Employee Spotlight: Dennis John Powers – Technologist

Here at Inszone, one of our missions is to make sure that every employee is appreciated, acknowledged, and recognized for their achievements. This Employee Spotlight series aims to celebrate success and highlight the talented individuals we have at Inszone, Cover Cannabis, and California Pool Association. Each month we’ll be featuring Inszone employees on our website, blog and social accounts.

Dennis Powers is a Senior Commercial Insurance Specialist at Inszone Insurance Services, joining the team in 2021. With over 27 years in the insurance industry, Dennis Powers began his career as a private investigator in insurance fraud and later worked as a multi-line claims adjuster focused on workers’ compensation. A graduate of Western Illinois University with a degree in Criminal Justice, he holds industry designations including ARM, AIC, SCLA, and CPCU. Now specializing in the home health care sector, Dennis provides tailored insurance solutions to help clients manage risks and control costs effectively. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, playing golf, riding his Peloton, collecting sports cards, and watching horror films, with Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, and Jaws among his favorites.

When asked to share some words about Dennis, Amy Heiatt, who is Inszone’s Executive VP of North American Health Care Practice Leader, said, “We are very fortunate to have a highly specialized and talented group of colleagues that make up the Health Care Liability vertical, and Dennis is an integral part of our culture and success.

Dennis is an excellent example of the demeanor, dedication, drive, and discipline it takes to be a collaborative team member and successful producer. I would love everyone at Inszone to know him like his colleagues do, as a knowledgeable and passionate insurance professional, whose top priority is building strong and lasting relationships with clients and colleagues. He leads by example, exceeding expectations, every time.

Dennis always offers his support and is the first one on the team to share a story or experience. He also brings a special sense of mentorship and camaraderie to the team. You can count on him to provide thoughtful insight or interject levity when needed (queue the movie one liners…” You talking to me? – Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver”). He is truly the type of colleague you want, need, and appreciate having on your team. Dennis, thank you for everything you do every day to contribute to the Health Care Liability vertical and to Inszone’s overall success.

Congratulations on the well-deserved recognition, and from everyone on the team, a heartfelt thank you!”

To get to know more about Dennis, we asked him a couple of questions about him and his time in the insurance world:

Q: What initially brought you to the insurance industry?

A: I was born in Chicago, and I would be the kid that ran up and waved to police officers, so I went to school and got my degree in Criminal Justice.  Midway through college while doing ride along for a semester with a local police department, they had 3 job openings with 1100 applicants, so I knew midway through school it was going to be tough to find a job as a police officer.  I pivoted and did a semester long paid internship that turned into a career after college as a licensed private investigator specializing in insurance fraud, primarily workers compensation.   I had a van with tinted windows, a tripod, video camera and a lens about a foot long and spent a good year following people all over the East and Southeast while easily working 90 hours a week because my days were 5AM to 7PM, six days per week.   The company wanted me to move to Georgia, so I started interviewing and I had a job offer to work undercover at Motorola and bounce around from plant-to-plant reporting on drug use and employee theft.   My mom worked in Human Resources for Kemper Insurance, so I was familiar with insurance, and I also had a job offer to work for an insurance carrier investigating fraudulent claims, so I took the 9 to 5 job just to have a normal life.    I was hired by a large insurance agency in the area as a Claims Advocate which required me to get my P&C license and I was being brought out to see prospective clients with them selling my advocacy services so I decided to take the plunge and go into sales in 2008 for Liberty Mutual direct, which led me to Lamb, Little & Co. in 2009 and I have been selling ever since.

Q: In what ways do you think your unique background or experiences contribute to your success in your role?

A: I am going to tie these two together.    When I started in sales with Liberty Mutual, my goal was to use my 15 years of experience in claims to try to speak to prospectively in a different way than most agents did.   I focused on things such as their open claims and their experience rating worksheets and tried to drive a wedge between me and the incumbent agent by focusing on the key reason anyone buys an insurance policy: to pay and handle claims. So, I was having success when I could get in front of a prospective client, but I was relying on having to cold call to get in front of somebody and I was really struggling like most others to get the decision makers on the phone.   So, I decided the best way to get in front of potential new clients was to offer educational seminars that I started to do with the local Chamber of Commerce, and I found myself getting in front of decision makers or people that could introduce me to decision makers. Back in 2010, I did a work comp presentation at a local occupational health clinic, and I met an owner that owned a Home Health Care agency, and he became a client and introduced me to others and a few years later, I went all in with my focus on home healthcare.

Q: What do you think sets you apart, and how does it benefit your team and clients?

A: I am still willing to get down and dirty and cold call and get in front of strangers when we exhibit and start a conversation.   I try to have fun on the phone or in person and be myself either way.    I am not pushy either way and try to dig information out of the prospects that I can use then or later to try to open the door to quote.    I’ve invited others to listen to my calls or be at a booth with me to show them my approaches.

Q: Who has been the biggest influence or mentor in your life, and what valuable lessons have you learned from them?

A: I really haven’t had a one-on-one mentor since I got into sales but earlier in my career, I worked for an agency run by two brothers and my experience there really showed me all the wrong ways of trying to land a sale, so I think I would flip the script on this question.  One brother oversaw all the producers, and he would teach them tactics to get sales such as doctoring loss runs, presenting to a prospect without actual quote from an insurance carrier, hoping the carrier could back into their numbers, having clients pay their own claims, leaving locations off policies, etc.    I went home one night and told my wife that I had to leave there and went to another agency that brought me in as their Claims Advocate and saw a very different and normal approach to writing new business.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career so far, and what did it teach you?

A: Getting my CPCU designation in one year which meant devoting all my free time to do so, thankfully when our son was a baby, where I was able to study when he slept.    I really learned how to focus during that year which has helped me with other larger quoting opportunities.

Dennis, your expertise and dedication have been key in helping our clients manage risks and control costs. We appreciate your commitment to delivering tailored insurance solutions and look forward to continued success together!