State Farm Offer

[fastrack1]

Well fastrack1, instead of criticizing our posts, why don't you give some constructive advice to scratch agents that started in 04-05 that are dirt poor and going broke and downright pissed off about it other then not to swear and to be classy.

What did you do to get your assignment?

Well you asked for my advice and here it is.

1. Quit gripping. No matter what your situation, it is still better than 90% of the rest of the world. Anytime you start a business, there will be challenges. I have never read a book by a successful business person that overcame tremendous odds that did it by griping and complaining about their situation. It does nothing positive for you beside corrupt your thinking. If you must gripe, do it to your wife or a close friend. Don't use a public forum. It makes you and SF look bad and it is not the full story.

2. If SF is really so bad, get out. If you are as good as you say, then you can easily cut your large losses and become very successful elsewhere and pay off your losses. It happens everyday to successful business people. MOST fail several times before hitting it big.

3. However, I don't think you want to dump SF. Be thankful for what you have. I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at another business just in marketing trying to duplicate what SF provides for free in many cases through their brand marketing. Plus all that free support, computers systems, healthcare, etc. We really aren't true entrepenuers, we just like to think we are. SF gives many safety nets. I have none in my other business. I guarantee the stress level there is much higher than in your new SF agency. If it fails, I'm on the hook for about a million bucks.

4. Now that our attitude is better, lets take a look at this. Do whatever is necessary to get your contract and get your AFE off your back. Then run the business only in a way that will make you money. Run it YOUR way.

5. Hire only people that also want to be agents in the next 2-3 years. They will be highly motivated, work for less money, put in more hours and take your agency to another level. Don't worry about the paperwork. It will get done. Only hire salespeople, no office people. They don't make you much money, but are more of a convenience than a necessity. You would be surprised.

6. Continually be an agency that develops new agents for SF and you will be shocked with your income growth. You CANT do it all yourself. Multiply yourself through others that want to be agents.

7. Participate in the SF advertising program. You cant duplicate it for the price and now you have salespeople following up on all that marketing.

8. Don't listen to your AFO in most cases. You are an independent business person. Make decisions based upon the numbers that you have run. Only make decisions based upon numbers.

9. Hire cheap people (college or high school kids) to prospect for P&C as many hours a day as you can afford. Start by driving your customers to you through P&C and then MULTILINE
the mess out of them. That will be the job of your highly motivated salespeople. And don't be a friend to them. Be a royal pain in the butt. If your agency is highly successful, they will get the agencies that they want, whereever they want them (probably get a much better deal than you got).

10. Finally, I think the biggest thing is attitude. I know you have been dealt what your perceive as a bad deal, but people turn bad deals into great successes everyday. You can do it if you believe in YOURSELF (not what SF wants or asks). You can tell me all the problems, but YOU have chosen to stay in this profession. Complaining is going to accomplish nothing.

Well, there you have it. Take it or leave it but I'm tired of listening to everybody here complaining about SF when I have watched friends under your contract do very well, not because of SF, but because of themselves and how they approach the business. I wish you the best of luck.
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I have been an SF agent for about 10 yrs. Adding new contract agents will have no affect on me. Most are failing anyhow.

The only reason, I speak up is that it I feel its unethical, what the company has told these guys. It is bad for them, and the turnover is bad for our clients.

A flood of desperate new Tica's selling any and everything possible is not good. When you are over 50k in debt and need to sell to keep your job, dont tell me you are always selling based on the best needs of your client.

That environment, breeds unethical behavior.

So why do agents sell less the bigger and richer they get? Seems to me that being desperate is a highly motivating factor in sales. Sure it makes some unethical, but they will probably be unethical either way.

You've been an agent for 10 years and you never been in the spot where you need a sale? You have ONLY been driven by the needs of your customer? Cmon, we are in this to make money first, by meeting the needs of our customers second. I try to meet the needs of myself and the needs of my customer all at the same time.
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[Sailor]

So why do agents sell less the bigger and richer they get? Seems to me that being desperate is a highly motivating factor in sales. Sure it makes some unethical, but they will probably be unethical either way.

You've been an agent for 10 years and you never been in the spot where you need a sale? You have ONLY been driven by the needs of your customer? Cmon, we are in this to make money first, by meeting the needs of our customers second. I try to meet the needs of myself and the needs of my customer all at the same time.

Money is a motivator, but I sleep well at night knowing that I have put the customer first. In the short term, this has cost me money, but in the long term it pays off in multiples. Customers recognize this and bring me more business and referrals because they trust me. Call me old school, but that it how I run my business. I treat every client like I would a relative or friend.

Telling Ticas that they are going to net 200k a year, setting them up in expensive offices with 3 full time staff and a small book, is the the kind of "desperation" that is healthy.

They deserve to hear the truth. That is the only reason I comment here.

 

[jujubee]

Hi, new to this board. I've been reading the multiple threads on SF. I'm timidly dipping my toe in the SF recruiting process because there seems to be definitely pros and cons about the opportunity. However, this is probably true for all opportunities.

Anyway, I would love to hear about agents that joined SF between 2006-2008 since there has been some slight modifications from the 2004-2005 class. Please let me know if you are starting from scratch or has an assignment. What has your experience been like? Is management threatening to not renewal your contracts and are they just a pain in the butt in general? What was your background prior to SF, would you rather go back to your old job or make the same decision again, knowing what you know today? I'm just trying to get a feel for the challenges of very new agents in the 2006-2008 class. Thanks.

 

[fastrack1]

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"I love you guys."
- Coach Norman Dale
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Man, I spoke way too soon. Fastrack.5, you are full of sh!t and you do not speak for me when you say -
"Cmon, we are in this to make money first, by meeting the needs of our customers second."

That's not how I roll and I never will. I did what I had to do when I was a TICA but that was 5 year terms for my 2nd cousins kind of crap - I have never put my need to make a buck over the need of the customer. How do you even do that? Do you just straight up lie to people or is it more subtle? I plan on seeing these people in my community for the next 30 or 40 years and I'm supposed to take advantage of them for my benefit at the beginning of that relationship? Call me naive, but the SF agents I learned from do what is right for the customers and it seems to have turned out alright for them. I'm glad you've found a client base that prefers that you have your needs met before their's. Just don't call me a part of your "we" anymore.

I never said that I make money at the EXPENSE of the customer. You are making assumptions without actual thinking about what I wrote. I said the reason we are in this business is to make money first. You did not become an agent because of your undying desire to serve the community. You did it because you thought it to be a great career that you could make alot of money at. If you say otherwise, you are a liar.

The beauty of SF is that you can do both. Money is the underlying reason any of us work (except Mother Teresa). I'm just stating the obvious. If you don't care about money and just want to work for the good of the community, I'd love for you to come work for me. Of course, you would have to clean up that potty mouth of yours

 

[possible newbie]

No one ever posted a response to jujubee's question. I would also love to know the answer.

 

[bayoubelle]

Is this thread dead?

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Is this thread dead?

I think since the last post was over six years ago, it's safe to assume the thread is dead.

 

[Norwayguy]

I think since the last post was over six years ago, it's safe to assume the thread is dead.

The thread is only truly dead once it's sent to fight club and purged... as of now the last post is right now.

 

[xrac]

Is this thread dead?

It was but I guess it ain't now!

 

[eddiecut]

State Farm is not what they used to be, on the pay out for agents. I have had a few friends leave their agencies. I made it to the end of the process and decided to go to another area.