A foundation leak sent water into the kitchen, then the living room, then the family room. It ruined the hand-scraped wood floors, the cabinets, the baseboards, and the countertops. By the time anyone had a full picture of the damage, it had become a six-figure homeowners claim.
Daniel Borden remembers it because of an endorsement the homeowners added after discussing it with his agency. As a result, their policy paid more than $100,000. Borden estimates that many competitors' policies would have only paid around $5,000 for the same loss, and the family likely would have had to borrow against the house to make repairs.
“The whole point of insurance is to prepare for the unexpected,” says Borden, a State Farm agent in Allen.
He remembers another family whose preparation mattered. A father in his fifties, the household’s primary breadwinner, died unexpectedly while the family still carried a substantial mortgage. Thankfully, he had purchased a $250,000 life insurance policy, and the benefit reached his family in less than three weeks. The payment gave the family the ability to pay off the house. In the middle of losing someone, they did not also have to decide where to live under financial pressure.
“It bought them that option,” Borden says.
Those claims help explain why Borden’s team spends so much time talking through coverage before customers need it. Premiums matter, especially as costs rise, but he wants customers to understand exactly what they gain and what they give up with every coverage decision.
One customer decided to leave the agency after finding what looked like a better rate elsewhere. Reviewing the customer’s new policy with them is part of the agency’s process when a customer leaves. Important coverage had been removed. When the policies were compared with similar protection in place, the competing policy actually cost more.
“I can’t believe we’re here, but I thank you for showing me,” the customer told Borden. “I didn’t want to lose that coverage.”
Borden’s team performs that review whether the customer returns or not. The goal, he says, is helping people understand what they are buying and what protections may have disappeared along the way.
Every morning at 10:15, the team sets aside 45 minutes for training. They work through claims scenarios, discuss policy structures, talk through difficult situations, and practice listening skills.
“Just like any athletic team, if you don’t practice, you’re not going to get good,” Borden says.
Before opening his own agency in Allen in 2021, Borden worked as an insurance team member south of Dallas. He still remembers helping customers move from point A to point B, finding solutions to problems that seemed overwhelming and helping people leave in a stronger position than when they arrived.
“I have a lot of gratitude when I see my team doing the same thing,” he says. “I love seeing their heart to help our customers.”
He meets one-on-one with team members every month to discuss goals, progress, and opportunities for growth. One employee has doubled his income in a little more than a year and is on track to make six figures. Others have developed successful careers within the agency.
Team members help one another when someone is out, celebrate birthdays with flowers and cards, and maintain a collection of inside jokes that Borden admits he does not always understand.
Borden acknowledges that he sometimes struggles to express how much he values his team. “It’s hard to keep up with how much they appreciate each other,” he says.
The agency sponsors player awards at Allen High School and builds relationships with apartment communities, dealerships, realtors, leasing agents, and small businesses throughout the area. Team members keep track of what those neighbors hope to accomplish and return to ask how things are going.
He has seen that attention pay off in practical ways with apartment communities and car dealerships. At a dealership, that may mean quickly finding an insurance option that keeps the cost of a new car within a buyer’s budget. At an apartment complex, the agency may sponsor an event and help residents with renters insurance at lease renewal. Sometimes the team simply returns with someone’s favorite cookie or energy drink and a word of encouragement. Borden sees a difference between showing up to ask for business and showing up because you remember what matters to someone.
“Honestly,” Borden says, “just being able to help people, there’s a lot of gratitude around that.”
Reach the Borden Team by emailing Quote@GetBorden.com, by calling 469.270.5743, or by visiting www.GetBorden.com