Staffing

[pita3333]

Okay...heres a good (I hope) question.

How does everyone out there find new (qualified) staff?

I have tried recruiters (headhunters), IhireInsurance.com, networking with friends, our user group posting...everything except the LA Times...with limited luck!

What else is out there?

[Carlos]

In the last few years it has become harder and harder to hire agents, most are opening their own locations or have moved to other Industries and if you do find someone to hire they ussually come with more bagage than they are worth.

I would suggest that you create an employee manual which outlines all the tasks to be performed in the office so that you can train new personnel quickly.

Now getting them licensed is another issue, many of my friends are having a hard time with.

We need to get the word out that Insurance can be a carrer an not just a stepping stone into another job.

[aplessing]

Recruiting, training hiring and then retaining top performers is the greatest challenge to insurance agents and brokers in today's marketplace. Even the former Alphabet Houses or your largest regional brokers are subject to the same challenge.

As an independent consultant, I partner with my clients to cultivate existing talent and attract new talent, and realize their workforce's full potential, with happier customers, higher sales and greater profits being the result. I specialize in agency/broker workforce development.

Does this sound familiar?

Hire a young person out of college or one of the direct writers and provide the new hire with a decent salary, plus commission based upon production. The employee stays with you until they develop a $150,000 revenue book and they go down the street to another agent willing to give them a larger commission split - so all the money you have spent developing that person walks out the door with him.

You have 80% of your agencies' book controlled by a few seasoned account executives (or even the agency owner(s)), who are looking to retire within the next five years and you have nobody able to fill their shoes "" thus, your account execs don't leave and don't service, because they go into informal retirement anyway and you eventually loose the bulk of their book until they do retire at which time you loose all of it.

You settle for what walks through your door and you are constantly managing crisis after crisis.

In order to fill a gap, you are forced to "cherry pick"

[pita3333]

We have a great employee manual and are working on a training manual.

Know all the recruiters...necessary (?) evil.

We use Omnia Profile as well as a coverage test for our skilled positions. It is incredible what you can learn with profiles.

One resource that I would love to tap is project Invest
I have spoken to the coordinators for the local High School programs in our area...unfortunately the school here is a low income area where transportation is issue. A new program is about to open at a local Community College...hoping for something there in the future.

We are fortunate in that we are a niche agency and need more "processors" then we need Account Managers...but still hard to find good/decent (ok any) work ethic!

[carterrud]

I am in a situation like you are talking about. I have 5 years of sales and college. I was brought into an agency of about 5 mil in premium that has been around for 80 years. I was given an office and a phone book and said go to it. I was also sent to a couple learning seminars at a couple companies we have. I have never been taught a single thing by my boss or any others in the office. In the first year I quoted about 250,000 premium in buisness getting about 40,000. I mostly went after bigger accounts because they were the ones who would let me quote. The problem was I was never told the right info to get and knowbody would go with me. I knew a lot of the coverages but did not know certain info to get so I would end up calling back 3 times looking stupid. Secondly none of our companies could write half this stuff our the staff would send it to 2 companies and say knowbody will write it without checking other options.
Then when I did quote they would never let me in on any of the process so I am clueless when I would get quotes back. My boss would say try writing BOP's. I would and they were so small premium I would save them 200 bucks and they would stay with their current agent.
I am not trying to say that it is all my boss's fault but I receive no marketing and no leads. I really think that I should go to a bigger agency after talking with the other producer here has only 1 mil in premium after 15 years. I would rather do that in 5 years. Anyway money is not the problem, oppurtunity is.

[crossins]

Carterrud, it sounds like you are working for the wrong agency. As a new producer you should have some guidance and a little handholding. Don't be ashamed to admit it. You can succeed without it if you have the drive. I would suggest talking with the top 5 or 10 carriers you have in house. Ask them what they are writing, like to write, and want to write. Use this as a list of targeted industries. Become familiar with underwriting these accounts at the agent level. (Do a little of the underwriters job - they will appreciate it). Do not sell on price alone. Ask your carriers how their product/program stands up against the competitors in that arena.

[carterrud]

Thanks, but we only have 4 carriers and all they want to write is little bop's and contractors. My boss writes a lot of the contractors in the area so I really can't go there and when I try my manager said that he is has been trying to get that account for years, and I should tell her who I cold call first. As for underwriting goes I am only told the minimum by my manager when I go on an appointment, and my boss will let me have no contact with the underwriter. Another thing is that I have a company that has 137 employees letting me agent of record their health in a couple of months and I have 2 problems. 1. I just got my health license 3 months ago and do not really no what info to get, I know the coverages and I need an agent of record letter signed. I tell my manager what do I need to get and she makes it seem like there is no way I will land the account and blows off what I need to know to do other crap. 2. Then she tells me if I get the letter of record it will have to be in my boss's name because they have not got me licensed with that company or any health company. I should have known because most of the time I am not the agent of record on my own stuff because of that.

[Porter]

Carterrud,

The health insurance is a piece of cake. You need to contact the health insurance sales mananager. They will send someone out with you to do all the paperwork. You don't half to do anything accept close the deal.

Porter

[crossins]

You cannot make a living selling $500 BOP's. Well, maybe you could but you'd have to sell about 10 a week. That would be a meager living at best. If your principal does not want you to increase your selling power by making yourself better you should have one foot out the door.

Perhaps you should get the tools (training and product knowlege) by working for a carrier. Here in the Northeast the regionals are fighting between themselves for good help. Most companies will provide general industry training, including CPCU at no cost.

Have you ever taken a personality profile? You might want to invest the $100 or so to see if you're suited for the position you're in. This is a relationship business. As an agent you need to sell your prospect and your underwriter.

[carterrud]

I have been in sales forever I used to work for Miller Lite before I got into insurance. I have taken 3 tests 2 by companies and scored well for their sales apptitude and a 3rd by the redmond group from New Jersey who was at the TAPP program at Westfield Insurance and Tom Redmond told me I scored the highest out of the other 15 students for sales. I am not saying I am great, but I know how to relationship sell I done it for 5 years and love it. My problem is I have no way to get in with bigger companies to write. Most companies have not heard of us, but we have been around 80 years. I am not taught the knowledge when I do get in the door to make a real shot at it. I don't want to sell small bop's it will take forever to make it in this business. My wife works for a doctor group with 8 offices and 32 doctors. She has got me in to talk with them and they will let me look at their business insurance, malpracice,etc. What I don't want to happen is walk in there, get all the info and come back to my company and have them say we don't have a market go get a little corner store bop or something our companies will right. Then they will pretend to go to excess to find a carrier and make me wait 2 months and say nobody will take it. They are pretty much telling me they do not want to put in the work to find a market. Then I look stupid to the doctors when I say sorry for waisting 2 months but we have no market.

[CN1]

Carterrud - If everything you have written is as it sounds, get the hell out. I don't know where you are but it should not be difficult to find a market for a doctors office. If your boss does not want to help you succeed, find one who does.

[independent guy]

I agree with CN1. Get out of there. I don't understand why they don't want to help you out more, I mean, the agency makes money off what you sell too!

[NewBee]

Carterrud, i'm with CN1 get out of that dead end place. In our field there is so much to learn about and depending on your target market it could be a little more intensive. In your situation being a part of an agency not on your own, you really need to be surrounded by people you can learn from or be given the resources to self-educate in addition to having a positive work enviroment. Having someone on your team you can learn from is priceless but when they get in the way of you being successful, you need to find a way to fix the relationship so they start to help you, go around them and find someone in the office that will or leave the agency for a better one.

As a P/C agent, we can always find another position to work in or go out on our own but don't get in the rut that you feel your stuck where your at - it's an excuse. It's up to you to make a change, don't wait for someone else to do it for you. I'm sorry to say that in this field some people can get lazy, start networking with fellow agents and find someone who has the passion for the business and you'll probably find they would love to help a new agent succeed. There are lots out there, try networking with your local agents through a local insurance organization not to mention, ask your local organziation for help after all that's what they're there for. Good Luck!

[twobeacon]

Carterrud,

Your way too negative to make it as an insurance producer. (in your present state of mind)

If my comment seems harsh, take a minute and carefully read your posts over a few times.

The independent agency system is a completely different world then fortune 500 companies.

I know plenty of producers in small agencies that are very successful.

Read anything by Napolean Hill, (Success through a positive mental attitude is an excellent one, also think and grow rich) then you'll be ready to go.

good luck

[captivenomore]

I agree, if you are working in an office with no support, there are better options out there. It is to their advantage to have producers who are producing & presenting the company in the best possible light. I did notice that your spelling and grammer could use some polishing. A prospective client may see those as evidence of lack of attention to detail and reflect poorly on you. As an employer for over 20 years, I put as much or more importance on presentation, spelling, and grammer on a resume as the work history itself. Don't depend on spellcheck exclusively as it is frequently wrong for the context of the sentence.