Which Path When New to P&C?

[Rob Lion]

DieHard fan, of the movie or the Vols? If the movie, I love it but don't recall mentioning it. If the Vols, props for catching it as most don't.

A lot depends upon the state you are in. I don't know much about Auto Owners, but I understand Erie is competitive in most states, so if you can get them, that would be good. That said, most groups don't play well with Erie as they want all your production and to the best of my knowledge, Erie is not available through any group. I suspect Auto Owners is the same, not available through any group.

From Shelter I am assuming somewhere in the Midwest, Plains?

I always recommend speaking to the local SIAA Master Agency. SIAA is the big dog in the Aggregator/Cluster space and they can deliver a lot of value. The catch is each Master Agency has a lot of leeway to do things their way. Some are better than others, some offer better contracts that others. So it is hard to say unless you have experience with that particular Master Agency.

Shawn is also worth speaking with. While I respect him, I was not a fan of the contract I saw. It may have changed, you may be able to negotiate it to be good for you, or you may not care about what I objected to. Trout also is building a cluster, I'm not sure what states he is in. Also seems like a good guy and his contract was decent although there were some things I didn't like as well. But then the same can be said for the contract I did sign with SIAA.

The one piece of advice that I can give that is concrete. Decide before hand if you are looking for a long-term or a short-term relationship with a Custer or Aggregator. Then look for a contract that matches. Some are better short term solutions while others are better long term solutions.

Sorry, one more. Read the contract and then follow it. I'm aware of many people who break their contract routinely, either as an independent in a group or a captive. Obviously you can get away with it for a time, and the more like you are the longer you can get away with it. But eventually things catch up with you. So never sign a contract that you are not willing to follow to the letter.

Always remember this, if you aren't willing to keep your word, how can you expect anyone else to keep theirs?

Vol I thought you were a fe guy lol

 

[VolAgent]

Vol I thought you were a fe guy lol

I wear lots of hats and have evolved over the years.