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By FBNews.net
NE: "I have always loved to sell and I wanted to sell something that helped people. I got into the automobile insurance business when it was a dog. Nobody wanted this business. I took it and through long hours and great effort I made it work. Then, I leveraged that business to create other opportunities. I created a company that my customers could trust and then I built from there. I have very loyal customers. Even when competitors moved in, large national companies, I held on to my turf and gradually took theirs."
DE: "How did you do that, Nicolas?"
NE: "There are several principals that I have made core to all of my business practices. We treat everyone with respect. We make every single customer who walks into Estrella Insurance feel that they are number one…like they are a part of my family. Our goal is to sell a policy to everyone who walks through that door. It may not be today. We never sell someone something that they donīt need. We donīt take advantage of working people or immigrants. We look out for their interests. We explain things to them. We help them. What we donīt sell today we will sell tomorrow, for our customers become very loyal."
"We always greet people when they come in. We offer them refreshments and take the time to talk with them. Over time, some Spanish-speaking people even bring us their mail to read to them. Others simply give our agents their checkbook to fill out their payments. We are never too busy to treat them with dignity. Once weīve made that connection, people look to us for all of their insurance needs. Few go anywhere else, even if our product costs a little more when compared to a national brand."
A Value Driven Organization
DE: "This sounds like an easy idea on a small scale but how do you get people across all 44 agencies to live it every day?"
NE: "We apply the same thinking to our employees that we do to our customers. First and foremost, we give people the opportunity to succeed. All of our agents can control their income by working hard and following the program. We promote from within. The way to advance is to be a top producer in whatever role you play. We also celebrate the little successes that occur day-to-day. Once a year we have a recognition night where I recognize and personally thank our best contributors for their efforts."
Richard Estrella (RE): "We have people lined up waiting for opportunities. They are all good people, proven people. Every office has a procedure manual that spells out how to handle any situation that might arise. Every office manager can call any divisional manager to get a question answered. Every agency manager is expected to teach the staff how to be most effective."
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