Robert Wells, Territory Manager
I own a very successful independent agency… Why should I consider joining an Agency Partnership Group?
Many successful independent agency owners have asked this question over the years, and the answers vary greatly based on the agency plans, goals, and individual focus. There are no shortage of agency partnership groups available, with ones providing just the basic services all the way up to the industry leaders providing a full suite of services and benefits. No matter the size of your agency, here are four of the most popular reasons for partnering with a group.
1. INCREASED INCOME
Many large agencies are pleasantly surprised to learn that as a member of a group, they could be earning substantially more on their existing books of business than they are currently.
Most agency partnership groups aggregate the combined premium volume of their members in order to negotiate with the insurance companies for higher levels of commissions, profit sharing, and special incentives including additional bonuses or overrides. Remember, the larger the value of a the group combined books of business, the more additional income they can negotiate for. In this case, bigger actually is better.
Agency partnership groups, like SIAA, bring hundreds of agencies in your region together, combine your books of business to reach these higher premium volumes.
2. COMPANY PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Many agencies would like to have more companies to access, but find that they are just not able to “feed” those companies enough to satisfy the production requirements.
Many agency partnership groups are able to provide access to, or appointment with their core network of companies with what is sometimes dramatically reduced production requirements. This allows an agency the opportunity to obtain additional contracts, providing more options for their staff to sell and more companies for their customers’ unique needs.
3. COMPANY ACCESS
Many agency partnership groups allow their members access to their partner companies, even if the agency is not contracted directly with that company.
Having access to a huge variety of additional companies opens up an entirely new option for writing more business. Access to more top rated companies equates to more quality sales for your team, and more coverage options for your customers. An agency that has the option of writing business with 30 companies for example, is going to be more successful than an agency with options for only writing with 5 companies.
4. REDUCED OPERATING EXPENSES
One of the many benefits of joining an agency partnership group, is that most offer membership discount prices on items necessary for operating your business on a daily basis.
Utilizing joint buying power of the agency partnership group, you may be able to save substantial money on items like your agency management system, comparative raters, E&O, educational opportunities, continuing education, marketing, and advertising, just to list a few
Regardless of the size, age, or success of your existing agency, there is always an opportunity to increase your income, reduce your expenses, and improve the overall performance of your agency. Membership in agency partnership programs is soaring at a pace previously unseen in our industry.
According to SIAA, as the largest partnership group in the USA, they currently cite that 13% of every independent agency in the USA is a member of just their organization. This appears to be a trend that continues to gain popularity with agencies of all sizes.
To learn more about how your agency could benefit from a partnership group, contact our experts at Mountain Empire Agency Alliance today.