Why is It Getting Harder to Find Good Agents?

[CALTCAgent]

Unlike LH, it is difficult to get appointed with many of the best P&C carriers. They are quite selective in certain areas to avoid over saturating areas with too many agents but they want to see significant production.

Would you say thats something a "good" agent can overcome?

Or is that something where some areas just are tough if barriers to entry (market access) too high?

When I considered P & C before it seemed like a real kinda catch 22. Production or no market access. So kinda hard to start independent. I was not interested in starting captive. Maybe I didn't see a good path for me.

 

[Bertolinoins]

Would you say thats something a "good" agent can overcome?

Or is that something where some areas just are tough if barriers to entry (market access) too high?

When I considered P & C before it seemed like a real kinda catch 22. Production or no market access. So kinda hard to start independent. I was not interested in starting captive. Maybe I didn't see a good path for me.

Not really... a good agent can get clients to move when the price is close. Most P&C products are fairly cookie cutter so your pricing needs to be competitive if you expect to win accounts. The easiest thing for somebody to do is just stay with their current carrier so you need to give them a reason to fire their current carrier. It is a hassle they would rather avoid. That complacency works against you on new business and for you on renewals.

 

[the mayor]

Not really... a good agent can get clients to move when the price is close. Most P&C products are fairly cookie cutter so your pricing needs to be competitive if you expect to win accounts. The easiest thing for somebody to do is just stay with their current carrier so you need to give them a reason to fire their current carrier. It is a hassle they would rather avoid. That complacency works against you on new business and for you on renewals.

Great info here, as usual.
And I will add in that the prospective client may have already been out to bid....did a lot of work and got no return. You really have to dig for....or tactfully create a pain with the current agent/ carrier

 

[WinoBlues]

Great info here, as usual.
And I will add in that the prospective client may have already been out to bid....did a lot of work and got no return. You really have to dig for....or tactfully create a pain with the current agent/ carrier

I only did P&C a few years. The most important skill I learned was how to X-date.

 

[Bob Klee]

Al3 & DHK,

Wow, good take on the industry & pretty cool story on Levi's!

I do think that the future of this industry is in knowledge & that those without the education will not make it. Technology, social media, the way things are sold is changing.

I moved to the Upper Penn of MI last year. Had to get auto & renters insurance. So, did the HometownQuotes.com thing....& was truly disappointed.
So did the old fashioned Yellow Pages thing....was again sadly disappointed.

State Farm, Farmers, IA [no Allstate in the U.P.] Not one agency volunteered to tell me about No-Fault knowing that I was moving there from TN. Not one offered to figure out what coverage I needed....they all offered me 100/300/50 without asking what I had or trying to determine my need. [told them the cars were on my companies commercial policy].

So I ended up asking the questions, asking for definitions & ultimately, went with State Farm because they had the lowest price. I realize I'm the agent even though I am not licensed there. I ended up talking to 6 different agencies & they all were just order takers....how sad...

Where are all the Good agents anymore?

 

[The Rabbi]

It's an old adage that good workers are hard to find. That goes for any industry. Most Americans have been dumbed down so far they overspend which makes them distracted from their work. The youth have been spoiled by overachieving parents or the victims of underachievers. In between the two is a shrinking group of clear thinking people

 

[maniacagent]

It is also hard to find good companies. Oh--they are out there, but so many have people who are just half baked. I could name a few....

 

[JRod]

Also, Chazm said something that made me start thinking of something else which is that maybe it's not so hard to find good people, but rather it's more difficult to keep / retain them.
I mean if I could make 50% more doing something on my own, I wouldn't hesitate to jump on it.

I think that Rick and Chazm have it right, it may be harder to keep the good agents since the grass is always greener on the other side. I guess if you are looking to build a team, then you better know that you have a great deal for them to make them stick. I know our agency talks to agents like this all the time, who are "shopping around for the best deal". We need to look at the big picture though, leads, support, training, the right companies. All of these come to play instead of just looking for the best contracts...

 

[Franz Kafka]

Would you have liked it better if there were more good agents competing for your business? Why not be a good agent yourself and take all their businesses instead of whining about the lack of opportunity to scalp off on others' hard work? Why is it that the moment someone figures out this industry, they all want to get paid by someone else's work?

 

[The Rabbi]

"I'd rather of 1% of a 100 than 100% of one".

Some of us are entrepreneurs. I came into it to make a living and I ended up making a lot because I could recruit and teach.