Declaration of Independents: Ryan Murdie

Ryan Murdie

Director of Marketing
The Northwoods Corporation
Williamsville, New York

Newly licensed at age 19, Ryan Murdie planned to sell insurance to all his friends. He was sure he’d have a competitive edge among the young demographic—but “learned just how important qualifying a prospect was,” he recalls. Those friends owned nothing but student loan debt.
Just eight years later, now-seasoned Murdie manages the 11-person marketing department of Northwoods, a group of 28 independent insurance agencies located throughout New York.

PHILOSOPHY?

Independent agents have a tremendous amount of responsibility to do right by their customers, their carriers and, most important, their community. I specifically remember a former client of mine asking, “Can’t you just say my son isn’t in the household anymore?” We, of course, didn’t do that—and lost the business. One of my group’s long-standing mottos is, “You can’t fit square pegs in round holes.”

JOB SATISFACTION?

We assist agents with expense management and perpetuation planning. So often, agents are extremely successful selling, but struggle to maximize that success when it comes to managing people and servicing a book of business. My goal is to find like-minded agents who strive under our model. It takes a certain level of compassion to be successful. Combine that with the entrepreneurial spirit that’s at the core of the industry, and it’s led me to some of the best and brightest people.

MOTIVATION?

I am one of 10 children. In such a large family, you learn early on that you need to work hard to get what you want. I also take a lot of pride in my work, and I am competitive to a fault. I’m always striving to be the best at what I do.

MENTOR?

At 19, I didn’t know enough to know that I didn’t know everything. Tony Vecchiotti, our vice president of marketing, gave me purpose, direction and some wisdom—mostly through his various stories. Through many successes and failures, I have worked my way up in the organization thanks to Tony’s patience and guidance.