How did you get into insurance?
Like many people, I did not anticipate entering insurance. While at Boston University, I studied international relations. After graduating, I took a summer job, as I figured out my long-term plan.
I saw a job posting as a direct writer for Sentry Insurance focusing on small businesses. My role was door-to-door sales. At Sentry we primarily focused on metalworking, plastics, food processing, and electronic components manufacturing. I worked my way to the national accounts level where I wrote and serviced loss-sensitive workers’ comp programs as well as general liability and commercial auto policies.
Earlier this year, I joined Propel Insurance. We have a broad appetite of business including senior living, construction, non-profits, healthcare, and manufacturing. It has been a great chance to blend my carrier experience with the new opportunities of a brokerage.
What opportunities exist to create stronger relationships between agents and carriers?
My experience on the carrier side has made me aware of opportunities where agents can improve.
It would be helpful for agents to recognize that underwriters and marketing reps are often more perceptive than they are given credit. As an agent, honest conversations with carriers are essential to get good outcomes for your clients.
Working on the carrier side, it was usually clear when the agent was playing games, and we would naturally build stronger relationships with agencies that were willing to have candid conversations. Carriers recognize they are competing to win business; however, they still want to feel like they are being treated fairly in the process.
Quality of information also matters. Agents should spend time ensuring their applications are thorough and complete. A well-crafted narrative and submission can differentiate yourself among your competition and are more likely to result in competitive proposals.
Building the underwriter relationship inside and outside the office is important, as it’s human nature to do business with people you know, like, and are comfortable with.
How do you use technology in your day-to-day work?
Before COVID-19, I rarely used LinkedIn. I would often work door-to-door, following up afterwards with an email. I felt confident in my ability to connect with people, and face-to-face meetings is how I could earn business.
However, I had to learn to adapt, as most of my day is spent actively prospecting. I now leverage LinkedIn to identify potential leads, RocketReach to source contact information, and IP tracking to verify email addresses.
There are also insurance-specific tools which can be helpful like Zywave’s miEdge that can provide information on company size, key contacts, policy expiration dates, as well as what broker currently owns the relationship. Using these tools make me more informed about my prospective clients’ needs, allowing me to anticipate some challenges and identify preliminary solutions.
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