“What are you wearing, Steve from State Farm?” The commercials are nationally known, but locally Tricia Zwirner is the face of State Farm. From volunteering with the Sebago Lake Rotary Club to sponsoring sports teams and the Science Olympiad at Windham High School, Zwirner is a part of the community she serves.
Zwirner opened her office in July of
2002. Before that she graduated from college and she would never work for State
Farm because her mom was an agent and she had worked for her growing up doing
filing and other jobs.
“I was a finance major. They offered me
a great package, great career path. It just fit,” she said. When a State Farm
agency became available in Windham, she and her husband jumped at the chance.
As a State Farm agent, she and her team
have over 100 products to offer clients. At Zwirner’s office next to The Ice
Cream Dugout at 13 Storm Drive, she works with agents Joanne Payson, whose
specialty is property casualty and Mike Allen who does life, new auto and bank.
They have streamlined the products to insurance for auto, home, life and bank
loans from State Farm.
“It’s very needs driven,” said Zwirner
of her services. “We do a lot of ATVs and a lot of snowmobiles,” she added.
One of her specialties is life
insurance. That’s the most rewarding and most necessary and underutilized. “People
die without it and now their family struggles. I tell them, ‘it’s not about you
– it’s about your family’.” Zwirner said she doesn’t like to talk about death,
but she wants people to have the coverage if needed. When one of her clients
passes away, she makes a point to take the insurance check over to the family
and help them with anything they might need, from finding a lawyer to getting
dinner together. She makes it personal. “I’m
able to take worry about money out of [the grieving process].”
Zwirner’s customers are young, old,
male, female, married, gay, straight and seasonal people.
Her favorite types of clients are
newlyweds who are starting their lives together and they want to sit down to
discuss.
Zwirner is one of the only agencies to
take cash and checks at the office. Although she is only allowed to work in the
State of Maine, because State Farm is a national company, she is able to work
within the network of State Farm agents. Transferring clients from one State
Farm agency to hers is a breeze, she said.
Reviews of client’s portfolios happen
every two or three years, Zwirner said. This way information can be updated. It
also gives Zwirner the opportunity to give sway out to her clients, be it phone
stands or calendars, stress balls or water bottles. It’s a fun benefit she
offers.
State Farm started a banking segment of
the business. It’s not a brick and mortar bank, she said, but it offers
Internet banking with no ATM fees and if there are they are reimbursed at the
end of the month. It also has phone deposits where a client can take a picture
of the check and have it deposited into their account.
“Young people don’t need one-on-one,”
said Zwirner.
State Farm also offers vehicle loans
with extremely competitive rates and pay-off protection, which is like GAP
insurance that most dealers offer with a new car. Loans can be refinanced to
get into the pay-off protection plan that State Farm offers.
“We love saving people money,” she
added.
When a client first walks into the
office, Zwirner will fact find and learn about the person and his or her needs.
She will find out their risk tolerance and get to know them. If they have a
401K that was left at a previous employer, she can help roll that money into a
new account that the client can have control over.
For quotes and questions, visit www.StateFarm.com,
call 892-2864 or stop by Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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