As a State Farm Agent in GA, I can't believe what's happening with this company. Steady rate increases on auto, no more LTC, confusion on the mutual funds line, lack of support from leadership, etc. It seems all the VPA's and Sales Leaders want to do is to take expensive trips at the agents' expense. Also, from what I can tell, it seems that the company would like to replace the agency distribution system with drones in the hubs. Lots of concern amongst my agent peers, and morale has never been lower in my 15+ years!
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Yep, the gesture will be a standing ovation.
ECRM is a big, fat joke! I hate it.
Heard there was gonna be a symbolic gesture of protest at Convention toward MT.
Same production results even if we cut the sales leaders and VP’s cut the fat.
How many times are we going to here about market area results, new agents coming on,
Incentive travel and of course there bonus for doing nothing talk about time to move on
Used to be like a family
Now, you are just a number
and they are not shy about it
accept or move on, sadly
if the robust self help solutions system looks anything like ECRM we are dead.
@kzz-that is fairly well what has been intimated for quite some time and most agents expect it. Agents have always had to adapt to changes very fast just to survive. The no State borders part is not likely, since every state has its own licensing and its own regulations. Agents near state borders can already cross license, but trying to work all states would be logistically unfeasible.
Maybe it will look like ECRM that’s a good idea, I hope they didn’t pay anyone for this system.
You think the fall off bad now wait til they implement that plan.
That answer is why the majority of agents are going to replaced with more robust and interactive self help solutions for customers. A much smaller number of agents will be in sales/acquisition mode. They will be much larger than current agents with no state boundaries. This won’t be announced at convention but will be implemented before the one in 2022 for some strategic reasons.
@yvh—been maxing SIMPLE IRA , personal Roth IRA, and also investing non TQ for 20 years. It takes both time and money to retire well. Wasn’t looking for your sympathy, but having a discussion with another agent. Somebody who knows it’s not easy out here either, explaining to customers why things don’t get done right inside the company.
Should have put the retirement away a long time ago, you haven’t encountered anything like operations is going thur. Aren’t agents financial planner??? I don’t think anyone going to feel sorry for the agents. Good Luck
Company has been reducing expenses, in part, by just forcing agents to pay them instead. I believe agents currently employ more people helping State Farm customers than State Farm does. I’m a former employee who went transitioned in the old Agency 2000 program. Employees who assume Agency is easy and lucrative have no idea. I hope to have 5 years left to finish saving for retirement, since SF provides ZERO retirement for agents. Don’t know whether I’ll get that time. Waiting to see what we hear (and what they don’t say) at Convention this year. That’s really the only time they talk to us anymore.
As a drone in one of the hubs, and as more agency responsibilities are being dumped on us on a monthly basis, the writing on the wall is that State Farm is planning to phase out agents in the next 5-10 years.
Any second now some troll is going to show up and announce that auto rates are dropping across the country...
If you think it’s bad now, just wait, you haven’t seen anything yet.