Focused on Risk

In my journey to becoming a new member in the much needed world of insurance, I have also become a new member to the CS&A team.  My background was in sales and customer service with no experience in insurance, yet I quickly found a family of friends at the long established Chappell, Smith & Associates.  My first few weeks of indoctrination into the insurance world have been very eventful; filled with learning, training, and earning my license to conduct insurance business in our Personal Lines division assisting Mary Lewis.  Each day I wake up with thoughts about what awaits me at the office, but also knowing that I will have the support and guidance from one of the most prestigious and customer service oriented companies in the business.  My sales managerial experience taught me the importance of caring about clients’ as if they were, say, a family member.  If you allow your client to put their trust in you, they will do so, which is great for referrals, to say the least!  Unfortunately, many companies have lost the sense of urgency and importance when it comes to servicing their client, choosing instead to push the clients into a sales transaction.

My first experience on an appointment with Mary involved a high profile, chauffeured, limousine company here in the Nashville area.  The client treated Mary and I to a swanky Italian restaurant in downtown Nashville and introduced us to her good friends who own and still actively run the restaurant.  During our meeting, Mary looked over the current coverage and the upcoming renewal of the insurance policy as they discussed the past year and what may have, or could have changed.  While getting to know the client and listening to them conduct business it allowed me to observe the personal relationship they have with one another; a relationship that goes much deeper than insurance.  Mary has a strong connection with her clients and often forms a close friendship with them allowing for not only conducting business with one another, but also building a valuable trust that runs deep.

Witnessing this kind of personal relationship between a business owner and her insurance agent not only reassured me that I was in the correct field for helping people, but also with a top notch company that puts the needs of its clients first and foremost.  Having only been with CS&A for five weeks, I sure do sing its praises, but only because what I have been experiencing firsthand is so different from what I had grown accustomed to that it is almost surreal.  I thank CS&A for allowing me to join the team and continually strive to make them proud!  A job is temporary, but a career is long lasting.  As I begin the task of building a prospering path, I feel privileged to know that along the way I’ll have the best leadership and training in the industry from which to learn not only how to do things as an agent, but also how to be the kind of agent that your clients’ respect you for being.