USI Insurance Services

USI is a leading national insurance brokerage and consulting firm delivering customized employee benefit, property and casualty, personal risk, and retirement solutions throughout the United States.

Employee Benefits Consultant 

Lake Washington Human Resource Association

Board Member

MarCom Chair

Employee Benefits Planning Association (EBPA)

Western Pension & Benefits Council

Board Director at Large

LTC Solutions, Inc.

Vice President - Business Development

Business Development

University of Washington

Fundraiser

Me in 90 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p42NJ6V5Zk


Ryder Kimmes

I help Benefit Advisors and HR Leaders streamline manual actuarial processes through software and consulting ➕ I help Employee Benefit Pros increase revenue through coaching and GTM Advisory.

twelve years ago, i was running grain elevators in rural south carolina.

$34,000 a year. 90 hours a week. no leverage, no upside, no path out.

linkedin changed my life.

it took me from manual labor → to the insurance business → to partner in a company i helped scale and sell → to head of sales for multiple high-growth teams → to running a portfolio of multi-six-figure businesses built on writing, relationships, and human-first selling.

i’m not special.
i just learned how to show up online in a way that builds trust, connection, and inbound opportunities at scale.
now, that’s what i help other people do.

today i’m the founder & principal of tillirson consulting group, the co-founder of red flag writing collective, and president of the board at pathways to healing.

i’ve spent the last decade inside carriers, enrollment firms, and benefits tech companies from pre-seed to fortune 500, which means i understand this ecosystem from every angle.

how i support businesses:

• group training for revenue teams who want predictable pipeline from simple, authentic outbound
• fractional revenue leadership for benefits vendors & brokerages with ~$0–$75m in annual revenue
• mastermind-level writing & social sales programs for people who learn best together
• keynote speaking on modern sales and resilience

outside the office, i’m a dad, a tattoo enthusiast, a multi-instrumentalist, and a community volunteer.
i live in forest acres, sc with my wife brianne, my boys jack and george, and our dog doc holliday.

if you’re here because you want to grow — your pipeline, your brand, or your confidence — you’re in the right place.

𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: 803.727.5620
𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: sims@tillirsonconsulting.com

Sims Tillirson

Amanda Volner, SFC® is the kind of leader I want to be when I grow up. 

she paid her own way into one of my social sales cohorts almost two years ago. 

then she was instrumental in bringing me to NYC to train her whole sales team. 

and yesterday, she brought me in again to train a fresh class of new hires. 

why do I think this is awesome? 

she leads from the front and practices what she preaches (actually putting up bigger post impression numbers than I am some weeks) 

she invests in herself and her team (and doesn’t wait for her company to do it for her) 

leaders like Amanda make my job easy 

thanks for having me A!

giving you permission to be real AF | founder | non-profit board chairman | keynote speaker

No alternative text description for this image

when I was making $30,000 a year, I thought $50,000 would finally make me happy.

then it was $100,000.

then $250,000.

then $500,000.

every time I hit the next number, I felt the same. like I still hadn’t made it.

took me way too long to realize I wasn’t chasing money.

i was chasing time.

time to lift.
time with my boys in the morning.
time to build a business I actually like.
time to be a human instead of a calendar.

i’ll probably never hit 7 figures with this approach.

but I get about 6 hours a day with my kids and still run a business that pays the bills and then some.

that feels like making it to me.

i’ve generated $150k+ per year from LinkedIn for the past 4 years. 
these are the 6 DM styles I use to make money.

1. thanks for engaging

when someone new engages with my content, i reach out with a text based DM and thank them. 

"thanks so much for the love on my post this morning. means the world to me."

2. find this valuable

when i see a cool piece of content, i share it with someone i think will find it valuable via a text based DM. my take on the value based follow-up.

"sims, saw this podcast about social sales and thought you'd appreciate the sections about reducing CAC and increasing LTV through content"

3. viewed your profile

when an ideal prospect views my profile, i reach out with a text based DM to ask how i can help.

"thanks so much for swinging by, sims. anything i can do to help?" 

4. valuable intro

when i think of two people in my network that could help each other, i intro them with a text based DM.

"sims, reaching out to introduce you to tim. you posted recently about looking for a new rolex, and tim has a great dealer. i'll let you two take it from here."

5. soft sell

when a prospect connects with me, but i'm not ready to sell them yet, i send an audio or video based DM to introduce myself.

"sims, thanks so much for connecting with me. just reaching out to introduce myself ... if i can add value for you in anyway ... you can reach me here."

6. hard sell

when a prospect (who is already connection) is ready to be sold, i send an audio or video based DM with a strong POV about a problem i believe they're experiencing and the solution i'm proposing.

use Problem, Agitate, Solution framework for SMB to MidMarket

use Trigger, Problem, Solution CTA framework for larger accounts with available research. 

most of you didn't read this far, but those of you who did will make some money with these DM styles.

i haven’t cut my own grass in six years.

not a flex. just the truth about how I think about time.

i charge $500 per hour for my work.
carlos charges me $100 to keep my yard alive.

that math is easy.

if someone can do something as well as me or better than me and it costs less for them to do it, i outsource it.

here are a few things I happily hand off:

→ yard and housework
→ haircuts
→ taxes

and here are the things I will never outsource:

→ writing
→ prospecting
→ every touch with a prospect or client

in a world where everyone is trying to automate their personality, the fastest way to stand out is to keep the human parts human.

cold outreach is hard right now.
but it gets a whole lot easier when your voice is actually your voice.

one thoughtful human touch will beat 100 automated ones every time.

what is one thing you will never outsource?

ChatGPT after listening to y’all’s problems all day.

i used to finish a full day of work by lunch. everything after that was just pretending to be busy.

most jobs don’t care about output. they care that your ass is in a chair for eight hours.

in my first corporate role, i could finish my work in four hours. the rest of the day was for fun.

me and a buddy once put googly eyes on every stapler, mug, keyboard, and mouse in a whole section of cubicles. i even sent an email that made everyone’s cd drive pop open no matter how many times they closed it.

leadership didn’t care. as long as you sat there for eight hours, you were a “good employee.”

hours > outputs. that was the rule.

but i’ve always believed the opposite.

give me the person who finishes in four hours with energy left in the tank, not the person dragging out eight just to look busy.

the world is split between people who worship time spent and people who care about what gets done.

i know which side i’m on.

i’m trying to create little moments of joy everyday instead of waiting for happiness to find me. 

these are my favorite little joys from yesterday: 

- the warmth of the sunshine against the cool air

- a homemade americano 

- playing the piano and singing for 2 hours straight 

- running through the leaves with my kids

- the housemade hot sauce I had with my tacos al pastor at the local spot

can’t wait to see what little joys I find today

this is what a ceo looks like.

hat on.
tattoos showing.
sending video DMs from a morning walk. 

if this is who’s buying,
why are you still pitching like it’s 2013?

cold calls and templates might reach our inbox.
but authenticity gets our attention.

the modern buyer wants humans,
not scripts.

(and yeah, I actually run two companies and serve as the chairman of the board for a nonprofit)

today i’m most thankful for the haters who always had a story about who i’d become.

kids in my hometown said i’d never leave.
industry peers said my big years were luck.
teachers said i’d never make money as a writer.
coworkers said i’d never be leadership material.
founders said a service business would never scale.

turns out they were right about one thing.

i couldn’t become the person they imagined.

so i became someone else.

a kid who left his hometown and built a life in every city he touched.
a founder who keeps stacking big years on purpose.
a writer who turned his words into community and revenue.
an operator who climbed from billing to vp by betting on relationships.
a business owner who built a service company that actually scales.

their opinions never built anything for me.
my habits did.

when I can’t earn a LinkedIn top voice badge, so I write “top voice” in my headline instead

alright y’all, seriously, you can stop using hashtags.

i used to brag about my $500/hr consulting rate.
now i brag about my $0 hour.

school drop-offs.
coffee at a local shop.
guitar riffs between meetings.

none of those hours make me money.
but all of them remind me why i’m earning it.

the $500 hour buys freedom.
the $0 hour makes the freedom worth it.

what’s the best hour of your day?

i hate stepping out of my comfort zone even when i know it’s good for me.

yesterday, i road tripped 8 hours with 2 kids under 4 and drove one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the country.

and for good reason.

my little brother and his husband moved from carolina to nashville a year ago.

and my boys haven’t seen them much since.

so here we are for 5 days making memories.

6 months ago, i would’ve come up with any excuse not to take this trip.

but stepping past my hatred of long drives, my anxiety about stir crazy kids, and the selfish part of me that wants to do what i want

is going to give my kids (and me) memories i hope they hold onto forever.

turns out i’ve never regretted stepping out of my comfort zone or choosing someone else’s needs over my own.

i just need a kick in the ass sometimes.

sonder > solipsism

i’ve got maybe 20 thanksgiving weekends left with my kids in the house if i’m lucky.

i could spend today trying to convince you to buy a spot in my mastermind.

or refreshing black friday pages like i actually need any other junk life. 

but honestly?

i’d rather spend the day making memories my kids will exaggerate to their own kids one day.

and hopefully watching some football on the couch 

the work will be there tomorrow.
the deals will be there tomorrow.
well…the mastermind spots might not be.

the time definitely won’t be. 

PS to hell with georgia

LinkedIn has been my primary growth channel for over 4 years. if I had to start from zero tomorrow, here’s exactly what I’d do.

➕ EXPAND my network by sending 10 connection requests to buyers, industry influencers, an COIs (don’t personalize the requests. more will be accepted that way. PS this operation is easiest if you build a list in Sales Navigator first)

🤝 ENGAGE my network by leaving at least 10 thoughtful comments on posts by the people I mentioned above (comment on 2nd an 3rd degree connects as well. comment styles: disagree with the post, expound upon the post, tell a similar story about yourself) BONUS: send DMs that have nothing to do with sales i.e. thanks for liking my post

🧠 ENTERTAIN & EDUCATE my network by creating one great piece of content (should make my audience feel something, should be engaging enough that I’d stop scrolling to read it, should be so authentic to me it can’t be copied. PS talk more about your personal life than your work)

🤑 ELEVATE conversations with people who can buy from me by sending at least 5 video DMs (these should be problem based, not feature based and allow you to showcase personality. try a framework like PAS - problem, agitate, solution. these turn into meetings for me over 20% of the time) 

this is way more work than just posting and ghosting or using automation tools. 

that’s why it works. 

we show up authentic and human. 

even if everyone else wants an easy button.

i took the meds for over a decade. 
now, i manage my ptsd naturally.
with more energy & less panic. 

i get deeply depressed, suffer high anxiety, have panic attacks, and get shaky in crowds. 

that was true when i was on meds. 
it’s true now. 

it’s just true a lot LESS now. 

i’ve been off of antidepressants and benzodiazepines for over a year. 

things i’ve noticed:

- i need wayyy less caffeine to stay awake (consumed 400 mg while medicated)

- i have much higher highs and similar lows emotionally 

- i’ve cried more this year than i have in the last 10 (mostly while watching movies on planes) 

- i’m far more dependent on my wellness routine to stay regulated 

here’s what i make sure to take care of everyday:

💤 at least 7 hours of sleep (Hatch was a game changer for this) 

🏋️ throwing heavy weights (kettlebells in the carport or Basecamp Fitness) 

👟 walking outside (with my dog Doc Holliday or my kiddos)

🥩 eating clean-ish (reasonable calories, prioritizing protein, mostly whole foods sometimes fast food lol)

🧘 mindfulness (simple breathwork exercises and gratitude journaling/poetry to keep me present) 

📞 support system (talk to my coach and/or therapist daily to keep me in the pocket)

🍄 plant medicine (usually in micro doses. call me about this one) 

meds saved me in periods of my life, but now that i can manage my symptoms more naturally

i prefer to do it that way. 

here’s to experiencing more of life in all of its beauty and pain.

me after my prospect catches me drilling through their floor because they didn’t respond to my emails.

your buyer doesn’t care about you. 
and you wouldn’t either in their shoes.

i asked a ceo who’s been working with me for 8 weeks what he’s most proud of.

fully expected him to say the big impressions, the packed calendar, or getting reposted by mark cuban.

but his answer blew me away.

one of the good guys making healthcare more affordable is beating the bad guys over and over.

and he’s doubled the size of his company without taking on outside money.

so his mission never gets watered down by misaligned incentives.

i can teach you to move your deal from discovery to closed won, but it won’t matter if you can’t get the appointment.

most sellers i talk to tell me they can close any deal when the get the room. but those sellers only book meetings 1/100 times they ask for one. 

if I had to book 2 meetings this week, here’s what I’d do:

1. build short list (10 accounts) of target companies in my ICP and map key personas (I like to prospect president/ceo for most accounts and rarely multithread outside of jumbo space) 

2. leave thoughtful comments on any content from key personas in your target accounts. get familiar with those people. 

3. write problem focused messaging in the simplest terms possible (I like PAS framework for SMB to mid market or Trigger, Prob, Solution, CTA for enterprise) 

4. lead with your best outreach first (I convert LinkedIn video DMs to meetings 20% of the time and direct snail mail to meetings 10% of the time) so first touch will always be one of those 

5. know your next 10 touches (I love LinkedIn but every prospect gets DMs, calls, emails, and snail mail from me) 

6. don’t let any of these touches be “just checking in or following up” (problem statement from my video dm becomes cold call opener. video script becomes email template. every sequence includes 2-3 problem statements) 

7. follow your plan (most people stop following up after touch 2) 

this is how I book meetings everyday. 

now, shamelessly take these plays and go help some people who need what you sell.

taplio

The Battle

Ryder Kimmes

Sims Tillirson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreSims Tillirson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ryder Kimmes

Sims Tillirson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Sims Tillirson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSims Tillirson's LinkedIn Performance