Stacey Giulianti on Using Carrier Intelligence to Give Your Agency an Edge — Tips for Agents (Part 1)

Most insurance agents treat their carrier relationships as a one-way transaction: the carrier provides the product, the agent sells it, and that's the end of the story. Agents who think this way are leaving enormous amounts of value on the table, in the form of better rates, expanded markets, and the inside information that comes from being a carrier's preferred partner rather than just another producer on the list.

Stacey Giulianti brings something rare to this conversation: direct experience inside the carrier world. That vantage point reveals what insurers actually want from the agents they work with, how they make decisions about which agents to support with better access and better terms, and what separates the agencies that carriers invest in from the ones they merely process business through.

What Carriers Actually See When They Look at Your Agency

From the carrier's perspective, not all agents are created equal. Carriers look at data that most agents don't think about: the quality of the risks being submitted, the loss ratios on the business placed, the accuracy of applications, the professionalism of the agent-client relationship, and the volume and growth trajectory of the account.

Stacey paints a picture of how carriers segment their agent relationships internally. At the bottom are agents who submit sporadic business, whose applications frequently have errors, and whose clients generate above-average claims. These agents get the standard market, the same rates and access everyone gets.

In the middle are the reliable producers: consistent volume, decent quality, no major problems. These agents are valued. Carriers don't want to lose them.

At the top are the agents carriers actively invest in: high volume, excellent quality, strong loss ratios, professional applications, and a track record of growing their book responsibly. These agents get calls when new products come to market. They get access to specialty markets. They get help with hard-to-place accounts. They get relationships with underwriters who know them by name.

The agents at the top aren't just better salespeople. They've figured out that the carrier relationship is a business relationship that can be cultivated, and they've cultivated it deliberately.

The Carrier Intelligence Most Agents Miss

The underwriter relationship is a competitive advantage. Most agents interact with carriers through portals and phone queues. The agents in the top tier have direct relationships with underwriters who know their business and who will work to find solutions for unusual risks rather than just declining them. Building these relationships requires intention: asking for introductions, attending carrier events, communicating openly about your agency's plans, and treating the underwriter as a partner rather than an obstacle.

Loss ratio is the most important number in your carrier relationship. Carriers don't just look at how much business you place, they look at how much you cost them in claims relative to the premium you bring. A high-volume agent with a poor loss ratio is a liability, not an asset. Agents who select risks carefully, who help clients understand risk management, and whose books don't blow up in claims are the ones carriers want to do more business with.

The carrier's appetite changes and you need to know it before the market does. Carriers regularly shift their appetite for different risk types, markets, and geographies. The agents who are well-connected to their carrier representatives hear about these shifts early, and can proactively adjust their marketing and referral strategies to match the carrier's current sweet spot. The agents who find out late are placing business in markets that are about to get restricted or repriced.

Application accuracy is not optional. Stacey is emphatic about this: sloppy applications, errors, omissions, incorrect information, damage your reputation with underwriters over time. They create extra work, generate suspicion, and mark you as an agent who isn't paying attention. Accurate applications, completed correctly the first time, are table stakes for being taken seriously in the carrier relationship.

What This Means for Your Agency

Schedule a carrier review meeting this quarter. Not a sales meeting, a relationship meeting. What is your current loss ratio with each of your top carriers? What is their current appetite? What products are coming to market that might fit your book? What does the underwriter need to know about your agency's growth plan? These conversations elevate your relationship from transactional to strategic.

Look at your loss ratio if you don't already track it. Your carrier representatives can provide this data. If your loss ratio is high, start asking why and what you can do about it. Risk selection, client education, and thoughtful underwriting submissions all affect the number.

Part 2 Preview

Part 1 with Stacey Giulianti establishes the carrier intelligence framework, what carriers see, what they want, and how the top agents position themselves. In Part 2, Stacey gets into the specific dynamics of market changes, how to navigate difficult placements, and the conversations that move agents from the middle tier to the top.

Continue reading Part 2: Stacey Giulianti on Navigating Market Changes and Hard-to-Place Risks

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