‘You’re talking to a friend’
Local insurance agent Darlene James provides compassionate ser vice.
Local insurance adviser S. Darlene James is looking to help with Calhoun’s insurance needs.
James has been in the insurance business for three years, but has lived in Calhoun for much longer than that.
“I’m a hometown family girl who talks too much sometimes!” James joked.
She loves being in a small community, where it’s easy to get to know people and build relationships. That dedication to community means that James is not just a far-off insurance agent over the phone — she’s someone that prospective clients may already know.
“I know them. I know their families,” said James. “You’re not just coming in and filling out an application, you’re talking to a friend.”
Because James is not working for a larger corporation, she can focus on providing service for her clients without focusing on upselling to net commissions. She has no quotas to reach, which allows her to spend as much time as needed with each prospective client to ensure they get the best service possible. This allows her compassion for others to shine through.
“It can be very rewarding to you, and what I mean by that is if you really love helping people and love seeing a smile on people’s face, this is the business for you,” James said.
James offers help with numerous kinds of insurance, including medicare advantage and supplement, final expense, long term care, life, accidental, cancer, dental, vision, and major medical. She also hopes to expand to home and car insurance soon, and become a true one-stop-shop.
She also helps her clients when working with government resources to ensure they’re getting everything they can in the way of assistance.
“Dealing with the government is not always fast,” she said.
However, James is happy to deal with them. She says she’ll stay on hold, fill out forms, and do whatever is needed to do what is best for the people that entrust her with their insurance.
It can be hard for women to break into and succeed in a male dominated field. Insurance is one of those fields — and James is fighting hard to make space for herself within the field.
“Males do kind of dominate this job,” she said, “but women are stepping up to the plate too.”
James noted that insurance agents or brokers in Calhoun are predominantly men. She also encouraged women to get started in insurance if they’re interested.
“Women deserve an opportunity too,” said James.
James feels that she has something to offer that makes her stand out — that compassion for others that drives her to do whatever she must to get clients the help they need. She recommends that those who are interested in the field, male or female, need to keep that compassion in mind.
“No. 1 is that if you do not have a compassion to help people, this is not the job for you. It’s more rewarding when you know somebody walked out of here and you helped them,” James said.
One client that James remembers is a couple that had not had insurance for 17 years. They came to her, and she worked with them to ensure they understood their options and what they needed. In a twist of fate, right after James got their policy settled, both fell ill — one with cancer. They were covered, but the husband told James that they would’ve gotten insurance sooner had someone explained it to them like her.
She says that anyone looking for insurance should seek out someone who is dependable and will work to discuss all the options.
“My advice is to talk to someone who knows the business and is licensed, who you trust, and who is gonna be around,” said James.
According to James, large corporations often mean that your insurance agent will be unreachable. To her, having someone who will stick around and answer questions is very valuable.
“Just really think about who you’re talking to and think about everything,” James suggested.
She also finds it important to find someone who is local simply because they’ll understand what their clients need.
“Calhoun is growing, but they still need hometown people to help them. You need someone who’s been here, who knows this town,” said James.
James says it’s free to come into her office, 1118 Red Bud Rd., to ask questions. She loves answering them, and she’s happy to talk via appointment or walk-in.
“I’m here and I’m gonna be here,” James said. Overall, she hopes that more people will come in, especially those who may need help understanding what options and assistance are available to them. Using her prior insurance in HR, payroll, and insurance, she’s been working hard to ensure her clients get what they need.
“It’s hard,” said James, “but it is what you make it.”
Calhoun is
growing, but they still need
hometown people to help
them. you need someone who’s been
here, who knows this
town.”
Darlene James