The training gave me good sales skills. But being an independent agent gives me the ability to offer my clients a variety of coverages from a number of companies. Independent agents are the only people in the insurance business who can really answer the public's insurance needs. One agent knows all the exposures and can provide all the coverages to handle those exposures. I didn't have that ability with a direct writer or when I was constrained by the bank relationship.
Every agency is unique, and therein appears to lie the strength of the system.
To accomplish that goal, David looks to the companies to provide as much service as possible. Most of the companies I represent use service centers. To me, that's a great concept. It frees me up to sell. This doesn't mean that service receives short shrift at Platt-Leavitt.