Allstate Exclusive Agent

travis29

New Member
2
Hi All,

I am 33yr old looking for a career change and currently reside in Southern CA. I am interested in opening my own agency in CA but I do not have any insurance experience. I know Allstate offers training and help to become an agent and from what I have read there have been good and bad remarks about the program.

I wanted to hear from any current or former Allstate agency owners about their experience with the process.

Thanks,

Travis
 
I haven't been an Allstate agent since 2001.

But from what hear from friends still with them they are still tough to work for. Constantly changing vision, generally poor rates on home and auto and unrealistic expectations for life and investment production.

But it's not a bad idea to get hired, get trained and figure out the business. Then figure out if you want to stay in the business and who you want to work for.

Getting training and experience is never a bad thing.

I am currently an independent agent and I rarely run up against Allstate.
 
I was an Allstate agent for 24 years.

All I can say is dont do it. They have changed so much for the worse, IMO,
and you can do much better elsewhere.
 
Well you have a decision tree here. I'll lead you down one path, but it is biased.

"Begin with the end in mind"- 7 habits of Highly effective people.

Decision #1:

What end of the Ins Spectrum do you want? if you answered P&C keep reading. If ''Other" wait for the others to respond

Decision #2: Captive or Independent.

Captive:
Pro: They will teach you a lot but inevitably you will go Indy at some point in your career. Another Pro, they will subsidize your life for a time.
Con: The District Manager will push too hard or force life on you or cut your commissions or change your contract, or, ext, ext. Your Captive will take rate increases and kill your production and you will have one price point while others dissect your book one policy at a time.

Independent: :
Pro: Control expenses. Get higher commission. Higher conversion. Higher retention. All of those factors equal more money.
Con: Starting out. Getting knowledge. Your personality type could sink yourself.

Decision #3:

Once you decide Indy is for you, in the next week or 22 yrs from now. The question will be how to do it. Your options include:

Buy an agency.
Join a group.
Become a producer for an agency.
Get direct appointments.
Get an agency that provides the back end service so you can hunt full time.

You decide which one is best for you.


Decision #4: What group should I join?

There are a lot. Consider the following. NOT ALL GROUPS ARE CREATED EQUAL! They range from good, better and best.

Any group claiming to be best of class should provide the following:
1. Transparency
2. Training and support
3. Carrier Alignment
4. and a great Contract
Give me a call, shoot me am IM. Good luck and have fun with your choices.


I have been in Insurance for 13+ years and the great thing in this industry is you can choose to never stop learning. Your learning curve is never ending. Meaning you will never get board.
 
Hi All, I am 33yr old looking for a career change and currently reside in Southern CA. I am interested in opening my own agency in CA but I do not have any insurance experience. I know Allstate offers training and help to become an agent and from what I have read there have been good and bad remarks about the program. I wanted to hear from any current or former Allstate agency owners about their experience with the process. Thanks, Travis

If I were you.... I would go work for Liberty Mutual for 2 years. There is no upfront cost, they will teach you a few things, and see if you like it. While working for them & if it turns out you like insurance, save back as much money as possible so you and go out in your own by year 3.... Just my advice.
 
If I were you.... I would go work for Liberty Mutual for 2 years. There is no upfront cost, they will teach you a few things, and see if you like it. While working for them & if it turns out you like insurance, save back as much money as possible so you and go out in your own by year 3.... Just my advice.

I'll second that motion.
 
Thank you for the feed back everyone. My next next step is to get my Property & Casualty, Life, Accident and Health licenses for California. Any advice on where to get certified.
 
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