13 Questions (sponsored content

Building Dreams with Ford Insurance Agency

When most of us think of insurance, we picture premium payments and forms filled with jargon. But ask Madison Ford of Ford Insurance Agency in Traverse City, and he says insurance is really about making dreams come true. (Move over, Disneyland!)

1 > So dreams and insurance go together

like…peanut butter and jelly?

Ford: When I started, I had to reframe insurance for myself, because it can be perceived to be dry. But think of a young couple who is buying their first home—that, to me, is a dream coming true. How cool is it that we get to talk to them about their first home? How cool is it that we get to be a part of that experience and help them step into that dream?

2 > When you’re working toward those

dreams with clients, how do you make insurance—which can be daunting and confusing to many of us—feel more approachable?

Ford: We read these documents every day, so we know what they mean. But talking in insurance-ease can be terrifying. We hire people who can translate complex thoughts into simple ideas.

3 > Wow, so you’re thinking about that

human connection even in the hiring process?

Ford: Insurance is a people business; it’s not a financial business. We’re here to help assess the risks and make a good judgment call about what may or may not happen. We’re also here to grow with people as they face those projects, face those prospects, or face those problems, and to make them feel confident about leaning into the dream that they’re working toward.

4 > Is that what makes you love the work

you do?

Ford: Part of the beauty of this job is that we get to be a part of people’s lives for long stretches of time. I think about it as a way to stand with people in these different moments of change and uncertainty in their life. Change is tricky for everybody, and if we can be there for them during those moments, then we’re developing a relationship for the long run.

5 > Ford Insurance has definitely been

around for the long run—you guys just celebrated 40 years in business. What are some of the biggest changes you have seen over the years?

Ford: There are now the big industry players, which are heavily transactional, getting it done as fast as it needs to get done. We don’t have the capital or desire to become a transaction house. So the question becomes: How can we, as a smaller, locally-owned agency, give people what they want while still being ourselves?

6 > Good question! How do you do that?

Ford: We speed up our processes, while still creating that personal touch when it’s needed, with technology improvements or an online platform to be able to have people put in new quotes or new requests. It’s a little bit of what you need to have in order to play the game.

7 > So you have to change with the times too? the two regions in the state that’s growing. If it’s growing, it means where we’re gaining people from elsewhere who have different expectations. So, we have to balance the northern Michigan small-town experience to the couple who just moved up from Chicago with different expectations.

8 > How are you connecting with the folks

who are coming here?

Ford: I think it’s a lot of word of mouth because we’ve been in the industry for a long time. A lot of it is also our quality of work. We’ve also increased our online presence, and we sponsor a number of local events too.

9 > Speaking of quality, you guys are a

Trusted Choice agency, right?

Ford: Yes. A Trusted Choice agency basically means we write good risks all the time. We do good business both on behalf of the insured individual and on behalf of the carrier. You get that designation not just after one year but after a long stretch of time.

10 > As experts, what are some insurance

“life hacks” everyone should know?

11 > What area(s) do you see people

usually underinsured?

Ford: Property coverage, for one. Given the escalation of building costs, most homes and commercial buildings don’t have enough coverage to rebuild.

Another big one is life insurance. Statistics show one in three people have life insurance, which is crazy, because we all die. Mortality is not something that people like to talk about, but it is so critical in providing for those we leave behind.

12 > Life insurance can be a sensitive

topic. How do you deal with thinking about the serious parts of the job?

Ford: One of my skills is being able to talk with people about things that are uncomfortable. I’m okay with people crying in my office! I lead with empathy in those situations and then am able to say, “Know that I’m here to take care of that so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Ford: First, a regular self-assessment. Every two or three years, do a look back and a look forward for any scenario: your personal life, your work life, and your family life. If it’s been more than two or three years, that’s usually where we’ll see a big exposure. An example might be a home addition or remodel, purchase of a boat, change of your scope of business, or a change in family obligations. have a large loss, a high deductible will be the least of your worries.

13 > What’s it like to wear all those hats

and navigate all those realms?

Ford: There are people at the agency who are specialists, but we need to know enough about everybody’s game in order to be able to make the correct handoff when the time is necessary. There’s a lot of collaboration. We ask ourselves, “How do we round out the entire protection profile? How do we protect this entire dream and help it become a reality?”