I am also a current team member at State Farm and just signed my Reserve contract with Farmers. Just curious, Cahall, what advice you have for me since you have been in the exact seat I am sitting in...
I am also a current team member at State Farm and just signed my Reserve contract with Farmers. Just curious, Cahall, what advice you have for me since you have been in the exact seat I am sitting in...
AgentJaf,
The best advice I can give you is to stay strong and work hard. State Farm is totally different than Farmers. For one Farmers has an up to date quoting system (I wasn't much on NECHO). Along with that I can also tell you that this is a whole different experience. I read all the bad things on here, and even looked other places, but overall Farmers is a great company and offers alot of support. If you need anything message me. I am currently in my 2nd week of training and it's truely amazing. Jaf I wish you the best of luck.
The best advice I can give you is to stay strong and work hard. State Farm is totally different than Farmers. For one Farmers has an up to date quoting system (I wasn't much on NECHO). Along with that I can also tell you that this is a whole different experience. I read all the bad things on here, and even looked other places, but overall Farmers is a great company and offers alot of support. If you need anything message me. I am currently in my 2nd week of training and it's truely amazing. Jaf I wish you the best of luck.
This is my last month to end my 2 yrs career program with Farmers. It has been tough because we have to meet all the requirements in order to stay in the program. I saw many people drop out from the program during these 2 yrs. But it's a wonderful journey for me, because the company and district manager provided me training and support to grow my business. For all the new agents, you have to expect to work very hard for the first 2 yrs. Good luck all!
I am definitely not afraid to work hard. I have a lot of experience in the insurance industry working for both an independent agency and State Farm. I am excited to begin the journey on my own and own my own business! I know it's going to be challenging but I think the efforts will be rewarded down the road.
I've been w/Farmers 15+ years. The new contract is quite different from older contracts so read it carefully to make sure you can live with the terms. You cannot broker outside business which will hurt you, you have a limited appetite with Farmers especially on commercial business which is where the money is. Times are changing and there are plenty of unhappy captive agents with every company. We are overrun with agents in a small town so competitive is an understatement, we are all fighting over the same prospects.
Once you sign up and begin building your book of business you are stuck so make sure you are where you want to be. Check out your District Manager, if they are good they are good, if they are lazy, then they are a death sentence just trying to reach their own quota. They can help or hurt you and many don't care which it is, they care about meeting their goals and their income only.
Can you office for free for a year or two at the Dist Ofc? Do they really have a good training program and work it? Do they have adequate support staff to help you when you need it? All critical for your chances to succeed.
If I had it to do over I am not sure I wouldn't start out as an independent but who knows, it's easy to say what you might have done, doesn't mean it would have worked out better. The only thing I am not to happy about is that the agents are responsible for 90% of the customer service which eats our time which we should be using to sell new accounts. The more service work there is the more employees you have to have which drives up your overhead costs. If I were you I might consider going on as someone's Agency Producer. If you can get a 50/50 split you will be way ahead in the long run. No overhead, no headaches, no quota, which means you could actually take a day off now and then. After 15 years I'd glued to the office, rarely take a day off, and have staffing headaches that won't end. I would love to get to keep 50 cents on every commission dollar I earn, in reality it just doesn't happen.
Good Luck!
Once you sign up and begin building your book of business you are stuck so make sure you are where you want to be. Check out your District Manager, if they are good they are good, if they are lazy, then they are a death sentence just trying to reach their own quota. They can help or hurt you and many don't care which it is, they care about meeting their goals and their income only.
Can you office for free for a year or two at the Dist Ofc? Do they really have a good training program and work it? Do they have adequate support staff to help you when you need it? All critical for your chances to succeed.
If I had it to do over I am not sure I wouldn't start out as an independent but who knows, it's easy to say what you might have done, doesn't mean it would have worked out better. The only thing I am not to happy about is that the agents are responsible for 90% of the customer service which eats our time which we should be using to sell new accounts. The more service work there is the more employees you have to have which drives up your overhead costs. If I were you I might consider going on as someone's Agency Producer. If you can get a 50/50 split you will be way ahead in the long run. No overhead, no headaches, no quota, which means you could actually take a day off now and then. After 15 years I'd glued to the office, rarely take a day off, and have staffing headaches that won't end. I would love to get to keep 50 cents on every commission dollar I earn, in reality it just doesn't happen.
Good Luck!
Fifteen years into it, I'd probably do the same thing again just as I did. I went with Farmers because you can hand the business down to family when you get ready to retire, you cannot with Allstate or State Farm. Is it hard, you better believe it is, but what isn't that is worthwhile. We have had agents go independent and closed shop after a couple of years. It is extremely difficult to get a contract with a standard market carrier unless you can promise and deliver extremely high volume and when you consider that each carrier will have their appetite to satisfy you can't put everything with one carrier, they just dont' all want it all.
I can tell you that Farmers does have it's issues but talk to any State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide or other captive agent and there are issues with them all. I know that shortly after I got into the business I was grossing a 6 figure income and while I am in the top 20 percent in my District, I'm not at the top so you can imagine what the top agents are bringing home. Where else can you expect to make that kind of money and have some control over your environment? Definitely not in corporate America that I know of.
If you know up front that you will have to work your tail off and then do it, you will make good money. Will you have stress, sure - that's part of being a good agent who can produce. If you can succeed you shouldn't have to worry about the quota, if you can't meet quota you can't earn enough to pay your bills and overhead anyway. Make sure you have family support so they will understand why you can't pick up and leave the office at 5:00 every day. They will enjoy the rewards, the money, the trips, etc. when they come, and they will come.
Just make sure you sign up with a great DM, there are a lot of lazy DM's with an attitude, they could care less if you make it or don't. Then get out on your own as soon as you can and get off his skirt tail.
Good luck!
I can tell you that Farmers does have it's issues but talk to any State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide or other captive agent and there are issues with them all. I know that shortly after I got into the business I was grossing a 6 figure income and while I am in the top 20 percent in my District, I'm not at the top so you can imagine what the top agents are bringing home. Where else can you expect to make that kind of money and have some control over your environment? Definitely not in corporate America that I know of.
If you know up front that you will have to work your tail off and then do it, you will make good money. Will you have stress, sure - that's part of being a good agent who can produce. If you can succeed you shouldn't have to worry about the quota, if you can't meet quota you can't earn enough to pay your bills and overhead anyway. Make sure you have family support so they will understand why you can't pick up and leave the office at 5:00 every day. They will enjoy the rewards, the money, the trips, etc. when they come, and they will come.
Just make sure you sign up with a great DM, there are a lot of lazy DM's with an attitude, they could care less if you make it or don't. Then get out on your own as soon as you can and get off his skirt tail.
Good luck!
Two very good perspectives from long time Farmers agents. Thanks so much for your input. It's hard to know if you are making the right decision, but I guess you sometimes have to take chances in life, work your butt off and do the best you can. What will be will be.
As TXA said, there are pros and cons with any company- direct writer or independent- I have worked for both and know what to expect, or at least I hope.
Again, thanks everyone for your input!
As TXA said, there are pros and cons with any company- direct writer or independent- I have worked for both and know what to expect, or at least I hope.
Again, thanks everyone for your input!
Similar threads
