Farmers Insurance Reserve Agent Program

[888leads]

Was uncle farmers #1 homeowners writer in the district, I love farmers so much I become an IA. If you like to drink koolaid go farmers, if you like to feed your family go Indy!

 

[todd02]

Todd02's math has NEVER mad sense from the beginning...please refer to the following thread.

http://www.insurance-forums.net/forum/p-c-insurance-forum/small-agency-t52156-2.html

Are you still jerkin it to my fb page princess1822?

Hired a new ap and csr. On track to write 125,000 this month.. Do try to keep up.

 

[txagt39]

GO TO: Farmers Insurance Group Sucks

Let me tell you a little about my experience with Farmers.....I put my resume online and got a call from the "District Manager" the very next day. Got interviewed and hired on the spot to be a "Reserve Agent". They don't pay you during that time when you are considered a reserve agent, and the DM lied to me and told me I would start getting a "salary" as soon as I became a "Contract Agent" which wolud be after I sold 44 p&C and life policies. After doing some research online I found out that this "salary" is not a salary at all, it's a LOAN which you will have to PAY BACK if you don't sell the exact amount of policies they require you to sell in a two year period. This means that if you choose the $2500 a month subsidy option X 24 months and you dont meet quota, you'll have to pay that back, usually at the highest interest allowed in your state. OH and did the recruiter mention that you don't actually own your book of business? THEY OWN IT, and when they decide to fire you, they keep and they will pay you whatever they think it's worth. SOOO after you've spent all your money in leasing an office, paying staff (they want you to hire people right away), paying for marketing and all kinds of crap, you will actually be in DEBT when they decide they don't want/need you. Did the recruiter also mention that Farmers has just about the worst rates in the country?? I was quoting prospects and just couldn't compete because farmers rates are about 30%to 40% HIGHER than ALL the competition! They will tell you in the training that you're selling value over price and what not. Bottom line is this: THE PRICE WILL ALWAYS MATTER to the prospect and they aren't going to buy a policy that will cost them an extra $600 per car just because you're nice. OH and the training is DUMB. They look you in the eye and flat out lie to you, saying things like "you WILL succeed" and that the other agents that were "let go" were "just lazy". The life sales trainer was STALKING my every move to make sure I sold the 4 stupid OVERPRICED life policies so I could become a career agent, she said she would pay me $250 if I bought a life policy for my husband even after I had told her MANY times that he doesn't need/want one because he has one through his work. They want you to sell those initial 44 policies to all your family and friends. AND the reason why the DM or Recruiter will be so nice to you is because they are going to get a huge bonus (about $5,000 or more) when you sign the devil contract ! I was there for a month and resigned. Think twice........

Sorry about the rant.........but this company is out to get you.


Also look at my post "I hate Farmers" lol

At least you figured it all out after the first month. And yes, it is a contract with the Devil so be ready to sell a large part of your soul. The company has their recruiters lie intentionally just to get folks to come on board and they don't find out they have been lied to until they have written all their friends and family and get sunk up their eyeballs in debt that there's nothing ethical about anything to do with much associated with the company. Shame, DM's are the Devil's Advocates, put on earth to make agent's lives hell and they do a darn good job of it.

 

[gv556]

Hi

What are the better companies to start in?

Denise is spot on. I used to be a recruiter 4 years ago in WI. I only worked there a few months, because they put a quota for the recruiters to sign X amount of reserve agents a month. Be careful, there are many other better companies to start out in. Feel free to message me and I can point you in a good direction with a good company.

By the way I am a captive agent right now. Yes I know captive, but I really like my company.

 

[Malena]

I have been in the Reserve Agent Program for about a month and a half and I am going to get my P&C licensing at the end of the month. I am loving it so far. I have been coming to the once a week trainings which are extremely helpful and interesting; they go over everything from the product to sales to motivation. We have had many different people come in to check out the training and only about 1/2 of them stick around; many of which are successful in other businesses and have previously worked for other insurance companies. There is only a 25% success rate at becoming a career agent and being in business for more than 5 years(correct me if I am wrong). Which to me is understandable, it is not any easy job for most people, not to mention anything lucrative is not easy. I know people that are just starting to make money as a career agent and people that have been doing this for 30+ years and everyone seems to say that once you get the hang of it it can be the greatest job in the world. It is definitely a job that you get out of it what you put in. I am currently 23 years old and my dad has a couple friends that have been doing this for a loooong time and he has always suggested I get into it because of the lives they have created for themselves. So basically my experience with the training program has been very positive and I look forward to becoming a successful Farmers Agent.

As far as the negative things people are saying about it, it just seems that they have a bad District Manager or bad experience with the person they dealt with. Our DM is awesome and backs up everything he says. He shows us the good, bad, and ugly of the business while still staying positive and informative. The $2,500 a month as a Career Agent was never explained to us as "salary," but as support to build a business. And of course you need to sell X amount of policies to receive that money, it is a commission based job as it is, you need to sell X amount of policies a month just to keep the job. And it seems like people here got the impression that Farmers was going to do most of the work for them. Of course you have to work hard, they are not going to just hand you everything you need to start a business. The only major thing they are giving you is the name. Like anything you have to put the time in. I think I am getting enough help just getting free training, free rent, free coaching/mentoring and free use of the office(all while still getting paid my commission) until I reach a Career agent and then I start getting $2,500 a month; sounds good to me. And as far as a Life Rep(or any rep for that matter) "stalking" you, I have never seen anything like that in our office. Our Life Rep comes in for the training's then answers questions and leaves, there is definitely no pressure. He gave us his number so we can set up meetings if we have any questions but that's it. Both our DM and Life Rep have said, if needed, they will come to appointments with us and tell us were we can improve. Who cares if the DM makes $5000 when signing up a new Agent, that just makes him push you to make the policies, WHICH MAKES YOU MONEY. And lastly they actually tell us not to sign up our family and friends until they come to us or we have already established a client base because they want us to learn how to prospect and close sales, not just have them handed to us because once those leads run out what are you going to do? And for the people that say "they just want you to sign up the people that trust you and then give you the boot," you know and they know that once that family member/friend is no longer employed with Farmers most of the people are going to go right back to their old policy.

Sorry for the essay but it just seems that my experience has greatly differed from what is being described. If any of my facts are wrong please correct me. Feel free to email or PM me with any questions of my progress. I will definitely be becoming an active member in this forum, there is a lot of great info and experience here.

I am in the process of becoming a reserve agent. I am curious to find out how your career with Farmers has worked out for you do far.

 

[Norwayguy]

I am in the process of becoming a reserve agent. I am curious to find out how your career with Farmers has worked out for you do far.

3 years and 10 months ago he posted one time at that point he was 45 days in...He us likely a casualty by now.