Hiring Agents on Craigs List

[OCinsurance]

It has been about a month since I posted this on Craigs List and I have received about 4 resumes in the mail. Most of the agents that I have contacted want a salary to start with and would not consider commission only.

Tim, I feel your pain. I have run ads on craigslist and other sites and I get almost no resumes from anyone with insruance experience, and if I do, they want salaries sarting at $75,000 plus commission. I don't think that they realiaze how much it costs to run an agency. I'm located in Orange County, CA, but licensed in 25 states, so I can open a lot of markets to people.

I have 2 in house agents full time, both commission only, and one does personal lines and one commercial. I have 2 commission schedules: 1 if the agent generates the lead 60/40 and 1 if I generate the lead 40/60. I've have 5 other agents that generate 100% of their own business but run their own agents and just run things through me because they are no able to get appointments.

Over the last 6 years I've worked so hard to get appointments with carriers, and I now have many personal lines appointments in many states, but still struggle to get a decent BOP appointment in CA. I have several great commercial carriers for professional lines and specific markets, but none of the ones that everyone else seem to have like hartford, travellers, safeco, or one beacon. Ironically, I have a personal lines appointment with Safeco, but not commercial.

I have a $2.5 million agency, and tons of stuff with surplus lines brokers, but still no BOP appointments.

I realize that I went off topic here, but it just irks me, so I went with it

 

[Sam]

Whenever we post ads looking to hire group health producers, the distribution is something like:
Caareerbuilder-150 resumes (90 mortgage guys, 40 randoms, 20 with some insurance background)
Monster- 80 resumes (50 mortgage guys, 20 randoms and 10 with insurance experience)
Craigslist- 5 resumes one or two with insurance background

You really do get what you pay for.
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Whenever we post ads looking to hire group health producers, the distribution is something like:

• Careerbuilder-150 resumes (90 mortgage guys, 40 randoms, 20 with some insurance background)
  
• Monster- 80 resumes (50 mortgage guys, 20 randoms and 10 with insurance experience)
  
• Craigslist- 5 resumes one or two with insurance background

You really do get what you pay for.

 

[Mark]

Tom - I have a life, health and investment (in-house) guy that cross-sells all existing clients

Mark - Point me in the right direction. Don't want to spend a ton of money on an idea.

Call me and I will share a couple of things with you that works.

 

[warnerins]

OC- Thanks for the input. You really need to try InsuranceNoodle | Small Business Insurance They have been great for us.

MM3- Checked out the sites and it looks like your right. Price is very relevant to the outcome in this case.

Mark- I will call you soon.

 

[OCinsurance]

OC- Thanks for the input. You really need to try InsuranceNoodle | Small Business Insurance They have been great for us.

MM3- Checked out the sites and it looks like your right. Price is very relevant to the outcome in this case.

Mark- I will call you soon.

The reason that I don't use places like Insurance Noodle (nothing against them), is because I am focused on growing our business with our direct appointments. Fortunately, I have decent amount to satisfy most clients.
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I forgot to tell you how much I just laughed when I read your post. That was just too funny how you said 50 mortgage guys. I have seen over 750 resumes and I cannot tell you how often I have seen the word "loan broker" or "mortgage banker" on a resume. Some of them have put prior income as $400,000 and similar numbers. When I talk to them on the phone, they tell me that they cannot find a comparable job. Explaining to someone that he/she has to build a book of insurance business is just painful.

 

[moeasadi]

I think when the market is soft like now ,It's much easier for stablished agency like you to get appointed. I know ALLied, for example want Min. 250,000 dollar annual commitment, so It's not easy unless you have some books to roll. I write Allied with an Independent agency and I get all the commission,because they want to be able to fullfill their commitments.

 

[0b1kanobee]

I would be skeptical to send my resume to anyone on Craigslist that does not provide a company name and telephone number.

For all I know it could be the company I already work for seeing if anyone out there was thinking about jumping ship or something.

In addition when I have sent a resume out before like that, I have received a bunch of spam mail. You also have to consider all the identity theft going on these days.

Heck, you could start a business for companies with something like "is an employee of yours thinking of jumping ship?" then sell your list of names collected. I'm speaking very broadly here but if one were to really tailor the idea down to a science it could possibly be done.

I have even heard of people's resumes getting stolen or made up then getting sent to competitors or even copied to the employer they already work for to intentionally get them fired by say another employee.