Page 51 - The UnCaptive Agent

24 THE UNCAPTIVE AGENT

However, that doesn’t mean that your initial plan cannot
include selling commercial insurance at some point. It
just means that you will need to attract a partner or
producer to sell that kind of business, or you will need
to build a personal development plan to learn how to
do it yourself.
Regardless, it’s important to begin your agency by
understanding the kinds of clients you will seek to
attract and the products you want to sell them. This
will impact many decisions you make, including which
carriers you will seek appointments with, the kinds of
employees you will hire, and the fundamentals (such
as the agency automation system) that you purchase.
Have you noticed yet that I keep referring to insur-
ance consumers as “clients” and not “customers?” I
have and will continue to do so through this book.
Most agents who I speak with refer to the people
they sell insurance to as “customers.” Dictionary.
com defines a customer as a “person or organization
that buys goods or services from a store or business.”
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a customer as
“one who purchases a commodity or service.” By con-
trast, Merriam-Webster defines a client as “a person
who engages the professional advice or services of
another.” I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer that
insurance agents that I affiliate with didn’t sell com-
modities or goods, but rather were engaged (hired) as
professionals for their advice or services. Wouldn’t you?
This important distinction was first brought to my
attention by Jim Masiello, founder and Chairman of
Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance™ (and founder of
the small-town independent insurance agency Masiello
Insurance Agency). He has made this point well and
frequently. What do you think? Will your agency be
focused on customers or clients?