As I talk to new producers week in and week out, the question of "which carriers do you have" comes up in about 100% of the conversations. Back when I first started as a life insurance wholesaler I thought that a large carrier roster was a critical part of the equation. Fast forward to today and I now think nothing could be further from the truth. Why? Read on.

First, take a look at your production. How many carriers have you placed business with in the past five years? How many have been an active part of your practice for longer than five years? Short list, right? These would be your "core carriers". You are comfortable with them, and they have become a reliable partner in your life insurance practice. Now, take a look at the carriers that you have only done a case or two with. Go ahead. I'll wait. This is important.

Think about the experience of working with the second group of carriers versus the first. If you are wincing thinking about some of those cases you can stop reading. You already get my point. If not, consider the following:

• Is that "one off" carrier making a positive contribution to your practice?
• Why did you end up sending that case to them?
• How much more of your time did you spend navigating the underwriting process?
• Was the case even profitable as a result?

If you are like most agents, these are not the type of questions you spend much time thinking about. I think maybe you should. Of course, it is a balancing act, as our business has become hyper competitive, and every client thinks they can jump on the internet and do a better job of obtaining life insurance than you can. If you don't have a large enough carrier roster they may be right!

Our challenge at Cavalier Associates as a Brokerage General Agency is much the same. Does a carrier add real value to the agent experience at our agency? Are they a reliable partner for us and, by extension, our agents? Do we already have a carrier or two that fills the same role? How many low cost term insurance providers do you really need anyway?! The fact that they happen to be at the top of the spreadsheets may not be enough. Frankly, I want a carrier that can help my agents take down larger cases, not save my client $1.25 per month on a $250,000 term contract.

So now when the conversation turns to our carrier roster, the answer is vastly different than it was in the early part of my career. I talk about the carriers that play a huge role for us year in and year out, and then about the rest of the carriers that we have "defensively" or because they fill an exceptionally unique niche. Who are these carriers who have earned inclusion in the first group? Give me a call on your next case and we'll talk!