All insurance agents are not created equal. There are several breeds and several classes within each breed. There are “direct” or “captive” agents that represent only one insurance company. They may be trusted, but they can only offer one choice. On the other hand, there are “independent” agents that represent multiple companies. Many of those are not “professional” agents. They may have a license to sell insurance, but act only as a gatekeeper to the insurance companies they represent. They may be able to offer you a choice, but they may not be so trusted. Mims and Smith is a professional independent insurance agency and we want to earn the right to be your Trusted Choice.

Let me explain why that’s important to you (and to us!) First, let me discuss the “professional” part. There are several words used in the dictionary to define “professional” and they are all true of a professional insurance agent: “learned”, holding to “technical and ethical standards”, “courteous, conscientious and generally businesslike in the workplace” and “of or evidencing a permanent career”. Our goal is for all these words and phrases to describe Mims and Smith. What that means to you is that you should expect more of us than just “taking your order”. You should expect professional counseling, technical competence and courteous, conscientious treatment in the design of your insurance program. In fact, we feel so strongly about it, we want you to hold us accountable for meeting that standard.

We become “learned” by not only meeting our continuing education requirements, but by challenging ourselves to go beyond that. We attend technical training institutes, earning professional designations. We stay actively involved in our state association where we have access to technical expertise and services. And we are committed to a statewide affiliation of other professional independent insurance agents, known as Combined Agents of America, which gives us direct access to some of the best technical, professional and ethical people in our industry. Being “professional” doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a lot of work and a commitment of time and money, but we think it adds value to your insurance relationship.

Second, let me discuss the “independent” part. In today’s business world none of us are truly independent. We operate in a global economy that is very interdependent. We depend on the good faith of our insurance companies and we depend on your allegiance and good will. However, within those parameters, we exert some independence. Mainly we accomplish this by representing a large number of reputable insurance companies. In order for us to sell the products and the name and reputation of an insurance company, we have to execute a written contract with that company that gives us their permission to represent them and commensurate authority. Before an insurance company extends that permission and authority, we have to provide them with extensive information and make them comfortable we will maintain their brand name reputation and supply them with strong, ethical clients. We take our responsibility to our companies seriously so we are diligent in maintaining the trust that is implicit in those relationships. We also take our responsibility to our clients seriously so we are constantly approaching new companies in order to bring you the best company representation our industry has to offer. This allows us to shop your business to one or more companies until we find the one that offers you the best value. In that way, we can personalize your insurance program for you, while offering each of our companies the quality business they seek. We tend to be a little sensitive to the widely accepted consumerist notion that you need to “shop” your insurance every year. Unfortunately, that notion exists because many agents just renew your coverage with the same company year after year. Additionally, captive or direct agents don’t represent other companies and they can’t shop your insurance for you so you have to do it for yourself. As a professional independent insurance agent, it’s our job to shop your insurance FOR YOU! Again, that’s a lot of work and it’s time consuming, but we believe that brings added value to your insurance relationship.

I guess you can tell we’re proud of what we do! The insurance industry can be difficult and complicated and hard to understand, and we are humbled by the confidence you place in us. We hope you will continue to make us your Trusted Choice, but we understand we have to continue to earn that right. We want you to let us know any time we fall short of that objective!

J. David Mims
President