My Vision for the New Brooke
October 29, 2008
TO: ALL CURRENT AND FORMER BROOKE AGENTS
FROM: Lysle Davidson, Insurance Agent
SUBJECT: My Vision for the New Brooke
A few days ago I made an offer to acquire the assets and agency network of Brooke Corp. in the Federal Courts. My partner, Terry Nelson, and I formed New Brooke Limited, LLC, for purposes of this transaction. While the sale is pending in Court I want to tell all of you of my vision for the New Brooke.
Over the past few days Terry and I have spoken to some of you. From these conversations it became very clear to me that I needed to reach all of you more quickly than individual conversations will allow. Thus this letter. I hope you will read it and think about my vision.
1. I am Lysle Davidson. I am an insurance agent from Johnson City, Kansas. I have been in this business for 25 years and have built a good book and a solid reputation. I like this business. That is why I bought Brooke. I tell people that I wish I had the knowledge I have today 25 years ago when I started Western Shelter Insurance. That cannot happen for me – but it can for each of you.
2. Let’s dispel all rumors. Terry and I are from Kansas. We knew of Brooke and Rob Orr but neither of us have had any business dealings with Mr. Orr or his family. Neither Terry nor I have ever met Rob or Leland Orr or the other family members who might have been part of the management team at Brooke in the past. They are not involved with New Brooke in any way. .
3. New Brooke will be a strong, growing dedicated service company focused on providing good products and good service and profitable to each client. I have no interest in taking New Brooke into ventures other than insurance.
4. New Brooke needs a network of strong, successful agents. That means I need you. There can be no agency without agents.
5. Agent support. My definition of supporting agents is different than what you may have experienced in the past. I think support means providing you with the tools and knowledge and assistance to write good, profitable business and to retain good clients. I have been fortunate to have clients who have been with me for more than 20 years. I can share my experience with you. Further, I want to make a Brooke Academy that will give you needed support. I envision an Academy and help desk staffed by seasoned, licensed insurance professionals. They can discuss difficult situations with you, help you with client presentations and help you close business.
6. Processing. A key aspect of the Brooke model that works is the Phillipsburg Processing Center. This is the headquarters of the New Brooke. I like the idea of
centralized processing to handle all the ‘back room’ functions for agents. If you are really an agent, then I will assume that you are like me and you like to meet with clients, discuss their issues and needs and WRITE BUSINESS. Doing all the paperwork is necessary but if you can have other people do that for you efficiently it is better. I have had the opportunity now to meet the people in the Phillipsburg Processing Center and I am even more impressed. These people know their jobs. They do them well. And most importantly to you and me as agents – they are focused on making agents successful.
7. Value to Agents with New Brooke:
• We will provide all processing so you do not have to hire support staff.
• We will provide assistance to you in closing business.
• Our network will allow you to retain more and stronger carrier relationships
8. Concerns. I have heard your concerns and I understand. We all need to know that our clients are treated fairly. That means that their payments are processed promptly, insurance carriers are paid appropriately and that we get paid. Remember, I am an agent too. A top priority is to create transparency in this part of the process so that you can see that all your payments are collected, processed, and sent to the insurance carriers each month and that YOU GET PAID. I want this to work because that is how I GET PAID.
9. The past. I purposely left this to the end. That does NOT mean that I don’t understand that you have taken a loss. Unfortunately, I cannot change the past. I have learned from hard experience that the only way to get over a loss is to put it behind you and move forward. So how can I help you? We can offer you the best opportunity to recover. We will help you rebuild your business and grow your commissions. In addition, we have a plan to share contingency commissions with agents to let you make up for any commissions you may have lost in the past.
10. Your decision. Now you face a decision. Many of you have been with Brooke for years. Until recently you were successful perhaps in part because of the Brooke model. So what to do now? You have been released from Brooke. You can go it alone. You can join a different agency. Or you can join me in a dedicated service company. I think your best decision is to join me. Be part of the New Brooke. You can enjoy the best parts of the Brooke model under new leadership and a new focus.
I can’t tell you what to do but I promise you, that if you join me you can succeed as New Brooke will succeed. Thank you for your consideration. I hope I have given you something to think about. And I hope you will look at our proposal. I wish each and all of you continued success in the great business of selling insurance.
Sincerely,
Lysle Davidson
Feel free to contact us personally:
lysle.davidson@brookeagent.com or terry.nelson@brookeagent.com
PS I want you to know that service is the No. 1 priority with no initial franchise fees or membership fees and an opportunity to share in contingency fees. For more information on me you can check this: http://www.goldlineresearch.com/pdf/08_IB_Central_Aug_Forbes.pdf