The Hippy Insurance Agency – We Pick Our Clients

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." 

— Jimi Hendrix

I got a call Thursday afternoon from a national insurance trade magazine. I’ve done little work with them in the past, they featured me as a young agent almost 20 years ago and they wanted to know if my Queen and I would be open to a feature article in their publication.

I thought about 1.345 seconds and said we would love to be a part of your magazine. So, yesterday morning at 10:00 am, my Queen, our operations manager, and I did a four-way call, and we shared our story.

The author is an old hippy, he and I immediately connected. He said, “typically we feature white guys, in white shirts, with white hair on our magazine, it might be nice to have some hippies in T-shirts featured.”

Our culture is a unique blend of relaxed professionalism. Our corporate vehicle is a 1970 VW Micro Bus wrapped in Tie-dye.  Our marketing, in the past, has included photos of my parents naked.  Instead of using business cards, we like to use bags of rocks and guitar picks as drop off pieces when marketing.

In the insurance industry, there is no other firm like The Thompson Group.

I’m bragging. Yes, I’m bragging, our unique approach to our industry and clients has earned us recognition, and it proves our model of “be yourself, everyone else is taken.” actually works.

I think it ok to brag if you can back it up. The future senator from Michigan, Senator Robert James Ritchie aka Kid Rock once stated “It’s not cocky if you can back it up” and back it up we can.  Our agency is a good mix of strong culture, strong personalities, and strong financials.

We are not for everybody when I walk in with my long hair and beard; it’s a turn off for some of my prospects. But a turn on for others. 

My Queen is a beautiful, smart, classy insurance professional that has a sense of style and grace. I should also mention she’s wicked smart and has the work ethic of an Appalachian coal miner.

When our super hero agent Aaron walks in and is covered in a Marvel Comic Book T shirt and sports coat, some folks shake their head and have no interest in his story. But others smile and say “please sit down.” 

Our team is full of magical misfits that would not fit most insurance agencies culture. Our team has been pulled from various industries, various walks of life, and various socioeconomic backgrounds.

I know my friends at Sheppard Insurance have a former Indiana University basketball player as an agent. I’ve never competed against Tom Coverdale, but I understand he is a great agent.  Following Dave Sheppard’s lead, we went next level and hired a professional basketball player to run point at our Colorado location.

One of our newer team members, K.C. played professional basketball in France for two years. His perception and life experience bring a unique and world view to our team of unique humans.  His father was from Jamaican, his mother from the Grand Cayman.

Our marketer is a former hippy band chasing young lady that has traveled the United States. She is a hula hoop expert and I’ll simply say “she’s experienced”. “Mol’s” mind is open to looking at our clients’ needs with a tinged perspective.  A special shout out to the tribe known as The Disco Biscuits.

We have a professional cupcake maker, a couple of Harley Riders, a grandma super-agent, and a rock of a man simply known as Shu.

We have a professional seamstress, yet another hippy that provides amazing customer service to our personal lines clients and a book keeper that is in love, getting married, and has been a part of my life for over 45 years.

Our operations manager is a young man of 26 years young. He’s been with our firm for 11 years and guides our ship on a daily basis.  He loves rock music, and share’s my Queens amazing work ethic.

We just added another person to our Colorado team.  Surprise another hippy! A young lady like our marketer that travels the country with her friends, following various bands that I would bet dollars to doughnuts you have never heard.

We have employees in Louisville, KY that I have yet to meet after three years of rock star work. We use folks all over the country to make sure our clients get exceptional customer service and attention.

Our mission statement is “Find the Pain, Heal the Pain, Show the Love.” How’s that for unique?

During the interview, we were asked, what separates us from our competition and we concluded that we have one major difference from most of our competitors.

We pick our clients. We do not allow our clients to pick us. We prospect, we cold call, we find people in pain and then heal the pain. 

While most other insurance firms sit by their phone and wait for it to ring, we are calling on our competitor's clients and asking questions about their program, their current level of service, their current emotional state when it comes to their risk management relationship.

If there is no pain, we move on. If we find pain and can heal that pain, there is a very good chance we will bring that client into our family.

Once a client, we shower our clients with love. I got a voice mail from a long time client yesterday.  She said, “This is an unsolicited call of love, I want you to know how much I appreciate you and your team.”  That was it, our clients appreciate us, and we appreciate our clients.

I’m proud. I’m very proud of our team, our journey, and have turned away the many folks that call and ask if we are for sale. There is no number, no amount of money that would cause us to part with our life passion, our company. 

While other agency owners build and grow to one day sell, we are building and growing to one day transfer our “baby” to our team of misfits.

If you are reading these words and our firm sounds like a fit for your company, let’s have a conversation.  I’ll not guarantee you will be a fit for our company, but if our common goals align and you have a little pain with respects to your insurance program, we just might be a fit. 

Just know that on the first appointment, when our team walks in, we won’t look, taste, or act like any other firm in our industry. Be yourself; everyone else is taken. – Wilde

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." 

— Jimi Hendrix