When you enter the world of insurance sales, you have a big decision to make: should you become an independent agent or a captive agent? While both types of agent are fully licensed to sell insurance, there is a major difference between the two: captive agents are employed by insurance companies and represent only that company, while independent agents have more freedom to work with different insurance companies, instead of working for them. Going the independent agent route will guarantee you more opportunities for success, because you will be able to offer more to your clients. But that is not the only advantage of being an independent agent.
More Options
As an independent agent, you can represent multiple insurance companies; doing so allows you to not only become extremely knowledgeable about different plans, but also to provide clients with more options. Captive agents can only compare insurance plans offered by the insurance company they work for, but independent agents have access to many markets, meaning you will be able to compare plans and find what is truly the best option for your customers, so you’ll end up with happier clients – and more referrals!
Freedom & Flexibility
If you become an independent agent, you will own your agency, so you will essentially be your own boss. You will not only have the freedom to decide which carriers you want to work with, but you will also have the flexibility to set your own hours and choose where and when you want to meet with or speak to clients. All of this means that you won’t have to operate around the traditional 9-5 work day; you can even meet with clients in the evenings or on weekends, so you’ll be able to attract people with tighter schedules.
Unbiased Advice
Clients will want to work with you if you are an independent agent because they’ll know that you’ll give them unbiased advice. Captive agents will always try to sell clients a plan from the carrier they work with, even if it is not the best option for them, but because you work with multiple carriers, you can actually find the best plan for them.
It is your choice whether you become an independent agent or a captive agent, but ultimately there are more advantages to being an independent one. Not only will you be your own boss, but you could end up as a much more successful seller: customers will choose to come to you because they know you can offer more, and save them more money.
