2001 Best Practices Study

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Analysis of Agencies with Revenues
Between $1,250,000 and $2,500,000
HIRING, D EVELOPING, AND REWARDING
EMPLOYEES
“Everyone says the customer comes
first – that’s debatable. If your
employees aren’t first, there’s no way
they’re going to provide the service your
customers will require. Treat your
employees as number one, and the
service will follow.”
“We’ve given up on trying to develop
producers right out of college. At our
size, I’m not sure it can be done. We
have had better luck with experienced
producers or people with sales experience
but they are hard to find. You have to
be looking at all times. ”
“All our employees, from the receptionist
on up, understand that we will allow
everyone to go as far as their abilities
will allow. No position is off limits if
someone wants to work hard enough
and has the aptitude. We’ll do
everything we can in the form of
formal and informal training to help
them get there. We just promoted a
woman who started with us as a
assistant CSR to office manager.”
“Our hiring process eliminates a lot of
weak candidates – a personality profile,
no fewer than three separate interviews
and a candid discussion of our work
environment and expectations. The
process itself drives a lot of folks right
back out the door.”
“If you make a hiring mistake, the key
is to pull the plug very quickly once
you realize you’ve made a mistake.
Not only is that the right thing to do
for your business, it’s the right thing to
do for the person you hired.”
In the area of hiring & development, Best Practices agencies
continue to face the same challenges faced by U.S. businesses in
general – a shortage of talented candidates for employment. The
recent economic contraction and meltdown has eased the
situation somewhat, but access to talent, particularly for insurance
producers, remains a key concern for Best Practices agencies.
In responding to these challenges, Best Practices agencies
continue to work hard to ensure that valued current employees stay
put and that incompatible employees are never hired in the first
place. As one agent stated, “We would rather have an empty seat,
with all the additional work for everyone that comes with it, than
have the wrong employee here.”
Competitive compensation packages, pre-employment personality
testing, continuous professional development, and employee
referral programs continue to play important roles in allowing Best
Practices agencies to succeed in this area.
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