By Cody Bird, Inside Sales and Support Team Lead; former agent and PA

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Time is Money?” No one understands this more than our Farm Bureau agents. With expectations from our clients to provide accurate, reliable, fast and friendly service, this phrase could not be more heartfelt than in the agency field. If an agent doesn’t manage his or her time efficiently, how can they provide an UnMatched customer journey? The answer is they can’t, not if they want to be successful. So, what’s the solution? It’s simple - agents need to invest in themselves and their success. They best way to do that is to hire an assistant.

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THE BENEFITS

​What are some of the benefits of hiring an assistant? The possibilities are endless and invaluable not only for agents, but also for their clients. Some agents have licensed assistants who write new business under them, answer coverage questions, and even focus on a specific line of business such as life or health. Some agents have chosen to hire an assistant who is not licensed to help keep them organized, schedule appointments, take photos, and answer phone calls.

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LICENSED OR NON-LICENSED?

Why do some agents choose licensed and others non-licensed? It depends on what they want them to do. David Colpron, an agent in the Chubbuck office, chose to hire a non-licensed assistant or Service Associate (Alexis Anderson). He said the reason was, “I wanted to use all the tools the Home Office has out there for us to use. The P.I. was very helpful in my selection. Alexis was not the only applicant I had, but I really wanted someone with a personality that complimented mine. She just happened to not be licensed, but she is now studying for her exams.” When asked how having an assistant helped him with his book, his response was, “Once your book size reaches over 900K, it is impossible to service and manage it yourself. To provide quality, unmatched service to my clients, hiring an assistant was just a necessity. Alexis does a great job of keeping me organized, taking care of my write backs, and scheduling appointments. She has freed me up so I can go out and write new business.” David also added that, “Once Alexis is licensed, that will help free me up even more so I can have her help me with new business. It takes a team to stay on top of things, and I can’t express enough how Alexis has helped me in all my day-to-day activities.”

AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR FUTURE

Hiring an assistant, whether Production or Service, is an investment. As David noted, his assistant has freed him up to write more business. Which brings us back to the phrase, “Time is Money.” Help from an assistant will make you money in the long run. If anyone is interested in more information on the cost and benefits of hiring an assistant, please see the “Service Associate and Production Assistant Program Hiring Packet & Manual” located on FBConnect under Manuals > Sales. This manual will provide you with the steps you need to get started.

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MARKETING TOOLS

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