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July 15, 2010 at 08:00 PM
Travis Middleton started his career as a captive agent selling mortgage cancellation insurance. After three years, he decided to break out on his own and open an independent practice offering group health and other products – and the decision paid off. Now, many years later, he’s a successful producer and secretary for the Texas State Board of the Texas Association of Health Underwriters. His lobbying efforts have allowed him to meet with Texas incumbents and candidates on health care issues, and he continues to advocate on behalf of his clients and the insurance industry. To find out the keys to his success, read on.
How did you get started in insurance?
My father was a division manager for Prudential for more than 30 years. I applied with Prudential three times before my Dad signed off on allowing me to become contracted.
You were very successful in your first year. How did you do it?
I worked Monday night through Thursday night and Saturday morning selling mortgage cancellation insurance to new homeowners. During the day I prospected with business owners.
How did you transition from working for someone else to owning your own agency?
After having worked for Prudential for approximately three years, I decided that I didn’t like watching my production numbers go away and begin anew each January. I was also transitioning into group health insurance with my introduction to business owners and decision makers.
What are some challenges that owning your own agency brings?
Being on my own, I had very few peers that I could commiserate with when things were not going well, or to crow about when they did go well. Luckily with my father being in the insurance business I did have someone I could lean on when I needed support and who also understood success. As my agency grew it was always a struggle to fill all the roles: prospecting, selling, completing, processing, and finalizing applications. Plus there were the challenges of claims, declines, and prospecting. Oh, did I mention prospecting?
