After relocating their independent insurance agency in April from a Cleveland Heights office building to a storefront on Cleveland’s busy Buckeye Road, the Rutledges experienced a 70.7 percent jump in new business income.

They attribute much of this growth to the increased exposure in the neighborhood where many of their target customers live and work.

“People didn’t think of us when we were in an office building,” says Deborah Rutledge, chief operating officer. “When you’re prominently located in a neighborhood, you become more top of mind.”

Personal relationships and superior service are everything in the insurance industry, which is essentially a commodity service, according to Darwin Rutledge, chief executive officer and an 18-year veteran in the insurance business. Without personal contact, he says, “All you’re giving them is 13 sheets of paper held together with two staples.”

The payoffs for providing personal service are repeat business and valuable referrals, as Darwin Rutledge points out: “If you give good service, your clients know 10 people. If you give poor service, they know 20.”

Deborah Rutledge comes to the business after a 21-year career in retail management. She handles bookkeeping and marketing, and has made valuable software upgrades and office improvements.

The agency projects revenue growth of 17.8 percent this year and expects to turn a profit in 2003 for the first time.

Growth plans include introducing a new product— tax preparation services—and increasing the budget for Yellow Pages advertising. By 2006, they plan to start approaching municipalities and commercial clients, and to open a second location in another Cleveland neighborhood.

As always, walk-ins will be more than welcome.

Reprinted from COSE Update magazine