Becoming a State Farm Agent

[KJ in Miami]

In Florida, it is not an opportunity at this time. God willing, in the future that will change.

 

[BlueShoes]

Would a 1.5 million book of business be enough for you to take the opportunity? 2 million? At what point does it make sense to take this opportunity?

You could make it on 2 million. barely. That's hardly enough for a TICA though, since they make you spend all kinds of useless money on that contract. Beware of promises made by the company reps if you are starting out. For all kinds of last minute reasons and raiding of your book, you will be lucky to have 1.3 million a few months into it. State Farm is dropping business in most parts of the country with rate hikes and underwriting cancellations. Only the older agents are still making a living and most of the AA05s are going bankrupt, although many will be too proud to tell you this. Check out the TICA and AA05 agents forum on NASFA.com for a pretty accurate description of what's going on.

 

[xrac]

You could make it on 2 million. barely. That's hardly enough for a TICA though, since they make you spend all kinds of useless money on that contract. Beware of promises made by the company reps if you are starting out. For all kinds of last minute reasons and raiding of your book, you will be lucky to have 1.3 million a few months into it. State Farm is dropping business in most parts of the country with rate hikes and underwriting cancellations. Only the older agents are still making a living and most of the AA05s are going bankrupt, although many will be too proud to tell you this. Check out the TICA and AA05 agents forum on NASFA.com for a pretty accurate description of what's going on.

How can anyone read things like this post on this forum and still want to be an SF agent but it happens all the time. I think it is called selective hearing. I think you have to be completely bambozzled to still want to be a SF agent if one reads this entire thread.

I think SF will eventually have to change their contract.

 

[gebins]

I think that most people look up to their insurance agent, and therefore, would like to be one at any cost. In this job market the employer has the upper hand in hiring on the sly!!

 

[kgunch]

THANK YOU to all who posted here. Someone else commented about how the dialogue would save some people from making a serious mistake, and I assure you that that is absolutely the case. I started up my own financial planning firm two years ago and have been really struggling, so I thought I'd consider a change. A State Farm recruiter posted something on the local chamber web site, and I was about to go to his orientation, when I thought I'd visit this forum to see what folks say. Am I glad I did!

Another poster speculated that "selective listening" was the reason why SF is still able to recruit folks. That would have been my case. If we are at all interested in sales, we have an innate belief that we can overcome most obstacles. It enables us to disregard the first few "no's" that we get from prospects. So naturally we believe that those who failed at SF are not like us.

Well, not this time. Thanks for all of the helpful insights. AF doesn't seem to be as big a racket as other companies, but it's still a racket.

 

[JohnTurner]

I am not a SF agent, but a team member and after being with a scratch agent for 3 months I will be looking for a new job and would never recommend being a team member let alone an agent for this company.

SF is just too conservative. I don't know if it's because I work in a TICA office, which I've never even had that explained what a TICA means, but I swear underwriting is keeping score on how many policies they can either deny or cancel on a daily basis.

I don't know if it's because I'm new to insurance, or my previous job at Quicken Loans(mortgage banker) was that great of an opportunity(that i left), but the training I've received has been attrocious and the expectation level is ridiculous. This company is nothing but one gigantic pyramid scheme.

I've been told October, November, and December are the slowest months in producing sales. We missed our premium builder last month so my agent has now changed our pay schedule and threatened to take away our little salary if we don't hit his numbers.

It would be one thing if they told us all of this up front but they don't. After hiring in my agent asked me my 1st year goal. I said $36k, which I think is low. He looked at me like I'm crazy. After being told about the salary change, I cannot work for a company that will change my pay based on how my boss feels that day.

I am a team member of a TICA as well, boy I'll tell you. Not one of my greatest choices! Opening day was December first. I think since then I've only made $2000. What are you doing now? Did you go to an indy or another captive agent?

 

[Mark]

Does the avg State Farm agent make more than $1,000 a week?

 

[Turz]

TICA stands for Temporary Independent Contracting Agent. State Farm Agents are Independent Contractors. Don't blame the company if an agent cut your salary. You work for him, not the company.

 

[Praeter]

I am a team member of a TICA as well, boy I'll tell you. Not one of my greatest choices! Opening day was December first. I think since then I've only made $2000. What are you doing now? Did you go to an indy or another captive agent?

I will be starting with Allstate on March 5th and will have training until the 28th, then will start truly working. I really enjoy insurance and don't want to give up so I searched for something that paid an hourly rate+comm. so I can learn the industry (only worked for SF for 4 months) while being able to support my wife and myself. My reserves and then some were drained while working for my agent.

I hope to become successful and eventually go indy.
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TICA stands for Temporary Independent Contracting Agent. State Farm Agents are Independent Contractors. Don't blame the company if an agent cut your salary. You work for him, not the company.

You are absolutely correct(obviously). When speaking, or typing, I think some of us newer people to the industry use wording incorrectly therefor appearing so we type as if we think we work for the company, not the agent.

I never blamed SF about the wages. There are other agents in the county that pay their producers a decent hourly rate and sometimes include commission or bonuses. However, I do blame SF as a company for other things as described in previous posts.

 

[tajmahal2222]

Best Insurance policy life, car, travel, health- Policy Mantra

market penetration? There are so many state farm agents around here, literally one every half mile or mile or so, in south Austin, I have no clue how they could each have 3 mil on the books. They are not as bad as farmers, though. farmers could have two different agencies in the same strip center around here, then have one more on the next block!!! there's a street in waco with one on every corner for a mile or two!