Still Have Questions about ISNE?

Also referred to as an insurance alliance or aggregator, an insurance network is a group of independent insurance agencies that have chosen to join their performance together to gain bargaining power, broader access to carriers and coverage options, and better industry intelligence. Being part of an alliance generally means participating agencies have the opportunity for greater profitability and faster growth than they may have been able to achieve on their own.

ISNE sets itself apart in many ways, but first and foremost with our historical track record of profitability. ISNE is also led by an experienced and knowledgeable professional management team that operates on a fact-based sales performance process devised to drive consistent growth and profitability from year to year. In addition, ISNE’s approach includes carefully qualifying new agencies and choosing only the carrier partners that are the best fit for our participants. Another impressive distinction is that ISNE runs with extreme efficiency on a low-cost operating structure, which makes it possible for participating agencies to receive 100% of direct and contingent revenues. We encourage you to learn more about us and how the network functions.

There’s a reason why we refer to ourself as an insurance network built by agents for agents. In 1999, ISNE was founded by the owners of three Massachusetts-based agencies: Hoffman Insurance Services of Wellesley; McGlynn, Clinton & Hall Insurance, Inc. of Sudbury; and Lewis Gammons Insurance Agency, Inc. of Lakeville. The tradition of agency ownership and agency-led management infrastructure continues today, with both current and former independent insurance agencies actively participating. Since ISNE was established, there have been many proud moments and interesting milestones. We invite you to check out our history.

Yes. ISNE has a team of professionals who focus on maximizing participating agencies’ ROI and keeping operational expenses low. Some of their specific responsibilities include executing ISNE’s performance management process, which helps drive consistent growth and profitability; identifying, qualifying, and onboarding new participants; managing Centralized Placement, ISNE’s brokerage arm; and representing agencies’ interests in both strategic and tactical plans with ISNE’s preferred carrier partners.

We qualify new agencies through a selective process to ensure that participants are able to contribute to our high-performing results. During the qualification process, the membership sales team will perform a detailed experience analysis, reviewing five years of production/loss reports for each company the agency is contracted with. ISNE also seeks recommendations from people in the industry to make sure the applying agency and ISNE share the same goals, values, and standards. To advance in the qualification process, an agency’s five-year average loss ratio must be 50% or less.

Because transparency is a core value of ISNE’s, we want you to know that all agencies pay the same annual membership fee and that’s it. There are no other hidden fees or costs. Additionally, ISNE’s professional management team runs a tight ship, with a low-cost operating model, which means participants retain 100% of their direct commissions, overrides, and profit sharing. There are several additional economic benefits of being an ISNE agency that we invite you to explore.

For starters, you will get access to best-in-class insurance carriers and benefit financially from the network’s collective bargaining power and expert contract negotiations. You will also receive support from a team of professionals who collaborate with you on a personalized annual performance plan to help drive your agency’s profit and growth. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to build relationships with fellow agency principals who have the same values and goals, and you have a voice in the future direction of the network. We encourage you to learn more about all the valuable benefits of membership.

This is the network in which every participant has a voice, and it counts equally. There is a well-defined and democratic process that is followed if there is a decision to be made that could impact the network and its agencies. First, the ISNE Executive Committee, which includes participating agency principals, will do behind-the-scenes research and work. Then, the committee will bring all the information they learned forward to the participants for discussion and a vote. Each agency gets one vote, regardless of size, scale, or seniority.

On day one of becoming an ISNE participating agency, your team can contact the in-house Centralized Placement group to request help in finding quality solutions to meet your clients’ needs. Via this brokerage arm, you can broaden your reach to top-quality insurance companies that offer a wide range of risk management solutions and services for business owners, private client individuals or families, and more. In addition, if you feel you have a strong business case to take on a new insurance company directly, the ISNE professional management team is deeply familiar with all ISNE preferred carriers and can offer knowledgeable guidance on which one might be the best match.

Like most businesses, insurance carriers appreciate results, and ISNE has proven time and time again that we deliver profitability and growth for our partners. However, it’s not just that ISNE delivers on what we commit to with carriers; it’s also the way we go about doing it that makes us such an appealing partner. Carriers know we take a highly selective approach to qualifying participating agencies, so they understand that a contract with ISNE means they will have a relationship with a group of New England’s elite independent insurance agencies. Finally, ISNE has a reputation for being open and transparent, always driving toward formidable partnerships with our preferred carriers.