Top 10 Items That Insurance Agencies Can Do to Make Their Agents More Successful?

[RBHAGENT]

I read these forums and I often wonder what Agencies could do for their agents to help alleviate some of the questions that pop up. For instance Tax advice on how much to withhold, or website develop and important content / news letters.

I want to hear from everyone here what they think an agency should provide an independent agent to make their business more successful. Or, what an agency could provide in a perfect world? Lets talk about how to build the perfect setup that would support all of us in the field!!

1) I'll start, I think agencies should make their own in house power point videos for each product and not just rely on what the insurance companies provide.

 

[NCAgent]

I read these forums and I often wonder what Agencies could do for their agents to help alleviate some of the questions that pop up. For instance Tax advice on how much to withhold, or website develop and important content / news letters.

I want to hear from everyone here what they think an agency should provide an independent agent to make their business more successful. Or, what an agency could provide in a perfect world? Lets talk about how to build the perfect setup that would support all of us in the field!!

1) I'll start, I think agencies should make their own in house power point videos for each product and not just rely on what the insurance companies provide.

Technology support. Phones, Agency Management system, things like that so the agent isn't held back by some little mundane limitation.

Tax-advice, unless you are getting a CPA on retainer or something I don't think that works well. Referrals to the CPA might help though, in more ways than one :-p

I think a presentation on some certain hitches that carriers are good at solving would be nice to have. For example, monoline properties, or homes with trampolines and pools, homes with multiple claims, coastal properties. certain dog-breeds, etc. Same with the auto- DUIs, classic or antique cars, foreign licenses, etc. Same for commercial, and things like that. For life and health, carriers good at non-med, med, FE and certain health conditions, annuities, table shaving, etc. Obviously that can't be all-inclusive but there are some in your area you can address, you might know what they are.

Membership to some of the networking places like the Big I, business meetings, things like that.

Those are a few things I see here in my area that might be important.

 

[RBHAGENT]

Technology support. Phones, Agency Management system, things like that so the agent isn't held back by some little mundane limitation.

Tax-advice, unless you are getting a CPA on retainer or something I don't think that works well. Referrals to the CPA might help though, in more ways than one :-p

I think a presentation on some certain hitches that carriers are good at solving would be nice to have. For example, monoline properties, or homes with trampolines and pools, homes with multiple claims, coastal properties. certain dog-breeds, etc. Same with the auto- DUIs, classic or antique cars, foreign licenses, etc. Same for commercial, and things like that. For life and health, carriers good at non-med, med, FE and certain health conditions, annuities, table shaving, etc. Obviously that can't be all-inclusive but there are some in your area you can address, you might know what they are.

Membership to some of the networking places like the Big I, business meetings, things like that.

Those are a few things I see here in my area that might be important.

A lot of good points you bring up and I think over time agencies should start to catch on to these types of small details. You said it best with your choice of words being "Mundane". I feel like there are so many things that end up distracting me because I have to work through them...would be nice to have an agency provide some of those items as a value add!! Oh, and regarding the tax advice...My thought was enlist a large agency like BKD to issue a news letter that offers tax advice to insurance agents...that way they are on the line and the advice comes directly from the expert.

I like where this conversation is going, who else has some input???

 

[DHK]

Hmmm... independent agencies providing "every tool and support"...

Why does that sound contradictory to me? Being independent yet having all the tools supplied by an agency?

The only thing I ever expected from an agency is to provide correct answers to questions that I ask, or direct me in the right way to people who do have the answers.

Everything else is my responsibility to obtain or create in the path that I chose.

 

[RBHAGENT]

?

Hmmm... independent agencies providing "every tool and support"...

Why does that sound contradictory to me? Being independent yet having all the tools supplied by an agency?

The only thing I ever expected from an agency is to provide correct answers to questions that I ask, or direct me in the right way to people who do have the answers.

Everything else is my responsibility to obtain or create in the path that I chose.

Another good point!! I especially enjoy the input from a forum "Guru" becuase you have obviously been in this business for a while. Yeah, I think you are dead on about "Contradictory", but isn't there a way for agencies and uplines to provide a level of support to the "sales guy"?? My thought is that good salesman are not always good business men...and good business men are definitlely not always good salesmen. So, is there a solution to help independent agents get some value add support from a strong business / brand focused agency? To allow them to better build their business and create more time in front of the customer as the expert...How can we change what is currently unavailable and bring a corporate experience and organization to the loosely defined independent insurance world? How can we provide more value than what is already there or expected to be there....

 

[mmaedelins]

Personally, I think training (whether in person or on the web) concerning cold calling, closing sales, handling claims, marketing, etc. would help a newbie get over that initial hump of trying to figure all this stuff out on his/her own.

 

[briko3]

Give them one good product and show them where it fits. Too many agencies want you to learn multiple products and the new agent gets caught up in analysis paralysis. One product, one market and a mentor to go with them for the first week on appointments.

 

[tomlarson_enhance]

Personally, I think training (whether in person or on the web) concerning cold calling, closing sales, handling claims, marketing, etc. would help a newbie get over that initial hump of trying to figure all this stuff out on his/her own.

I think it's definitely important to get at least some direction as to where you can receive this information. Even if they are unable to personally coach you on cold calling, marketing, etc., if they can find you the trusted resources of their experienced agents, that'd be helpful. Then the responsibility no longer lies on them, but on you to ensure your own success.

http://www.enhanceinsurance.com

 

[RBHAGENT]

Give them one good product and show them where it fits. Too many agencies want you to learn multiple products and the new agent gets caught up in analysis paralysis. One product, one market and a mentor to go with them for the first week on appointments.

Absolutely, in my marketing days we called that Narrow Focus!! There is money to be made in this business and I think too many agencies lose track of what really makes someone successful...This is a tough business to learn and nobody will ever truely master it. Having 1 product, 1 system, support / mentoring will go a long way. Another thing I was thinking about was EXPECTATIONS...I think its important for all agencies/uplines to set clear expectations to agents from the begginning so there are no hidden surprises if and when they hit a slump in their sales.

examples of EXPECTATIONS would be true direct mail results, closing percentages, target market, daily habits, commission schedules, upfront costs, etc....

 

[mmaedelins]

Absolutely, in my marketing days we called that Narrow Focus!! There is money to be made in this business and I think too many agencies lose track of what really makes someone successful...This is a tough business to learn and nobody will ever truely master it. Having 1 product, 1 system, support / mentoring will go a long way. Another thing I was thinking about was EXPECTATIONS...I think its important for all agencies/uplines to set clear expectations to agents from the begginning so there are no hidden surprises if and when they hit a slump in their sales.

examples of EXPECTATIONS would be true direct mail results, closing percentages, target market, daily habits, commission schedules, upfront costs, etc....

I think this is a great idea as well. Not only will you know what is expected of you but, most likely, you will be motivated to get more things done during the day.