Kim Winningham first opened the doors of Altamaha Agency in October 2020. Although she had more than a decade of experience in the insurance industry, she was building her agency from the ground up, and she was doing it in less-than-ideal times thanks to the Covid pandemic. She needed carrier appointments and access to a number of different types of markets, including excess and surplus lines(E&S), and she couldn’t do it on her own. To thrive, she needed some support, and she found it in and agency network called Smart Choice. 
Time for A Change
Kim became an agent in 2008. After many years working in an agency, the owner of the agency where she worked announced that he was closing his doors, and Kim decided it was time for a change.
“I opened my agency from scratch on October 15th, 2020,” Kim says.
Kim lives in a small community of about 30,000 people. She runs a full-service agency, and because she sells everything from home and auto, to life and business packages, she can take care of all of her clients’ needs in one place. She sells a large amount of personal property and casualty coverage, and her commercial business is taking off as well.
As an independent agent in a small community, word-of-mouth advertising and retention are essential. Since her agency opened, she’s only lost four clients, and the fact that she can recall exactly what happened in each situation is a testament to how much she cares about each client. “I get customers, and they don't leave. Fortunately, they tell others about their experiences here,” she says, which means Kim’s referral marketing is thriving.
Kim excels at customer service, so she has the soft skills needed to meet clients’ needs. That’s important, but it’s not the only thing an independent agent needs to be successful. She also needed access to carriers, and as the owner of a brand-new agency, that wasn’t something she could do on her own without being able to meet the right people and build carrier relationships.
“I've always heard that when you open, you have to have a certain book of business in order to get certain carriers,” Kim explains. Of course, with a new agency, you need time to build that book of business. In the meantime, not having access to certain carriers can mean not giving clients the insurance options they need. “I knew that I had to partner with a group to get where I wanted to go.”
Finding Network Support
Kim knew she needed some support, but wasn’t sure where to turn in the beginning. Her first attempt to partner with a group didn’t work out. After contacting one organization, she thought she was set-up to work with them, but two weeks before she was supposed to open, she got word that they had rejected her application to partner.
It was a setback, but Kim wasn’t going to let it stop her, and began looking for alternatives. That’s when she found Smart Choice.
Running out of time before her agency was set to open its doors, Kim contacted Smart Choice on October 10 determined to keep her opening day of October 15. Smart Choice made it happen.
It isn’t a decision that Kim regrets. “They've helped me get a lot of appointments with a lot of carriers,” says Kim. “I only have one appointment outside of Smart Choice, and that is with Progressive. Other than that, I've been with them from the get-go, and I definitely don't see myself going anywhere.”
Finding the Right Fit
Smart Choice has proven to be the right fit for Kim, but Kim also needs to find the right fit for her clients. Each client is different, and some have exposures that standard carriers won’t touch. Thankfully, Smart Choice provides access to the excess and surplus market through their Express Markets program, where agents can find coverage for those hard-to-place risks and clients.
“I have several of my clients that are into buying rental homes, refurbishing them and renting them out. And that's where many of the E&S companies come in,” Kim says. Kim has also found policies for other hard-to-cover businesses, including an indoor bounce house business. One particularly challenging account took a month and half to place, but through working with her Smart Choice territory manager, she was able to ultimately find a home for the business.
“I'm very honest with everybody,” Kim says. Her clients need to understand the coverage they’re getting, and education is an important part of the service she provides. “I make sure to carefully explain the differences in the policies they have,” she says.
If Kim couldn’t offer these E&S options, her clients might go to someone else who could, and that would hurt her close and retention rates.
Beyond Carrier Access
Carrier access is essential, but it’s not the only thing Kim likes about Smart Choice.
“If I have an issue, I know that I can get my local Territory Manager or somebody in Smart Choice to help me with it,” Kim says. Smart Choice has proven to be a great resource for Kim, especially when she’s trying to find coverage for those hard-to-place risks.
Starting an independent agency can be scary, so it’s good to have someone in your corner. “I didn't expect it to be such a close-knit group. I have access to the Georgia state team, Christy Stevenson and Elizabeth Wallace just about at any time I need them. And I didn't expect that,” Kim says, explaining that she figured she would be on her own, but that hasn’t been the case. “I didn't expect to have that friendship.”
Looking Forward
2020 was a difficult year, but with support from Smart Choice, Kim got her agency off to a strong start. Now her agency is thriving.
“I was a one-girl show up until about two months ago and I decided to hire someone,” Kim says, explaining that her agency had grown enough to make this happen.