Evolution

Many things have happened since my last blog post. I have left the agency that I started out with. And let me tell you, that was a very scary decision! (I did so without knowing where I was going for sure) I just knew in my heart that it was not the right place for me. I struggled to find some compromise, but just could not adjust to the established business culture. I worked with some wonderful people, but the office atmosphere just did not fit me. So, I made the decision, after discussing it with my wife, to leave there and do something else if necessary. My thought was, "maybe this insurance thing isn't for me"?

The next day however, I ended up getting an interview with another local insurance agency to got to work for them. Now this was a much smaller, family run agency, with an owner who had been thinking about how he could retire sometime soon. Turned out, I was exactly what they had been looking for. My wife and I met with the owner and his wife, heard what they had to say, listened to the story of the agency, negotiated a couple things, and I started working with them the next day.

The new agency was a much better fit for me. There was a relaxed, family atmosphere, and the owner of the agency was more willing to help me learn the ropes. We had an initial two or three year plan for me to learn the business, for him to then retire, and for me to take over as owner. But sometimes our plans can be disrupted.

To make a long story short, the owner was diagnosed with very serious health issues shortly after I started. And so, we worked together to develop a plan for the next several months to keep the agency going while he received treatments. During this time, I found myself all alone most days, meeting customers and learning what I could about the business in what I would call an intense, concentrated manner. When the owner returned to the office months later, after successfully fighting his health battle, we accelerated the ownership transition period to about a month.

And now, after many long hours, several sleepless nights, and a short journey into a  new industry, I am the owner of my very own insurance agency.

What kind of agent?

 On this Journey Into Insurance, I have learned many things. Many things about myself. Many things about other people. Many things about insurance in general. Many things about insurance agencies. And I believe many things about the future of the insurance industry.

  I have learned the value of a good insurance carrier. I have learned the value of a good insurance quoting system. I have learned the difference between a good policy and a bad policy. I have learned the difference between a good client (good risk) and a bad client (bad risk). But most importantly, I have learned many things about the kind of insurance agent I hope to be.

 Throughout my career in Architecture and on into my career in Computers, I began to form an "ideal" for the kind of employee, employer, and business owner I wanted to be some day. I have personally experienced co-workers and bosses with all levels of integrity, and perhaps so have you. Integrity, I have learned, is worth only what the person who possesses it is willing to trade it for. It seems that integrity is worth very little to some people. I decided long ago that my integrity was of great value to me and I have striven since to maintain that level of integrity in every area of my life.

 I spent about 7 years growing my computer business part-time in addition to a full-time job. At the end of those first 7 years, I walked away from my full-time Architecture job and devoted myself to my growing computer business full-time. The next 2 years were tough. But then in the next year, things took off. I hired my first employee and moved to a bigger facility. Business grew like crazy for the next several years. Bigger, better, more money, more employees. Growth and struggle defined the next several years. During all of this struggle, I did my best to maintain my integrity, always pulling wisdom from my earlier years about how things should go and how my customers and employees should be treated. Honesty was our number one priority to our customers. I thanked my employees after every shift for the work they did that day. I did everything within my power to create the kind of business and workplace that I would want to work in, and would want to utilize. Things went very well for us for many years. To this day, I believe that any of my former employees would tell you that my business was a great place to work. And had the computer repair industry not taken a TV-repair-like nosedive around here, I would likely still be doing the same thing.

 But here I am starting over as an insurance agent. A new career, in a strange new industry. This new adventure presents many new challenges and opportunities for me as a person, and perhaps as a business owner too. At this time, I do not know how things will go for me. Or how my future as an insurance agent will go. But as I go forth into this industry, I will take with me the same values that brought me here. Honesty, Integrity, Service, and Value. These are the things that I will continue to strive for, because that is the kind of person I want to be, and that is the kind of insurance agent I want to be.

Life Lessons

 It's been a while since my last post. And much has transpired with my "Journey Into Insurance" during that time. I won't bore you with all of the details, but I would like to touch on just a few of the lessons I've learned along the way. (I think I already knew some of these, but just let my guard down.)

• Promises are only as good as the people who make them. You know that old adage that "talk is cheep"? Well, that one is very true. Sometimes in the business world, people, or companies tell us things that they are going to do for us. This does not always mean that they will keep those promises. And this leads us into the next lesson.
• Get it in writing. So, when it comes to promises, or agreements, get them in writing. The more detail, the better. People tend to follow through with promises much better when there is something written down. And trust me, if there is nothing written down, people can have "convenient memories" regarding what was said or agreed to. So, remember, those promises are only as good as the paper they are written on.
• Every rose has it's thorn. Even the best situation will have a "down side". Always! Now that down side could be in the form of some aspect of the physical environment, psychological environment, or the procedural environment. In other words, the place, people or product. But every situation will have some negative "issue", somewhere. The building might smell bad, look bad, or be in a bad location. Or, all of the above. There might be a difficult person, or two, or more, and this can create an uncomfortable environment. Or there might just be something negative about some portion of the "products" your dealing with. Regardless, every situation will have at least one issue with one of these areas or more.
• The grass is not always greener. Sometimes the grass on the other side of the fence looks greener because it is just a mirage. Sometimes the grass looks greener because it is fake. Sometimes the grass looks greener because you're just not close enough to see the truth. And sometimes they change the color of the grass after you jump the fence. So be careful, check the grass thoroughly before jumping the fence. (This applies to many things. Think about it.)
• Nothing is for certain. There are no guarantees in life. None. No industry is the same as it was 30 years ago. Heck, some of the industries today didn't even exist 30 years ago. The environment can change, the weather can change, your health can change, your job can change and all in the blink of an eye. Nothing stays the same. We must be ready for things to change. We must be prepared for change.

 Now, this is all good stuff. But some of you may disagree with my "wisdom" here. And that's ok, you can live in a dream world if you want to. But the reality is that these things are true in many aspects of our lives. We need to be prepared for change and ready to jump in with both feet. Our homes, our careers, our friends, and our families will go through many changes. Change can be good. Change can be difficult. But change is inevitable.

 Be careful who you trust, get it in writing, accept that there will be some thorns, check the grass thoroughly before jumping, and always be prepared for change!

Contact!

I need your help, so I am going to venture off into a related topic. Please bear with me as I would really like to get your input on this subject.

As I set out to be an insurance agent. one of the first obstacles to overcome, is how to let everyone in my circle of influence know that I have begun a new career. How to market myself to my potential customer. At the onset of my journey, I encountered many expert opinions relating to what constitutes the "best" methods of marketing. Some believe that the old face-to-face, door-to-door methods are still the best, and I agree to some point. Many others, however believe that the new electronic methods of communication are the best, and as a technology guy I agree with that too.

Now, I admit things have changed a bit over the last 10 years when it comes to how we communicate. Some of us have witnessed these changes first hand and experienced both the old and new methods. It is amazing how many new ways there are for us to communicate with each other. Technology has played a big roll in completely revising the old rules of marketing. That said, I still believe that there is no equivalent replacement for a face-to-face meeting. However, I also agree with many that bulk mailings have gone off to pasture along with our old yellow pages ads These methods are just not effective anymore.

The overall problem is aggravated by of the parallel changes in the "comfort zones" of those with whom we desire to communicate. The new generation of consumer is completely comfortable with email, text, instant messaging, blogs, chatting, tweeting, insta-gramming, and so on, While the old-school consumers (like myself) are less likely to be as comfortable with these newer methods. Thus the heart of the problem. How do we best communicate today with all of the new options available to us?

And so, that is my question to you.

What is the best method of communication for you as a consumer?
(How should a business communicate with you about their services?)

Postal Mail?
Old School Telephone?
Call to your Cell Phone?
A knock on your door?
Facebook?
Twitter?
eMail?
Text?
Other?

PLEASE RESPOND WITH YOUR TOP 3

Thank You!

The Journey Begins - The Tests

Like I have said before, I haven't sat in a class, or taken a real test since about 1993. So, the idea of a whole series of tests, which I was required to pass, was just a bit unsettling. The pre-license classes were tough enough, but the thought of tests is enough to make anybody nervous. Especially an old guy like me trying to learn something completely new.

To recap the situation here, the state of Illinois requires you to pass a test for each line of insurance you wish to produce (or sell). So that is four tests in total for auto, home, life, and health insurance. Each test is allowed a 2 -1/2 hour time limit to complete. That is a lot of testing time! Could it possibly take that long?

At the end of your classes you are given a testing sheet so you can complete a series of practice tests to help you prepare for the state tests. You take a practice test, study the questions you missed, take another practice test, study the questions you missed, repeat, repeat, and so on. All of this is supposed to guarantee your success at the actual state tests. Now personally I found it a bit discouraging. I did okay on the practice tests but found it frustrating that I was not doing better on them. But I completed my practice tests, did some deep breathing, and headed for the testing center for the real showdown.

The testing center atmosphere is a mix of a doctors office, and a TSA security center. You are not allowed any personal items in the testing area, none. No phone, wallet, watch, jewelry, nothing in your pockets. They will check your glasses, make you pull out your pockets, and escort you to your testing station. If you need to go to the bathroom, they want you to raise your hand and they will come escort you to the restroom. Then you have to go through the whole security screening again before returning to your testing station. It is serious stuff!

Each testing station is a little cubicle with a computer, keyboard, mouse and a chair. They supply you a white board and marker with which you may make notes or do calculations. You cannot erase your board however, you must ask for another one if you run out so space. Again, serious stuff.

Each insurance test consists of questions about the type of insurance being tested, some general questions about insurance laws and regulations, and some "experimental" questions which are intended to "test" the responses of the person being tested. Now they don't divide them up into sections, they just randomly present you with a mix of questions. An insurance question or three, then a laws question or two, then maybe an "experimental" question. It's just random and different for each person. The experimental questions are very disturbing and many are totally impossible in my opinion. I found some of the questions to be really difficult and some to be very easy. I think perhaps the whole thing is just designed to test your frustration level. I encountered my frustration limits several times during the tests!

At the end of your tests, you are escorted from the testing area and checked one last time to see if you are still who you claimed to be. As if somehow you were magically switched-out before their eyes while testing with a more intelligent version of yourself. But by now you're used to it, and you just play along.

You are then confronted one last time by the person who originally greeted you when you walked in the door. They smile at you, and slide two sheets of paper toward you face down. With one last gasp you flip the sheets over to see if you passed. And that's about all the papers will tell you, pass or fail, no scores, just pass or fail. My confidence level was not high as I flipped over my test result papers.

With great joy and pride, I can tell you that I passed all 4 of my insurance tests the first time. I haven't felt that good about anything in quite some time. Elation is a good word to describe how I felt at the time! Yippee, I passed!

I was now legal. My journey into insurance was official! I could now begin to go forth and conquer the insurance industry. The adventure was now real and my expectations were high.

The Journey Begins - The Classes

An insurance agent, or someone who "sells" insurance, is called a "producer". To be qualified as an insurance producer in Illinois, the State of Illinois requires 20 hours of pre-license education for each line of insurance you are going to produce. That is a combined 80 hours of pre-license education for the four main lines of insurance; property, casualty, life, and health insurance.

After your pre-license education is completed, you then qualify to take the state required exams for each line of insurance you desire to produce. There is an exam for each line, so 4 separate exams for the four main lines of insurance.

Now, I haven't sat in a class, or taken a real exam since about 1993. So, the idea of this activity was a little bit freaky for me. But, I haven't backed away from very many challenges over my lifetime, so I didn't back away from this one either. John Wayne said: "Courage is being scared to death... but saddling up anyway." So, I saddled up, and hit the proverbial educational trail!

The actual classes were 2 days long, and each 2 day session covered 2 lines of insurance. One line of insurance the first day, and one line the second day. These classes were attended by a wide range of attendees. About 30 people were in attendance. Most were younger adults with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, motives, and grooming habits. A few others were older persons, like myself, somewhat professionally dressed, and excitedly embarking on a new phase of our working lives.

Each two days of class were fast-paced, intensive, streamlined, presentations designed to efficiently prepare each student to be able to study, and successfully complete the state required exams. Let's just say that it felt a lot like cramming for a final exam in a class that you had never taken. As I remember it anyway. At the end of the first day of class, I was exhausted. Luckily, I had chosen to spend the night at the hotel where the class was presented. So, I was able to relax, rest, take a practice test, and prepare for the second day.

By the end of the second day, my little old brain was fried. I had exceeded my ability to receive data, and could barely keep up with just underlining and highlighting the course materials I was given. The classroom atmosphere was distinctively more subdued that second day, and it was obvious that I was not the only one suffering from data overload. None-the-less, we trudged on, and finished the day with a "mid term", open book type of exam that we were required to pass to complete the classes. I passed the first try! I was elated!

As I made the long journey home, I realized that I was now on my own. It was now up to me to study independently and go face my first two of the state exams. I had a few days to prepare for the tests before I had to get ready for the next two classes. I studied intensely, cramming every fact and figure into my brain that I could. I took a practice test, and then studied some more. Finally, after several rounds of practice tests and studying, I believed that I was ready.

About My Journey

Insurance sales is not, or was not my forte'. I did not set out at a young age to be the greatest insurance agent in history. My background is in art, architecture, computers, automotive repair, good old hard work, sweat and some agony. (Not necessarily in that order.) I have worked construction, fast food, worked on a hog farm, changed tires, repaired cars & trucks, fixed computers, designed houses, and created construction documents for multi-million dollar commercial building projects. I have done many things in my life, but the insurance industry was not even on my radar.

In the fall of 2004, after my first heart attack, I left my job in architecture and began doing the computer business I had started in 1997 full time. Over the next several years my computer business continued to thrive and grow. By 2009 I had a 2,400 square foot retail and repair shop with 4 employees. In the fall of 2011, the shifts in computer technology began to directly affect my business' bottom line. Over the next two years I was required to lay off all of my employees, move 2 times to ever smaller facilities, and eventually ended up in a 300 square foot office all by myself. During those business years I learned many valuable management lessons, several life lessons, and a lot about people.

My mother passed in 2009 after a long battle with many health issues. My father passed in the fall of 2012 unexpectedly. During their lives, my parents had amassed a large amount of antiques, collectibles, some properties, an enormous amount of junk, and a massive amount of debt. My brother and I began the daunting process of dealing with our parents estate in the fall of 2012. During which time I gained an intimate understanding of the tremendous need for estate pre-planning. My father's life insurance was minuscule, but even this small amount was greatly appreciated, needed, and somewhat life changing for my family and I. It took us three painstaking years, many, many hours, and every friend we could find, to clean up my parents estate. The estate process was a very valuable, eye opening, and educational experience.

In the fall of 2015, I was working on a computer for one of my good business clients and discussing the many challenges of business ownership. In the process of our conversation, we discovered that I had a need to adapt my working environment, and my client had the need for a new agent with their growing insurance agency.

The process of my parent's estate had awakened a new perspective within me. I had a new understanding of the necessities of things like life insurance, estate planning, planning for the unexpected, and anticipating that certain events may happen in our lives even if we don't want them to. We must protect our loved ones, and do our best to strengthen our family's security.

With my new found perspectives, I daringly embarked on a completely new adventure in the unknown world of insurance! At the age of 52 I was beginning a whole new chapter of life.

This blog is a documentation of my personal journey into the unknown. My Journey Into Insurance!

KC