A company is only as good as its values and mission. Fortunately, here at Ritter, we have five core values that keep us grounded.
Our ASG Podcast host, Sarah J. Rueppel, chatted with Ritter’s West Director, Jason Meyers, on the five core values of our partner, Integrity, that help us achieve our mission of helping agents help their clients.
To hear the complete interview between Sarah and Jason, listen to the full episode:
Since Ritter Insurance Marketing became one of Integrity Marketing Group’s partners in 2022, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about what that means for agents partnered with us and for Ritter as a field marketing organization. [Let’s take] a closer look at the core values of Integrity Marketing Group, how they align with Ritter’s values, how we apply them to our lives, and how agents can do the same.
The first [core value] is integrity, and that’s really about people. From our incredible employees and partners [to] their clients, we really want everyone to have a voice.
You want everybody covered because when [they] have [the right coverage], you get overall better health outcomes.
Yeah, absolutely. There [are] a lot of similarities between the insurance broker and the client. If we harken back to [my previous job industry of] radio — that really served as a reflection of the community. We made the voices of the community and their music come out of the speakers, whether you were at work or in the car or on the beach.
There is definitely correlation in what we do in insurance, connecting community and bringing people together.
A lot of executives that [I’ve] worked with … they refer to it as people helping people.
That goes along with leadership and how you want your company to be. In the way that Craig Ritter leads our company, the choices that he makes, and the way that he leads his life, that then trickles down into our organization.
I started with Ritter about 10 years ago … They brought me in; they made me feel very welcome and part of something bigger from the start. It’s just amazing how much we’ve grown together.
It sounds a little hokey when you say, “Oh, become part of the family,” but I felt a very different vibe here … I just wanted to work with a team, and I was absolutely blown away … Joining Integrity [has] been seamless as far as still getting that same feeling.
It was a great fit … I really do think that insurance is a people business. Like you said, Sarah, it’s a family business. It thrives on face-to-face conversations, trust building, [and] transparency, which is why [even] with all the new technology, I’d say our industry is going to remain built on a foundation of person-to-person interactions around that kitchen table.
So, family — very integral part of the entire process [and the second Integrity pillar]. I don’t think [person-to-person interactions are] going anywhere anytime soon.
No doubt. So, let’s talk a little bit about service. When we joined Integrity, we all received two full days of paid time off for volunteering. They support every employee who wants to spend time serving their community, and I’m really excited about the new Integrity Foundation that was just announced … that’s going to help us serve even more communities around the nation with programs for kids and seniors and underserved segments.
That’s amazing because it gives us the ability to go and do, which is what service is all about.
I remember back to my bar mitzvah [when] Rabbi Herscher taught the concept of shining your light. In Hebrew, it’s tikkun olam, which means repairing the world. That’s rooted in making the world a better place through tzedakah — charity, good deeds, responsible action … Our [Ritter Scottsdale] team visited assisted living homes with our agents. We would go and we’d play bingo. We’d deliver coffee. We started the Ritter Cares charity brand back in the day.
The second to last [pillar] is respect, [which is] earned through merit and through action. It’s important as an agent to show respect to your client no matter what situation they’re in. I was an agent for many years … and I know firsthand what it was like to visit a mansion in the morning and a very low-income housing project at night.
There [was] a couple that I visited [in their seventies who] were hoarders, and they suffered from mental illness. I had no idea about this walking into the appointment … Clearly, they were afraid to leave the house. We did the needs analysis [and found] that [they had] a sizable amount of cash save[d]. I could have easily sold them a critical illness policy or a guaranteed issue life product. But instead, I just sat there; we chatted, visited for a while, and then I left. They didn’t really need anything from me other than some respect and some companionship.
With respect, it doesn’t cost anything to be kind. You can talk with them; you can answer their questions. It doesn’t cost anything to do that, and it might not seem like it is that big of a thing to you, but to that person, that could be everything.
Build it into your day. When I was an agent at Bankers, we had to make 20 appointments a week. And if we were lucky, we went to see five or six of them and close two or three. So, you build that into your workflow where you know you’re going to be just visiting with someone maybe for one or two of those appointments.
You don’t want to be the agent that this person is telling somebody about one or two years down the road that didn’t listen to them, didn’t make them feel respected, look down on where they lived, that kind of thing … You have to plan the way that you do business around their needs out of respect for them as a person.
Yeah. [Let’s] talk about partnership, which is the last core value. I think that means different things to different people, too. What I’ve learned here at Ritter is [that] it means that our core values are really aligned with all our other Integrity partners … I love how each of the partners has been able to maintain their own brand identity and bring their own value to the collective Integrity family.
It’s really this idea that we can all do more and serve people … It goes back to that phrase, tikkun olam, which is repairing the world.
How do [these pillars motivate] agents?
I think it’s leading by example and … helping people have access to the quality care that they deserve. We’re not just selling a policy. We’re brokering somebody into a plan that they need to help them improve their quality of life.
Reviewing the core values again… integrity, family, service, respect, and partnership. Those are the values that you’re going to see throughout all our partner organizations… working together. I think we’re having a massive impact, and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings.
To catch the rest of the rich conversation between Sarah and Jason, listen to our full podcast episode. You’ll learn more about Jason’s and Sarah’s personal and professional history, how to stay motivated, how the pandemic changed selling insurance, how these core values play out in everyday life, the role of AI, and more!
Take the next step in your career as an agent by joining an FMO that upholds the five values of integrity, family, service, respect, and partnership. Register with Ritter for free!
Editor’s Note: This post is based on an episode from our ASG Podcast. We have modified content from the original recording. To listen to the full episode, visit RitterIM.com/podcast.
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