Face it, for the general, retail insurance practice agency owner, this is a dying business. The 'next' generation of insurance buyers for the personal lines and small commercial products aren't calling us any more, they're whipping out their smart phones and transacting business that way. Honestly, ...

Every state is different, every agency is different...the feeling of betrayal and violation occurs when an agency feels it has played by the unwritten rules of fair play and proper field underwriting to give a carrier only the most likely of profitable business, passing or marketing to a 'lesser' ca...

I think that the whole insurance internet lead 'game' has evolved (perhaps devolved is a better word) into a place where the disenfranchised and low value prospects are the only one's left who are willing to go through the on-line questions, either for an incentive or not, and who have devalued the ...

I'm resurrecting this thread to update anyone interested in the challenge of insurance internet leads on what transpired over the past six month between myself and the original poster who was asking for opinions on a business model for P&C Auto Internet leads. To keep this update in context, I w...

Let's turn this around...'I'm a successful P&C Agency owner and think there's a lot of opportunity in the Financial Services Sector. I mean, how hard is it to switch the pitch from Auto and Home insurance to Life Insurance, Variable Annunities and Mutual Funds? My clients like and trust me and o...

In my market, this used to be a more frequent problem. An electrician whom I insure says knob+tube isn't necessarily dangerous, but is representative of an electrical system that hasn't been completely updated and although the system may have worked well for years, it just doesn't have the capabilit...

I've had to think about this posting for awhile because it just doesn't feel right by my value system. As agents or brokers, I've always viewed the job as being one where appropriate coverage is researched and offered to fit the risk, and that final commission/compensation would take care of itself ...

I'm of the opinion that a X-mas bonus should be a sincere effort on the part of the business owner to express gratitude for a job well done by an employee for the past year, especially if the employee efforts have resulted in a profitable year for the agency. I view it as a seasonal token that is di...

The Allstate environment at the present time is rather bizarre with success or failure heavily dependent on your rates in the immediate brick and mortar footprint area. Add to that the adversarial relationship between Allstate owner and the company that is fairly well acknowledged in insurance circl...

There is no universal, quick business value evaluation tool. The 'worth' of a business has far too many factors such as business history, outlook, profit, owner withdrawal, inventory, business location, lease terms and length, client list and good will. And that's not even the entire list. If you're...

I've always felt that the independent agent has the obligation to offer what is best for a specific prospect at a specific point in time. Not necessarily what shows up as the cheapest on the comparative rater. There have been many times in my career where I don't suggest the cheapest. The prospect m...

A big challenge for you is the current fractured and changing face of the small to mid sized retail insurance agency. The sun is setting on the 'main street' small agency business model and there can be debates on just how long that model can survive, the fact remains, there is a diminished role goi...

Trust me, Indexcos, You guys come up with a lead program that can be customized with certain filters generic to broad agency requirements that actually delivers prospects who are awake, alive, don't live in cartoon land, have a need for an insurance product and actually remember pressing the 'send' ...

I'm thinking, once again, you're missing some points and not maliciously, but just out of ignorance of the retail agency system and the audience that congregates here. I'm not so stupid that if there were a vendor that could profitably provide me with 'ready and willing to talk' prospects who value ...

I believe your assumptions about the agency system are off the mark, at least in this universe. Participants on this board tend not to be the agency principal's of large operations...those who putter around here tend to be owner's and some producers of small to medium sized agencies. People like mys...