An Interview with Sean Hayes
An Interview with Sean Hayes

One of the keys to success for Interstate National has been forming and working to maintain strong partnerships with both their agents and dealers, said Sean Hayes, executive vice president and chief marketing officer. He noted, “What seems to truly resonate with agents is the ability, and will, of their business partner to think outside of the box. We don’t produce rigid, off-the-shelf solutions to their fluid, and sometimes complex, challenges. We believe that this is how we stand out amongst all of the service providers in the market today.”

Interstate was founded in 1980, the result, Hayes noted, of seeing a particular need in the marketplace. Product offerings, terms and coverage options at the time, he noted, were limited to set packages, which were appealing to a more narrow subset of consumers. Interstate was designed to bridge that gap between those one-size-fits-all product packages, and the more nimble, targeted product and service needs many agents and dealers were looking for. For example, a dealership or dealer group that targets one specific type of consumer might want a tailored product package, rather than a generic one that might not appeal to the majority of their clients. “The founding fathers had a ‘light and quick’ model that allowed them to bring niche products to market very quickly,” he noted. “The larger administrators either had little appetite for these smaller segments, or had slower turnaround times. While we have grown exponentially in the past 33 years, we remain ‘light and quick’.”

Today, he said, when their partners notice a need or demand in their market that isn’t currently being addressed, the first thing Interstate does is determine if it is due to a deficiency in product or service offerings. From there, they help assess the overall market picture, and then develop an offering that will fill the need, whether that means creating or partnering with someone to bring a new product into that market, or adding or changing the service options to existing products. Flexibility, and the ability to create custom packages to serve any market, agent or dealer need is what Interstate prides itself on providing. It has core products such as GAP, service contracts and tire and wheel offerings, but it is willing to offer any combination of products that its agents and dealers demand. “Our product development and marketing teams are able to ‘Go to Market’ in under 120 days in some cases,” Hayes noted. “Our unique relationship with Financial American Property and Casualty Insurance Company (FAMPAC) is one of our key partnerships that allows this sort of speed to market.”

But convincing new partners – whether they are new agents or new dealers – isn’t always easy, Hayes said. “Change is usually a difficult proposition. The pleasure of the outcome must overcome the effort required to achieve it. If fruit at the top of the tree tastes better than the low hanging fruit; it has to be so much better that it is worth getting the ladder out and climbing to get it. The same principle applies to switching business partners. The new partner may be better, but they need to be worth the pain of converting accounts and modifying internal business systems.”

To that end, the company has made significant investments in its agents, to make sure they have everything they need to best serve the market, no matter what challenges may arise. Training, and the technology around it, is one area in particular Interstate has made significant investments. “We have heavily invested in our training division technology,” noted Hayes. “We now have the capability to produce our own continuing education videos in HD quality. This allows our trainers to keep the content relevant and impactful. We can bring an example of a best practice in action, rather than just talk about it. Our production and distribution times can be as short as one week. We are also investing in a learning management system (LMS). This technology will allow our trainers to deploy videos and accompanying content to each enrollee on an automated schedule. The exciting part is that we can share engagement with the continuing education program directly to the agent.”

The training itself focuses on increasing contract penetration, with three different curriculums: F&I Certification; Advanced F&I Techniques; and Total Customer Yield. Each of them consists of three days of training, along with virtual coaching for 90 days and access to an on-demand video series for continuing education. “As a result,” said Hayes, “we have leveraged technology to create a perpetual training environment while keeping the F&I and Sales Management teams in the dealership.”

But everything, he said, always comes back to those partnerships, and making sure that everyone in the line has a strong commitment to the process. He sees that as being one of the key points that set Interstate apart from the competition. “We believe a successful partnership is one where benefits are well-defined,” Hayes said. “Our biggest market advantage is our commitment and flexibility to maintain a healthy partnership. While there are differences in the quality of F&I products available from various providers, the products themselves have become commoditized. Agents should be looking for something more than product. We are investing in agents that are of the same mindset. Interstate’s commitment, integrity, and passion for service allow us to build lasting relationships one at a time.”

About the author

Toni McQuilken

Editor

Toni McQuilken is the managing editor for AE Magazine and P&A Magazine. She has a decade of editorial experience in the trade publishing world, across several industries, including print and graphics, as well as hospitality and technology. To contact her, e-mail [email protected].

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