Starting out as a brand new agent/broker need help.

[kostya]

Hello, I'm starting as a brand new agent/broker have my P&C licensing for individual and a business entity, my niche will be trucking industry, I'm looking for a good way to get access to carriers, i have done a bunch of research that brought up more questions than answers, what i gathered is that there is more than one way to get started, has any one worked with AmWins and RPS?? and is there any benefit to working with those guys out of the gate? perhaps somebody has a few suggestions on wholesalers or clusters that would entertain a brand new broker with no book of business at the moment.

a little about me i have been in the trucking industry since 2008 from sweeping shops to managing them, was a top tech at one of the major local trucking companies, got a chance to work for a Volvo truck dealership as tech which i enjoyed then 6 month in i was offered an opportunity to sell these bad boys and that what i did for the last 5 years my second year got awarded master sales leader nationwide, i was the youngest of 3 Volvo new truck sales guys. have a good customer base looking to sell them some quality insurance policies and for a lot of them be the guide they desperately need.

any help is greatly appreciated

 

[Markthebroker]

11 year veteran brokering insurance in Ca here.

With no book and no experience selling insurance, you are going to have a hard time getting appointments. Clusters and wholesalers is going to be to way to go for you.

I hear you that you believe you have a "a good customer base looking to sell them some quality insurance policies and for a lot of them be the guide they desperately need." First off, you're going to run through those clients fast. You may not think you will, but you will. I've been there. Other agents will tell you the same thing. You need a next step plan. Next, as a new agent competing against people like me that have been at it for 11 years, and others that have been doing it longer, how will you sell them a better quality plan than I will? What will you know to look for? I'm working on a work comp quote for a trucking company with an $100k open claim, I know exactly what to do, and where to go. Not to be mean, but would you? I have a fleet contractors trucks that's being cancelled by Guard for a large claim. What would you do? Finally, how will you be "the guide they desperately need"? What do you know and what background do you have that 10, 20, 30 and 40 year veterans can't offer?

I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to give you some things to look at and think about. Furthermore, that customer base you have? You may not want to call them until you have 2 or 3 years experience and can take care of them properly, or risk burning them while you are still figuring your way around the industry.

 

[romeroaaron]

Hello, I'm starting as a brand new agent/broker have my P&C licensing for individual and a business entity, my niche will be trucking industry, I'm looking for a good way to get access to carriers, i have done a bunch of research that brought up more questions than answers, what i gathered is that there is more than one way to get started, has any one worked with AmWins and RPS?? and is there any benefit to working with those guys out of the gate? perhaps somebody has a few suggestions on wholesalers or clusters that would entertain a brand new broker with no book of business at the moment.

a little about me i have been in the trucking industry since 2008 from sweeping shops to managing them, was a top tech at one of the major local trucking companies, got a chance to work for a Volvo truck dealership as tech which i enjoyed then 6 month in i was offered an opportunity to sell these bad boys and that what i did for the last 5 years my second year got awarded master sales leader nationwide, i was the youngest of 3 Volvo new truck sales guys. have a good customer base looking to sell them some quality insurance policies and for a lot of them be the guide they desperately need.

any help is greatly appreciated

Do tons of research. Knowledge within this industry is vital so that you can provide your policyholders with answers to their questions. Going to what Mark said, he has a clear point. How will YOU provide better service & experience when you start? The answer is that you won't, and that is okay. Work up a business plan that clearly shows how you will grow your book year by year & set goals. You do not have to gain experience by f***ing up but you WILL f**k up at some point. Be careful and confident. Good luck! You got this.

 

[Travis Price]

Personally, I wouldn't start P&C indie withough a few years under your belt. That's me, do you.

P&C is so much more expensive to run a book instead of life and health. We can contract for free and get all of our quoting info pretty easily.

 

[whatyouwantfinally]

Personally, I wouldn't start P&C indie withough a few years under your belt. That's me, do you.

P&C is so much more expensive to run a book instead of life and health. We can contract for free and get all of our quoting info pretty easily.

I went straight P&C indy and it wouldn't have been possible without a cluster that was willing to hold my hand through it.

And I didn't even touch commercial until a few years in.

 

[Matthew Labb]

Its pretty much impossible to start without a network in your current situation. Not impossible, but extremely difficult.

Consider this: its never been more difficult to get appointments, even for those with big books and active agencies. You're also in CA, which is one of the most difficult states in the US from an appointment standpoint.

On the knowledge side...Insurance takes time to learn, it will be no different for you, as others have pointed out.

That said, having ties to the trucking industry will help.

Ask any network you talk to a whole bunch of questions, and review multiple contracts before signing. Perhaps even have an attorney look them over for you.

Best of luck!

 

[kostya]

i appreciate the honesty, that's why i joined this forum, actually this is my very first forum i have ever joined in my life.
And i would like to say all of you are right there is really nothing special i can offer out of the gate aside that i speak, read, and write a second language, and i hope finger's crossed that this gives me an edge, but i'm willing to learn, and yes Mark you are right i should hold off on calling my customers that i know so i don't put them in a bad situation So my plan would be to start small and work my way up, to be honest i'm kind of in a weird situation.
i lost my job at the end of March,2022 looked around for a job comparable job, and one of my customers offered me an opportunity to start and run an insurance company for him i did disclose that i have never sold insurance but i'm willing to work and figuring it out.
So you can say i kind of put myself into a situation where i have to make this work, he runs 2 companies trucking and logistics with a lot of owner operators working with him so his thought was to have an insurance company inhouse to create another stream of income, and that's were i come in, right now he is paying me a salary to keep me afloat, the goal is that i would build this up in a relatively timely fashion to where the insurance company is able to sustain its self and pay me.
To Travis's point perhaps i should have started with some simpler products in life an health but for me right now im to far in to paddle back. i hope and pray that i have enough fuel in the tank to go through the learning curve and figure this out, any courses or help anybody can offer i'm willing to listen.

 

[kostya]

has any one worked with AmWins, RPS, USG? would those guys be a good start? so far they are the only one's that are talking to me and sent me their agreements. which gives me hope and tickles my suspicion.

 

[Markthebroker]

has any one worked with AmWins, RPS, USG? would those guys be a good start? so far they are the only one's that are talking to me and sent me their agreements. which gives me hope and tickles my suspicion.

Transportation is a very specialized field, and the best carrier one month may not be the best carrier the next month. There are a number of carriers I can think of off the top of my head that have special competitive transportation programs that are only available to certain agents, and are difficult appointments to get, and nearly impossible for new and or small agents.

While having the most competitive market is important in any industry, it is incredibly important for transportation as their premiums are very high, and typically they are always shopping for the best rate. Be ready for them to leave you at the drop of a hat for a relatively small percentage in savings for a market that you don't have access to.

To answer your question -
AmWins is good from my experience.
RPS has been great in my experience.
As far as USG, I no longer use them based on repeated foul ups on their end. It's been a few years, since I've used them, but I have lots of others I can use instead. I will probably never use them again, if I can continue to avoid it.

I hope this helps.

 

[Higru]

Very good information given here. I admire your willingness and passion for the industry, but jumping into the commercial trucking side of the business is like jumping in the deep end of a swimming pool without knowing how to swim. You will need a good E&O Carrier for sure. I would recommend trying to go to work for an independent broker under a producer referral program.