Every year around this time, I see it happen in agencies all over the country. Corporate rolls out some shiny new contest, a big bonus pool, or a trip dangled like a carrot on a stick. And suddenly, agency owners who should be laser-focused on their goals, their teams, and their bottom line, are sprinting off in a whole new direction.
Nine more auto policies this week. Fifteen more life apps this month. Twenty more widgets before the deadline. And what’s the reward? Not yours. Not your agency’s. It’s a pat on the back for some manager at the corporate office who gets to show off their “numbers” and maybe win themselves a cruise.
Meanwhile, you? You’re left exhausted, unbalanced, and often further behind than you started.
Let me ask you something: are you building your agency, or are you working overtime to build your corporate partner’s trophy case?
There’s a big difference.
When you let contests and corporate incentives dictate your moves, you’re playing their game, not yours. You’re chasing numbers that might not even align with your agency’s strengths, your client base, or your vision. You end up running harder but not necessarily in the right direction.
It’s like letting someone else grab the wheel while you pump the gas. Sure, the car is moving—but is it even headed where you wanted to go?
Contests are designed to stir up excitement and create momentum. And don’t get me wrong—sometimes they do exactly that. They can rally a team, create urgency, and spark short-term production. But here’s the dark side:
They distort priorities. Instead of focusing on long-term, profitable growth, you’re hammering out whatever widget corporate is screaming about this quarter.
They burn out staff. Producers can smell when they’re being driven toward a number that doesn’t benefit them. It’s tough to stay motivated when you’re not aligned with the “why.”
They create roller-coaster results. Production spikes during the contest, then crashes when the carrot is gone. That’s not sustainable growth—it’s whiplash.
They leave you hollow. You hit the goal, corporate throws a pizza party or a gift card, and then… what? Your agency is still right where it was before, except more tired.
The truth is, contests aren’t built for you. They’re built to make a regional manager look good to a VP. You’re just the middleman in someone else’s scoreboard.
The agencies that stand the test of time, the ones that grow into forces in their community and industry, aren’t built on contests. They’re built on the goals, vision, ambition, and drive of the owner. Period.
Great agencies are intentional. They know where they’re going and they make decisions based on their own scoreboard, not someone else’s.
When you strip it down, there are only a handful of things that matter in your agency:
Profitability, retention, client satisfaction, and growth that aligns with your goals
Notice what’s not on that list? Corporate bonus trips. A manager’s quota. The widget of the month.
Great agencies make their people feel like they’re building something lasting, not grinding for someone else’s prize.
You’ve got to decide which scoreboard you’re playing on.
Their scoreboard: Number of widgets by Friday. Hit the contest goal. Help your district manager look like a hero.
Your scoreboard: Are we profitable? Are my people happy and paid? Is my agency growing the way I want it to?
Those two scoreboards are rarely the same.
The crazy part? Most agents never stop to realize they’ve been playing on the wrong one. They think they’re chasing success when really they’re just chasing approval.
I’ve seen agents kill themselves to hit contest numbers and then brag about “winning.” But here’s the thing: if you’re running your agency ragged, cutting corners, or neglecting your long-term goals just to score points on someone else’s game board… you didn’t win. You lost.
Because while you’re celebrating the cruise you earned for your manager, you may have:
Let service slip with your existing clients.
Burned out your best producer.
Neglected prospecting in areas that actually matter.
Pushed products that don’t fit your market.
That’s not winning. That’s mortgaging your agency’s future for someone else’s recognition.
Real leadership means keeping your agency steady on your path—even when the noise of contests and carrots is loud.
It means saying no when the contest doesn’t line up with your strategy.
It means reminding your team what game you’re actually playing.
It means protecting them from burnout and distraction.
Look—there’s nothing wrong with celebrating when corporate dangles a reward that lines up with your goals anyway. But that’s the key: it has to line up. If it doesn’t, you’ve got to have the discipline to ignore it and keep building what matters.
You didn’t get into this business to be someone else’s sales mule. You got into it to build something that supports your life, your family, and your future.
That vision should be what drives your decisions every single day.
When you make choices based on contests, you’re putting your life’s work in the hands of someone who doesn’t live in your world. They don’t know your rent, your payroll, your community, or your goals. They just know their numbers.
And their cruise doesn’t pay your bills.
One of the fastest ways to throw your agency off balance is to let outside forces dictate your focus. Balance doesn’t come from chasing every shiny object corporate waves in your face. Balance comes from:
Sticking to your business plan. Measuring success by your goals. Saying no when the carrot doesn’t fit the meal you’re serving.
It’s amazing how much calmer, more productive, and more profitable an agency becomes when it operates with intentional focus instead of knee-jerk reaction.
Corporate contests and corporate incentives can be fun, but they’re not the foundation of a great agency.
If you want to build something that lasts, something that provides freedom and stability, you have to stop running on someone else’s hamster wheel.
Your agency needs to run based on your goals, your vision, your ambition, and your drive. Not the whims of a corporate manager chasing their own prize.
So the next time you see that shiny carrot dangled in front of you, stop and ask:
Does this get me closer to my goals—or just closer to theirs?
If the answer is “theirs,” then let it go. Build your agency your way. Chances are you can afford to see Rock of Ages and stay at a hotel on your own anyways... if you can't.. you shouldn't be chasing carrots anyway - you should be intentionally building your business how you need it to succeed.
That’s how the great ones do it.