Two significant events occurred when Marcus Hill was a young man, 18 years of age. First, Marcus was elected to a state director position in the Texas Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization. Next, in his capacity as an FFA state director, Marcus met a man that was prescient. This man told Marcus exactly what his future held in store.
The man was Mr. William Young, president and CEO of AgWorkers Mutual Insurance. Marcus met Mr. Young at an FFA event. As a mutual insurance company tailored to serving the needs of farmers, Mr. Young was an avid supporter of the FFA. Upon meeting Marcus, Mr. Young quickly sized him up and informed the high school senior, “Marcus, you’re going to be the president of my company some day.”
The Trials and Tribulations Marcus Encountered While Earning his Way
While Mr. Young’s words sounded like a predestined path to the corner office, the reality of becoming the president and CEO of AgWorkers Mutual Insurance was anything but a predestined path. Marcus joined the company after completing college and quickly became a top salesman. However, the CEO job was far from reach when Mr. Young retired.
Marcus (left) on his first day at AgWorkers.
Kicked Out of the Office With Nothing – Not Even a Copy Machine
After Mr. Young retired, the course of AgWorkers dramatically changed. Due to corporate disagreements and a vision of being a mutual company versus a family owned stock company, the auto insurance company was evicted from the building without even a copy machine. The reality of being evicted was that the AgWorkers team had nothing, except their policyholders.
Marcus and the AgWorkers team found temporary space in a warehouse. The space was unusual, in multiple ways. Besides being in a warehouse, one side of the new headquarters was a casket manufacturing and distribution company. On the other side was a fire extinguisher manufacturer. AgWorkers had gone from a class A, showplace office, to the most inexpensive real estate available.
True to his style of being a relationship person, Marcus still counts people on both sides of the corporate disagreement as close, personal friends.
Fear Kept Them Going
In Marcus’ words, “failure was not an option.” It was the fear of failing that kept them going. As the consummate salesman, Marcus knew what he had to do next. He needed more customers. He needed to hit the road.
55,000 Miles per Year
For the next several years, Marcus was the primary salesman for AgWorkers. Logging up to 55,000 miles per year crisscrossing Texas, Marcus tells stories of how he met and signed customers. Marcus’ lovingly refers to these customers, telling stories of sitting with couples and their families around the dining table to sell them insurance.
Stories include the day he independently met two returning veterans from the Viet Nam war. Both had earned a Purple Heart, but had paid dearly in the process. One bought a life insurance policy, the other bought car insurance.
On another occasion Marcus showed up on the field of the state champion football team to meet with the right tackle. Dressed in his suit and tie, Marcus was not enjoying the Texas 100-degree heat. Nevertheless, he sold the player auto insurance. They even signed the documents on the blistering hot hood of Marcus truck. When the player returned to the field, his teammates asked who the sharply dressed man was that came to see him. The player reported, “the Dallas Cowboys.”
The family truck, passed down to Marcus from his father.
The most successful day on the road netted seven auto insurance policies. The long-term result of the hard work was rewarding for Marcus. He estimates that by the early 90’s he personally knew 75% of the AgWorkers policyholders. As a person who truly loves people, Marcus is proud of the large number of people he befriended for life while building the AgWorkers business.
Famous Customers and The Sales Pitch That Closed Them
The years on the road finding customers led Marcus to meet many people. Along the way he brokered million dollar life insurance policies on multiple Fortune 500 company presidents. The company has also been honored to write business for former presidents and chancellors of major universities, including Texas A & M and Texas Tech.
A particularly memorable occasion was when one of Marcus policyholders booked Elvis Presley to play in the Astro Dome. Nobody believed, not even the fellow that booked Elvis, that there was any possibility that Elvis could fill such a large venue. Nevertheless, the Dome was filled to capacity, with Marcus enjoying a front row seat.
Marcus Hill hanging out with Nolan Ryan, Hall of Fame pitcher.
While the fear of failure was a great motivator, Marcus proved his ability as a great closer. His sales pitch was straightforward. “You buy this policy, but you get me. I would look them in the eye and tell them, I’ll be there for you. I will never call and harass you.”
AgWorkers – A Family or a Business?
Marcus reminisces about the times he paid the electric bill, bought new tires for the family car and even paid the mortgage payment for policyholders. But that’s only part of the story. Marcus remembers well the board meeting where his young son attended, sleeping in a stroller.
Marcus hanging out with friends on his 1952 Ferguson Tractor.
The family tradition continues. The week before Marcus was interviewed for this story there was an AgWorkers board meeting. When Marcus found out the board member had his fiancee with him and the wedding certificate in the car with plans to see a justice of the peace, he intervened and insisted the marriage take place in the board meeting. Happening to have a pastor on the board was particularly convenient. In an unplanned event, the wedding was held at the board meeting.
Building a Great Company
It’s the genuine, deeply rooted caring for other people that makes Marcus and AgWorkers a special company. Marcus talks warmly about taking employees to lunch on their birthday and to dinner with their spouse on their anniversary with the company.
When asked how he hires and retains the best people, Marcus responded, “If you think your too big to go to lunch with the employees, you don’t deserve good employees.”
The Results Speak for Themselves
At ValChoice, we grade auto and home insurance companies for the value they provide customers. Our grades include analysis on the level of claims handling and service each company offers. At ValChoice, we noted early on that AgWorkers Mutual consistently performed well in our analysis. We were honored to be introduced to Marcus and his team. Now AgWorkers uses ValChoice analysis in their marketing and sales. We officially recognize the company as one of the best values for car insurance in Texas and Arkansas.
We’re proud to have AgWorkers as a customer. We’re honored to have had the opportunity to work with Marcus and his team at AgWorkers Mutual.
Disclosure
The “Leadership Excellence” blog posts by ValChoice features CEOs of the best auto and home insurance companies. We identify the “best” companies based solely on how well they perform for policyholders. We aim to write profiles of the CEOs for all the best companies. There is no requirement to be a customer of ValChoice in order to be featured in our Leadership Excellence posts.
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