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That's my opinion. And you are certainly entitled to it.
The difference is I am looking at it from the inside out, you are looking at it from the outside in.
Just because a HO makes a decision that negatively impacts its sales force, does not mean they did not try to lessen the impact.
HO decisions that effect the field are a balancing act
Agents will always feel they are not treated right and there will be some in the HO that think they are paid to much.
That rich retirement plan is still available today.(Guardian)
The only cuts to that plan have been on the HO side.
So I think they are treated quite well.
BTW that is my opinion.
I do understand your viewpoint.
I agree its a balancing act that HO management must keep. And the economic factors dont help the comp discussion much. Dont get me wrong, I respect your opinion, and do get where you are coming from. Im not saying the HO is bad to agents or directly mistreats them.
But your phrasing of "considered royalty" is far, far, far, from the actual real life impression most career agents receive. (in my experience, and that of many others ive known both in and out of it)
And what matters most in that situation??
If the HO considers agents as royalty, there is a reason for that, right? They feel that type of treatment is beneficial to their business model.
But if agents do not feel they are treated that way... is it going to have the desired effect?
The boss can THINK employees are treated like royalty all they want to. But what actually matters to the functionality of the business is how the employees FEEL they are treated.
And does the impression of disregard at the HO create loyalty among the field force??
How do you think that impression reflects in retention rates among career agents? And not just employment retention, but written business retention as well?? (remember my comment about far more biz going outside the career agency than into it with experienced agents?)
Ive always found HO management to be pretty out of touch with the modern struggles of their field force. (I do agree that Guardian has probably done the best job overall of keeping up with modern times. the term repricing is another major step that is HUGE for new agents)
Most HO management has been out of the field for at least a decade, if not much longer. Many people in the HO have never been a real agent.
As WMSG mentioned, its not just about the comp/benefits. Its about the overall vibe given out by management towards the field force. They are a "necessary" part of business functions to keep acquiring more of "their" clients.
And it shows most in the training and support given to new agents. Almost everything about the modern career agent sales training is to benefit the Carrier.
Pushing ART, pushing project 100s, pushing ratings over product substance, pushing 1st year agents to get securities licensed, I could go on and on and on. Most end up selling just a handful of policies to close friends and family. 1 year later, the agent is gone, but the carrier has "their" clients and "their" premiums being paid to them for the next 10-50 years.
Oh, and now that the agent has burned through their project 100 with products that were less than competitive. They now have to go back later to re-approach them and hope they can make traction in the new dynamic they have established... which is not easy to do at first and takes time. Oh, and the people on that project 100, they are now probably being called on by that career shop if you ever shared that info with management. And approaching "your circle" is usually not that great of an idea at first other than a few select friends or family who understand that you are learning, because you dont know what the hell you are doing. You will miss things on cases your first year and do things different than once you gain experience. You dont want that to be with "your circle" of acquaintances as an agent... but as the carrier.... it doesnt matter one bit if you dont care about the agents well being. So like I said, it shows in many different ways once you have the perspective of experience and knowledge of the full situation new agents are put through.
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