What Does a Green Light, Yellow Light, and Not Right Now Account Actually Look Like in Real Life?
You've probably heard people talk about green light, yellow light, and not right now accounts. But hearing the terminology and actually knowing what you're looking at in front of a real client are two different things. Let me make this as practical as I can.
A green light account is exactly what it sounds like. All day long, twice on Sunday. Big enough premium, clean losses, willing to bet on themselves, actively investing in safety and risk management. When you see that combination, don't overthink it. That's your account and we can move on it.
A yellow light account is trickier, and this is where a lot of agents either give up too early or push too hard. A yellow light doesn't mean no. It means we need more information before we can say yes. Maybe it's a good class of business but the nature of what they do creates some underwriting questions. Maybe we need supplemental applications to get a clear picture. The key thing to understand is that yellow doesn't mean stop. It means slow down, gather more, and come back to us. We'll tell you exactly what we need.
Then there's not right now. And here's where I want to push back on how most agents think about this. Not right now is not the same as never. Take trucking. The trucking industry is getting hammered right now. An agent with a solid trucking account might hear not right now and walk away. That's a mistake.
What we're always doing is building toward the right next group of members. If you have an account that's not a fit today because the market conditions or the class isn't ready, we still want the submission. We want to track it. Because in six months the picture could be completely different, and when it is, you're already in position. Nobody else gets to walk in and say they've been working on this account. That's your seat.
Here's what this means practically. Don't wait until you have a green light to talk to us. Bring us what you have. Bring us the account you're not sure about. Let us tell you where it lands and why. That's a conversation we want to have with you before you've spent weeks trying to figure it out on your own.
The agents who build real captive practices don't just chase green lights. They know their yellows and they stay close to their not right nows. Because those are tomorrow's opportunities and somebody's going to be there for them when the time comes.
Make sure it's you.
It's always your client. Never ours.
