Pros
No pros to working as an insurance agent for COUNTRY anymore. Might as well start an independent agency.
Cons
1. Company does not provide dollar one advertising reimbursement to agents despite one of the lowest advertising budgets in the industry. 2. A sales matrix that is impossible to succeed on due to P/C premiums 20% higher than competitors, an underwriting team (P/C and Life) that looks to deny business before ways of approving it, and mounds of red tape to get through in order to even submit new business. 3. Agents took a 20 - 40% pay cut in 2023 while the CEO took a 40% pay increase due to agent commission cuts. The producer is no longer the #1 priority. 4. Managers provide no assistance to the agent, simply forward emails to agents already received from home office, do not listen (or care) to the reality of what we're facing, don't even know how to quote, and are detrimental to closing a case if brought on an appointment. 5. A sub-prime customer service center in which the reps can't even produce an accurate certificate of insurance which leads to the agent having to redo. 6. Claims department used to go above and beyond for insureds and stay in contact with the insured during claims process. But now, claims adjusters are either leaving or moving into a new position within the company leaving insureds with a claim that is not finalized to their satisfaction with no introduction to the new claims adjuster assigned to their file. All of which puts the agent in a bad light and creates more the work for the agent. 7. Major premium increases to loyal clients which keeps the agent from prospecting and limits his/her job to reselling current clients. 8. The only solution provided by home office and management to handle the rocky terrain at this company is to hire someone when the majority of agents are struggling to put food on the table for their family. 9. Home office just announced it is getting rid of all benefits for agents (health, group life, group disability, group vision, and group dental). 10. No book buy back option at retirement. Just a sub-prime deferred comp plan that pays for 15 years only in retirement. Agents have to work into their 70's, until their health stops them, or until death. 11. Work/life balance is none due to new contract even if you have been here for over 10 years. Agent suicides have increased since announcement and implementation of new contract. Mental health of agents in a bad place as most are on medication. Veteran agents sharing stories of unhappy homes due to working on the weekends in order to meet their quota. Agent morale is super low at the organization.