it work. You can't really test the waters with it. So I would say like hire that content manager, hire that video producer,

00:24:00:05 - 00:24:01:07
Corin Cook
start with coaching.

00:24:01:07 - 00:24:09:18
Corin Cook
Because, you know, as I said over and over again, the coaches really are amazing. And with their guidance, this really does work.

00:24:09:20 - 00:24:11:12
Alex Winter
Thanks for we appreciate that, Gary. And

00:24:11:12 - 00:24:13:12
Alex Winter
that's really listening. And Brian for you, you.

00:24:13:12 - 00:24:14:15
Corin Cook
Didn't even pay me to say it.

00:24:14:16 - 00:24:17:12
Alex Winter
No we're not. This is unsolicited,

00:24:17:12 - 00:24:21:04
Alex Winter
Brian for for you for people out there that are watching and listening,

00:24:21:04 - 00:24:30:15
Alex Winter
it is a big investment. You know, Trent's talking about hiring at least two, maybe three people to your team that you maybe didn't budget for or whatever the case may be, because every business is a little different.

00:24:30:15 - 00:24:36:02
Alex Winter
do you say to those business leaders out there that are teetering on the idea of, like, do I really make this investment?

00:24:36:02 - 00:24:38:09
Alex Winter
Is there ROI in this watch? What should I do?

00:24:38:09 - 00:24:48:10
Brian Casey
feel like I'm a broken record, but like it comes back to how do you want to be perceived by the market? You're buying audience, and are you showing up the way that you want to?

00:24:48:10 - 00:24:50:22
Brian Casey
Do they perceive you the way that you want to?

00:24:50:22 - 00:24:54:04
Brian Casey
if it's a no to those answers, then you have to find some way to fix it.

00:24:54:07 - 00:25:03:08
Brian Casey
The path that we believe works, and we've seen work across any numerous industries, is creating content to be found

00:25:03:08 - 00:25:22:19
Brian Casey
that answers all of the questions that your buyers have, but also don't know that they should be asking. Integrating that into your sales process and if you have that mindset, then it's really like, do we want to just go in and follow this, or do we want to figure it out and see if we can do it on our own, which is a path that some people take?

00:25:22:19 - 00:25:38:07
Alex Winter
Building trust right now is the most important thing. We talk about this all the time. And Brian, you and I have had conversations about this, but the tools nowadays give our end users the ability to find exactly what they're looking for, see, hiding it or trying to be

00:25:38:07 - 00:25:43:09
Alex Winter
coveting your pricing or like whatever those, those tricks of the trade used to be like, that's that's a dying thing.

00:25:43:09 - 00:25:48:09
Alex Winter
And you really need to build trust and stick to the core principles of being transparent. I totally agree with you.

00:25:48:09 - 00:26:04:03
Corin Cook
you know, it's important to kind of to your point, Alex, to, to take those risks. Because along this journey with coaching, there have been some suggestions that impacts me that like, oh, do we really want to do that? Like a lot of companies are afraid to talk about pricing, a lot of companies are afraid to talk about,

00:26:04:03 - 00:26:06:05
Corin Cook
where their industry falls short.

00:26:06:07 - 00:26:10:08
Corin Cook
We've been starting to write some more industry disrupting content, which is where we're taking

00:26:10:08 - 00:26:23:12
Corin Cook
a harsher stance on parts of the industry that we work in that we might not necessarily agree with. And that can be scary. You could be worried about how you're perceived, but it's like those risks that are going to set you aside and build that trust.

00:26:23:12 - 00:26:28:01
Corin Cook
So I would just trust yourself in in taking those risks.

00:26:28:01 - 00:26:42:03
Alex Winter
Amen I totally agree, I love that. That's a great point. And it is a little scary. It is sometimes when you're putting yourself out there and maybe swimming against the tide like in your industry, everyone's going this way, but you're going to say something to disrupt it. It can be challenging. And

00:26:42:03 - 00:26:47:15
Alex Winter
to have the confidence and, and just put yourself out there, it's pretty amazing what what can happen.

00:26:47:15 - 00:26:51:01
Alex Winter
So great point. There's been a great conversation.

00:26:51:01 - 00:27:05:06
Alex Winter
Where at that point in the show, I wanted to just give you the chance to say what what's the one key takeaway current that for everyone out there watching, listening should, should from this conversation take back to their teams or take back to their desk and go like I need to.

00:27:05:06 - 00:27:07:09
Alex Winter
I need to do something ASAP.

00:27:07:09 - 00:27:17:05
Corin Cook
don't let the fear will hold you back. Take risks and and trust that the process will work. And if you if you put in the work, it will work.

00:27:17:05 - 00:27:20:13
Alex Winter
If you put in the work, it'll work. I love that we might have to steal that.

00:27:20:13 - 00:27:22:01
Alex Winter
Brian, how about for you?

00:27:22:01 - 00:27:25:04
Alex Winter
What's the one thing people should take away from this conversation in your mind?

00:27:25:04 - 00:27:37:01
Brian Casey
It comes down to how do you want to present yourself to your audience? And doing it in an authentic way. So if there are things that Barry Insurance believed, but they were scared of saying, that would be just a,

00:27:37:01 - 00:27:41:19
Brian Casey
break from them presenting themselves as they want to present themselves to the world.

00:27:41:19 - 00:28:05:14
Brian Casey
And it comes back to like putting yourself in the shoes of the buyer. That's what all of this is about, putting yourself in the shoes of the buyer, if it's something they care about, would impact their decision. Or that if they didn't know it, it would cause them potentially make a bad decision. Then we, as the companies that want to be the most known and trusted voices in our space, have somewhat of an obligation to say it and figure out how to say it.

00:28:05:14 - 00:28:12:12
Brian Casey
To take the risk. But do it. Yeah. You have to figure out how to do it. It's more of a how versus are we?

00:28:12:12 - 00:28:15:10
Alex Winter
Great point. This has been an excellent conversation. Thank you both for your time

00:28:15:10 - 00:28:21:10
Alex Winter
Brian. It's great to see you and Karen. Thank you for sharing the Berry story with us. And to our audience. We really appreciate it.

00:28:21:13 - 00:28:22:22
Corin Cook
Of course. Thank you so much.

00:28:22:22 - 00:28:28:14
Alex Winter
All right. Well, for everybody out there watching and listening. This is endless customers. I'm Alex, and we'll catch you on the next episode.

"

In some industries, trust is given freely. Insurance isn’t one of them. Many buyers approach it with skepticism, assuming their agent is holding something back, sharing details that work in their favor, or dodging the questions that matter most. 

That doubt can be a serious hurdle, especially when what you’re selling is something as personal and important as protecting someone’s home, car, or business.

Berry Insurance knows this reality well. But instead of trying to sidestep the skepticism, they decided to meet it head-on. With the guidance of IMPACT Coach Brian Casey and the Endless Customers System™, they built a marketing approach rooted in trust, transparency, and consistent communication. Transforming the way their community sees them.

They didn’t shy away from the hard questions. They answered them openly, even when it meant publishing information their competitors avoided. They put their team on camera, showing the people behind the brand. They made their buyers feel informed, not sold to.

What we covered in this episode went far beyond theory. 

Corin and Brian shared Berry Insurance’s full journey. From developing content that addresses real buyer questions and concerns, to embracing video as a way to show the human side of their team. Along the way, they navigated leadership buy-in, coaching, and the shift toward AI-driven search.

To understand why these strategies worked so well, you need to know where Berry Insurance started and how they transformed a century-old reputation into a modern marketing engine.

How does a century-old business embrace modern marketing?

Berry Insurance is a family-owned, independent agency in Franklin, Massachusetts, that’s been around for more than 100 years. Generations of customers have relied on them to protect what matters most, and that kind of longevity comes with a well-earned reputation for stability and community trust.

But even the most established businesses can’t survive on legacy alone. 

The way people buy, research, and choose services has changed dramatically, and Berry Insurance knew they had to evolve to keep up. That’s where Corin Cook came on board. She joined the team in 2019, bringing with her a background in journalism and public relations. That experience gave her a knack for storytelling and an instinct for asking the right questions, but digital marketing was a whole new ballgame.

“I had to learn digital marketing from the ground up,” Corin told me. And that’s exactly where coaching from Brian Casey made an immediate impact. He didn’t just hand her a checklist. He worked alongside her to build a deep understanding of SEO, the stages buyers go through before making a decision, and the strategies that would put Berry Insurance in front of the right people at the right time.

Keeping up with industry trends is a balancing act for any insurance agency. Some aspects of the business move at a glacial pace, with rules, regulations, and processes that have barely changed in decades. Other areas, like technology, online behavior, and marketing platforms, shift almost overnight. Brian’s guidance helped Corin navigate both realities, blending the company’s century-old commitment to service with modern tactics that meet today’s buyers where they are.

But learning the tactics was just the first step. The real challenge was staying sharp as the market shifted, which is where ongoing coaching became a catalyst for growth.

Why does ongoing coaching matter more than you think?

Even the most disciplined marketing teams can start to drift when they’re going it alone. Berry Insurance learned this firsthand when they took a short break from coaching. It wasn’t that they stopped caring about their marketing or content, but without that regular outside perspective, small gaps in strategy began to widen over time.

The turning point came when Corin attended IMPACT Live. Surrounded by peers, hearing from other companies implementing the Endless Customers System™, she started to see the shifts happening in real time. The biggest one? The rapid rise of AI in search and content creation. “The conference was a wake-up call,” she told me. “We were doing good work, but the landscape had changed, and we weren’t moving fast enough to keep up. We needed to get back into coaching to adapt and keep our momentum.”

Brian remembers that decision clearly. “Coaching isn’t just about tactics,” he said. “It’s about having an outside perspective to spot the opportunities you might miss and to challenge you to think differently about what you’re doing.”

That outside perspective became a catalyst. Coaching sessions brought fresh ideas they hadn’t considered, from small SEO adjustments to entirely new approaches for optimizing content so it would show up in AI-driven search results. It also gave the team a renewed sense of accountability. When you know someone will be reviewing your progress, it’s easier to keep priorities clear and momentum strong.

For Berry Insurance, returning to coaching wasn’t about fixing a broken system. It was about making sure a good system stayed sharp, responsive, and ready for whatever the next big change in marketing might be.

With a steady outside perspective keeping them focused, Berry doubled down on the single most important differentiator in their market: trust.

How can a distrusted industry go all in on trust?

Insurance has an image problem that’s been around for decades. Too often, people think of it as a world of fine print, hidden fees, and half-answers. Buyers expect to be sold to, not educated. That’s why Berry Insurance’s approach is so refreshing and so effective.

Instead of sidestepping the tough questions, they answered them head-on. They created articles and videos that tackled topics many insurance companies wouldn’t touch, from breaking down pricing to openly discussing common problems in the industry. When other agencies were busy polishing sales pitches, they were building a library of content designed to help buyers make informed decisions.

Corin summed it up perfectly: “Don’t let fear hold you back. If you put in the work, it will work.” That mindset is what allowed Berry Insurance to turn potential skepticism into genuine trust.

Strategies like this don’t survive without leadership that’s willing to embrace them. Berry Insurance’s owner, Kaitlyn Pintarich, didn’t just sign off on content marketing. She made it a company priority. She encouraged her team to be open, to share what they knew, and to take pride in educating customers. That meant everyone, from sales to service, understood why transparency mattered and how it could change the business.

Leadership buy-in is more than just a nice-to-have. It sets the tone for how the entire team approaches communication with customers. Without it, even the most promising marketing strategy can fizzle out. With it, like in Berry’s case, trust becomes a competitive advantage.

One of the most powerful ways they brought this transparency to life was through video. Putting real faces and voices in front of their audience.

Why did Berry Insurance add video to their strategy?

Berry Insurance’s marketing reached a new level when they brought a videographer on board. Up until then, most of their storytelling happened through written articles. The information was strong, but it lacked a certain human element. Video changed that completely.

Suddenly, prospective customers could see the faces behind the name. They could hear the tone of voice, notice the smiles, and feel the genuine care in the way the team spoke about their work. “It’s one thing to read about who we are,” Corin told me. “It’s another to watch us talk about what we do and why we care.”

Video also allowed them to show, not just tell. They could walk people through a coverage option, explain how a policy works, or share a quick tip for avoiding common mistakes, all in a way that felt personal and approachable.

Of course, adding video wasn’t without its challenges. It took time to integrate video into their existing content strategy. They had to decide when video should stand alone and when it should complement a written article. They also had to get comfortable with the fact that, like most content marketing, results wouldn’t be instant. It was a long game.

Over time, the payoff was clear. Video built a level of trust that text alone couldn’t achieve. It gave customers a sense of familiarity before they even picked up the phone. And in an industry where trust is often earned slowly, that kind of head start is powerful.

But transparency alone isn’t enough. You also have to deliver it in the formats and platforms your audience uses. That’s why Berry was quick to adapt when AI began reshaping the way people search for answers.

How is Berry Insurance adapting content for AI-driven search?

When artificial intelligence began reshaping the way people search for information, Berry Insurance saw another big shift coming. Instead of digging in their heels and clinging to old SEO habits, they decided to adapt.

We’re moving from keyword-focused optimization to thinking about how to be recommended by AI,” Corin explained. In practical terms, that means rethinking how content is created and presented. It’s not just about ranking for a search term anymore. It’s about becoming the source an AI assistant chooses to cite or recommend when a user asks a question.

This required a different kind of strategy. Articles had to be clear, concise, and directly answer specific buyer questions. Information needed to be structured in a way that AI could easily parse and understand. And above all, the content had to demonstrate authority and trustworthiness, because that’s what both search engines and AI systems look for when choosing what to recommend.

With Brian’s guidance, Berry Insurance began experimenting. They tested new formats, refined how they answered common questions, and made sure each piece of content was more than just relevant; it was complete, accurate, and easy to use. Some changes were small, like reworking headlines or improving page structure. Others were bigger, like producing entirely new resources designed for AI-friendly search.

Embracing these shifts early, Berry positioned themselves to remain visible in an environment where AI is increasingly the gatekeeper between businesses and buyers. They leaned into the change, making it work for them instead of against them.

By combining their trust-first approach, human connection through video, and forward-thinking AI strategy, Berry began to see measurable results.

What results has Berry Insurance seen?

When all the right elements come together (strong written content, authentic video, leadership that truly leads, and consistent coaching) the results speak for themselves. For Berry Insurance, this combination didn’t just keep them steady in a competitive market. It pushed them ahead.

Their website traffic climbed. Leads became more qualified. Even during periods when the insurance industry as a whole saw declines, Berry continued to grow. That’s the advantage of building trust through transparency. People didn’t just find Berry Insurance online. They stuck around, engaged with their content, and felt confident enough to reach out.

This wasn’t about chasing quick wins. The results were the product of years of consistent effort and a willingness to go where competitors wouldn’t. While many agencies avoided talking about cost, limitations, or industry flaws, Berry put those topics front and center. In doing so, they became the source buyers could rely on for straight answers.

Brian captured it in one line: “Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and have the courage to say what needs to be said.” When you operate from that mindset, you stop worrying about impressing search algorithms and start focusing on what will actually help people. 

For Berry, these results were proof that the principles of trust, transparency, and adaptation work in any industry. And here’s how you can put them to work for yours.

How to start building a reputation that lasts?

If you’re a business owner or marketing leader, Berry Insurance’s journey offers a clear blueprint for building trust and standing out in your market.

  1. Go all in. If you believe in the approach, don’t dabble. Hire the roles you need, whether that’s a videographer, content writer, or marketing coordinator. Commit to ongoing coaching so you stay sharp and up to date. Make transparency a cornerstone of your brand, not just a passing trend.
  2. Leadership has to lead. If the people at the top aren’t fully bought in, change won’t stick. Kaitlyn’s support at Berry Insurance wasn’t passive. She actively encouraged her team to create, to share, and to be open with their audience. That kind of example sets the tone for everyone else.
  3. Be bold. The questions your competitors avoid are often the ones your buyers most want answered. Address them openly. Talk about price. Discuss drawbacks. Share what people should watch out for. When you speak plainly about topics others sidestep, you build credibility faster.
  4. Adapt to the tools buyers use. Whether it’s traditional search engines, AI-powered recommendation systems, or whatever comes next, meet your customers where they are. That means paying attention to how people are finding information and adjusting your strategy to stay relevant.

Berry Insurance is committed to a long-term strategy that not only improves visibility but also makes them the kind of company people actively seek out. It’s a process built on consistency, trust, and the willingness to evolve.

As Corin put it, “Take risks and trust the process.” Over time, that approach creates more than just customers. It creates lasting relationships and a reputation that keeps people coming back.

Berry Insurance’s story is proof that even in industries with deep-seated trust challenges, a commitment to openness, consistency, and adaptation can completely reshape how buyers see you. By embracing the Endless Customers System™, they didn’t just update their marketing tactics. They built a culture of transparency that runs through every part of their business.

If there’s one thing to take away from their journey, it’s that success comes from showing up for your audience day after day with honesty, helpfulness, and the courage to answer the questions that matter most. That’s not a quick win, but it’s the kind of work that builds something far more valuable, a reputation that lasts.

How do you start building an AI-ready trust strategy for your business? Talk to our team about implementing the Endless Customers System™ and see how it can help you attract, engage, and earn loyalty from the buyers who matter most.

Connect with Corin Cook

Corin brings clarity and confidence to insurance conversations. With a background in journalism and public relations, she joined Berry Insurance in 2019 as the company’s first official Content Manager and now leads the marketing team. She creates content designed to help clients feel informed and empowered.

Check out Berry Insurance

Connect with Corin on LinkedIn

Keep Learning

FAQs

How do I earn trust in a skeptical industry?
Be transparent about pricing, address common problems openly, and create content that educates rather than sells.

How can I make my content AI-friendly?
Answer specific buyer questions clearly, structure information with headings and lists, and demonstrate authority through sources and accuracy.

What role does leadership play in trust-building?
Leaders must model transparency and actively encourage open communication across the company.

Why is video important for trust?
It creates personal connection, shows authenticity, and helps buyers feel they know you before the first interaction.

How do I know if coaching will help my marketing?
If your strategy isn’t evolving with buyer behavior, coaching provides the perspective, accountability, and expertise to keep you competitive