A happy coincidence brought Kevin Williams to insurance and he’s never looked back! He’s found his niche of providing excellent service to his insurance customers, all due to a possible customer service fiasco that with his quick problem solving skills turned into a positive for his career.
Tell us a little about your business & the services you offer.
My name is Kevin Williams, I am the operator of Kevin Williams Insurance Agency, here at 16770 Imperial Valley, in Houston. I’ve been a Farmers Insurance agent since 2014 and in insurance since 2011. I love Farmers, I love insurance, it’s like a ministry to me. I’m able to help people select the insurance plan that is just right for them. Many people just buy what is there, but what I do is help get them a policy that fits their needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all type of policy. I’m a little more customer oriented, instead of the quick buy it online solution. As you may have seen on the commercials, Farmers helps people get smarter about their insurance. I have a real estate background too and I love providing people with great service. Service is one of my core strengths and so I really love that I can focus on service as a Farmers Agent.
I write policies for the following types of insurance:
- Home
- Renters
- Auto
- Life
- Business
What inspired you to get into insurance?
It actually happened on accident. Right out of college I was a manager at an Enterprise Rent-a-Car at the Houston Intercontinental Airport. A Regional VP of a large company was there to rent a car but their reservation somehow got lost and I was called down to handle the situation. I explained that we didn’t have any vehicles that would suit their needs on hand. She was very upset and so I mentioned that I have relationships with some of the competing rental agencies and may be able to get a vehicle from their stock and make sure she would get a rental car today. So we walked over to the other agency and I helped her get a car that evening. She was impressed by my problem solving skills and gave me her business card. At that time I was getting a little burned out where I was, looking for a little stronger career path, I later I applied for a position with AAA Texas and after interviewing with several people, the last person I ended up interviewing with for the position was this lady, the Regional Vice President. And it was kind of like a blessing from God. I didn’t have any insurance sales experience, I had my Real Estate license, but had the strong customer skills. I was doing my thing and operating in my strengths, which was service, and the rest is history. They paid for me to get a license, sent me to Dallas for training and then that opened the doors to getting into the insurance world.
How do you get your customers?
I have a mixture of strategies that help get me in front of my target audience. I’ve gotten Kevin Williams, Farmers Insurance more active on Social Media, send out about 900 mailers per month, but face to face, word of mouth is really the best, most effective strategies for gaining customers. I talk to people frequently about insurance, and make sure I always get their number or ask them for referrals. As opposed to passing out my business card and passively waiting for them to call me, I call them!
How long have you been a tenant with Boxer? & how do you like it?
I’ve had my office space in Greenspoint for 3 years and I love it! The Workstyle executive suites are perfect for me because it comes with the Internet, lounge space, I just pay my rent, it’s like a plug & play. All I have to do is bring my computer and I put in a desk and I’m good to go! It allows me to grow as well, so I like that. Aside from using the conference room and lounge, I try to maximize the use of the entire building. I had a workshop a while back and was able to use the conference room and speak to multiple people at once, telling them about our insurance products. The client area is perfect when I have meetings back to back, because customers can wait or have coffee in the lounge while I’m finishing up. I also enjoy getting to know our neighbors and get some steps in away from my desk, I’ll take a walk around the plants in the atrium.
How did you find out about Workstyle, or Boxer in general?
Boxer is like the Starbucks of commercial real estate because there’s one on every corner. When I was driving around town or searching online, I just kept coming across Boxer Property, I’d always see the 777-RENT number. There was a Boxer Property that was close to my home that I wanted to lease at, but at the time they were fully occupied and at some point I was introduced to my current office space in Greenspoint at 16770 Imperial Valley. I liked the area of town and the upscale property. I met with Andre Ledoux, the Leasing Agent, who is awesome! He became my go-to-guy he was always around when I had any issue. I also know about the Tenant portal where we can submit requests online, but it was nice to be able to see his face. He was the deciding factor that helped me choose this location because of his service and friendly personality. I’ve met all the current staff in the building as well, from Sarah & Audrey to the Leasing agent, Wesley, the security lady, Ethylene, they all know me! I especially love it when they have customer events. They had donuts & coffee a couple weeks back and got to know the neighbors, and it helps to grow my business as well.
What is a top goal for you and your business in 2018?
To grow my agency, increase the number of agents on my team. Do more outreach in the community, help people in the community and increase my social media presence. I want to take more shots at earning more business. As they say: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
For more information about Kevin Williams – Farmers Insurance
Website | Email | Phone: (281) 687-0868 | Facebook | LinkedIn
