New Agent to Forum. Hello Everyone

[frmrTICA]

Re: New Agent to Forum...Hello Everyone

Did you sign a lease for space when you became a TICA?

Yes.

Did they make you office an ESP or offer to pay your rent for a while?

The DAFO pulled the rug 4 days before my TICA period ran out. They are running it as an ESP before his/her start date.

Did they keep your team?

Yes. After I canned (actually more like forced out)the poisonous retiring team members about month 8, I had 3 new team members with another I recruited about to come on board.

Why do you think you got canned?

Million dollar question. Every day I realize something else and it makes me wonder what, if anything, was the trigger. My guess is it was a culmination of a lot of things, not some horrible mistake.

#1 I hired the existing team members. They were used to Wed afternoons off, and covering for each other. By the time I figured everything out (they were very gung ho in person, "yes" people) a month before their departure, they, before my arrival, worked on average 25 hours a week. Sunntanned themselves in the parking lot while forwarding the phones to CRC BEFORE they were talking calls. Did not answer the phones. I came in, expected them to work, the DAFO UWs went crazy when looking at our changes (worst book in history was one quote) and the cleaning up that needed to be done. This went down as a "competency".
#2 My immediate leadership came to me office 4 times in a year. After the cancer was gone with a full team of noobs, servicing a LARGE book, it took awhile to get everyone through school. My IFRs went down, because I was "floating: around helping them all day every day. My leadership did not care about the 450 emails from UW on trying to clean up undisclosed drivers. They did not care the book had been losing money for 5 years. I do not think they gasve us a fair shake. But life isn't fair.
#3 While I was on a trip as a top mutual fund producer ( I never let the team issues hit my production) I was told instead of a letter from corporate legal going out to the former team (set up shop in a IA, stealing business), they had contacted the team (the old, never spoke to the new) and they had painted a pretty poor picture of me and my leadership. It did get a little ugly, but never unprofessional. When the first one was gone, I got access to her emails and found out what they really thought, and they had been emailing each other and some service people about what kind of monster I was. I knew the other could not be saved and made as quick as a transition to new people as I could (about 4 weeks). So anyway my rookie C talked to them, and the 4521s out (only, nobody I helped or had an IFR with). 18 out of 24 households that left that month had been coached or were friends and family. I never got to tell my side.

So I failed at keeping the DAFO in the loop, and I feel they nver understood the market and situation we faced. It was all very general and shallow. I expected more, and did not do a good job of keeping quiet about it. My market was behind me, and was shocked, but could not stick their neck out too much. I made a bad hiring decision. I don't think they cut me enough slack.

I have to take responsibility for it. I know that. It still sucks because my numbers were good, not great, but good especially considering first the dead weight I was pulling, and then trying to get the new team up to speed. The punishment did not fit the crime.

If they are so desparate and everyone is failing and you were successfull why why why?

I can't figure it out either. It has made it more difficult to move on. Why not send the letter? Why give the old team a forum (the market knew what I found out about them, and I did not tell the DAFO because they were so shallow on every bit of advice I asked that I started to avoid telling them anything.) Why never talk to my current team, whom still like me and keep in touch? Why not tell me what was said and let me defend myself? Inexperience? I wish I knew the answer, because it does not make sense.

Then there was the politics. My soon to be market E recruited me 4 years ago. Sat in on my interview. Told me a few days before I found out he was going to give me the help he knew we needed down there (very remote location, probaly why the DAFO did not show up or only gave me 2 reviews all year). Have an email from other leadership stating I was getting it. DAFO told me I was getting a new contract. AFTER they had this meeting with the team members. I signed a new contract for 4 billboards. Bought new office furniture. Made other $$ commitments to the school, booster club, etc. When I told my market (hey, I was happy) they sent an email on why they were not invited. It pissed off the DAFO. Another email went out for telling me that they even had checked into the team member thing. Turf war ensued. Market stuck out their neck but only so far. I was hung.

Hmm

I've seen them not renew TICA's who actually bought buildings for their office and got stuck with empty space.

Me too

If that happened to me I'd be in jail for assault and arson, possibly murder.

LOL. Well, if I actually was the kind of person my team mebers led them to believe I was, I guess I would have, too.

How did you not loose your mind?

Jury is still out, LOL. I'm in debt, not because I didn't make more money than my buddies, but because I promised the VPA in my interview I would launch the most agressive marketing campaign ever seen. I fulfilled that.

I have a house that will not sell (it sat for 3 years before I bought it) for years. I may lose it (it is mortgaged through SFB, LOL).

What hurts the worst is my friends within the co and what they must think. They know my numbers were good, too. It is like some sort of horrible skeleton is in the closet, but it isn't. If there were, I would sit down and shut up instead of telling others to be careful.

I'm guessing looking back my C overdocumented the file, and the E figured he had some sort of hothead. I have the patience of Jobe. I think whatever those team members said planted a huge seed of doubt. Still can't figure out why they even gave them a venue, or why I was never allowed to counter. Or why they didn't talk to my new team, ever.

It is the most complicated, head scratching ?????? thing I've ever encountered.

I've been fired before by another company but that was political.

That is the only thing that is making sense.

I was the most motivated individual to carry out the SF vision out of anyone I'd met. I'm , or was fanatic about it.

And despite it all, other leadership and TICAs got help. have more experienced leaders. Ones that show up, teach and coach. Great agents. My side of the woods is totally different. Revolving door. Noobs. Former agents taking a lifeline out of debt, or out of community's like mine was.

My only saving grace thus far has been staying busy. I have to. My wife needs me, she has sacrificed just as much if not more than I.

Also, the contract, and the realization about my 5 month (it was all so abstract until you hit the ground in your market and start seeing the checks) what could happen no matter what I did (40% auto penetration, almost 0 fire to write) or how much money I spent, to know I was looking at a 40-60K PAYCUT in a few years.... I had a ton of autos, that require a LARGE staff just to take payments and service. How was that going to work?

I'm just rationalizing now, but my wife is actually (besides the hurt and humiliation) glad to be out of there. I'm from a small town, but it was hard on her....mostly either retired people or the thousands of government housed poor.

Trying to take it as a blessing, but for other, BE CAREFUL.

 

[xrac]

Re: New Agent to Forum...Hello Everyone

It may not look like it now but trust me! In the long run it will turn out to be a blessing. Look at the discoveries you have already made.

 

[xrac]

Re: New Agent to Forum...Hello Everyone

That State Farm would encourage new agents to spend all that money and then cut them loose with no compensation is absolutely shameful and ridiculous. That is some of the worst conduct I have heard of in the insurance industry. Anybody that would consider SF given the current situation has not done their home work. This is going to come back to haunt State Farm.

 

[Frank]

Re: New Agent to Forum...Hello Everyone

HELLO from Chicago to everyone here!
nice forum,