In this industry, we talk a lot about resiliency. What we don't always talk about, however, is how that word applies to many of the men and women who serve as the human face and the backbone of the insurance business.
Last month, I had the honor and pleasure of visiting the great city of New Orleans to spend a few days with the subject of our March cover feature, Richie Clements—current national president of the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) and principal at Clements Insurance Services in Chalmette, La.
It's fortuitous that Clements should serve as PIA's national president during the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The story of how he rebuilt his agency from the ashes is not only an amazing, inspiring one, but it's also a microcosm for his beloved city's challenge to regain a sense of normalcy through its continued recovery efforts. A decade later, that challenge remains an ongoing one, and it affects every single one of its residents.
We spent a day and a half touring the Big Easy's various suburbs and neighborhoods, Clements at the wheel, putting all of what we saw into context. Gentilly. Lakeview. Metairie. The Ninth Ward. Lakeshore. St. Bernard Parish, in which Clements' agency is located. All of them have a deeply moving story to tell. You watch from the safety of a moving vehicle and survey the destruction, and the entire time you're confronted with the inescapable, lingering truth that people died here.
Those who survived had to rebuild; others, who either couldn't bear or simply couldn't afford the process of reclaiming their former existence, left town and never looked back. Their legacy is empty lots that dot the neighborhoods of suburban streets. The only telltale sign that a house once stood in front of you is the address, now spray-painted in yellow on the curb.
At its best, the insurance industry helps rebuild lives after a disaster—and few disasters in recent American history can compare to the scope of destruction wrought by Katrina. The agents who responded by serving their clients did so not only by reaching out to their clients and providing them information and support, but also by getting out to food lines and other community gatherings and handing out flyers in further efforts to reach their customers and fulfill their promise to be there when things were darkest.
While Clements faced the challenge of servicing his entire client base, he says, "That's when I became a real insurance man. When you got to see in action what those big promises were that you'd been making to people, all these years…that you were able to help each one of them to get their lives back together. It gave you a new appreciation for what we do for a living."
Clements' words spoke to me in a profound way, and underscored something I've long felt but that had never quite crystallized until that moment. Agents—no, people—like Clements are needed by this country, and needed by the public they serve; they're an essential part of its fabric. This type of local, hands-on service that independent agents provide is at the core of their value proposition, yet there are still professionals in this business who seem too reticent to emphasize that unique quality. Insurance agents aren't just paid to sell policies. Their job is to help restore lives, and in some cases, that mission extends to entire communities in times of crisis.
"We're part of the community," Clements proudly told me. "We're not just an 800 number, or www.buyinsurancefromemeoffthenet. We're real people, in the community. Participating."
My challenge to our readers is this: Consider what the word "resiliency" means to you and your business—how you will respond to the challenges in your own markets, such as direct writers looking to steal your clients. Or Google, which until recently served mostly as a search tool for producers, but now presents a threat as it sets its sights on gaining share in the P&C market. Or even just the simple weight of time. It takes a certain fire in your belly to get up every day, set your sights high and keep them there.
One thing is certain: The challenges to making a living selling insurance in the P&C market are as formidable as ever. Are you up to that challenge?
If so, it's never been a better time for you to consider how you plan to bolster your own resiliency.
Meanwhile, check out my feature on Clements, "The Rising," here.
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