The COVID-19 pandemic has stripped Patrick Casale of his greatest edge in business, he says: meeting people face to face.
“It’s just not the same over the phone,” says Casale, managing partner of the MultiCare Group. “We even had our office professionally sanitized so clients feel comfortable coming to us if they want to.”
For Casale, selling insurance is about relationships and helping people. Being able to sit down and explain to clients exactly what they’re buying is part of that. So while many businesses have adjusted to remote offices and plan to continue with that work dynamic even in a post-pandemic world, Casale doesn’t want to consider the move to Zoom meetings permanent.
“I sure hope not,” he says. “I don’t want to become ‘computer order takers.’ It’s important to get back, pound the pavement and create relationships.”
What is your background and how did your career path lead you to the position you’re in today?
I’m from New York and was in sales my entire life. My family had a car dealership. I used to pick up and deliver cars. I moved to Las Vegas in the 1990s because I wanted to buy a house. The guy who helped me with insurance inspired me to get in the insurance business. It’s a great fit for me because I enjoy helping people. My very first insurance district meeting back in 1990 brought me to think like this: "Who in this room is better than me? Nobody, they just know more than I do." Then I set goals: be rookie of the year and finish in the top three in the district, and win the sales trip. I accomplished all three. Once you close the door on learning, you’ve lost.
Describe your typical day.
We spend a lot of time on enrollments and servicing existing clients. If there’s a claims issue, we don’t want our clients having to call the carriers. With personalized service, we can delve into the question. We are also spending a lot of time helping the groups we work with change their coverage and add mental health coverage, in some cases. Our days are busier now that many clients have been dealing with furloughs and layoffs. Many people just don’t know where to turn and they’re worried about staff. We are helping them. Throughout COVID-19, life insurance and long-term care insurance have been prominent questions from our clients, so we are spending time explaining options. I’m also a radio show host on stations such as 790 Talk Now and 101.5 720 KDWN, filling in as a guest host for Kevin Wall, Steve Sanchez and others locally and nationally.
What advice would you offer people seeking insurance?
No. 1, be sure to have your individual information together. That can help with possible tax credits down the line. No. 2, have your doctors listed and make sure they match up with the plans you will be considering. And No. 3, bring your three most important questions you need answered or have uncertainties about. If your agent can’t answer them, they’re probably not the right person for you.
Another big piece of advice we give is to get insurance. A lot of young people don’t have insurance because they feel they won’t need it, and it’s like rolling the dice. We don’t want people we care about being stuck for 10-20 years paying off medical bills. This might prevent them from getting a house or moving on with life. We try to provide everyone with plans they can afford that give them the best benefits.
Other than the obvious, what’s the biggest issue currently facing Southern Nevada or its residents?
Work and employment are the biggest issues. Right now, we’re expecting maybe 20% of currently unemployed residents to become permanently unemployed instead of just laid off. Some have lost their life savings. It’s the scariest thing I have ever seen and it’s heart-breaking for me. We need to open our doors and get away from being a state that’s almost 100% gaming.
What is the best business advice you’ve received?
Bob Orgill, who died a year or so ago, told me “Hang your ego at the door and always be open to change. You have to be resilient.” He was a great guy. He taught me that if you’re not resilient, you’ll never make it in business. You must have thick skin if you want to make it, and you must be open to new ideas.
Did you develop any new habits during the quarantine?
I am eating much better since I can’t get to the gym. I just can’t grasp working out with a mask on. I do use social distancing as a rule, but it’s just not the same thing. But I’ve gotten down some good eating habits and I’m taking vitamins. I’m going crazy through. I want to get back out there and work out. It’s been the most difficult year of my life. There’s been so many changes; I just hope they aren’t all permanent. I want to stay as healthy as I can. We don’t know what the future holds. I want to die on my terms.
What are you reading right now? Or binge-watching?
I have watched a lot of Netflix as a result of COVID-19. I just finished watching the series “Reign.” It was almost 80 episodes, and I finished in a few weeks. I’m just not a big fan of regular television. I also have watched some of ESPN Classic, and just saw a Tom Seaver special. It was very emotional to me when he died recently. Watching that had me weeping like a baby.
Whom do you admire?
I’ve admired older people my entire life. Gerald Zoppi was my childhood friend’s father and I hung out with him as he offered me knowledge from his readings and experience. My grandmother was my hero because she could make everything OK. She really liked everyone, and she never complained about what she didn’t have or never had a chance to get. I have always migrated to be with people significantly older because they lived their lives, either as an employee or a business owner. I always thought, “Who better to learn from than those who know?”
What is something that people might not know about you?
It was always very important to me to be liked and respected. I’m very sensitive. I work hard to help people and I love feeding people. I have my grandmother’s nature. Around the holidays, my family expects me to do all the cooking old-fashioned Italian style. I make seafood on Christmas Eve and love to go to the butcher for my meatballs, which I make with veal, pork and beef. I also love to fry turkeys and make my own marinara sauce. Some people cook because they have to eat. I truly cook with love.