Young Agent Spotlight: Justin Wolf at Wolf Financial, Inc.

Young Agent Spotlight: Justin WolfHow did you get into the insurance industry?

I had always wanted to be a financial advisor and got interested in economics while I was in high school. In college, I majored in economics and even took my Series 6 and Series 63 exams at that time. After finishing college, I decided to go a different route and joined the military. When I left the military, I got started as an agent at a life insurance carrier, then gradually transitioned to being an independent property and casualty insurance agent.

How do you approach prospecting?

At this point, all of my business is referral-based. I used to do advertisements as well, but referrals from people I have worked with—customers, loan officers, realtors, and others—are now more than enough to sustain the business. By focusing on the customer’s needs from the get-go, looking at their big-picture finances, and continuing to support them if they have claims, it was natural to build a network; people appreciate good customer service and want their friends to have it.

For example, there’s no sense in filing a zero-pay claim; I tell my customers to call me if they have a claim, and then I coach them on what to do and what’s best in the long term. That kind of communication is really key. People may not like it at first, but up-front, honest communication builds long-term relationships, and those bring in referrals.

What can carriers do to differentiate themselves?

Communication with carriers is essential. I always do what’s right for my customers, no matter what, but it’s nice when I can quickly get access to the right people. I don’t like typing and would rather pick up the phone and call. If I can be talking to the right person via text chat in 30 seconds, however, that’s so much nicer than waiting on the phone and getting repeatedly transferred around.

What advice do you have for new agents just entering the industry?

A lot of the time, clients really need an educational component. Coming from other agencies, they’ll have a cheap policy which was based purely on the price, but they don’t know anything about the actual policy. Clients are still interested in the price, but my experience has definitely been that bringing more to the table helps build that referral network. If you show clients that you value transparency and communication, they’ll appreciate it in the long term.

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