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Joining an insurance cluster group is a great way to gain access to appointments with carriers that would be off-limits if you were negotiating on your own. Cluster groups give independent agents power in numbers — a group of agents has more buying power than a single agent alone, leading to more profits.

Kyle McMackin is the owner of Main Street Insurance. The full-service agency offers personal insurance, commercial insurance and Medicare plans, as well as retirement planning services. The agency also  provides coverage for many high-risk accounts that  standard carriers are reluctant to sign. Network support from Smart Choice has helped Kyle navigate this challenging market.

Smart Choice® announces the acquisition of Carriage Hill Insurance and key leadership appointments for Smart Choice Partners (SCP). SCP identifies strategic agency acquisition opportunities that are complementary to Smart Choice’s existing network of over 9,500 independent agencies.

Although we’ve been seeing indications of a hardening market for some time now, the state of the insurance industry shows no signs of shifting directions. Independent insurance agents will be feeling the squeeze when it comes to being able to provide coverage for clients. Here's how you can succeed despite the hard market.

Sales and Marketing:

Thinking Outside the Box to Achieve Breakthrough Results for Your Agency

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Independent agency owner Todd Shafer spent decades training insurance agents and developing his own customer management system, but when he decided to launch an independent agency, he knew he needed help.

Commercial Lines:

Solving the Revenue Equation

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Gulraiz brought a lot to the table. He had experience as a claims adjuster and analyst. He spoke six languages and had done a lot to establish himself. So, he was looking for a place where he could use all his acquired skills and knowledge. When he heard Smart Choice® could help him set up his own agency, get his foot in the door with the carriers, and he didn’t have to pay anything, he said, “Great!”

“I knew from the very moment I met with Jeremy that he had that the “IT” factor that would absolutely make him successful not only in insurance, but any field he chose to be involved in. With that mentality, success will absolutely follow.” Rick Mathews, Smart Choice® Marketing Manager. And the success did follow. Jeremy Powers, a former captive, built his new agency from zero, to a book of approximately $1.6 million, within 18 months.

In 2008, Lee Ann Pridgeon became a first-time agency owner when she purchased the Smart Choice® agency she’d worked at for 15 years. She now owns eight agencies across the state, and six of them came to her through her local network of Smart Choice® agents.

Bryan Clinkscales’ relationship with Smart Choice® started early on in his agency’s history before his father’s retirement. “A mentor of mine introduced us to Smart Choice® and we did a contract, which gave us the chance to get some markets.” As the years went by, Bryan’s agency grew. When he acquired another Smart Choice® agency years later, he had a chance to look at all the different programs Smart Choice® offered.

Choosing a network partner can make or break your business. Independent agents should consider these four key characteristics of a network before committing to an insurance agency network.