Notes from an Independent Agent during the COVID-19 Crisis
Sean P. Daly, CPCU
President
& CEO of Affiliated Insurance Managers
As I am working on staff reviews, and salary adjustments, while also telling customers that their claim for business income and civil authority losses are not covered, I thought how fortunate we are to be in that position and not one of the business being forced to close or seeing sales erode away.
Just wanted to share these thoughts, because we have all been there at some point;
I know right about now that you might be thinking, why did I get into this crazy industry, a pandemic is occurring around me, financial markets are plummeting, and instead of it being quiet, the phones are ringing off the hook, from upset customers whose claims are not covered. I have to dig through several company policies, submit claims and think about my plans for possibly working at home. All of that, on top of my usual daily responsibilities.
The opposite is actually true. You may have made a great decision in getting into this industry. The fact is that our customers need insurance, it’s mandated, by law in most cases, therefore we are needed on a continual basis, regardless of the weather, economy or other unforeseen event. As our clients’ businesses; restaurants, bars, nightclubs, health clubs, wholesalers and retailers all see their sales falling, with some forced to close their doors, ours remain open. As their employees get laid off and have to find way to make ends meet in the meantime, we continue to be gainfully, employed. We also have our health care, our dental and our 401K contributions.
We are fortunate that we work in an industry that is needed. Like other catastrophes that we have been through, be it windstorms, microbursts, power outages or the floods of 2010, this catastrophe will pass as well. In the meantime, our paychecks will continue and our customers will need us.
It might not be an exciting industry, but in these times, I am glad that it is pretty damn reliable!
