When a fight breaks out, both parties don't necessarily have tobe to blame—but when you find yourself in one, there are only twooptions: Win, or go home. And if you think Google's move into thebusiness of selling insurance doesn't constitute a fight, you'rewrong.

Last month, the Internet search giant finally launched itsGoogle Compare portal in the U.S., offering auto coverage inCalifornia. It is likewise licensed to sell insurance in nearlyadditional 30 states thus far. Visitors to the portal can shop forauto coverage by comparing the prices of several participatingP&C insurers, and select a price that suits their need. Googletakes a percentage of the final sale.

Its debut has been stealthy, and its strategy is smart: Startwith a well-populated state for the rollout, not a national launch.Learn some lessons along the way, and expand further if the effortbears fruit.

The very first step to losing any contest is to underestimateyour opponent, and independent agents cannot afford to do soagainst a behemoth like Google. If you're not taking this contestseriously, you're one step closer to coming out on the losingend. 

Google is a lot of things, but let me tell you what it is not.It is not some fellow P&C agent, perhaps a friend of afriend or someone your cousin knows, who's set up shop in aneighboring county and actually respects boundaries—or somebenevolent competitor who may not try to infringe on yourterritory.

The moment it threw its hat in the ring and entered the businessof selling P&C insurance, Google established itself as a directcompetitor to independent agents. It is a threat to your business,and that threat is real. The question is, will you allowit to take business from you, or are you prepared to assert yourown hard-earned value proposition?

When considering the list of P&C insurers that have opted toalign with Google in this venture, it's tempting to dismiss it asnot being a real contender. Its bullpen doesn't exactly read like awho's-who list of top P&C carriers. There's no Travelers here,no Hartford, no Progressive. 

Here's the thing, though: It doesn't have to.

Do you honestly think most consumers know the difference betweencoverage sold by a third-tier insurance carrier and one that ranksin the top five list in net premiums—or, for that matter, aninsurer that ranks highly in agent satisfaction?

If you do, odds are you're giving them more credit than isappropriate.

Independent agents have long sold on two things: personalrelationships, and the personalized service they provide theircustomers. The common word there: personal. As thefragmentation of news, media and even consumer products continuesto shift to a micro level, selling the end user a product moretailored specifically to that person's desires (did you ever thinkyou'd see the day when you could purchase a tin of Crayola crayonscontaining only the colors you select?), independent agents woulddo well to craft a single, unified message for Main Street Americathat communicates one thing: We know insurance, not Google. Wedo this expertly, and we can craft personalized coverage for you ata good price.

The slogan for this effort? "Let Us Show You."

Consider this: What do you think the result will be, shouldGoogle's strategy work and those smaller carriers start seeing agreat deal of revenue? Do you think the A-list insurers willgraciously concede that business, and deign not to partner withGoogle out of some noble sense of responsibility to directagents?

I've got news for you: If the numbers make sense, several majorcarriers will likely partner with Google, simply because too muchmoney would be left on the table if they didn't. Those types ofdecisions are made by corporate boards, not agent liaisons. Othercarriers would then follow.

Independent agents continue to be able to carve out successfulniches of business in the U.S. because it is profitable for majorcarriers to use them in extending their reach; it's in their bestinterest. There's a symbiotic relationship that exists there, whichto date has remained in place mostly because the numbers haveproven it to be effective.

However, if an alternative, cheaper method of reaching consumersshould prove successful, you can bet your last dollar that the beancounters will lead the charge to focus more carrier energies whereit's cheapest. It would only make good business sense.

So to the thousands of independent agents in this country whoare the backbone of the insurance business and whom I deeplyrespect, I say this: Take this fight seriously, because a fight itis—and start giving some real thought to how you're going toaggressively market the skills you possess.

If you do otherwise, your retirement will likely start muchearlier than you'd planned.