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

Carriers segment agents into three tiers internally. The bottom tier gets the standard market. The middle tier gets valued but not prioritized. The top tier gets early product access, direct underwriter relationships, and help placing hard accounts. Getting to the top tier requires excellent loss ratios, accurate applications, and deliberate carrier relationship-building. Stacey Giulianti worked inside the carrier world, and her perspective shows exactly what separates the agencies carriers invest in from the ones they merely process business through.

What does a carrier actually see when it looks 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.

What carrier intelligence do 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 carrier conversations should you schedule this quarter?

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.

What does Part 2 with Stacey Giulianti cover?

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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