Getting P&C License | FL

[newbie2001]

Hey everyone,

A little background if you haven't seen me in the senior insurance forum before. Transitioned from selling life only to life, medicare, and ACA back in May of 23'. Nearing 100 clients now in those lines of business (Yes I know that's not a ton but I'm working on it.)

I have a brick-and-mortar location and with continually receiving 5-star google reviews from new and existing clients I am starting to see more inbound business. I'd like to expand my offerings to include P&C not only for my personal diversification purposes but about 50% of my clients when they come in ask if I also offer P&C.

Obviously the FL market is rough.

What I am really more concerned about is carrier appointments, and possible upline/general agent association. I am a fast learner and have a passion for the business but I will need some guidance since this is a new market for me.

Are carriers still appointing here in FL? Can I get a direct appointment or do I need a FMO/GA? Can I own my own book or do I have to assign comp? Should I call a local agency near me and ask see if I can get contracts through them?

What does fair compensation look like for an independent agent?

Thanks!

 

[axeman462]

I'm i

Hey everyone,

A little background if you haven't seen me in the senior insurance forum before. Transitioned from selling life only to life, medicare, and ACA back in May of 23'. Nearing 100 clients now in those lines of business (Yes I know that's not a ton but I'm working on it.)

I have a brick-and-mortar location and with continually receiving 5-star google reviews from new and existing clients I am starting to see more inbound business. I'd like to expand my offerings to include P&C not only for my personal diversification purposes but about 50% of my clients when they come in ask if I also offer P&C.

Obviously the FL market is rough.

What I am really more concerned about is carrier appointments, and possible upline/general agent association. I am a fast learner and have a passion for the business but I will need some guidance since this is a new market for me.

Are carriers still appointing here in FL? Can I get a direct appointment or do I need a FMO/GA? Can I own my own book or do I have to assign comp? Should I call a local agency near me and ask see if I can get contracts through them?

What does fair compensation look like for an independent agent?

Thanks!

I'm in Florida, tried doing the same thing about 4 years ago.
You need to know that P&C and L&H have nothing in common, except the word insurance.

If you go this route, be ready for the P&C side of the business to consume the lion's share of your time, and be ready to hire multiple staff to help with the service work.

As for getting appointments, good luck. Most will want proof of production, which you won't have. Plus it's a hard market, so nobody is giving out appointments right now.
Best route would be to buy a franchise, or make a deal with the agency down the street.

P&C is definitely a good product, and it's nice to mix things up, but the two lines don't mix very well.

 

[newbie2001]

I'm i

I'm in Florida, tried doing the same thing about 4 years ago.
You need to know that P&C and L&H have nothing in common, except the word insurance.

If you go this route, be ready for the P&C side of the business to consume the lion's share of your time, and be ready to hire multiple staff to help with the service work.

As for getting appointments, good luck. Most will want proof of production, which you won't have. Plus it's a hard market, so nobody is giving out appointments right now.
Best route would be to buy a franchise, or make a deal with the agency down the street.

P&C is definitely a good product, and it's nice to mix things up, but the two lines don't mix very well.

Are you familiar with SIAA? I saw them recommended in another thread?

I spend very little time on my health biz outside of appointments and renewal season so I have the time to handle P&C biz. My goal is to have over 300 pieces of business on the book by the end of 2025 and I think expanding my product offerings would allow that to happen faster.

At what point do you think I'll need to hire staff? I can handle my almost 100 health clients on my own right very easily. Have a lot of efficient post and pre sale automations in place but I do service work manually of course.

 

[axeman462]

Are you familiar with SIAA? I saw them recommended in another thread?

I spend very little time on my health biz outside of appointments and renewal season so I have the time to handle P&C biz. My goal is to have over 300 pieces of business on the book by the end of 2025 and I think expanding my product offerings would allow that to happen faster.

At what point do you think I'll need to hire staff? I can handle my almost 100 health clients on my own right very easily. Have a lot of efficient post and pre sale automations in place but I do service work manually of course.

Yes, I am somewhat familiar with SIAA, can't remember the fine details any more. But i do know a lot of agents go with them. I think they're kinda like the 'Integrity' of the P&C world.

you will easily get to 300 clients next year. Expect to write 1-3 pieces of business every day.

You will need to hire staff almost immediately. The back office work is time consuming ~ adding people to policies, buying and selling cars, claims, questions, adjusting coverage, following up on underwriting etc...

Seriously, its not like Medicare. At all. And the commissions are smaller.

 

[newbie2001]

Yes, I am somewhat familiar with SIAA, can't remember the fine details any more. But i do know a lot of agents go with them. I think they're kinda like the 'Integrity' of the P&C world.

you will easily get to 300 clients next year. Expect to write 1-3 pieces of business every day.

You will need to hire staff almost immediately. The back office work is time consuming ~ adding people to policies, buying and selling cars, claims, questions, adjusting coverage, following up on underwriting etc...

Seriously, it's not like Medicare. At all. And the commissions are smaller.

I mean I hope your prediction is true . Going from 100 to 300 in a year seems like a stretch even with all the seminars/workshops I have planned for 2025.

Honestly don't have the cash or cash flow to hire staff right now. I wasn't going to even consider hiring one until the 500 client mark. The area of FL I'm in has a very high cost of living. You need ~$90,000 a year around here before biz expenses to live a decent lifestyle and live in a safe neighborhood.

But I'm still going to go for the P&C license. Worst comes to worst I can just not renew it after 2 years I guess.