101 Things Independent Agents Like MOST

March 24, 2008

The exclusive 2008 Insurance Journal Survey of Young Agents asked independent agents under 40 years old: What do you like most about being an independent agent? Here’s what some of the 360 agents who took the survey had to say:

  1. Working for myself and setting my own time and pace.
  2. You get to learn so much about so many different types of business.
  3. Ability to provide a multitude of products to clients all under one agency name.
  4. Getting to know what many different businesses do and how they do it.
  5. Ability to control my own schedule, while at the same time being part of a team of professionals who have the success of the agency as their first goal.
  6. Unbelievable opportunity: attend golf outings, travel, meet clients/carriers, trade shows, associations, education, etc.
  7. Satisfaction of knowing my hard work makes a difference in the lives of my clients and in the lives of my employees.
  8. Networking with fellow independent agents and with customers.
  9. Flexibility in work hours and helping people have a successful business.
  10. Equality in the insurance industry.
  11. Ability to travel.
  12. Freedom.
  13. Understanding how insurance works and being able to explain it.
  14. Opportunity to give this industry a better image.
  15. Hours.
  16. Fact that the most ethical person always wins!
  17. Relationships with peers.
  18. Working with the customers, getting to know them.
  19. Making my own schedule and being responsible for my own commission.
  20. Education.
  21. You can never say it’s boring or it’s the same old thing.
  22. The world is your oyster. You can only be as good as you sell!
  23. I enjoy sales and making sure each client is insured properly.
  24. 9-5 means 9-5.
  25. Being able to help whoever walks in the door.
  26. Helping clients ensure that they have a safe future.
  27. Ability to dictate how much money you can or will make.
  28. Making money, changing environment.
  29. Not having the limitations of one carrier (captive).
  30. Lack of the big corporate structure.
  31. Interesting products.
  32. Providing customers with the coverages they truly need at a great price.
  33. Meeting people and also being able to control my income through my sales.
  34. It is a product that everyone needs.
  35. Ability to talk with my owner at any moment.
  36. I control my ability to succeed.
  37. As an Agency owner I like being able to determine the direction of the business.
  38. Meeting and gaining new clients. Learning about other industry sectors.
  39. Love the feeling I get when I’m able to save someone money.
  40. Love the relationships … helping clients suit their needs, fairly!
  41. Competition among peers is not as strong as other industries such as investment banking or legal.
  42. Flexibility and compensation.
  43. The ability to build a business for an agency that supports young talent.
  44. Competitiveness.
  45. Being a detective of sorts … With good questioning techniques and now the use of the Internet, it is a whole lot easier to investigate and correctly insure a risk. This has really helped to lower E&O problems and costs.
  46. Options.
  47. Learning all the time; it is a challenge.
  48. Independence.
  49. Possibility of making huge sums of money.
  50. Competitiveness and freedom to control your own success and compensation.
  51. My customers depend on my knowledge and trust what insurance programs I offer to them.
  52. We have a specialty niche field and the day- to-day changes and interactions with customers is great.
  53. Selling dreams!
  54. That it is a relationship business; you meet a lot of different people and learn about several different business operations, making many contacts and friends along the way.
  55. Potential to create. The surprise element.
  56. The competitive nature of the business. I am an athlete as well as a broker … The amount of work you put into this career directly affects how successful you are – it’s up to you.
  57. Ability to represent a lot of carriers.
  58. Wide range of clients and travel.
  59. Educating and helping business owners protect and grow their businesses.
  60. Ability to offer customers options. I worked for a captive writer and it is frustrating when you have no options to offer to your customer. Also, the underwriting is much more restrictive writing for a captive. At least with an independent company you can call and talk to an underwriter, explain the risk and get them to reconsider.
  61. Good job with good pay.
  62. As an agent you are the owner of your own little business. You control how much money you make or don’t make in your agency.
  63. Freedom. Controlling my own destiny.
  64. Possibilities are endless.
  65. Ability to make as much money as I can.
  66. Interacting with carrier and client personnel.
  67. It’s an amazing experience when you have protected someone from losing their business.
  68. Luxury of representing multiple carriers.
  69. Unlimited potential to how much I earn.
  70. Ability to grow as an individual and grow monetarily.
  71. Working for myself.
  72. Never run out of things to learn.
  73. Multiple carriers and the ability to write almost any business.
  74. The diversity and challenges. With insurance it is an ever-changing industry; no two accounts are exactly alike.
  75. The autonomy.
  76. Love insurance in general and the challenge of helping customers in need.
  77. Ability to adapt to a client’s changing exposure.
  78. Researching proposals that I know are in my clients’ best interest.
  79. I work in commercial entertainment, so it’s always lively and interesting. Whether a feature film or an actor’s shell/loan-out corporation, I certainly see interesting things. It’s never boring.
  80. Selecting the people who work on the team.
  81. I can choose how much income I will have.
  82. I worked for Allstate for four years … I like the independent agency model because you never have to tell people that you can’t help.
  83. Being able to work with a diversity of industry segments and customer personalities.
  84. Flexibility to run with my own ideas and marketing plans.
  85. Ability to work with insureds and the carriers. I “get” both sides of the industry.
  86. After eight years working for the same organization, I am interested more in the management aspect of the agency.
  87. Better money and less strenuous than physical labor.
  88. Freedom to service my customers in whatever market or with whatever company necessary.
  89. There is structure. An HO3 is an HO3… Yet, there is always something during the day that is different.
  90. Flex-time.
  91. Being my own boss.
  92. I like marketing the most.
  93. Meeting new people and being able to educate them on the types and amounts of coverage they need.
  94. Competitive nature of the business.
  95. You can change direction in target class, lines of business, etc.
  96. We can cater to so many people with our multiple companies. We are able to search for them … and I think they really appreciate that.
  97. Fast-paced workplace that is constantly changing.
  98. Relationships that are developed along with the sales.
  99. Trying to provide the best customer service, working with the company underwriters.
  100. Money and protecting people’s assets.
  101. I can choose how much income I will have.
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