COUNTRY Financial reviews

The job they sell you is totally different from what you actually end up doing. Agents are the only people with any skin in the game so everything falls back on them. Underwriting makes a mistake? Agent fixes it. Billing misapplies a payment? Agent fixes it. Customer service department has no ownership in helping the client so it often is referred back to the agent. The only person to suffer monetarily when a company employee doesn't do their job and the client leaves is the agent, so the agent spends a lot of time trying to keep business on the books that no one else cares about. And the Farm Bureau? What company in this day and age aligns itself with a political action committee and requires clients pay a $15 membership to be "allowed" to purchase Country insurance? So every one of you with Country Insurance just be aware you are supporting conservative right wing political figures. While you are busy keeping business on the books your manager is putting pressure on you to sell sell sell! There are some good people throughout the organization but if a person has been there any length of time they evolve into a cold shell of their former selves. The most successful agents have figured out a perfect balance of ignoring the clients that they can't sell any new products to and only giving attention to people that will purchase a new product because that what this company defines success as. Not building a book of business but chasing the next sale. You do all the work and you still own nothing. You are responsible for all of your own business expenses, and Country owns the clients. When you and the company part ways you walk away with nothing.

If you do not have the privilege of living in Illinois- you will not be given any book of business until you prove yourself. Which means if you do not have a large natural market- you will need to expect on spend $300 - $500 on leads per month, not to mention any marketing and networking efforts you decide to partake in. And, though they say you are a business owner- or that you are working your way to business ownership, that is not true as there is nothing you will own once converted to a career rep except a lease, staff expense, and all other business expenses that go with "business ownership".....but again, with nothing to sell or hand down to your children other loved one...what exactly is it that you own? You will not be building an asset but you are building the company an asset. You will make much more money and close more deals if you become an independent agent versus a captive agent.