Skip to content

Pepper, Johnstone & Company Blog

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Insurance

Forget Geico, State Farm, and Allstate: independent insurance agents offer more for less

So, you’re shopping insurance rates. Maybe you’re a homeowner who just refinanced your home. You’re excited about your savings. You’re on a roll and want to see if you can lower your home insurance too. 

Perhaps you’ve lost your job during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you’re looking to save money by getting the best auto insurance rate possible. 

Or maybe you’re a small business owner, and the pandemic has made you aware of just how vulnerable your business is, so you’re making sure you have the right business coverages. 

All of these scenarios demonstrate your desire for reasonably priced insurance. For the affordable rates you seek, only a local independent brokerage agent can truly take care of you and your family in the best possible way if/when you ever need to file a claim. 

What you’re probably doing is getting a quote from State Farm, Allstate, or another captive agency that you’ve heard of before. But if these are the only avenues you’ve explored when shopping your insurance, then STOP -- you’re missing the best-kept secret in the insurance biz, that all the “big saver” consumers and businesses know about. 

I’m talking about local independent insurance agents.

Local independent insurance agents: hidden gems for finding insurance deals

The little-known benefit of an independent insurance agent is that they shop your insurance needs with multiple insurance carriers. When you go with a State Farm, Allstate, or Nationwide “captive” insurance agent, you get their one-size-fits-all offering -- and that’s it. It’s like going to a grocery store that carries one type of tomato from only one farm -- and that’s all you can buy. Independent insurance agencies, on the other hand, are like supermarkets with a huge selection of different tomatoes from numerous different farms, each one within our grasp. 

Having an independent agent shop rates for you with multiple insurance carriers ensures you get the right coverage at the right rate that suits your particular needs. Let’s say you’ve had multiple traffic tickets and car wrecks in the past two years. Okay, the independent insurance agent will shop carriers that are known to provide favorable insurance coverage for people like you. Or maybe you’ve just bought a new car, and you’re shopping the best rates -- an independent insurance agent is going to find the right carrier that can bundle your car and home insurance together for the absolute best deal. 

You are not going to find that option with a “captive” single-source insurance agent. See the benefits already?  Independent insurance agents don’t work with one-size-fits-all insurance companies, so they don’t have biases. They’re out to find you the best deal, regardless of the carrier they end up recommending.

You’re being hounded by insurance agencies now, aren’t you?

So you went out to one of “those sites” that will “do you the favor” of submitting your information to multiple insurance carriers to give you quotes. Boy, what a nightmare. Those quotes start rolling in, and now you’re on each of those company’s mailing lists. Your inbox fills up with follow-up after follow-up, and soon the whole process is just ridiculously overwhelming.

Not so with an independent insurance agent.

When they shop insurance carriers for you, you’re not going to get a call from each carrier they contact on your behalf. You’re not going to be added to a carrier mailing list. You’re not going to get irritated and tired of the whole process, all the while being bombarded with information. With an independent agency, ONE agent will present favorable options, without the hassle of information overload from a bazillion overzealous companies. 

No hounding. We promise.

You’re not just a number with an independent insurance agent

Good independent insurance agents partner with their clients, instead of hounding them. They take a consultative approach to learning about your needs and providing the best insurance solutions. Don’t worry -- you’re not going to be engaged in overly complex, lengthy conversations that eat up all your time (unless you want to). You can request a quote online, just like with any other type of insurance. But I guarantee you, that independent agent is going to “bust it” looking for just the right carrier that fits your needs perfectly. 

Besides all that, independent insurance agents have a reputation for being the perfect partner through the insurance process. Not salesy, not pushy -- just looking out for your best interests, by nature of their job. 

So don’t miss out on the opportunity to have someone do the shopping for you, someone who finds the best deals on your car, home, or commercial insurance. Trust us, you’ll be so glad you did!

Look to Pepper, Johnstone & Company for great deals on car, home, or commercial insurance.

Looking for the best insurance for your family or business? Pepper, Johnstone & Company’s independent insurance agents look after you by working with a variety of different independent insurance carriers. We’re professional insurance advisors who just happen to sell insurance products!  Visit us today at our website or call at 256-232-7818 to get us working on a quote for you today.  You can also request an online quote here.