In this episode of the Ridiculously Amazing Insurance Agent podcast, host Kelly Donahue-Piro interviews Stephen Harrington, CIC, Chief Operating Officer, Celia Cross, the Project Manager, and Andrew Cross, the Principal of Cross Insurance Agency. They discuss how the agency started, their knowledge and expertise in the insurance industry, and the significance of data.

Episode Highlights:

• Celia, Andrew, and Stephen share a little bit about themselves. (3:10)
• Andrew shares how he became an independent agent. (5:09)
• Does Andrew have a little affection to purchase agencies? (5:39)
• Stephen mentions the percentage of PL and CL in their agency. (6:03)
• Where do they see themselves five years from now in the insurance industry? (6:24)
• Stephen shares why it’s a double-edged sword to be an independent agent. (7:49)
• What are they working on this year for the agency? (9:18)
• Celia shares advice when it comes to hiring. (16:08)
• What were their high points and low points, during the pandemic? (21:59)
• Stephen shares his love for data. (34:24)

 

Key Quotes:

 

• “Being an independent agency and representing a lot of companies, I think that we're going to be golden moving forward in the future, but there's going to be a lot of consolidation and there are less people, all the time.” - Andrew Cross
• “There are a lot of opportunities out there, but you're going to have to invest some time, you're going to have to invest the money and keep up with the relative age of technology.” - Celia Cross
• “As we're doing the interview, I'm very upfront and honest about how our agency operates. What we do, what our vision and goals are, and I let people know if I don't think it's a good fit. It has become much easier to find those candidates that are a great fit for the agency, versus hiring somebody to, unfortunately, let them go three or six months later because it just wasn't working.” - Stephen Harrington

Resources Mentioned:

• Kelly Donahue-Piro LinkedIn
• Agency Performance Partners
• Andrew Cross LinkedIn
• Celia Cross LinkedIn
• Stephen Harrington LinkedIn
• Cross Insurance Agency