— Al Diamond
We encourage all agents to collect the praise of their clients and publish them, like the small sampling below, where their prospects can view them. Here at Agency Consulting Group, Inc., we take our clients’ confidentiality very seriously and hold it in high regard. The only thing better than the blind testimonials, are the signed testimonials encouraging others to call for direct reference. For that reason, we are including a small selection of the recent praise given to us by our loyal clients. If you are an agent considering any consulting services, READ ON!! The agents that have granted permission to use their names and inviting contact are included in our various reference lists (available on request). As consultants, we suggest that you consider doing the same on your own website to familiarize your prospects with the feelings of others about your services and work effort.
Valuations:
“I want you and Al to know that the excellent service and quality appraisal you supplied to us on the XXX Agency enabled us to successfully negotiate the purchase of that Agency and we are currently having a sales agreement drawn with the effective date of the acquisition being December 31. We were in competition with both a major bank (who had obtained an appraisal from the Reagan Group) and with another local insurance agent — but happily we prevailed with your help.”
WG – Agency Owner
Central Atlantic area
General Consulting Comments:
“When we first invited Agency Consulting Group, Inc. to our agency, I really didn’t know quite what to expect. They came strongly recommended, but we had never “exposed ourselves” to the scrutiny of an outside consultant before. We were told by other agents that Al and his team tenaciously hold to their goal of strengthening growth and profitability for their clients but we didn’t know what that meant — until we experienced the A C G “treatment”.
They began with their agency analysis, the GPP Analysis. Within a few days they knew more about our agency than most of our owners and they pinpointed areas that we could quickly address to control costs. We calculated the first year cost savings at over three times the cost of their services. Then they proceeded to help us develop and implement Strategic Planning and budgeting that put us on a course for regular growth and growing profits. Within two years we were growing at double-digit rates and experiencing record profitability. We would recommend them to anyone serious about improving their insurance agency business.”
AW – Agency Owner,
Southeastern U.S.
“Our compensation costs were running away from us during a period of declining premiums (and commissions). We found ourselves paying more for less production from our producers and under pressure to pay more to our staff each year even though our revenues were flat.
Al Diamond and Agency Consulting Group, Inc. evaluated our agency (their GPP Analysis) and found many inequities in compensation. We are now into our second year of our new producer compensation program and our first year of incentive compensation for our employees. We experienced some turnover when the previously overpaid employees found themselves accountable for productivity, but we owners agreed that it was “good” turnover that we probably would not have accomplished without the incentive compensation program.
We were trapped by non-producing salespeople and un-motivated employees. Now the strong producers are making more than ever and the non-producing producers are Account Executives (or working elsewhere). Our internal staff is more motivated because they know exactly what they have to do to make more money and are keeping score of their results themselves.
I would strongly recommend Al Diamond and Agency Consulting Group, Inc. to other agents whose employees are managing them instead of them managing their employees. It’s embarrassing to be in that position, but so satisfying to solve the problem and get back to making money.”
JA – Owner
Western City Program Agency
“We’ve used Agency Consulting Group, Inc. for over 10 years. We began with Strategic Planning but they were able to help us implement our organizational development and acquisitions. I’m sure we couldn’t have grown from $2 Million to over $6 Million in revenue without their help.”
Bill S. – Partner
Midwest Agency
“We’ve been able to grow and maintain healthy profits through hard markets and soft. Al Diamond claims it is because of us, but we didn’t experience that kind of growth and only sporadic profitability before Al and Agency Consulting Group, Inc. came along. They don’t manage our business, but they are our coaches. They remind us of the basics and keep us on track with our own goals. They know as much about agency operations as we know about the insurance products that we sell.”
Diana P. – Owner
Major metropolitan agency
“We’re only a small, family owned farm business, but we wouldn’t have gotten through our generational transfer without Al Diamond’s help. He understands family owned businesses!”
JJ – Owner
Midwest Agency
“We’re a growing agency in a very competitive marketplace. When we called Agency Consulting Group, Inc. we were experiencing severe internal management and organizational problems and couldn’t get and keep producers. We’ve come a long way in a short time with Al Diamond’s help and look forward to a continuing relationship to strengthen our staff and operations while we continue to grow in our market.”
JA – Owner
Western City Program Agency
Relationship Selling (The Asset Protection Model of Sales):
“I first heard Al Diamond explain the “Asset Protection Model” at a State Association meeting. Frankly, it sounded too good to be true… until we actually implemented it. It took a long period of time and commitment to APM activity before it yielded results. Now we are closing two or three accounts each month, having worked each for a year or more and we haven’t lost a single account in the APM program. Relationship selling really works!!”
AW – Agency Owner
Southwestern, U.S.
“I thought we already were a relationship agency until I encountered Agency Consulting Group, Inc.’s Asset Protection Model. Now we’re adding a Relationship Manager each year and keeping every former producer busy meeting and making friends with business owners who are not yet customers of our agency. Al Diamond added a level of discipline and process and procedure to our on-going commitment to making every prospect a friend.”
JA – Program Manager
Northwestern region
“I hoped that a program like the Asset Protection Model would work for our agency. But Al Diamond’s insistence on preceding the expense of implementing the program with an analysis of our business proved to both of us that the APM didn’t fit our business model. Instead Al helped us improve our business practices in our existing sales method to increase our sales efficiency. I still think the APM is a great concept, but it’s not for everyone. But Agency Consulting Group’s efforts solves problems, rather than selling a program. As Al pointed out, “One size does NOT fit all.”
TT – PL Agency Owner
New England
“I don’t think anyone else in my part of Florida should learn the Asset Protection Model. We’ve had it to ourselves for a number of years and find it a great tool against otherwise fine agents. I’m happy to pay more attention to their clients than they do. In actuality, I’m not terribly worried because we had to change our ways so dramatically to adopt relationship selling that I’m certain that most agents couldn’t make that kind of commitment to change. Congrats on a great program Al.”
Joe S. – Relationship Manager
Fl. CL agency
Succession Planning:
“The succession and perpetuation seminar that I attended was well worth it. It’s very important for agency owners to have a written succession and buy-sell plan in place. Verbal agreements between owners will not work. You want to make sure that your intentions are established between the owners of an agency in writing, since there could be a change of heart at a later date. We value our relationship with Auto-Owners Insurance and very much appreciate the extra’s such as this seminar that are provided to our agency. This serves to strengthen the relationship between our agency and Auto-Owners Insurance.”
TW – Agency Owner
The Midwest
“I was very impressed with the style and format in the way Al Diamond presented his material to us. It was easy to understand and the information we received will be very useful in assisting us with our agencies perpetuation plan. I only wish I would have received this information a few years ago.”
KA – Agency Owner
Minnesota
“Thank for all the information you provided regarding Succession and Perpetuation planning. The information is invaluable for anyone what is going to be buying or selling an insurance agency and we all know that time is coming near for a large number of agencies I would highly recommend that agency principals and potential buyers of agencies attend this seminar. You may have more questions than answers but you have a very knowledgeable organization providing information by Al Diamond with the Agency Consulting Group.”
JH – Agency Owner
Wyoming
“This was a timely, well done overview of the process required to design a plan for agency succession and/or perpetuation on an understandable level. Al makes it clear that each agency is unique from any other in many ways and that there is no single way to accomplish a plan that will work for everyone’s individual scenario. Kudos to the Company for their vision and support in sponsoring these seminars. Everyone who is planning to retire from the insurance business should make plans to attend one of Al’s programs. It will certainly start your perpetuation planning in the right direction!”
K O, Association President