Independent Agencies Defined by Captive and Direct Writing Competition

(The following is a guest post from Chris Kollar, Director of Marketing for Astonish Results partner Prostar Insurance in Washington. With offices in Bellevue, Renton and Sumner, WA, the agency has an influx of young talent and modern business practices which are reflected in the office culture.)

There is no doubt independent insurance agencies are on the ascent. The competitive edge that independent agencies have over their captive and direct writing counterparts is unmatched in 2010. In fact, an independent agency is defined by competition in many ways.

Multiple markets are the ground-force that provides the horsepower behind independents; wielding a dozen quotes in front of a customer within minutes is quite powerful- and it makes a statement. Captive agencies have a difficult time competing because of their monogamy, while direct writers suffer from their lack of a personal connection. All this being said, there is one aspect that stands out and makes it easy to find the perfect match of insurance carrier, coverage, and premium for almost any client- and that variable is the ‘fun factor’.

At Prostar Insurance, we often share a round of high fives when a client calls us coming from a company that we know is overcharging them for their Washington insurance coverage. It happens quite often; many times leading to fist bumps, smiles, laughter, choreographed handshakes, hoots and hollers, and other unusual things you wouldn’t expect from an ordinary insurance office. The fun is infectious; seeping into the personalities of even the most docile and humble agents.

The bottom line…when your job flows smoothly and the difficulty of selling drops to a reasonable low; humor, creativity, and fun naturally rise to new levels. Of course, its’ still office humor and we have to make due with our theatrics utilizing the usual office props like coffee, spinning chairs, and multi-purpose paper. But overall, the creativity that stems from an independent agency is undoubtedly much higher than our ‘homo captivian’ counterparts. For this reason, we are able to expand our ideas and insurance marketing services to offer much more to our partners, clients, and agents than we ever thought before!

“But Jimmy, doesn’t all of this buffoonery and fun get in the way of your productive output?”

The simple answer is really… NO WAY! Most of the time, the uplifting comic relief is directly related to the work at hand, therefore we just have fun working! Many times it’s a funny comment as you pass someone’s office. Sometimes it’s a group huddle of weekend experiences, incredible stories of savings to our customers, or really anything that creates more of a connection between everyone in the office. That’s really what its’ all about, an office atmosphere that is more like a group of friends and family, which will always be healthier and more productive than a stiff-collared office of ‘professional’ 9 to 5ers who walk in…work…and walk out; The balance of fun and productivity comes naturally!