During our much-anticipated annual Agent Roundtable event, our top agents always grow and learn — and the 2020 event took things to new heights. Agents from coast to coast joined us in Kansas City for a time of connection this September. After an in-depth session on financial and estate planning, this year’s event featured a candid and actionable agent panel, in which team members shared strategies for growth and how they expanded their teams.

With intentional planning for safe travels and a socially-distanced setting, our agents flew into Kansas City from around the country. Our unparalleled hosts at KC’s stunning new Loews Hotel, whose safety protocols ensured everyone stayed healthy and safe, provided an ideal setting for a fun and engaging 2020 Roundtable.

The second portion of the event, which followed our financial and estate planning session, was yet another testament to our leadership team’s genuine passion for helping the entire Tallgrass team thrive. While agents have the freedom and flexibility of being independent, no one ever flies solo. In that spirit, the second half of the Roundtable event featured a panel of thriving freight agents who discussed how they built a profitable book.

Moderated by co-owner and COO David Barnes, the panel included founder and CEO Damon Anderson and several other freight agents, each at varying stages of their career. The purpose of the session was to provide agents with insights and strategies of growth for building a powerful team. After all, even the upper echelon of success-hungry agents only have 24 hours in a day! This leads to the question: “If I want to continue advancing and developing my business, when will I need assistance? And how do I build my team the right way?”

During the panel, freight agents discussed how bringing on an assistant can help fuel business growth. The questions were honest, and the answers were transparent and candid. Calling upon their own experience, agents answered important questions, including:

● When is the right time to expand and hire an assistant?
● What day-to-day responsibilities would an assistant manage and how do they support sales efforts?
● How do you overcome challenges surrounding letting go and releasing responsibilities?
● What could the commission structure for an assistant look like?
● How do you identify, recruit and onboard a high-quality, trustworthy assistant?
● What common pitfalls can occur in hiring an assistant?
● In what ways can adding an assistant free up time and allow you to focus more on the aspects of the business you care about most?

The discussion dove into the specifics of hiring and onboarding an assistant, the type of ROI they can expect and a proposed commission structure for assistants. At the end of the day, agents were fully equipped with an action plan for hiring an assistant if and when the opportunity presents itself.

Even beyond increased earning opportunities, the panel shared honestly about how an assistant helped them restore work-life balance and find the freedom to unplug on occasion. Damon Anderson followed up with his own perspective on how building your team and adding assistance can provide more freedom to spend time with family, doing the things you love. He went on to share stories of prior family vacations where he spent more time focused on work than being present and building new memories with his kids. “At some point, you want to make sure you’re focusing on your quality of life,” he said. “It should be a big consideration.”

Are you ready to start a new chapter of your career? Looking for more strategies for growth? Want to be part of the 2021 roundtable as one of our top agents? Cultivate your future. Grow along with us. Learn more about joining our team today.