You just got your Health and Life insurance licenses and now you're ready to start selling! But before you can leap into the world of insurance, you need to find a partner who will be there to work with you and support you. Below we'll go through the highlights of what you should look for in a Field Marketing Organization (FMO), also referred to as an Insurance Marketing Organization (IMO) and why you need to partner with one.

An Insurance Marketing Organization is the liaison between you and the insurance carriers you wish to contract with. Unless you decide to become a captive (career) agent with one insurance company, you have to go through an FMO to get contracted with different carriers. By doing so, you have the ability to work with as many carriers as you like and offer your clients an array of insurance products.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to partnering with an FMO, but some important things you want to consider before placing all your contracts with one organization are: longevity in the industry, selection of carriers and products, commission structure, education and training, marketing and sales support, lead generation and finally back office support.

It's easy to Google "best FMO" and have a list of agencies come up, but to determine which one will be the best fit for you depends upon several things. And when you're vetting which FMO meets your needs be sure to get answers to the questions below.

• Be sure to ask specifically what level contract you'll be getting, if you're 100% vested and get your commissions paid directly by the carrier.
• Ask if they provide you with ways to get prospects and leads. If so, are they free or does the cost come out of your compensation?
• Ask if they offer assistance with marketing. Do they help you with social media, do they give assistance with websites, do they offer email campaign help? Do they work with you on branding, logo design, customized marketing pieces?
• Be sure to ask what type of self-service quoting tools they offer. Do they have apps to run quotes anywhere at anytime?
• Do they offer a CRM to manage your clients?
• Most importantly ask what type of communication they offer with their agents. Many FMOs will lure you in the door, but then once you're contracted, you're left out on your own to grow your business. You want to be sure to partner with an agency who believes in relationships. The insurance industry is a relationship business and that relationship is not just between you and your clients, but between you and your FMO as well.
• Ask about their terms if you need a release, should you decide to move your contracts elsewhere.
• Inquire as to what states they represent and if you can write business in multiple states if need be.
• Ask about ongoing training and education. Do they offer ways to help you learn and get certified for other products?
• Ask about Errors & Omissions coverage. This is insurance you should get to protect yourself in the event an application is submitted incorrectly.
• Ask about the contracting process. Is it done online and is it easy to add contracts with multiple carriers?

Selling insurance products and assisting Americans with their insurance needs can be highly rewarding. After all, everyone needs insurance. And when you partner with an organization that wants you to succeed, you're headed on a path for success. Do your research and be sure you get a good feeling about the organization before committing. The right FMO will fuel you with all the tools and resources you need to have a rewarding and profitable career.

By Carolyn Portanova

Fourth Generation Insurance Marketing Organization
Chooses Integrity to Build on Family Legacy
 
DALLAS – April 14, 2020 – Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), the nation’s largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, today announced it has acquired The Brokerage Resource, an insurance marketing organization headquartered in North Carolina. As part of the acquisition, Sam Corey, III, will become an owner in Integrity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
 
The Brokerage Resource is recognized for their knowledge and experience in the life and health insurance space. They are experts in the ever-changing senior healthcare marketplace and are a national leader in Medicare Supplement insurance. As such, they hold advisory positions on numerous national committees. The Corey family has worked in every facet of the insurance business, from underwriting and knocking doors to administration and owning an insurance company.
 
“Across four generations, the Corey family has made a significant impact in the insurance industry, and we are honored to have been chosen as the platform of choice to help The Brokerage Resource’s next phase of growth,” said Bryan W. Adams, Co-founder and CEO of Integrity. “Integrity is excited to continue partnering with great companies such as The Brokerage Resource, enabling us to expand our footprint to serve more consumers who need our services now more than ever.”
 
“By joining Integrity, The Brokerage Resource becomes part of an organization that is revolutionizing the industry, all while focusing on serving more Americans,” said Sam Corey, III, President. “Once I sat down with the Integrity team, I was so excited to learn about economies of scale and the fact that I could run my own organization while benefiting from the resources available. It all made sense, and I knew that I had to be part of what was being built.” Sam further explained, “We are a family business and now we get to be a part of a bigger family.”
 
“In times like these, being part of a strong partnership with diversity and scale is more important than ever before. By joining Integrity, you’re able to diversify and grow at a faster rate with more resources behind you,” said Sam Corey, Jr., Founder of The Brokerage Resource. “We are so much stronger with Integrity than alone on an island as an individual agency.”
 
The Brokerage Resource retains focus on strengthening its agent network spanning 50 states, all while building carrier relationships that take advantage of Integrity’s best-in-class capabilities. This includes support in compliance, human resources, IT, marketing strategy, social media, operations, and access to exclusive products, including compliant electronic enrollment technology for Agents to use. All employees of The Brokerage Resource are immediately eligible for company ownership through Integrity’s Employee Ownership Plan.
 
“The importance of a strong partnership and collaboration cannot be underestimated in today’s world,” said Raymond C. Richard, Managing Partner at Integrity and Co-founder of The Pinnacle Benefits Group. “As part of Integrity, The Brokerage Resource gains the ability to scale and diversify its product offerings, which leads to faster growth and greater breadth in the marketplace.”
 
While experiencing triple-digit growth across the platform, Integrity plans to continue to expand their partnerships in the life and health insurance industry as well.

About Integrity Marketing Group 
Integrity Marketing Group, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is the leading independent distributor of life and health insurance products focused on serving Americans. Integrity develops exclusive products with insurance carrier partners and markets these products through its distribution network that includes other large insurance agencies throughout the country. Integrity’s almost 1,000 employees work with over 250,000 independent agents who service over 5 million clients annually. In 2020, Integrity expects to help insurance carriers place $2.5 billion in new premiums. For more information, visit www.integritymarketing.com.
 
Media Contact:
Jamie Stum, Public Relations Specialist
ThomasARTS
press@TA.com
714-702-0486  
 
Partnership Inquiries: 
Eric Pederson, Vice President of Business Development 
Integrity Marketing Group 
eric.pederson@integritymarketing.com 
866-650-1857

​Samuel C Corey III
Managing Partner
 
Sam is a Managing Partner of Integrity Marketing Group and President of The Brokerage Resource where he leads day-to-day operations. As a fourth-generation insurance professional, you can say insurance is in his DNA.
 
Sam pivoted to the family business to work side-by-side with his father, in 2003 after having had a successful career selling high purity gases and publishing an international magazine.
 
Sam became sole owner of The Brokerage Resource in 2017 focusing primarily on Medicare Supplements, but also expanding product lines and drastically growing life and annuity production with the skilled and experienced team at The Brokerage Resource.
 
A dedicated family man, Sam and his wife Allison live outside Raleigh, North Carolina, have two children and have been married over 25 years. An avid fisherman and golfer, Sam can be found on the golf course or in the Gulfstream fishing with his compadres in his free time.