How can we offer such low rates compared with other companies?

Is this too good to be true?

My current agent says this rate cannot be accurate.  How can you assure me that it is?

If I had a dollar for every time I heard these questions…I would have a pile o’ cash by now.

So let’s do this thing!  Let’s settle the mystery once and for all.

Yes, our rates are incredibly low for drivers in NC with DWI/DUI convictions.  Here’s how it breaks down:

The North Carolina Department Of Insurance (the insurance regulator for these parts) states that since the ‘financial responsibility’ laws of NC require all drivers to be covered by bodily injury and property damage coverage at the set minimum limits, no driver can be denied those minimum limits of coverage by any insurance carrier–regardless of driving history (or lack thereof).

Or, the short version:  No carrier in NC can refuse to offer state required liability coverage to any driver.

If the carrier does not wish to bear the risk of covering drivers that…ahem…do not meet their underwriting guidelines, the company will place those high risk drivers in the reinsurance facility.  This goes by the catchy phrase “ceded liability”.

Basically, most carriers in NC only offer DWI/DUI coverage as ceded liability–which is just a confusing way of saying they think you are a high risk driver & they are reinsuring your coverage through the NC Reinsurance Facility.   Essentially passing the buck in case of an accident, at a much higher rate.

This is where we are different.  Our carrier does not offer ceded liability for most drivers convicted of a DWI.  In fact, we are able to offer what’s known in the insurance world as a ‘voluntary’ rate.  That just translates into the lower-than-you-can-believe quotes that we sent to you by email or reviewed by phone.  Three cheers for Brown-Phillips Insurance!  Of course, if there are a ton of other violations, more than 1 DWI, or accidents, all bets are off.  But actuarial data shows over & over again that drivers with DWI convictions are actually more cautious and have less chance of violations in the future.   And who says that dark clouds don’t have silver linings?

So that’s it!  Mystery solved.  And all before afternoon snack time.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Still skeptical?  Don’t take my word for it!  We have loads of testimonials on our website from drivers that we turned into believers.  So come on in!  The water is fine.

What kind of person gets a DWI conviction?

A doctor?

A baker?

A candlestick maker?

The answer is yes, yes, and I’ve never met a candlestick maker.

The point is, there is no real stereotype about the “kind of person” that finds themselves convicted of a DWI.  I have DWI clients that are doctors, school teachers, machine operators, secretaries, retired police officers.  Yes.  An actual retired police officer.

Many clients are professionals.  Some are stay at home moms.  Some are unemployed, disabled, or retired.

There is no “one size fits all” criteria for drivers that make a bad choice or got caught in a bad situation…I have found that they are all just regular people.  Just like me.   Just like you.

How about you?  Do you have any preconceived stereotypes about drivers with DWI convictions?

Steve Jobs. What an amazing legacy.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

Insurance Agency Rescue

So my new favorite show is Bar Rescue…Not because I am trolling for clients driving away from the bars either (har har).

And it’s no wonder I love it.  After some light googling, I found out the show has the same producers as another of my favorites, The Biggest Loser.

I guess since I am in the unique position of never working for anyone but myself, I guess I have never considered “my business” from someone else’s point of view.  The premise of the show is a bar expert (a ball buster kind of guy named John Taffer—who has a style oddly reminiscent of my dear hubby) has 5 days to turn around a failing bar.

First he analyzes what they are doing wrong, then makes changes to help them do what’s right—and by right, I mean turning the business into a success based on his knowledge & expertise.  The bar owners, in return, get top notch consultation for (presumably) free, as well as upfits & remodeling to equip them with the tools for success.  Love, love, love it!  So interesting for reality TV.  I am bored with the sensationalized shows with whiny “stars” and all the interpersonal issues that seem to be the focus of these shows.  Too much like Jerry Springer without a host.

Anyway—I wish there was an Insurance Agency Rescue! Not nearly as marketable as Bar Rescue, but I would love to have someone come in and challenge my systems.  Tell me where I could improve.  Oh who am I kidding?  I would probably be the guy that changed his name back to Sudsy Bubbles or whatever as soon as John Taffer walked out the door.  Hard to teach old dogs new tricks, after all!

How about you?  If you have a policy with us, what you would YOU like for us to do differently?   Do we contact you enough?  Too much?  Do you like the electronic signature process?

If you own a business, what systems do you use that are especially efficient?   Where do you see room for improvement?

The suggestion box is open for biz-nass!

It’s Friday, Friday, Gotta Get Down On Friday…

So in the words of the (in)famous Rebecca Black, IT’S FRIDAY!

Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend

It’s also the end of the month, so likely to be a busy day in our office.  Or not.  Who can ever really predict?

I am really looking forward to the weekend, because we are heading to Columbia for a weekend of South Carolina Gamecock football!  Woo Hoo!  Always a fun atmosphere in Columbia on game weekends, but I am especially looking forward to it this year since the team is playing so well.  Cannot wait to see if that winning spirit carries over the fans (even more than usual).

I just checked my crystal ball, and here is a  prediction about what I will be doing tomorrow:

What about you guys?  What’s going on for the weekend?

Anything fun?  If you happen to be chatting up your friends over happy hour about your DWI insurance rates, don’t forget to tell them about the Diva!  Not only will it make you the MVP of the night, it can earn some cold hard cash in your pocket!  Five dolla (referral reward) make you holla!

http://www.ifitsinsurance.com/referrals.html

Until next week…

Sometimes I Worry…

Sometimes I worry that writing policies for drivers with DWI convictions will create some huge karmic debt for me.

Like I will be hit by a drunk driver.

Or that MADD is going to show up on my doorstep with picket signs.

Who am I kidding — Do I make that much of a difference?  Does anyone even know who I am?  Probably not.  It’s not like I am on billboards around town holding a glass of wine & my car keys in my hand.

Not that I am embarrassed by the product that we offer.  At all!  I think we provide a valuable service and I feel privileged to help so many drivers in North Carolina with their coverage.

But… When greeted with the “So, what do you do question?”  I cannot say I have ever found myself gushing about the low rates that I can offer drivers with DWI convictions.  I don’t exactly find myself  blaring it on my facebook wall that I can help out with DWI Insurance or tell the intimidating moms at the PTA meetings that I enjoy helping people with DWI convictions.

Maybe that speaks to guilt on some level?  Like having a DWI is an issue filed under attorney insurance agent – client privilege (Is that a real thing??).  Maybe that is why my customers feel comfortable trusting me and telling me their stories?  I give off a “shhh this is our little secret” vibe?

So how about you?  Do you feel embarrassed?  Is your DWI conviction the topic of conversation around the ol’ Thanksgiving dinner table?  Or do you prefer to keep it on the DL?  Conversely, are you more open & okay to talk about the conviction?

This is an interesting thought to me…Care to share?

A Diva Is Born!

Currently the point of this blog is to help me work through my feelings of occasional burnout towards my occupation.  If I am going to spend 1/3 of my day doing something, by golly I am going to capitalize on what I love about it—and drop the rest.  Don’t get me wrong, I do not dislike it.  I really don’t.  In fact, there are some aspects of the job I really find enjoyable & the routine to be quite comforting.  However, when I get emails like this it REALLY helps me think beyond the Groundhog Day aspects of my work, and consider the parts that I look forward to each day:

“Brown-Phillips Insurance and Ashlee saved my car and my credit.

 A little policeman in a little town in the mountains of NC wore out his ink pen giving me tickets for driving while Latino.  I fought it the best I could, but I never had a chance.

My insurance with the G company that has the little green lizard in their commercials went from $600.00 a year to $4000.00 a year.   I couldn’t sell my car, I couldn’t keep it without insurance, and I couldn’t pay the insurance.   I was so desperate that I went to the bank to ask them how to turn it in.

Then I found Ashlee at Brown-Phillips.   She got me all the answers I needed almost immediately.   She gave me coverage with a national company for about a third of what the G company demanded.  When the G company wanted almost $200.00 to cancel my coverage, Ashlee helped me stop them from doing that as well.

I came to Ashlee in desperation.   She saved my car and my credit.  I will stay because of terrific service and amazing prices.

Thanks Ashlee and thanks to Brown-Phillips for helping me in an impossible situation.”

And not to ‘toot my own horn’, I get a fair amount of them.  I mean, someone has to really love you, or really hate you, to bother posting a review or testimonial on the good ol’ interweb.  Fortunately I get a whole lot more of the former.  If you are interested, you can find more of this lovefest right here:

http://www.ifitsinsurance.com/insurance-customer-testimonials.html

Hey, with comments like that all the time, it’s easy to see how THE DIVA was born!

(I like to call this photo “market research”…)

How, you ask, did I become the DWI Insurance Diva?  Well.  I do not condone or advocate drinking & driving.  In fact, I think it is a really bad idea…Dangerous, expensive, humiliating—yeah, definitely not an advocate.  But it happens.  Have I driven after having a few drinks before?  Yes.  In the interest of keeping it real, I must admit:  Shamefully, I have.    Stuff happens in life, and I’m not throwing any stones of judgment from my glass house.  I have talked with enough people that have been convicted to know how much they regret the whole mess of it, and it basically sucks to learn lessons the hard way.

I guess as an agency we started a focus on DWI clients when we realized, 1. We have an unbelievably awesome program in our state, 2. There is a huge market out there.  So for me, the best part about my job is helping the people out who find themselves in this situation.  Most of them are demoralized & embarrassed.  I am glad that I can help people feel better.  Everyone makes mistakes.  Everyone.  Is my long term goal to be your insurance agent forever?  Probably not.  Sure, that would be great…but in my opinion, the days of sticking with one company for 30 years went out with the phone book.  It’s not that world any more.  Too much competition.   Too many crazy mood swings (translated into rate swings) by insurance carriers.  I haven’t had the same insurance company for the past xx number of years.  Why would I expect anyone else to be different?  But for the 3-5 years this DWI is part of your life, I’m your diva.  And I am happy with that.  And if you want to be my customer for 30 years, then I am happy with that too!  We have a market for any type of client.  DWI just happens to be my favorite.

So, I love writing policies for clients with DWI convictions.  There…I said it.  I enjoy hearing the stories, and being a listening ear to so many frustrated people.  I love the relief in their voices & I even love convincing them that yes, this quote is accurate.   Bottom line, the thing that keeps me coming back to this position is I enjoy relating to people.  I’m weird like that.

Would you like to share your story here?  Judgment free zone.  I have heard them all after years of experience, so nothing can surprise me…

Talk about overthinking…

Why is it I can pound out my thoughts on a keyboard faster than many people can think them, yet I cannot figure out a name for this blog entry?  The first one seems like it should be so important.  So meaningful.  Like it should set the tone for the entire blog today and whatever the blog turns into down the road.  And I have no idea what to call it, or what to say to set the tone for the entire endeavor.

Actually when I think about it, it’s kind of poetic that this blog is a rambling blather about nothing.  I mean, who says there has to be a point?  It certainly worked for Jerry Seinfeld.  So I suppose the first post is similar to what many of these posts will be…a rambling journal entry of sorts.  Written by an insurance agent in North Carolina that writes a lot of insurance policies for clients with DWI convictions.  Hold on to your hats, it’s about to get cray-zayyyy…Okay, probably not really cray-zay, but moderately entertaining & creating an outlet for yours truly to vent about all things insurance in the great State of North Carolina.  Besides, who is *really* going to read it anyway?