When you’re starting or expanding your insurance business, what is the best way to transition into earning direct appointments with carriers? By working with a trusted organization like the American Agents Alliance, your insurance agency can build on your past successes and transition into a stronger, more independent future.
Developing Your Insurance Business
If you’re a new agency or you’re expanding into a new area of business, it can be challenging to build up your business. You may not have existing relationships with insurance carriers, nor do your clients see your business as one that specializes in that area. In addition, you’re focused on training your employees, insurance marketing, and all of the elements that go into business development and expansion.
How can you work on your insurance business development?
- Develop your track record. Work with other organizations such as an insurance association so that you can develop competency in a specific area of insurance.
- Create a sound business plan. According to Smart Financial, “carriers prefer to see that you have a strategy in place, not just the experience of selling with lots of guidance from a manager.”
- Show that you are growing and profitable. Analyze the different areas of business so you can demonstrate areas of growth and new demand in your business.
- Generate leads consistently, and show that you are committed to future lead generation.
- Maintain your existing client base and expand their interest. For instance, work with clients who want auto insurance policies if they currently have home insurance through your business.
The Benefits of Direct Appointments
Direct appointments with insurance carriers allow you to have competitive products and rates for your clients, and your agents to have more competitive commissions. However, transitioning into this situation requires that you build trust and a reputation. To do this, you can work with an insurance network to help you to build your book of business.
Working with an insurance agency can help you develop the experience you need to write direct.Our Preferred Market Access Program
For our California insurance agencies, the American Agents Alliance is able to offer a preferred market access program that allows independent agencies to write through our quality preferred appointments on the way to earning direct appointments.
This program not only provides access to these preferred appointments, but it also focuses on education. You’ll learn how to discuss account rounding, improve policy retention, and earn direct appointments with preferred carriers. We will also underwrite and guide you through your submissions, helping you build a book of business, and help you work with carriers who will then want you to write direct with them in the future.
Your book of business is yours, not ours. We are here to facilitate the development of your business. Some of the organizations we work with include:
- AEGIS Specialty Insurance Services (Personal Lines)
- ASI – American Strategic Insurance (Personal Lines)
- CSE Insurance Group (Personal Lines)
Visit our Preferred Market Access program for the full list of carriers and benefits of this program.
Are you considering expanding your insurance business? Whether you need help with insurance marketing or to grow into entirely new markets, the American Agents Alliance can help. Contact us today to sign up for our Preferred Market Access program.
