Page 206 - The UnCaptive Agent

RESOURCES 179

They’re also instrumental in lobbying on Capitol Hill
on behalf of agents. Every state has a local chapter,
and these chapters offer a wide variety of educational
opportunities as well as a networking program for new
agents called Young Agents. I highly recommend Young
Agents to any agency founder who is age eligible. It’s a
great place to network meet carrier representatives and
other people who are new to the business. Most state
chapters also put on some form of convention every
year. At those conventions, you will find opportunities
to network with insurance companies, vendors focused
on the independent agency space, fellow agency owners,
and potential employees. Dues for the Big I organization
are typically $500 or less per year.
The other major trade group is the Professional
Insurance Agents organization, or PIA. PIA is much
smaller than the IIABA, but it is also focused primarily
on smaller insurance agencies. I would encourage you to
attend a meeting or convention of the PIA and consider
membership there as well: their resources are focused on
agencies under a million dollars in revenue, primarily.
You may find that it is a very useful organization for
you to belong to. In some states, the PIA and the Big I
have combined into a single organization.
Another type of organization you may want to join
is what is now known as a Market Access Provider.
MAPs do exactly what the name implies: they provide
access to insurance company markets. According to the
IIABA study, approximately sixty percent of all inde-
pendent insurance agencies utilize some form of MAP.
Sometimes a MAP is merely a wholesaler or broker
that you use to access a carrier on an occasional basis
when needed. This high percent of use mentioned in
the IIABA study must be tempered by the fact that it
does include traditional wholesalers and brokers.