Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders, MBA - Interview with Rob Rickard, VP Senior Advisor Development Consultant with Simplicity InsurMark Discussing- How to Harness the Power of the

Episode Date: August 19, 2026

Rob have over four decades in sales and marketing within the securities, real estate and insurance industries. As a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company, managing partner of his own investment firm, past school board president and member of multiple boards, his track record and affiliations demonstrate a high level of professionalism, as well as providing advisors with unique viewpoints to every situation that might arise in the growth of your practice.His years in senior management with a national independent marketing organization gives Robe firsthand knowledge of the obstacles a producer encounters, as well as the steps to take in moving beyond them. His dedication to service is what sets him apart from other marketers. Accessibility, enthusiasm, and personalized service are my trademarks. In 2018, a hand-picked group of advisors were chosen to develop Advisor Mentorship Program (AMP) to link themselves to a network of successful advisors across the country and share best practices. This program helped our advisors double their production collectively as a group. In 2019, this same group of advisors grew their business an additional 25%., 2020, up 23%, 2021 up 24% and 2022 up 34%.If you are an independent advisor establishing a practice based on integrity, leadership, and growth, then a relationship with Simplicity InsurMark and his team should be on your immediate “to do” list. They are dedicated to you, the independent advisor, and everything they do is committed to making sure you have the resources and support necessary to provide the very best solutions to their clients, and their practice. Are you ready to catapult the business to the next level—and beyond? Then they invite to meet their team and customize a growth plan suited especially to you. At Simplicity InsurMark, it’s about people, it’s about relationships and it’s about the long-term. Give them a call, let’s learn more about each other and see if there.Learn more: http://insurmark.net/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-rob-rickard-vp-senior-advisor-development-consultant-with-simplicity-insurmark-discussing-how-to-harness-the-power-of-the-largest-imo

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of Influential Entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have back with this Rob Rickard, who's a VP and Senior Advisor, development consultant with Simplicity and Sure Mark. and we will be talking about how to harness the power of the largest IMO to grow your firm. Rob, welcome back to the program. Thank you, Mike. Glad to be back.

Hey, I enjoyed talking with you last time and you had some wonderful insights from your vast experience in the industry. So let's just dive right into this one. You know, I think a lot of times people don't want to mess around with people that are also rands or, you know, oh, they're good enough or that's fine. you know, I love here, we want to harness the power of the largest. So simplicity has become one of the largest. A, how did that happen? What's their vision? And then let's dive into how does an individual agent actually benefit from that large scale of firm?

Simplicity in some respect is kind of in a merger and acquisition mode, let's say. Many of these IMOs were independently owned organizations. that have been around for 30 or 40 years with the principles of those companies creating very strong enterprise programs. Their IMOs were very strong and have been weathering the storms very well. But then there comes to a time when they need to monetize that business that they built and because they're in their maybe 60s and 70s at this point in time, they want that to continue, but they're not in that same position mind.

to do so. So we were fortunate in this type of environment. Scaling is important, but the acquisition of IMOs by another entity consolidating of the industry has become very well known. And I look at that as a benefit in the respect that, you know, in our instance, we have a hundred plus IMOs that have been put under this simplicity umbrella, each one of those companies did something very, very well to keep them in the industry for so long and to make them interesting for a company to purchase. So when you step up and you say, I would like to learn more or maybe become part of the simplicity umbrella, you're not doing business with one IMO. you're doing business with over a hundred.

And that is where the benefit of scale really makes sense. We've got everything that we can possibly get that was working on all of these other entities that's now available to you under one umbrella. Yeah, that's a really, really great point. And, you know, it really just gets down into, you know, let's, I don't have time to waste. You know, and here's a top producer that looks at maybe. choosing or upgrading their IMO relationship. I don't have time to waste into the smaller ones.

I want the ones that have the largest reach. And the largest reach might bring some of those benefits that you just talked about. So I think that many times people just go, you know what, I'm just going to go to this one because they kind of tickled my ear with this little thing they said or that little whatever that they're providing. But you've got to look at the industry and longevity. And if you're big enough to start acquiring, you're a big machine. and I think that's something really, really to think about. So talk about a little bit more about these enterprise level resources because I think that sometimes an agent would hear,

oh, we have XYZ or we provide PDQ. What about these enterprise level resources? And when I hear the word or see the phrase enterprise level, that means that it's like something that only an elite level of organization has access to. I think in some cases it's going to be, you know, we can have exclusive products, proprietary products that are only available through simplicity. That's one of the areas. But I think it also comes into the effect that, yes, I've got a CRM, but maybe we move into a different level of CRM. So the technology, the tech stack of the organization in today's marketplace becomes an incredible value that needs to be looked at.

And is that tech stack a static tech stack or is it always being upgraded? So you're looking at a company that is continually investing in their practice to acquire other companies, but more importantly, to take all these individuals that are now under this umbrella and they're very responsible that we've got to provide these services at a far larger dynamic level than before. You know, our case management team has to be more reactive. Our marketing department, you know, way back when in the beginning, you know, an advisor would call and say, hey, Rob, I need some marketing help. And kind of jokingly, we might have two or three guys in the back of the office and we'd go back to them and get some ideas.

Our marketing department in simplicity right now will rival any major organization, any Fortune 500 company. We have, oh, between 85 and 110 individuals in this marketing department, then they're now working for you. Again, goes back. What do you need? And they will develop if they don't have it. But, you know, the marketing is incredible.

The training, which I brought up in our previous interview, is very, very important in a program like this because we have thousands of agents now and we're attracting new agents to this. enterprise. So there has to be a platform to make them successful. So we've taken that responsibility in that side. And then again, let's go back to the ADC. It's very, very important that your ADC be just as dynamic as the company. Is he sharpening his saw, am I doing additional training to create better values for you when we talk to you. Have I brought on board individuals that maybe have advanced degrees in certain things that have the ability to help you build an agency, not only understand

an agency, but actually step forward and through our business developer, find people to put into your agency. What are we doing that is different than your current relationship? That's what you're looking for. You know, I think that when you look at the phrase, you know, hey, you can get enterprise level resources while allowing you to remain independent. What's the significance of that phrase? Because I know that if you work for a captured, you know, name, big name, whatever, you can only offer certain things and maybe your hands are tied and you're limited. But so being independent is the power, the freedom. But what are some of those aspects when you're still able to offer and access those enterprise level of resources.

From our viewpoint, you're still the boss. You are the individual. And I look at it in some degree. Are you an insurance agent in the insurance industry, or are you running an insurance business in the insurance industry? Our attitude is you're running a business. Do you know how to run a business? So what we've brought to you is the ability to back down, whether you're running the car dealership down the street or your practice in the insurance industry, there are certain things you must do to run a business.

So we're going to take that on and help you understand that. So I look at it one way. We blueprint many practices. We dissect that practice to the end's degree. We find out what you're doing very well. maybe what you're not doing so well, or maybe there's even areas you haven't even considered. We help create that blueprint,

showing you, you know, one of the statements we say, we meet you where you are, and we help you get to where you want to be. And so we create that blueprint process to get you to where you want to be. And now here's where the difference is. We don't just give that back to you.

That's ours now. You're the captain of the ship. You've now put that back in our responsibility, it becomes part of my job as your ADO, your ADC in this marketplace, to implement what we have created together so that we can get you where you want to go. So I think that's one of the biggest things is,

is your consultant in a position from an educational standpoint to help you create and run your business? And I feel that with my term in this industry. I've got that, yes. I was going to say, like if you in your position were fresh out of college and you had some great ideas, that's fine. But what foundation does an agent have to rely on that? But with you and 40 years of experience, you can come on board and say, let me show you what we've got. And I'm going to pick this from here and that from here.

And we're going to create that blueprint. Not only are we going to create the blueprint, I'm going to hold you accountable in a kind and loving and professional way. But I'm going to make sure that this works for you because we want to see you grow. Well, and we do a constant re-evaluation of this. This is, again, not a static blueprint. So when we meet on a quarterly basis to review where we were supposed to be right now and we're not there or well above that, again, this is your business. And so we will work out together what corrections or direction changes we need to make. The other thing I wanted to point out, because it is at my point.

I'm one of the senior guys age-wise in this organization. So, yes, I've been around for a long time in the business world and the financial markets and et cetera. But I also have those younger individuals that are more attuned to what's maybe going on today in technology and in that respect. So you need to find a team that has the experience, but also the energy. and that energy is having someone run outside, hit the brick wall, come back in and say, well, that wasn't the right thing to do. We're going to go on a net. They don't stop.

They just don't stop. So in our organization, the energy level is very high. And I hate to say this, but when growing up, my father said, it's very important that you have somebody on your team that is wrong 100% of the time. Yeah. They, you know, you always will ask their opinion. and in whatever opinion it is, don't do it. I have the advantage that I've got a lot of these guys that have great ideas and run out and fail, but at least they're running out and trying things.

And that's where I think our strength will be. Yeah, yeah, I love it. So you've talked about some of the specialized teams and support and technology and marketing and practice management. I want to touch on how that helps an agent compete with a larger firm. and along that really have you articulate, because it makes me think of this, it's one thing to have that in your back pocket and know that you can rely on it as an agent,

but I feel like one of the opportunities would be how do you advise agents to communicate or display this power to their prospects and clients? Because if all that happened was, I'm going to be doing my business the same way I've always been doing it, but know that I can tap into all of this power. But isn't there an additional power when you are promoting that in the market?

It is. And again, the value that I see in this is I'm going to be able to share with you how to present a lot of this stuff. And one of the things I like to do is simplify, take things down from that high level of technology and big work. and make it an understandable concept that the consumer can, I guess, rationalize. I guess one of the ways I look at it is we're selling an intangible. You can't go out and touch it. You know, it doesn't exist anywhere else other than in the faith world of such, you know, whereas if I'm going to sell you a set of tires, I can go touch it, smell it, and feel it.

I have to turn something that is, you know, intangible into tangible. So as an example, what is an annuity? An annuity is insurance. So I give the example that, you know, I have two boys as they were growing up. I would send them out in the backyard to rake leaves into a pile. And they'd rate those leaves into a pile. Then they'd come in and I'd say, well, the wind just blew and moved them all around. Can you go put them back into a pile?

And they would do that. they come back in and I'd say again, you guys got to do something here. The wind keeps moving that pile around. Go put it back into it. Finally, someone will say, can we throw a tarp over it? That's an annuity. Let's protect what we've accumulated in a life from the wind that blows in the financial markets. Taking this concept and simplifying it will be a big change in the performance of your sales. So that's one of the areas I'd look at. Huge. Love it. So let's wrap up with this. If an agent joins simplicity, Shermark right away,

what are some of the capabilities that they would have access to day one that might have taken a lot of years to build on their own and if they did rely on building it on their own might never have been built at all? I go back to one of the taglines or statements that we make.

Systems work, people fail. So we have developed a number of systems that are proven now And we're not just testing them to see if they work. They are proven to work. So we're putting systems in place rather than everybody just kind of doing their own thing. Again, we mentioned the AMP program, the advisor mentoring program, bringing in other successful talent to share and to help others raise the ships, you know, performance in that aspect. The training.

Do you have a IMO that is willing to invest in your practice? Do they have a marketing reimbursement program? Are they putting money in there to help you grow your sales? Because, again, we know what happens. We all share in that growth. The last thing, though, I would look at is one of the strengths that we offer in this organization, it's called an equity participation program. The size and strength of our organization is based solely on the advisors that we have in the organization.

We pull the advisors away, our organization cannot function. So what is a typical IMO doing to reward you in some respect for the fact that you're the engine that's growing their practice or their enterprise? So in our situation, you as an advisor have the opportunity to participate in the equity growth of simplicity. This is something I would reach out to, again, myself, to get further details on. but it does dramatically change you from being an absolutely independent practicing organization, but you now are participating in this humongous, I call it guerrilla in the marketplace that you are now part of financially as well as from a practice standpoint. So those are some of the things I'd look at.

That's a really big piece, that equity ownership aspect, and we don't need to get into huge detail there, but I feel like when you are working, with an agent to look at the future, it is so much more than just look at these tools and features and benefits and I'll be there to help you. But when you can have some added layer of, you know, capital improvement and benefit that way, that just really might be that icing on the cake. So Rob, this has been, I want to add one more piece here. And I failed to bring this up, I guess. Simplicity in Shermark, we don't categorize ourselves as an eye. We are an ADO, and we're the only ADO in the industry today.

An ADO is an advisor development organization. An IMO is basically a product entity and a marketing organization. Well, we've got every product that you could possibly have, again, due to the size that we are. And as I alluded to our marketing department is huge. We are focused on you, the agent. And that's why I say, where you are to, today, tell us where you want to be tomorrow, and we will help develop a process to make that happen. We're focused on you, not on product, not on marketing. We're focused on you, the agent.

So that would be the last point I would bring up. Yeah, I love it. Well, Rob, this has been really eye-opening. And if someone is interested in learning a little bit more and reaching out and connecting with you, what's the best way they can do that? I would go to the Insuremark website, Shermark.net, and that's I, in Shermark is, I-N-S-U-R-M-A-R-K dot net, or just reach out to me, 800-752-0-207, and just ask for Rob. Rob, thank you so much for coming back on. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you again. Thanks for the time, Mike. Appreciate it.

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