The Wedge Group

What The Wedge Group does

The Wedge Group is a founder-led commercial insurance sales training and systems provider established in 1992 by Randy Schwantz. It serves middle-market commercial insurance agencies across North America — principally agencies with 4–10 producers — as well as individual producers and agency sales leaders. Its central intellectual property is The Wedge Sales Method, a structured 6-step incumbent-displacement sales methodology addressing the observation that 80–90% of target commercial insurance accounts already have an incumbent agent. The company reports 8,000+ producers trained, 100+ agencies served, and 300+ agencies worked with privately over 33+ years.

The company's flagship product is Bignition, an insurance-specific Sales Operating System that embeds the Wedge methodology into an integrated platform combining producer training (Producer Playbook with 42 proactive service scripts), leader coaching (Leaders Playbook, 5-step coaching system, CRISP weekly meeting framework, real-time producer dashboards), and a CRM/Technology Hub with native Outlook sync, softphone integration, and Agency Management System (AMS) connections. Supporting products include the GRIT Personality Inventory (GPI) sales-hiring assessment (with an included CLAS cognitive learning score), the live in-person Wedge Workshop, and Randy Schwantz's books. A bi-weekly AI Sales Lab provides AI-assisted sales coaching inside the platform.

The business monetizes through multiple streams: Bignition subscription at $300 per user per month with a 4-seat minimum (individual producers on the 10X path pay $400/month) plus a one-time onboarding fee; the Wedge Workshop at $2,499 per person, run three times per year; the GPI assessment at $150 per candidate (first assessment free); and book sales via an e-commerce storefront. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, anchored by a free 30-minute Agency Diagnostic call as the primary conversion mechanism, supported by content marketing, a podcast, YouTube, LinkedIn, and email. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and family-involved, with 1–10 employees and headquarters in Bluffton, South Carolina.

Name

The Wedge Group

Legal name

The Wedge Group

Website

https://thewedge.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A founder-led commercial insurance sales training firm offering The Wedge incumbent-displacement methodology embedded in Bignition, an insurance-specific Sales Operating System, serving mid-market commercial insurance agencies with 4–10 producers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Sales Training Software

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Insurance & Affinity Distribution Platforms (FSAGAGAL)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance sales training
• Insurance sales methodology
• Sales operating system
• Producer development platform
• Sales hiring assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Cary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Bignition Subscription (SaaS): Full Sales Operating System — training, coaching, and technology — delivered as a subscription at $300 per user per month with a 4-seat minimum. Includes onboarding, platform setup, AMS/Outlook integration, data migration, GPI assessments for all producers, quarterly live training (including Wedge Workshop), weekly Monday Mastermind sessions, bi-weekly AI Sales Lab, monthly group coaching calls, and full platform access. One-time onboarding fee for platform setup and data migration discussed during Agency Diagnostic.
2. Wedge Workshop (Live Training): Live, in-person 2-day commercial insurance sales training with Randy Schwantz. $2,499 per person per session. Includes training, Wedge Workbook (physical sales playbook), live roleplay and breakout coaching sessions, breakfast and lunch both days. Runs 3 times per year. Non-refundable within 10 days of event. Refunds available with written notice at least 10 days prior.
3. GPI (GRIT Personality Inventory) Assessment: Sales hiring assessment at $150 per candidate. First assessment free. Includes personalized coaching plan and hours-per-month recommendation per report. CLAS cognitive learning aptitude assessment included at no extra cost. Targets agency hiring pipelines.
4. Books & Publications: Randy Schwantz's books — *The Wedge* and *How to Get Your Competition Fired* — sold through the company's storefront (shop.thewedge.net). Required reading at some of the top agencies in North America.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Wedge Group provides an integrated Sales Operating System for commercial insurance agencies, combining the proprietary Wedge sales methodology (a 6-step process for displacing incumbent insurance agents) with Bignition, an insurance-specific CRM and coaching platform. Offerings include the Bignition subscription (training + coaching + CRM at $300/user/month), live 2-day Wedge Workshop training ($2,499/person), the GRIT Personality Inventory sales-hiring assessment ($150/candidate), and Randy Schwantz's bestselling books. All offerings target commercial insurance agency principals and producers seeking to grow organic revenue through repeatable incumbent-displacement selling.

Product overview

The Wedge Group offers a unified commercial insurance sales training and systems portfolio centered on The Wedge Sales Method, an incumbent displacement methodology developed by Randy Schwantz in 1992. The core product is Bignition, an integrated Sales Operating System that combines producer training, leader coaching, and insurance-specific CRM technology in one platform. Supporting offerings include The Wedge Workshop (live 2-day training at $2,499/person), GRIT Personality Inventory (GPI) hiring assessment ($150/candidate), and Randy's bestselling books. All offerings are designed to work together - the Wedge methodology provides the training framework, Bignition embeds it in daily technology, and the assessments and books provide additional entry points into the same system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bignition: The only Sales Operating System built specifically for commercial insurance agencies. Combines producer training, leader coaching, and insurance-specific CRM in one integrated platform.
• GRIT (GPI)
• The Wedge Workshop

Products and services

• Bignition Sales Operating System Integrated Sales Operating System built specifically for commercial insurance agencies, combining producer training (Wedge methodology), leader coaching framework, and insurance-specific CRM in one platform. Delivered as a subscription at $300 per user per month with a 4-seat minimum. Achieves a 72.3% producer success rate versus the 20–40% industry norm. Includes Producer Playbook (42 proactive services, call scripts, pre-call strategy), Leaders Playbook (5-step coaching system with real-time activity visibility), Technology Hub (Outlook sync, softphone integration, AMS integration), bi-weekly AI Sales Lab, weekly Monday Mastermind sessions, monthly group coaching calls, and quarterly live training.
• The Wedge Workshop Live, in-person 2-day high-intensity commercial insurance sales training taught by Randy Schwantz that installs the Wedge methodology. Runs 3 times per year at venues such as Nashville, TN (next session September 9–10, 2026). $2,499 per person per session. Includes the Wedge Workbook (physical sales playbook), live roleplay and breakout coaching sessions, breakfast and lunch both days. 8,000+ producers trained; $1B+ in new revenue written from the program.
• GRIT Personality Inventory (GPI) Sales hiring assessment that predicts which commercial insurance producer candidates will sell, built on performance data from thousands of real salespeople. Measures 9 sales-specific traits weighted by predictive power. Includes CLAS (Cognitive Learning Aptitude Score) — measuring learning accuracy, speed, and style — at no extra cost. $150 per candidate; first assessment free. 15–30 minutes per candidate. Delivers a GPI report plus personalized coaching plan and hours-per-month recommendation.
• Randy Schwantz's Books Books authored by Randy Schwantz — *The Wedge: How to Stop Selling and Start Winning* and *How to Get Your Competition Fired* — sold through shop.thewedge.net. New York Times bestselling titles required reading at some of the top agencies in North America. Used in new producer orientation, coaching sessions, and sales kickoffs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Producer success rate improved to 72.3% vs. 20–40% industry average
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sandler Training: Global sales training franchise built around a proprietary methodology (the Sandler Selling System), with structured ongoing coaching. Comparable to the Wedge Group as a methodology-driven, recurring-revenue sales training business, though not insurance-specific.
• Jeb Blount / Sales Gravy: Sales training and coaching company focused on insurance and financial services producers. Directly comparable to the Wedge Group in targeting insurance sales professionals with books, training programs, and methodologies.
• Caliper: Sales hiring assessment provider (cited directly in Wedge Group pricing as a $200-$300+ competitor). Comparable as a competitor to the GPI assessment for predicting sales candidate success.
• Predictive Index: Talent optimization and behavioral assessment platform used in sales hiring. Overlaps with the GPI assessment product for agencies evaluating producer candidates.
• Omnia AI (Omnia Group): Employee assessment vendor cited in the Wedge Group's pricing comparison. Directly competes with GPI in the sales hiring assessment market for agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Dale Carnegie Training: Established global sales and leadership training franchise. Comparable as a broader sales training incumbent but lacks the commercial insurance specialization of the Wedge methodology.

Others

• HubSpot: Generic CRM and sales platform explicitly named by the Wedge Group as an alternative. Indirect competitor only — does not offer the insurance-specific pipeline stages or methodology embedded in Bignition.
• Salesforce: Enterprise CRM platform named by the Wedge Group as a generic alternative to Bignition. Indirect competitor — lacks insurance-specific workflows and methodology embedded in Bignition.
• Applied Systems: Leading insurance agency management system (AMS) provider. Bignition integrates with AMS platforms like Applied Systems; comparable as an insurance agency technology vendor serving the same customer base, though Applied focuses on policy/operations rather than sales enablement.
• Vertafore: Major insurance agency management system and workflow software provider. Comparable as insurance-specific technology serving the same agency buyer base, though focused on operations rather than sales methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/randyschwantz
• Facebookfacebook.com/wedgegroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/randyschwantz-thewedgegroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Wedge Group