State Farm Agency should I stay

[rsdar]

So for starters. I graduated college in May. I had a job making 19 an hour but I wanted a more professional sounding or career focused job. I started applying for jobs in July and applied for a State Farm job and a few other insurance places. I ended up taking the State Farm job because I had just heard of State Farm. I also went to bankers life and liked the people a lot more there but it was only commission. I weighed my options and started on august 14th. I immediately saw signs I didn’t like. The agent immediately wanted me to reach out to people I know before I was even licensed. I knew nothing about insurance at that point. I finally passed my p and c test on September 11th ironically and State Farm didn’t give me access to quote until the last week of September. That same week the agent began questioning my performance. After that I sold 7 policies in my first 2 weeks. Meanwhile the agent makes us call a minimum of 100 people a day and a lot of my leads have us blocked and 5-7 leads come in a day and he will take at least 2 of them and me and the other producer in my office might get 1-2 a piece to call and most of the time they are junk. I’m just cold calling people all day and they are mostly bad numbers and he doesn’t believe me. He also tracks our call time and thinks I just hit call and hang up to get my minimum calls. He wants us to leave voicemails each time we call and this has lead to more and more people blocking us. I have at least 25 people I have contacted over 110 times. Now I am trying to get my life and health insurance license. I told him I was struggling with studying and might want to reschedule a day later and he said that wouldn’t work. The only reason I want to get the life and health is to unlock commission which I already disagree with whole heartedly. It is set up where I can only make commission if I sell life or health insurance while we mostly sell p and c. We get 100 dollars if we sell a life and 50 if we sell a health and unlock 1 percent of what we made through p and c in the month. He pays us 15 an hour and holds it over our head like it’s 100 grand. In the interview I asked him what commission checks tend to be and he told me that they are usually about 1200 for the guy working here . I recently found out that the other guy here has only gotten 4 in 9 months and the most he ever made was just under 800 and it’s usually about 300. I want to leave but it has been such a short stint I feel like it will be bad on a resume but I’m not learning or growing. I want to give insurance a real shot but I don’t think it’s here. I’m never late. I meet my minimums and I’m respectful to everyone. I haven’t missed a day or called out for any lame excuse. I give it my all. I just know this is not a long term position for me. Any advice ?

 

[shoegirl9]

@rsdar You could potentially look into other State Farm agents near you. If other agents offices have positions open, they’d probably jump on the opportunity to hire someone with State Farm experience. You could maybe talk to your agent about reaching out to other offices for you, but it doesn’t seem like your agent is in your corner, so consider doing this on your own.

You could also tough it out for a bit longer. You started in August, so you only have 2 months of experience, some of that time being unlicensed. I personally just started my insurance career in March 2023, have spent the last 7 months at my agents office, but recently applied for some licensed P&C positions (at another company) that had 3 years of experience as a requirement. I got the job anyway with 7 months of experience.

Don’t shut down SF entirely. It sounds like the agent you work for now isn’t a good fit for you, but there may be another agent near you that would be a better fit.

 

[alliandre]

@shoegirl9 I agree with this advice, and I think the agent is a bad fit for you, and possibly just shitty to work for. Deceiving potential employees to trick them into working for you is a terrible way to staff his business, if what you’ve mentioned is true.

My only additional advice: if you speak/interview with other State Farm agents before telling your current agent, tell them at the start that your current agent does not know you are looking, and cite your reasons honestly but professionally. Something like “the position is not what I expected- I receive less leads than I expected going into the job, they’re not as high of a quality as I’d hoped, and my earning potential from commission is lower as a result”. This will also help you vet your potential employers for a better match. If they hype up their current sales staffs earnings, as if you can speak with them- “wow it really does sound like you have a great sales system with a lot of potential. Would you mind if I met with your top sales staff so I can get an idea of what their day to day looks like and what their experience was starting out?”
I mention telling agents you interview with that your current is in the dark, because the first thing they will do when you contact them is look you up in the company wide data base- they can see what agent you’re with now, the ones in your region will be varying levels of familiar with your current agent -how they perform compared to other agents etc. State Farm is borderline culty sometimes and most agents have other agent friends. I did this exact thing once, and the interviewing SF agent told me during the first 5 mins of our first zoom interview “I just looked you up and see you work for Joe blow, I consider them a friend and don’t feel comfortable continuing this interview until you tell them.” Luckily they didn’t report back to my agent, otherwise I’d have gotten and earful and possibly fired. Good luck!

 

[winglessdragon]

@rsdar When I was looking into working for a State Farm agency, I couldn’t find much info online but I did find one random person who said that the agent you work for will determine much of your experience and I’ve found it to be sooo true in a good way.

I truly believe I have the best agent. He’s patient and even when things are difficult, he makes the best of them. He has integrity and I hope that I get to work for him for a long time. If you find the right agent to believe in you as a person, this is an amazing opportunity. Don’t give up because of one bad experience. Good luck!

 

[lilyosa]

@rsdar He sounds like he sucks…in Ohio by chance?

 

[rsdar]

@lilyosa Tennessee

 

[angelflightpilot224]

@rsdar It really depends on the agent you work for. They are independently run businesses, and the person running the whole thing can really make or break your experience. I work for a State Farm agent who is fantastic, so there is definitely opportunity out there.

If you are truly unhappy you could always stick it out for a little while longer to gain some more experience while also looking around for a new agent to work for.

 

[wenura]

@rsdar You have your license and this can get you a job. You already have luck in selling so that should not be an issue. Each agent is different and some are just bad.

At my office I get paid per auto sold and at certain bench marks it increases. Heath and life add a bonus commission structure where I get a larger percentage.

For cara 1-13 I get 15 a car, when I get 14-18 cars that numbers goes up to 25$ per car, 19-23 is $35 per car, & 24+ gives me $45 per car. Fire policies are set depending on app and for life and health I get 2 months premium for them.

I make around 50ish calls a day from leads but I do ghosts quote before I talk with the customer. I know it is possible for me to find a slightly closer agent and get more money but mine has been amazing. when my wife had health issues he allowed me to have a work set up at home with two monitors. Before my kid got in day care I was working from home one day a week. I have the option to work from home as much as I want but I did have to show/earn that with my performance which was about 1-2 years before he knew I was worth keeping around for long haul.

All that said if your agent is not a right for you there are other agents that can and will treat you right.

 

[obliqueness]

@rsdar If you do wind up talking with another Agent, it's going to come up about why you want to leave after only 2 or 3 months.

Do NOT tell them what you have told us (nobody say anything, folks). While valid, what you have said could be construed in a very negative light, and you never want to speak ill of a current or former employer.

One of many ways to re-phrase what you have said might be that you are looking for a strategic approach which aligns more closely with your personal values around customer service-you seek to build a book of business through establishing long term, solid professional relationships. You are also now better prepared to understand the "culture" or "fit" on an employer.

 

[rsdar]

@obliqueness I see what you are saying. It is also true. My parents have stayed with their insurer for 30 years. I remember going to the office as a kid with my mom on several occasions. They use their agent as an example when they suggested this field. While there is an effort for that where I’m at. There is a ton of business that is lost and I have people on my call log that I have called 100 times so that isn’t trying to build a relationship in my opinion.

 

[obliqueness]

@rsdar Now THAT becomes a solid marketing position for you to sell yourself. You know how to sell, as evidenced by your recent success at it. You are now selling a product-but only to the right buyer.

Also, it seems like the office you described is what you are looking for. Interviews are two way streets. Interview your next place with that relationship-building (or whatever you personally value) in mind.

 

[rsdar]

It doesn’t. Guess I’ve been living a lie. What an idiot I am. I’ve been wrong for years. I know what irony means but have been using the word ironically just ti make a connection. Oh well. Too late now. Thanks for the call out lol

 

[suziq11]

@rsdar Instead of working for an agent become an agent yourself.

 

[lc627]

@rsdar Like others have said, it all depends on the agent. Maybe try an office that has been established for many years. The sales grind may not be as bad and will provide you more of a ramp if you DO want to do more sales. SF agents are always looking for good team members

 

[rsdar]

@lc627 My office has been established only a little over a year. I don’t think my agent is a bad guy. I think he is just also having his own struggles in the industry. One day he wants to institute a new strategy and then the next day it’s done. He wants us to contact 50 people on social media each day to generate our own leads which usually seems to just annoy people even on linked in. He can be really cool or in a terrible mood. I think I’m going to try and pass the life exam this week and see how it goes. I didn’t want to stay here much longer either way. But I wanted to get at least 6 months here just for the experience and resume purposes.

 

[tigerleurlis]

@rsdar your agent has a sales manager that is riding his butt, captive companies through the sales mgr are constantly pushing programs and promotions, i worked as a captive for american family for two years, they spent more time on programs and promotions than on servicing customers, they gave me the axe for not towing the line, started my own independent agency from scratch 13 yrs ago, its been a great business, lots of challenges and hard work, with access to multiple insurance companies i rarely have to walk away from a business opportunity

 

[amphibalus]

@rsdar The agent makes all the money because it’s their business. They have the overhead.

You will make pennies unless you sell, A LOT, but I’m sure the agent is not going to give you residual premium, so your commission, on top of your base pay is for new business only.

You already answered your own question in your post. Get out and find something else, soon. Just don’t quit until you do.

 

[epthediah]

@rsdar When I was about 22 years old I was in this exact same position. Working for an agent, making nothing but cold calls, trying to get sales off shitty leads. It was not a great situation.

If you want to stay in insurance, try claims. It’s somewhat of a logical transition as you are at least familiar with policy concepts at a high level. I will not lie to you and say claims is a picnic; it can be brutal and you need thick skin but it pays fairly well and you will have decent job security. Even if you don’t end up liking it, a few years in claims will give you excellent skills that can transition into different roles at other companies or industries.

 

[ac83]

@rsdar Do not work for independent State Farm, Allstate m, Farmers, etc. it’s a waste of time. Find a cooperate broker like Aon, Hub International, Brown & Brown, Marsh, Assurance, etc. You can make much much more there

 

[resjudicata]

@rsdar try to work for a bigger agency, or directly with a big carrier... even if its customer service... thats going to allow you to learn the industry and onces youre ready to attack your plan come back to the selling side.