Young Agent Spotlight: Adam Hengst at Camargo Insurance

How did you get into insurance?

While I was studying at college, my brother had some health challenges which required specialized care and treatment. His health-care provider dropped his coverage, so our family took on the responsibility of paying for his care. Doing my part, I left college and found a job to earn money.

I started as a captive agent, selling home, auto, and life insurance. I hit the pavement and attended as many networking sessions as I could. These events allowed me to meet people in my community and become comfortable speaking about my work. Ultimately, I was successful in this role, receiving recognition from the carrier I represented.

When a former colleague reached out about a job at Camargo, I jumped at the chance. Now, I focus on commercial risks for several industries, including forestry, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

Camargo is a third-generation agency with young producers occupying key leadership roles. Technology is core to our strategy. We explore new technologies and think about ways we can gain efficiencies. We recently began piloting a new AMS system that integrates CRM and AMS functionality.

How do you create a great relationship with your underwriters?

It can vary depending on the carrier. Sometimes, carriers are going through internal changes. For example, at one carrier, my commercial lines underwriter has switched four times in the last year and a half. When there is this much change, it is nearly impossible to build consistency.

I do have good relationships with other underwriters. Clear communication is critical to keep all parties informed of the status of work. Slack and email are the best ways for me to accomplish this. At times, picking up the phone is quicker.

The account manager I work with is invaluable. She is extremely knowledgeable and helps me ensure that we are submitting complete and accurate submissions. Complete submissions can go a long way in building rapport with underwriters. We make sure to do basic due diligence before submitting quotes—like Google and Facebook searches.

How do you use technology to support your account servicing?

Agents need to be careful about how much work they accept because it can quickly add up. However, offering great service can open opportunities for referrals. My approach differs depending on the line of business. I am more traditional and hands-on for my large commercial accounts and life insurance clients.

For personal lines and small commercial, most of the requests are submitted through email. We make sure to log all correspondence in our CRM. This is where an account manager can fulfill client requests as well as keep the company aware of the status of the inquiry. These emails are sent through a company-wide email address, so different people can work on the same request without confusing the customer.

How do you use technology to support your sales cycle?

Our agency has recently hired an individual to focus on our marketing. Recently, we started creating marketing campaigns. These campaigns put the prospect on a marketing journey. Based off their interactions with our emails and texts, our software assigns points to the prospect. This ranking helps producers prioritize who to reach out to as well as offers an indication of what types of coverage may be of interest. We are considering creating journeys that are industry-specific (e.g., manufacturing).

We still believe in the power of receiving a nice note in the mail. We use a company called Handwrytten that writes and sends pen-and-ink letters to our clients. This is one way we look to differentiate and deepen our client relationships.

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