I’m a customer, too.

I will pay more when the service, advice, and coverage are worth it, but I have a limit. I understand that you do too. I try every day to look at the quote the way I would if I were the person receiving it.

I know an efficient process can sometimes feel less personal, but the intention behind mine is the golden rule: I treat you the way I would want to be treated. If I’m asking you to pay $1,000 or $2,000 more, let’s be realistic: you probably are not going to switch unless the difference genuinely makes sense to you. I understand that. My job is to explain the options honestly and respect your answer.

I realized really quickly when I buy stuff, I don't want to go back and forth on the phone with someone when I can actually instead text and email. I have bad memory so being able to keep track of conversations, not have to take time off work or away from family, all of these things shaped me to the process I 100% believe in to this day. I know folks will get blown up with calls if they request quotes for anything and I 100% believe that none of that stuff is necessary.

My lightbulb moment in sales was when I purchased a car, I realized there were some dealerships that were willing to negotiate with me through email, instead of having to go in person just to then spend 4-6 hours more there, and I then realized why would I not want my clients to have that same experience with me.

In no way shape or form am I telling you that I don't ever want to hear from you on the phone! I just also want you to know that I will make sure I can do what I can to simplify this entire process for you.

In my agency and in previous places I worked at, I wanted to work in management because I always sold really well all just by trying to figure out, if I was on the other end of these quotes or this sales process, what would I prefer? Funnily enough, anytime someone asks me why I do so well with writing so many policies I straight up just tell them, buy more stuff. You can't sell well if you never get sold to because you'll never understand the pain that others have in this entire process. I have always butted heads with other folks in the insurance world because they are so adamant on loading up everything, getting you on the phone before providing you any real numbers, and I just realized that really isn't how I want to do business with folks. I did about 70-80% of my business and quotes through text and email! When people fill out these forms online to get quotes, it says click here to get a quote, not click here to get blown up by calls by every insurance agent and insurance company within a 100 mile radius from them.

I don’t need to pressure you into a policy.

I’m fortunate to work for Kory and Lindsey Rykman, who supply me with a lot of opportunities to help people. I say this plainly, not dismissively: I work efficiently, I make a healthy living in a state with high insurance premiums, and I do not need to pressure anyone into buying from me.

When I follow up, I ask you to compare your current coverage with what I quoted and tell me whether the price is high. The only times I "handle objections" is when I hear someone say they have to think about it, go over it with their spouse, or that their renewal is not coming up in 3-6 months and I'm saving them by switching sooner than later $1000+ on their insurance. Completely understand and completely respect peoples' process, but if I'm saving someone that much money that's money that can be spent elsewhere!

I’ve had deep conversations, and some disagreements, with former agency owners and sales managers about this approach. I still believe it is the right way to treat people. My faith is important to me, and I trust that God will provide while I focus on doing right by the person in front of me. The moment either I find out that someone's paying less with either the same coverages I'm quoting or at times better, hard stop, I will tell you upfront that unless you're not happy where you're at and you want to go with a better company like Allstate (especially for homeowner's insurance because of how they cover roofs now on the new ASC Home), or your current agent just dropped the ball so much and you like how we've treated you and have faith that we'll be there come claims-time and you still want to switch regardless, I will just thank you for your time and follow up on your next renewal as rates change ALL the time.

I respect your time and want a clear answer.

I shop for auto, property, life, and health insurance. I buy cars, and I’m on the receiving end of sales conversations just like everyone else. That is why I am not a fan of repeatedly calling someone or withholding a quote until I can get them on the phone to “close” them. I do not believe good selling or closing requires me to make the process harder for you. There's this concept that every insurance agent/sales producer probably has heard of and it's called an OCC. An OCC is a one-call close, I'm absolutely terrible at those and frankly am not a big fan of them. One call closes typically means someone bought on an impulse, didn't get explained their coverages thoroughly enough, or got pressured hard to switch and in my experience has led to higher chargebacks since that insured starts getting buyers remorse, worse client satisfaction, and overall just does not line up with how I like interacting with folks. To reference back to what I said earlier, when I interviewed to work with other Allstate agencies and insurance companies, a lot of them prioritize one call closes, objection handling, or upselling customers, which I never understood because 1. it goes against every CE ethics course that we have to do yearly 2. My thought is if I'm constantly running into people looking for insurance and our rates are always higher that means whoever is doing the marketing/lead spend is targeting areas where that company doesn't rate favorably 3. I refuse to work at places where the producers have to constantly squeeze water from a stone because they don't want to fix their lead targeting.

I can't tell you how fortunate I feel working for Kory because out of all the interviews I did to land this current role, me and him saw eye to eye on that and if you've made it this far you're either someone that got referred to by a client I've helped in the past, or someone that I've quoted and I thank you for taking the time to read this far.

A great deal can be handled through text and email. Once the details are in place, a focused 15–30 minute call can often be enough to adjust the coverage and set up the policies. Some homes, drivers, coverage questions, or payment arrangements take longer, and I will be honest when they do.

The value has to be real.

I believe in the goodwill of people. Most people are trying to make a responsible decision for themselves and their families, and they deserve a straightforward conversation.

In my time working with Allstate, I’ve heard plenty of sales training about “building value,” upselling, and adding products such as a personal umbrella policy whether or not the need is clear. Additional coverage can be valuable, but I want a real reason for recommending it. I am not interested in loading a policy with every available option just to make a larger sale.

Sometimes switching makes sense because the rate is extremely competitive. Sometimes the difference is the coverage, advice, and help available from my agency and service team when you need documents, information sent to a mortgage officer, or support during a claim. That service matters, but no agent or service team can guarantee how a future claim will be decided. Coverage always depends on the policy terms and the facts of the loss.

Insurance is a conversation about risk tolerance.

You’re paying for something you may never use. If you do need it, I want you to understand the coverage you selected, the resources available to you, and the costs or losses you may still have to handle yourself.

There is no point in building the most expensive version of a policy if the premium itself becomes a financial burden. My job is to explain the tradeoffs. That includes limits, deductibles, and uninsured or underinsured motorist choices such as UMBI or UMPD where those options are available.

I am willing to show what a policy looks like with an optional coverage reduced or removed when the law and carrier allow it. I will also explain plainly what would not be covered in the situations that protection was designed for. Any required state or carrier selection and rejection forms still apply. A lower premium is not helpful if you do not understand the risk you are keeping.

Coverage can often be revisited later as your needs and budget change, subject to the options, pricing, and requirements available at that time. A later change cannot apply backward to a loss that already happened.

I do the homework before asking you to repeat it.

When I quote an auto policy, I verify the drivers and vehicles before I send the quote. I confirm who needs to be listed, get the VINs, and verify driver license information.

I run motor vehicle records (MVRs), claims-history reports, and insurance-score or LIS reports up front. I do not want you to like a quote and then hear a different number when we speak because a driver, VIN, license detail, or available report was missing. Running the available reports before I send the quote also reduces the chance of a later underwriting adjustment based on information that could have been checked earlier. It does not guarantee that a premium will never change; information, coverage, eligibility, carrier rates, and underwriting results can still affect the final or future price.

When I quote a home, I look at the county's website for that address through qPublic to get the exact square footages, house details, etc. along with available property information on Zillow and Realtor.com. They help me understand the property, but they are only starting points. An assessed value, listing price, Zestimate, or other market estimate is not the cost to rebuild a home.

I use the carrier’s replacement-cost estimator and then verify the property details with you. That includes whether the foundation is a basement, crawl space, or slab; what percentage of a basement is finished; the construction features; and whether the roof was replaced in the last 12 months. We can confirm those details by text, email, or phone. The result is a replacement-cost estimate based on the verified information, not a promise of an exact future rebuilding cost.

There’s a practical reason I ask about your current policy.

I ask what you currently pay and who services your mortgage because I think about this as a consumer. I use MyCoverageInfo to see your current insurance depending on who you have for your mortgage, since only some mortgage companies participate in this.

It can save an hour or two of back-and-forth and help me make a useful comparison sooner. If it is not available, I’ll ask you for the information directly. If switching does not make sense now, I would rather say so and, with your permission, follow up later than spend hours trying to force a result that does not fit.