We structure the business around everyone’s strengths

First becoming an Agent of NFU Mutual as a fresh-faced graduate, Wendy Kerr has now spent almost a quarter of a century working for two of our most successful agencies in Northern Ireland. Now Senior Agent at Dungannon & Cookstown, we caught up with Wendy to talk about her experiences, her role in the Ulster Farmers’ Union, and why being an Agent of NFU Mutual might be the right step for you.

Thanks for talking to us, Wendy. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became an Agent of NFU Mutual?
Well I’m a farmer’s daughter, farming’s in my blood, it’s what I’m interested in. When I graduated with my degree in Agriculture back in 2000, being an Agent of NFU Mutual was something that lots of people aspired to. The role was in high demand, but there weren’t many openings, and when one did come along it was snatched up fast. At the moment it seems we’re going through a period of retirement for Agents in Northern Ireland, so there are a few more opportunities. But it goes to show just how many people stay in the job for a long time.

Despite the competition, I was lucky enough to get a role in the Strabane Agency straight out of university. It was the ideal situation for me, really. I wanted to be within the agricultural industry but not necessarily on a farm, so joining NFU Mutual seemed like a natural step.

I was at Strabane for 18 years in total – eight as an Assistant Agent, then another ten as Senior Agent. Five years ago, I got the chance to join the Dungannon Agency, which was a lot closer to home. I’d had my daughter by this point, so the shorter commute was a real bonus. Since then, we’ve merged with the Cookstown Agency, and in 2023 we moved into one big, new site – where I oversee everything!

So you’ve spent your entire career as an Agent of NFU Mutual! What does your average day look like?
No two days are the same really – it’s definitely not a boring job! I’d say close to 40% of my time is out and about visiting our customers.

There are four other Agents in the business, who each have their own strengths and areas of expertise – one who oversees Financial Services, one who handles Competency and Compliance, then two others who look after new business and Marketing. We all deal with renewals, have our own pool of clients and spend as much time as we can out in the community.

I’m responsible for the overall management of the agency – making sure everything runs smoothly, and that we have a plan in place to move forward and grow the business. I’m also effectively a people manager, dealing with any staff issues that come up. We’re just about to take on two new people, so including the Agents, that will be 17 staff in total.

What kind of clients do you deal with?
It’s probably about 60/40 in favour of farming clients, which isn’t surprising when you look at where we are. We do have a wide range of clients in the commercial sector, and we have plans to expand in that base, but we have room to grow in the farming community too. Many of those commercial industries tie back to agriculture in some form anyway – bakeries, wholesalers, manufacturers, metal workers – it’s all interlinked with agriculture in Northern Ireland.

It is helpful to have a farming background if you’re going to be an Agent here, but I wouldn’t say it’s essential. The basic understanding of what life is like as a farmer, that can be taught, and we do have training for that. But you can be more involved with the commercial side – we structure the business around everyone’s strengths.

What other skills do you need to be an Agent?
You need to be a people person. We’re dealing and chatting with customers and colleagues all day, so you need to get on well with people. You’ve got to be ambitious, hard-working and driven to succeed. The ability to manage your own time is really important too – and you should be able to plan ahead, but also adapt well to change.

As a self-employed person, I’d say being able to strike a good work-life balance is another skill you need to hone. Customer queries will have to be dealt with as and when they come in, it’s almost as if you’re on call. Sometimes you’ll need to put longer hours in, especially if it’s a busy time of year. It’s not a simple 9-5.

You’re also Secretary for the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) – how does that tie in with your role as an Agent?
There’s certainly a good deal of crossover with our customers and UFU members, so a lot of the time it feels like a different, much more social side to my business role. And if I’m quoting for new business with a customer who isn’t a member of the UFU, I always make sure they understand the benefits and encourage them to join up. I think it’s good because it means I get to touch base and interact with our customers in different ways, and really build my relationship with them.

We have a variety of different meetings, social events and competitions with our UFU members. Whether that’s a webinar with a guest speaker, a barbecue, or a trip somewhere. We have a big trip away every year, and there’s also our annual local agricultural show at the end of July – which is always a great day out. Our most recent event was a cereal competition, where our members could enter barley, oats and wheat to be judged. It’s great to be able to actually see our members and customers in that environment and become almost like friends too.

What makes being an Agent of NFU Mutual so enjoyable?
It’s the customers who make is so enjoyable! You get to build really good relationships with people in the community, and you feel that you’re actually helping and making a difference. Not only by making sure that customers have the right insurance cover and providing a great all-around service – but when you get that call and can assure someone that even though the worst has happened, everything will be all right; you can physically be there to support them and talk to them face to face. You’re giving back when people are in trouble.

I can’t think of many opportunities where you get to run your own business but have all the funding and support provided for you. NFU Mutual wants us to succeed and do well, so if you can justify something in your business plan, they’ll support you to achieve your goals. Whether it’s funding a new member of staff, or providing training, which is second to none. We’ve got a great relationship with our Sales Development Manager, who’s our main contact point within NFU Mutual. They keep us on track, point out our strengths and weaknesses, and give advice – but can also liaise with other expert teams within the organisation for extra support.

The variety of the role is great, you can be your own boss, and you get great resources to help you get going. Yet, we can still be ourselves, and bring our own ideas to move forward and shape the business. I’m not sure there’s any other industry where you can do that.

Join us on our journey
Just like Wendy, you too can contribute to your local community, take control of your future, and grow your own insurance business with the support of NFU Mutual. So, take a look at our latest Agent opportunities or sign up for job alerts by email.