You just never know where life is going to take you, but David McCollough is so thankful that life landed him here, serving and enjoying Union County communities. McCollough was raised in Alabama, and has come far to settle into his Tennessee home.
As a young man attending Troy University, he considered a career in either business or coaching but ultimately decided business was the path for him. Fresh out of college he initially secured a logistics position in the transportation industry. After some time, McCollough observed that sales appeared to be a better opportunity.
A cousin who was a State Farm agent gave McCollough his first opportunity in financial services and mentored him during his first two years in the industry. An opening became available to serve Union County and McCollough leapt at the opportunity. The first five years were a challenge as he slowly but steadily built his agency. Many long days and evenings followed—sitting across the coffee table from clients, assessing their needs, and matching them with available insurance solutions. Several years in, he was able to settle into a more consistent routine, although there were still plenty of long hours.
McCollough shares that the insurance industry has certainly changed over the years. For example, he no longer carries a briefcase stuffed with paper forms and pamphlets. Thirty years ago, people generally bought insurance after a face-to-face encounter, typically in their own home. It was very much a personal, client-advisor relationship.
Today, insurance buying is largely a consumer-driven activity of searching online or emailing a request for a quote. McCollough and his staff work hard to maintain personal relationships with his customers. McCollough says his personality suits the pace here and he feels that everyone is friendly and very easy to approach. He gives back to the community as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Business and Professional Association.
McCollough attributes his success to being involved in the community, building personal relationships, and, of course, the State Farm brand. An important aspect of that success is the service clients receive when filing a claim. I shared my own experience of my parents having a State Farm policy when my father died; the death benefit was placed in a high-interest money-market account and my mother was sent a checkbook to withdraw funds as needed.
We discussed how we had both seen financial advisors encourage widows/widowers to refrain from making any major financial decisions for at least six months after the death of a spouse. They are advised to work through the grieving process, get a firm grasp on their new financial situation, and let the smoke clear so good decisions can be made. I was so thankful that the death benefit was placed in that high interest-bearing account, which helped my mom feel like she wasn’t being strong-armed into making a big decision. I asked if that was unique to certain policies, and McCollough assured me that all State Farm death benefits are handled the same way.
The Coronavirus has certainly impacted their business environment; however, it has not dampened their customer relationships. Although the physical office was closed for several weeks in March and April, services to valued customers were not interrupted. Staff members were able to work from home and keep their regular office hours. They made an effort to reach out to each customer and assure them that they were still available by phone for claims or other needs.
McCollough installed a dropbox, which, in hindsight, he realizes he needed regardless of the pandemic. Before returning to the office, McCollough put up a half wall and a plexiglass shield. Staff members are back in the office and practicing social distancing to keep each other safe. McCollough shared that things are always changing one way or another and you just have to adapt, adjust and carry on.
When asked about skills one needs to be successful if considering a career in sales, he replied that you have to like people and be able to talk to people. He trains his staff not to merely think in terms of having something to sell, but instead in terms of providing goods and services to meet customers’ needs.
He teaches staff to listen to the individual customer to understand their specific needs and then find the best solution to fill those needs. Additionally, he instills that everyone needs the same service, though the numbers differ from house to house. Most importantly, treat people the way you want to be treated.
Each staff member has an insurance license, and his agency offers a wide range of products and services, including life, auto (car, motorcycle, boat), home (house, mobile home, farm), banking (financing car or home, money market, mutual funds), health, etc.
When asked what advice he would offer someone interested in owning or operating a business in our community, he says there is just no shortcut around hard work; you must have a good work ethic. If you understand going in that you will have to work hard for about five years to build it up, it will pay off. McCollough also shared that that he loves what he does, enjoys the good people he gets to interact with, and although his 60th birthday is approaching, he has no immediate plans to retire.