Had an interveiw, is this a good deal?

[HomeService]

I used to be with AGLA, the debit co. Now, when trying to apply for captive position at Aig/ Am General, it is tough sledding because I was there twice already and left, they do not want to re-hire people who have left . {twice} My fault, I guess.

 

[Survivor]

Why did you leave? What was your experience with them?

I was invited to the quarterly meeting last week. I went to it and I was pretty impressed with the operation. Most everyone there is in their 40s-50s, drive nice vehicles, and have experience. One fella even got a plaque for being w/ the company 35 years! A few people there had some pretty good careers before they moved over to AGLA. As far as the quota goes, they expect about 800 AP/week. That's about 67/mo/week. I think I can swing that.

 

[HomeService]

I am kicking myself for leaving. It was the best { or one of the best} jobs I ever had. That, and Mutual of Omaha. Two of the best. Basically, it was 1991 and I left the debit co. - limited income, limited territory. Left to go out and try my hand at "ordinary", wide open territory, wide open income potential. I was making very little money as debit agent, in 1991, still leading my staff in sales but it is very limiting, you have to have "growth of premium" over lapse, lapse of policies that you did not write, but were on the book before you even got there.

When trying the "ordinary" world did not work out for me- { I am kind of like the peson who thinks every thing out there in the world is against me, I probably should have stuck it out with AGLA or the ordinary co., pick one- stick with it} Well, then I went back to AGLA, and my boss got a promotion to the home office and I really liked him, and we got a manager I hated with a passion, and he hated me. Then I totally got out of the insurance business. Quit again. Had I stuck it out, that clown was fired not long after that. Well, I got my license back and brokered a bit since then. Never wrote much since.

Then AGLA got basically out of the debit world, and now it looks like a great opportunity, and the manager I had "problems with" is long gone, and I like this manager, and I am not hireable because of my past mind games I played with myself. Survivor, ask your manager for me please if he can get me in... if he has connections...ha ha { no seriously, I am going to try to get on there, I may write a letter, any suggestions on the letter, folks? }

 

[Corporate Death]

Hey HomeService, by "debit", do you mean the old Industrial Policies that AGLA had from the old days? The ones where you dropped by every month to pickup the premium payment?

Man, what an EASY way to schedule yearly reviews and increase their coverage regularly!



I left AGLA when I had a gun pulled on me in the project homes I was working in.

 

[HIU#1]

Well, I started as a debit agent doing life in 1979. Over the years I've worked for P/C agencies both personal and commercial and I had my own agency at one point. NOTE: Best to have your financial ducks in a row before a divorce because a new agency isn't likely to survive if you hit that kind of a bump and mine didn't. So, I sold out again for a salary and benefits.

Today I own two independent health agencies, with one functioning as a General Agency doing brokerage. I've hired two people who thought they wanted to produce for our retail side, but try as we might, what they really wanted was a salary and benefits. Independent agencies do struggle with training people because unlike the captive carriers, we WANT the producer to stay and he/she probably won't long-term. The captive carrier plans for most new producers to one day move on because most do so they'll get what they can from each one while they are there.

Bottom line, each person is different. Some need a salary and benefits and work best in a structured environment. Others of us have that itch to call the shots ourselves and pay our own prices for the chances we take. Somehow it just works better for us, and because it does, we know we are likely to train a new producer and one of two things are probably going to happen.

1. Either they get too comfortable when what you need is production so you end up having to let them go or
2. They are go-getters and after you get them trained and they get the experience, they move on to having their own operation.

There are a lot of good training programs for new agents available like you are looking at. Just find out if you can trust the person you're dealing with (ask questions), and while you're at it, you might want to evaluate where you want to be 3-10 years from now before you go for something long-term.

It's a great business if you find the right place for you.

Good luck!

 

[HomeService]

Yes , I worked the debit, but they had converted the industrial weekly plans over to monthly. I collected monthly. You can still go to two companies here right now in 2007 and work the debit and still get a book and go for it. Reliable is one and American National is the other, still have debit agents, to this day.

 

[HIU#1]

I wondered if there were any still left. Weekly premum, Monthly debit, Ordinary, does THAT bring back memories! It reminds of when I collected $.10 - to $.50 a week policy premiums. I've always said if you survive being a debit agent you can survive anything in this busines. thanks for the memories!

 

[Cenla Agent]

I am kicking myself for leaving. It was the best { or one of the best} jobs I ever had. That, and Mutual of Omaha. Two of the best. Basically, it was 1991 and I left the debit co. - limited income, limited territory. Left to go out and try my hand at "ordinary", wide open territory, wide open income potential. I was making very little money as debit agent, in 1991, still leading my staff in sales but it is very limiting, you have to have "growth of premium" over lapse, lapse of policies that you did not write, but were on the book before you even got there.

When trying the "ordinary" world did not work out for me- { I am kind of like the peson who thinks every thing out there in the world is against me, I probably should have stuck it out with AGLA or the ordinary co., pick one- stick with it} Well, then I went back to AGLA, and my boss got a promotion to the home office and I really liked him, and we got a manager I hated with a passion, and he hated me. Then I totally got out of the insurance business. Quit again. Had I stuck it out, that clown was fired not long after that. Well, I got my license back and brokered a bit since then. Never wrote much since.

Then AGLA got basically out of the debit world, and now it looks like a great opportunity, and the manager I had "problems with" is long gone, and I like this manager, and I am not hireable because of my past mind games I played with myself. Survivor, ask your manager for me please if he can get me in... if he has connections...ha ha { no seriously, I am going to try to get on there, I may write a letter, any suggestions on the letter, folks? }

I believe they still have service i.e. debit agents in some areas. Apparently it is similar to Monumental, which collects in some markets but has completely gotten out of it in others.

 

[HomeService]

Yes, AGLA still has a few service agents in my area. Now, Monumental on the other hand, I am not sure. They had an office here in my town and everything in the early 1990's. They had bought out I believe Washington National, had some pretty good books of business around here, then I believe they may have closed down the office around here, but I may be wrong.

 

[christopherp552]

Any news on AGLA now?