Ep. 246: Deborah “Deb” Smallwood: Strategy Meets Action

Spot On Insurance

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Deborah “Deb” Smallwood is the Founder and Senior Partner at Strategy Meets Action (SMA), a ReSourcePro company. SMA is a strategic advisory business that provides consultation services, market research, and solutions to help clients make informed decisions about their companies. She is recognized as an industry thought leader and advisor to insurers on digital transformation strategies. Before founding SMA, Deb was the Chief Transformation Officer at Insurance Company of the West.

Deb joins us to discuss how the pandemic exposed every industry's digital weaknesses and the investments companies should make for 2022. She describes how the Great Resignation affects various industries and how we can improve the way insurance jobs are marketed to young people. She explains her role as Senior Partner at ReSourcePro and her exit strategy before they sold SMA. Deb also shares advice to professionals who are doubting their capabilities as talents in the industry.

"If you have clarity about where you're going and what's important to your customers and operations, you put a new lens to prioritize." - Deb Smallwood

Today on Spot On Insurance:

• What it was like growing up in New Hampshire
• The leadership qualities Deb cultivated in school
• Being a female leader in a male-dominated industry
• The growing opportunities in insurance
• What made Deb leave corporate and pursue entrepreneurship
• How the industry changed and stayed the same since she became an entrepreneur
• Texting and how it innovated the way claims are made
• What Deb observed with various businesses when the pandemic began last March
• How the industry is dealing with the Great Resignation
• Making the insurance industry an attractive employment destination to students
• Crucial 2022 investments strategies insurance companies should take now
• Deb's role as Senior Partner at ReSourcePro
• Having an exit strategy as an entrepreneur
• What the average SMA client looks like and the conversations Deb has with them
• Deb's advice to professionals in insurance

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone, regardless of their role, has to understand some level of technology.
• The pandemic exposed how non-digital we really were.
• Texting is transforming customer relationships and claims with claims adjusters.

Connect with Deb Smallwood:

• Strategy Meets Action
• Strategy Meets Action on LinkedIn
• Deb Smallwood on LinkedIn
• Email: dsmallwood@strategymeetsaction
• Phone: [phone]

This episode was brought to you by…..

Insurance Licensing Services of America (ILSA), America’s Premier Insurance Compliance and Licensing experts. To learn more about ILSA and their services, visit ILSAinc.com.

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