September 13, 2024 • 31 mins
Curious about the power of local businesses and the significance of personalized customer service? Join us for an insightful conversation with Richard Self of Don Self State Farm. Richard shares his remarkable journey back to East Tennessee and the rich family legacy established by his father, Don Self, a State Farm agent with 45 years of experience. We uncover the agency’s dedication to old-fashioned customer service, emphasizing strong relationships and tailored coverage. This episode is a testament to the exceptional care provided by Don Self State Farm and the vital role local businesses play in our communities.
Ever wondered if your insurance coverage is truly adequate? We tackle pressing issues around auto and homeowners insurance, debunking myths and shedding light on crucial topics like state minimum auto insurance and the overlooked benefits of umbrella policies. Richard helps us understand the modern challenges of homeowners insurance, such as the rising costs of rebuilding homes and the importance of recalculating rebuilding costs. Tune in to hear a personal story on the consequences of not comprehending your policy and why transparent, honest customer service is more essential than ever.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Scott Howell.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hello, good neighbors , Welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast brought to you by theFriends and Neighbors Group of
the Greater Chattanooga Area.
And, of course, the announcertold you my name is is Scott
Howell and I'm your host fortoday.
You know the Good Neighborpodcast.
The reason we designed thisprogram is to bring an awareness
to the residents living in ourcommunities regarding locally
(00:35):
owned and operated businessesthat are operating in our
neighborhoods, in the same town,across town, across the
Chattanooga region, whatever itmight be.
In this day of corporate age, alot of times people we forget
that there are locally ownedcompanies right among us who
provide us the same type ofservices, but many times with a
(00:56):
bigger smile or warmer welcomeor more better customer service.
And so what we want to do ishighlight all those companies.
Some companies, the name isnationally known, but the
business is actually locallyowned and operated, and that's
what we want to talk about.
You know, every local businesshas a story to tell, and at the
(01:17):
Good Neighbor Podcast, we justwant to enable them to be able
to tell their story loud andproud to every neighbor all
across the Chattanooga region.
And today we've got one of ourneighbors with us.
His name is Richard Self.
He is at Don Self State Farmand, Richard, we are so glad to
have you on the podcast today.
(01:39):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Well, Scott, it's great to be here with you.
I really appreciate the invite.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Absolutely, absolutely, you know.
And now, richard, before wejump into talking about your
business, I'd like to give youthe opportunity, if you'd like
to, to tell a little bit aboutyou and your family.
Okay, Boy.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
that's great East Tennessee.
Born and raised.
All of us, you know, my dadgrew up in little Athens,
tennessee, about an hour northof here.
That's where I was born,actually a suburb of Athens,
grew up in that area and then,as soon as I got an opportunity,
(02:17):
right after high school, I lefthere.
I left this part of the countryand I spent about almost 30
years away from here and havejust moved back a few years ago
to this area and it's been about12 years.
It'll be 13 years in Octoberthat I've been back.
It's starting to feel like homeagain.
Finally, you know thisTennessee's always been home,
(02:40):
but I was away from home for along time and I'm super glad to
be back.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, east Tennessee is just one of the most
beautiful places in the country.
I mean, there's a lot ofbeautiful places, but East
Tennessee is gorgeous.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
We have so much to be thankful for living here, where
we live.
It's really a blessing to liveright here in East Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yes, absolutely.
Now, Richard, we call youRichard Self, obviously that's
your name, and then we say theagency is called Don Self State
Farm.
So can you kind of tell me thestory there?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
There's no real surprise there.
We are related.
Don is my dad.
He's been a state farm agent,gosh.
This is 45th year, so he's beenan agent for as long as anybody
with State Farm that I'm awareof in this part of the country.
Been here, was an agent when Iwas growing up in Athens,
(03:37):
tennessee, then had anopportunity to move to a
different position with StateFarm and then is back in agency
now here in Udawah-College-Dalearea for gosh 28 years.
That sounds crazy, but 1996 is28 years ago, so I've been here
in the College-Dale-Udawah areafor 28 years.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, I would have never thought I would see the
day that 1996 sounded like itwas a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
No, kidding, here we are.
1992 was 30 years ago, really.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
You know, richard, everybody knows who State Farm
is, right.
I mean, you know you have to benew to the United States not
know who State Farm is.
And we know that you sellinsurance products and all like
that.
But I'd like for you to talkabout the heart of Don's sale of
State Farm.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Tell me about it.
That's a great question.
We have lots of opportunitiesthese days to tell our story.
There are a lot of peoplemoving to this area from other
parts of the country and there'sabout a one in four chance that
they're going to have beeninsured with State Farm where
they lived before moving here.
(04:53):
So a lot of times families willtransfer their business from
one State Farm agency to another.
So we have an opportunity toget to interview with customers,
essentially to let them knowwhy we're different than another
agent that they might pick.
Even here in Ottawa.
(05:14):
We've been doing it for a longtime.
We've got well over 100 yearsexperience.
Our combined team has been inthe industry for a long time.
We still do business theold-fashioned way.
We tried to do the online thingand try to adapt to doing
(05:34):
business electronically and allthat, but the truth of the
matter is we weren't great at it.
We were not as good as a lot ofyounger folks who were in there
, so we sort of reverted back todoing business the old
fashioned way, making customerservice the top priority.
Customer service still mattersand and even though a lot of
(05:58):
some of the more recentgenerations think that that how
much money can I save is themost important thing.
Well, when you need yourinsurance company, when you've
had a loss of some sort, youdon't remember how much premium
you paid last year.
You remember how well you weretaken care of and getting your
stuff put back together, and wewant to make that an important
(06:20):
part of what we do thatday-to-day interaction, sitting
in front of somebody talkingabout coverages.
We want to make sure there's nosurprises when you need us.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Oh, absolutely.
There's nothing worse thanhaving a claim and finding out
you didn't have the coverage youthought you had.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Absolutely, absolutely.
We do everything we can toavoid that kind of surprise.
Insurance can't possibly covereverything.
None of us could afford it ifwe covered everything that
happened.
But we want to make sure thatthere's an understanding of
what's covered, what might notbe covered.
Let's do whatever we cantogether, between our office and
(06:56):
our customer.
We want to do what we can tominimize or eliminate as many
surprises as we can.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And a lot of people don't realize that we, you know,
tend to grow up and hear peoplemurmur about insurance A lot of
unnecessary people and allthese little things are said,
but but a lot, of a lot of usdon't realize how important it
is to make sure we have theproper coverage.
You know, talk to us about that, richard.
Have the proper coverage.
(07:28):
Talk to us about that, richard.
You don't have a claim and youfind out you didn't have the
proper amount of coverage.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Proper is a really important factor.
It's a really important word.
We could all be very easilyoverinsured I mean, we could go
crazy about it and spend afortune with insurance.
But an occasional sort of aroutine, annual or every other
year review of coverages canmake sure that we've got you
(07:55):
properly covered.
We ask questions like you knowhave you had any new members to
the family?
You know a young couple mighthave had a baby.
That changes some things.
Uh, someone may have added a asunroom to their house and added
some square footage added valueto their home.
(08:15):
We want to make sure that we, uhthat we have those
conversations so that we don'tmiss some of those little
details that might fall throughthe cracks without those
conversations.
You know young drivers.
You know we remember when thekids were born, but now they're
16 and they're about ready todrive.
You know we want to talk to theparents to help help them
(08:37):
navigate.
Well, what's it like having anew driver in the household?
What kind of?
What kind of things do theparents need to be aware of?
But, more importantly, whatkind of things do this young
driver need to be aware of?
How can we help reinforce someof the lessons that the parents
are teaching.
Those are some of the thingsthat, having a regular
(08:57):
conversation with our customers,we get to have those, those,
but again, limiting surprises.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah.
And you know that you're talkingabout a lot of that.
You're talking about carinsurance and, wow, I mean
that's a big dynamic because youknow, as I said before, a lot
of people, maybe a lot of us,don't really just think about
how many automobiles that are onthe highways now.
That are $100,000 automobilesand up.
(09:28):
I mean, I was, I was drivingbehind a Lotus the other day.
I'm not even sure.
I've never checked on whatthose costs, but I would say
it's upward to $200,000.
You know, and I'm drivingbehind one of them, thinking I
don't want to get too closebehind this guy in case he slams
on his brakes right because uh,but, but uh, so you know, we
(09:51):
think, oh, I just want thatinsurance minimum, just what I
have to have.
And then then I'm in an accidentwith a, with a pickup truck
that cost a hundred thousanddollars and I find out I don't
have enough coverage to cover it.
What happens then, richard?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
The state.
Minimum coverage is just that,and we have people ask us
constantly I just want the leastexpensive thing I can get, just
to be legal.
We understand that.
However, let us tell you, letus show you what all these
numbers represent.
(10:27):
Let us show you what we wouldnormally recommend so you at
least understand what all thatstuff means and what the
potential impact could be.
If you know we don't worry somuch about fixing the stuff.
You know the stuff's fix, somuch about fixing the stuff.
You know the stuff's fixable.
But what if you're involved ina wreck and the people in the
(10:48):
other car have serious injuries?
Oh yeah, that's a real problem.
And if you've got minimum stateminimum coverage provides
$50,000 worth of medicalcoverage for people in the other
car.
So if you've got people in theother car that have substantial
injuries, $50,000 is going torun out in a week, you know.
So we want to make sure thatour customers even prospective
(11:14):
customers we're talking tounderstand what all those fancy
numbers mean.
It's kind of a different lingothat we speak in the insurance
world.
We want to make sure that it'snot a foreign language to our
customers.
What do those numbers mean andwhat do they mean to you if you
are at fault in a wreck?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
And you know, sometimes people, when you get
in that routine I just want theleast I can get, the least I can
get.
It's because you think goingfrom the minimum to a good
amount of coverage is so muchmore expensive.
But many times it's not thatmuch more.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
It's a little bit more expensive.
In most cases it's moreexpensive, but it would surprise
you the difference the smalldifference there is between
state minimum coverage and whatwe would think to be adequate or
recommended coverage is.
You know we're talking about 10times the amount of coverage.
It's not 10 times the cost.
(12:09):
It might be 50% more in costbut for most people it's worth
it.
You know, if we have asituation recently where we had
a customer whose father-in-lawwas involved in an at-fault
wreck and the other people hadserious injuries and he ran out
(12:30):
of coverage on his policy andthey're putting a lien on his
house, the judgment is apersonal judgment.
It's what's called a summaryjudgment, if I've got the legal
term right.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
The at-fault party is responsible for paying for
those damages, whether they'vegot insurance or not.
We want to make sure they'vegot insurance and they don't
have to worry about who's goingto own their house.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Absolutely yeah, that's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
That sounds crazy, but that happens.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It happens all the time, all the time because
people don't realize that.
You know, like you said, yes,it is more.
I wasn't trying to give theimpression that it wasn't more,
but for what you get for thatamount of money is so much more.
You know, I remember the firsttime I got a quote, somebody
(13:23):
really sat down and helped meunderstand what umbrella
insurance was.
And I got a quote and I'm likeare you kidding me?
That's all it costs.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
A couple hundred bucks a year?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, it's it sounds like a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
But when you have a situation like I just described,
that extra million or $2million worth of liability
coverage for a couple hundreddollars a year can make the
difference between having ajudgment versus having enough
insurance to pay the claim.
It's a big difference for alittle bit of money, relatively
speaking.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Yeah, I'm glad you said that because that's exactly
what I was going to ask you.
I don't know the gentleman andI really feel bad for him in
this situation, but but becauseI hate to be there myself, but
if he would have had an umbrellapolicy, then he he wouldn't,
probably wouldn't have a lien onhis house today.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That's absolutely correct.
I think this I can't rememberthe exact figure 650 or $700,000
worth of medical Whoa and theother and the other vehicle, and
you know, with with what wethink of as adequate protection
on the auto, that would havepaid up to a half million and
(14:30):
then that umbrella would havekicked in to pay for that extra
expense and that customer foryou know, just a few hundred
dollars a year in additionalpremium would have had insurance
to cover that loss as opposedto having a lien on their house.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, and sometimes people say, well, I can't afford
that.
But sometimes if we reallythink what we're spending our
money on and we could divert afew funds to something else,
it's almost like we and nownowadays we can't afford not to
have it because there's so manyhigh end vehicles on the road
now.
I mean so many.
I I was I've got kind of thisdream pickup truck that I have
in in my mind I like to buy, andI saw a guy the other day had
(15:09):
one.
I pulled up the pump at theservice station and I was over
peeking around the pump lookingat it and he walked out and and
I said, man, could you show methe truck?
He showed it to me and I said,uh, about 80 000 and he said,
yeah, right at that yeah, Inever thought a pickup truck
would be 80 000 that's good.
(15:29):
Yeah, so I mean just thinkingabout that.
That's just a pickup truck.
This is not a sports car.
This is not a high-end sportscar.
You know so, and and so I wantyou to talk to me.
Let's switch the subject alittle bit to homeowners
insurance.
What are some of the myths andmisconceptions that you have
people have regarding homeownersinsurance when you try to talk
to them about getting propercoverage?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Oh boy, we get lots of questions about dogs.
We get lots of questions aboutpools and trampolines.
We get, you know, lots of, lotsof questions.
You know, in questions In dayspast, in days that I can
remember, if you had a pit bullor a rottweiler you couldn't get
(16:13):
homeowner's insurance from alot of insurance companies.
That's just not true anymore.
There's a term in the insurancebusiness that's called
attractive nuisance A big fancyword for if you put a pool in
the insurance business, that'scalled attractive nuisance A big
fancy word for if you put apool in your front yard and you
don't have a fence around youryard or the pool, you're
inviting the neighborhood tocome swim in your pool.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Essentially, yeah, you just built a community pool,
didn't you?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, right, I mean not very much good can happen if
you invite the neighborhood toswim in your yard in your pool.
So that term attractivenuisance is just that.
You know there's a.
If we invite a lot of peoplethat we don't know to come to
our place whenever they want to,whether we're home or not,
(16:59):
we're asking for something badto happen.
Same kind of thing with a poolas a trampoline.
Uh, you know, used to have uh,lots of questions about
trampolines.
Uh, if you've got if you've gotit fenced or protected around
the trampoline, there's prettygood chance nobody's going to be
injured uh, while jumping on it.
But there's also a pretty goodchance that nobody from the
(17:20):
neighborhood's going to comeclimb into it if it's protected.
So those are a couple of things.
Yeah, what it costs to rebuilda house today.
You know you talked about the$80,000 pickup truck.
You know the $80,000 pickuptruck used to be a $40,000
pickup truck.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
A lot of those same sorts of scenarios have happened
with building costs in the lastseveral years.
We blame a lot on COVID andCOVID has something to do with
it, but you know, a $300,000house five years ago is $500,000
or $600,000 now to rebuild thatthing.
So we want to make sure.
Again, that goes back to havingthat conversation consistently
(18:03):
with our customers is do we needto recalculate how much it
would cost to rebuild your house?
Do we have enough coverage torebuild your house if we had a
total loss?
Heaven forbid we have anothertornado here ever but do we have
enough coverage to rebuild yourhouse in the event of a fire or
a tornado loss?
We want to make sure we havethose conversations.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Speaking of that, I remember and I've got enough
gray hair in my head now that Ican remember when you could
build a pretty nice house for$80,000 to $100,000.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Now, that's so basic that people don't even want to
look at it.
Tiny house on wheels.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, tiny home.
Tiny home on wheels, so basicuh, that the people don't even
look at the wheels.
Yeah right, yeah, tiny home.
Yeah, yeah, so it's uh, thetimes have changed, expenses
have changed and this is wherewe just need to make sure we've
got the right coverage.
I remember having some damage inmy house.
This is long, long ago and itwasn't state farm.
I'm not going to mention thecompany I don't think they've
got local agencies, one of those1-800 number companies but I
(19:08):
had insurance with them and Ihad a claim in my house and I
called and they sent an adjusterout and adjuster, first thing,
he says I'm sorry, they won'tcover this and I was sick.
It was like it was going tocost about five grand to repair
it and it was sick.
I didn't you know they, Ididn't know they didn't cover it
.
Uh, it was something it seemedlike it should could happen to
anybody, to me but it was.
(19:28):
It was damaged, it was going onthat I didn't know about.
By the time it got bad enough,I found out about it and they
said we don't cover damage likethat.
Well, that made me, that leftme in a bad place.
So there's a lot of things today.
That it's the reason you needto sit down with an agent and
talk about what you're doing,what you've got.
Is it going to cover you?
Is it, is it going to take careof you when you need it?
(19:50):
Because if there's one thingthat I guess might make people
hate insurance is when they havethose situations and they're
and it's not covered.
But if they would have just satdown with an agent, been
willing to sit down and listenand be taught, be educated, they
could have avoided italtogether.
That's.
That's where the stigma.
We need to get rid of thestigma.
But we don't want to talk to anagent, we just want to pick up
(20:12):
the phone and call a number andget a quote and get coverage and
move on.
We need to talk to somebody tomake sure we've got the right
thing.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I 100 percent agree with that.
Philosophically.
Philosophically, I 100 percentagree with that.
Philosophically, I 100% agreewith that.
You know there are going to besome things that aren't covered.
If you, you know, like I saidbefore, if insurance covered
occurred we can, we're going tofind a way to find coverage if
it's, if it's at all possible.
Stuff that happens inside wallsor inside cabinets or you know,
water, water leak over months,that's the kind of thing that
(20:59):
any insurance company no, no, nocompany is going to cover
something that's been happeningfor months.
As the homeowner I don't wantto be flippant and say, well,
you ought to notice somethinglike that.
But plumbing issues like that,you also kind of have a duty as
(21:19):
the homeowner to make sure thatmaintenance is kept up, and that
kind of thing.
To have a duty as the homeownerto make sure that maintenance
is kept up, and that kind ofthing.
Again, having thoseconversations and we make
customers aware of what is andwhat isn't part of the policy,
it at least increases theunderstanding, doesn't fill in
all the gaps.
It makes sure they understand.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
If I could have one best friend in the world,
richard, it'd be understanding,because when understanding comes
, then, you know what to do.
It eliminates the back end.
If someone had taught me I wasjust very young, then If someone
had taught me what I needed todo about maintenance, I needed
to do about my house, then Icould have avoided that.
Just sitting down with someonethat had some education, some
understanding, I, just sittingdown with someone that had some
(22:02):
education, some understanding Ithink that's one of the things
that this 1-800-AIDS that we'reliving in.
We're missing.
That you know.
We're missing that.
As you said, that customerservice.
And that's what you provide, andthat's wonderful.
If there was one thing, richard, that you wish that people knew
about the heart of Don's SelfState Farm, richard and all the
(22:27):
other crew there at Don's SelfState Farm but they probably
wouldn't know unless you sharedit with them.
And today you'd like to juststate it loud and proud here on
the Good Neighbor podcast toeverybody, so they'll know what
would that be?
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Boy.
It's kind of hard to narrow itdown to just one thing, scott,
but I think if we would rather Isay this to customers a lot I
would rather tell you the truthand not win your business than
to tell you a lie.
(23:01):
To win your business, I, I,there's no, you can't outlive a
lie.
And if you, if you, if youdon't tell the truth, it's hard
to remember what you toldeverybody.
You know you have to tellanother line, another line.
We don't tell the truth.
It's hard to remember what youtold everybody.
You know you have to tellanother line, another line.
We don't.
(23:21):
We just we'd rather tell youexactly the way it is, earn your
business, earn it by having arelationship, having those
conversations, as opposed totrying to trick you or lie to
you or to hide something.
So, as I said earlier, we liketo do business the old-fashioned
way.
We like to.
When someone is consideringchanging their family's or their
(23:42):
business's insurance thatthey've had for the last 15
years, if they're considering achange, for whatever reason, we
want to sit down and go over notonly what we propose but what
they currently have.
Look at them side by side, makesure that they have that
understanding.
Let's make sure that we'vecovered all the bases.
(24:05):
We don't want to leave anystone unturned All those cliches
, you know.
We want to make sure thatthere's no questions Once we,
once we've had that conversation.
We want to make sure that weanswer questions.
There's no misunderstandings.
You said a mouthful when yousaid you could just have have
one gift in life.
It would be understanding.
That's huge Understanding.
(24:27):
It's absolutely essential whenyou're talking about something
as important as your family'sinsurance plan.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Yeah, if you know, understanding came when I was
told when I first got my car at16, make sure you change at all
on a regular basis, because ifyou don't, it's just the life of
the engine.
That was understanding, so Iknew what to do.
But if I'd never been told that, and the next thing I knew my
motor had went down on me and itblew we used to use the term
(24:57):
blew up on me and it was ruined.
And then I found out I neededto change oil, that
understanding didn't help me atthat point.
That's right.
So if I'm willing to sit downand gain understanding now, it
can alleviate me having a lot ofproblems later.
(25:18):
That's the kind of point I'mtrying to get to.
You brought up the customerservice aspect of it.
That's important.
Richard, I appreciate you somuch today.
It's been wonderful talking toyou, hearing the heart of your
company and who you are.
I know it's your dad's company,but you're you're you're
company too, because you'reworking there and helping there,
and and and you tell Mr Donthat we're proud of him and and
(25:41):
keep up the good work and andrelax.
Time to start relaxing a littlebit.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's not one of his great, not one of his great
gifts.
Relaxing, Let me get him afishing pole, just go down.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
And that's not one of his great gifts relaxing, let
him get in the fishing pole,just go down and throw it in the
water, even if it ain't got noworm on it, probably not going
to happen at this point, scott.
I'm sort of resigned to that.
Well, we appreciate you so much, Richard, for coming on the
program today, and I want togive you a little space here and
I want you to tell us how toreach out to you, how to find
you.
If there's online, if there'smore information that people can
(26:15):
just tell us all the differentways that we can find out about
you.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Do this in reverse.
There's there.
There is.
We do have an online presence.
It's Don Self dot net Don Selfdot net.
You can find out just that.
That's our, our onlinestorefront.
You can find out just that.
(26:39):
That's our, our onlinestorefront you can.
You can tell an awful lot aboutnot just State Farm but how we
do business by looking at whatour presence online.
But the most valuable way thatyou can get in touch with us is
probably just by picking up thephone, calling us.
Let's have a conversation.
We can schedule a time to gettogether face-to-face or we can
have a meaningful conversationlike you and I are having today.
We can have it via Zoom orMicrosoft Teams or one of those
(27:00):
interactive methods online.
But if you just want to call ouroffice, our number is
423-396-2126.
You can call us any time of theday.
We're here from eight o'clockto five, monday through Friday,
and any one of our team memberswould be absolutely delighted to
have a conversation with you.
(27:21):
That first conversation mightbe information gathering, might
be having a talk about needsassessment and those kinds of
things, and it might lead to asecond phone conversation or
in-person meeting after we'vehad an opportunity to assess
needs and prepare.
Prepare an answer to some ofthose needs.
(27:44):
But phone call is a great start.
You know there's there.
You know save 15%.
15 minutes or less can save you15.
We can't even get all theinformation we need to have a
conversation in 15 minutes.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Seriously and we're not going to advertise that we
can.
We want to take that first fewminutes to get to know you a
little bit.
Get to know you and your familyvirtually or on phone.
Get to know what your needs are.
Understand that word againphone.
Get to know what your needs are.
Understand that word again.
Understand a little bit aboutwhat your needs are so we can
find out the best solution tofill those needs.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Yeah, anybody that tells you they can do it 15
minutes or less is moreconcerned about their bottom
line than they are yours, I meanthat's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
That's a mouthful right there, yeah.
I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Well, don Richard sorry I was about to say Don
Richard thank you again forbeing with us today and we
appreciate you so much and havebeen a pleasure to have you on
the Good Neighbor podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Been a lot of fun.
Scott, I really appreciate yourinvitation.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Absolutely.
And you know, to all the goodneighbors of the greater
Chattanooga region, aftermeeting Richard and you know,
learning a little bit more aboutDon Self State Farm and what
they do, what they offer, howimportant customer service is to
them.
And you know, I know, that hehopes that when you have this
(29:06):
need, that you'll keep them inmind and that you'll reach out
to their website, meet you atdonselfnet or to their phone
number either one and to contactthem.
Give them a chance In this daymicrowave age, I call it where
we want everything at the touchof our fingers instantly when it
comes to ensuring our family'sfinancial future, our financial
(29:29):
needs.
Slow down, slow down and take afew minutes longer and talk to
someone, ask the questions youneed to know.
Let them talk to you about thedifferent coverages to make sure
that you don't find yourself inthe position that Richard was
talking about, this unfortunatesituation that a family has
(29:50):
found themselves in now to leanon their house because they
didn't have enough coverage.
It's important.
If your homeowner realized thatvalues have shot out the roof
and so have building costs, thenyou might need to take another
look at what it would cost torebuild your home if you have a
total loss.
These things are important toour financial future.
It's not an agent A lot oftimes we look at oh, they're
(30:13):
just trying to make more moneyoff of us.
It's not that.
It's about making sure you'retaken care of, because if you're
not taken care of, who's itmatter who the insurance agent
you've got, but if you wantsomebody that will take care of
you, you need to find that oneyou trust and they'll provide
you the education andunderstanding you need.
And Silent Richard's a good one, so I know he hopes you'll keep
(30:36):
him in mind.
And before ending the episode, Iwould also like to say thank
you for all the listeners outthere who have taken time out of
your day to listen to the GoodNeighbor podcast.
As always, please remember tosupport the locally owned and
operated businesses in thegreater Chattanooga region, from
Cleveland to Dalton, jasper toBenton, all the little
(30:57):
communities in between.
They're all important and allof our businesses are important.
So my name is Scott Howell.
Again, I'm with the Friends andNeighbors Group.
Been wonderful having you today.
Everyone, go out and make thisa remarkable day.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpclevelandcom.
That's gnpclevelandcom, or call423-380-1984.
Thank you.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Scott Howell.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hello, good neighbors , Welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast brought to you by theFriends and Neighbors Group of
the Greater Chattanooga Area.
And, of course, the announcertold you my name is is Scott
Howell and I'm your host fortoday.
You know the Good Neighborpodcast.
The reason we designed thisprogram is to bring an awareness
to the residents living in ourcommunities regarding locally
(00:35):
owned and operated businessesthat are operating in our
neighborhoods, in the same town,across town, across the
Chattanooga region, whatever itmight be.
In this day of corporate age, alot of times people we forget
that there are locally ownedcompanies right among us who
provide us the same type ofservices, but many times with a
(00:56):
bigger smile or warmer welcomeor more better customer service.
And so what we want to do ishighlight all those companies.
Some companies, the name isnationally known, but the
business is actually locallyowned and operated, and that's
what we want to talk about.
You know, every local businesshas a story to tell, and at the
(01:17):
Good Neighbor Podcast, we justwant to enable them to be able
to tell their story loud andproud to every neighbor all
across the Chattanooga region.
And today we've got one of ourneighbors with us.
His name is Richard Self.
He is at Don Self State Farmand, Richard, we are so glad to
have you on the podcast today.
(01:39):
Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Well, Scott, it's great to be here with you.
I really appreciate the invite.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Absolutely, absolutely, you know.
And now, richard, before wejump into talking about your
business, I'd like to give youthe opportunity, if you'd like
to, to tell a little bit aboutyou and your family.
Okay, Boy.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
that's great East Tennessee.
Born and raised.
All of us, you know, my dadgrew up in little Athens,
tennessee, about an hour northof here.
That's where I was born,actually a suburb of Athens,
grew up in that area and then,as soon as I got an opportunity,
(02:17):
right after high school, I lefthere.
I left this part of the countryand I spent about almost 30
years away from here and havejust moved back a few years ago
to this area and it's been about12 years.
It'll be 13 years in Octoberthat I've been back.
It's starting to feel like homeagain.
Finally, you know thisTennessee's always been home,
(02:40):
but I was away from home for along time and I'm super glad to
be back.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, east Tennessee is just one of the most
beautiful places in the country.
I mean, there's a lot ofbeautiful places, but East
Tennessee is gorgeous.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
We have so much to be thankful for living here, where
we live.
It's really a blessing to liveright here in East Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yes, absolutely.
Now, Richard, we call youRichard Self, obviously that's
your name, and then we say theagency is called Don Self State
Farm.
So can you kind of tell me thestory there?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
There's no real surprise there.
We are related.
Don is my dad.
He's been a state farm agent,gosh.
This is 45th year, so he's beenan agent for as long as anybody
with State Farm that I'm awareof in this part of the country.
Been here, was an agent when Iwas growing up in Athens,
(03:37):
tennessee, then had anopportunity to move to a
different position with StateFarm and then is back in agency
now here in Udawah-College-Dalearea for gosh 28 years.
That sounds crazy, but 1996 is28 years ago, so I've been here
in the College-Dale-Udawah areafor 28 years.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, I would have never thought I would see the
day that 1996 sounded like itwas a long time ago.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
No, kidding, here we are.
1992 was 30 years ago, really.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
You know, richard, everybody knows who State Farm
is, right.
I mean, you know you have to benew to the United States not
know who State Farm is.
And we know that you sellinsurance products and all like
that.
But I'd like for you to talkabout the heart of Don's sale of
State Farm.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Tell me about it.
That's a great question.
We have lots of opportunitiesthese days to tell our story.
There are a lot of peoplemoving to this area from other
parts of the country and there'sabout a one in four chance that
they're going to have beeninsured with State Farm where
they lived before moving here.
(04:53):
So a lot of times families willtransfer their business from
one State Farm agency to another.
So we have an opportunity toget to interview with customers,
essentially to let them knowwhy we're different than another
agent that they might pick.
Even here in Ottawa.
(05:14):
We've been doing it for a longtime.
We've got well over 100 yearsexperience.
Our combined team has been inthe industry for a long time.
We still do business theold-fashioned way.
We tried to do the online thingand try to adapt to doing
(05:34):
business electronically and allthat, but the truth of the
matter is we weren't great at it.
We were not as good as a lot ofyounger folks who were in there
, so we sort of reverted back todoing business the old
fashioned way, making customerservice the top priority.
Customer service still mattersand and even though a lot of
(05:58):
some of the more recentgenerations think that that how
much money can I save is themost important thing.
Well, when you need yourinsurance company, when you've
had a loss of some sort, youdon't remember how much premium
you paid last year.
You remember how well you weretaken care of and getting your
stuff put back together, and wewant to make that an important
(06:20):
part of what we do thatday-to-day interaction, sitting
in front of somebody talkingabout coverages.
We want to make sure there's nosurprises when you need us.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Oh, absolutely.
There's nothing worse thanhaving a claim and finding out
you didn't have the coverage youthought you had.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Absolutely, absolutely.
We do everything we can toavoid that kind of surprise.
Insurance can't possibly covereverything.
None of us could afford it ifwe covered everything that
happened.
But we want to make sure thatthere's an understanding of
what's covered, what might notbe covered.
Let's do whatever we cantogether, between our office and
(06:56):
our customer.
We want to do what we can tominimize or eliminate as many
surprises as we can.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
And a lot of people don't realize that we, you know,
tend to grow up and hear peoplemurmur about insurance A lot of
unnecessary people and allthese little things are said,
but but a lot, of a lot of usdon't realize how important it
is to make sure we have theproper coverage.
You know, talk to us about that, richard.
Have the proper coverage.
(07:28):
Talk to us about that, richard.
You don't have a claim and youfind out you didn't have the
proper amount of coverage.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Proper is a really important factor.
It's a really important word.
We could all be very easilyoverinsured I mean, we could go
crazy about it and spend afortune with insurance.
But an occasional sort of aroutine, annual or every other
year review of coverages canmake sure that we've got you
(07:55):
properly covered.
We ask questions like you knowhave you had any new members to
the family?
You know a young couple mighthave had a baby.
That changes some things.
Uh, someone may have added a asunroom to their house and added
some square footage added valueto their home.
(08:15):
We want to make sure that we, uhthat we have those
conversations so that we don'tmiss some of those little
details that might fall throughthe cracks without those
conversations.
You know young drivers.
You know we remember when thekids were born, but now they're
16 and they're about ready todrive.
You know we want to talk to theparents to help help them
(08:37):
navigate.
Well, what's it like having anew driver in the household?
What kind of?
What kind of things do theparents need to be aware of?
But, more importantly, whatkind of things do this young
driver need to be aware of?
How can we help reinforce someof the lessons that the parents
are teaching.
Those are some of the thingsthat, having a regular
(08:57):
conversation with our customers,we get to have those, those,
but again, limiting surprises.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah.
And you know that you're talkingabout a lot of that.
You're talking about carinsurance and, wow, I mean
that's a big dynamic because youknow, as I said before, a lot
of people, maybe a lot of us,don't really just think about
how many automobiles that are onthe highways now.
That are $100,000 automobilesand up.
(09:28):
I mean, I was, I was drivingbehind a Lotus the other day.
I'm not even sure.
I've never checked on whatthose costs, but I would say
it's upward to $200,000.
You know, and I'm drivingbehind one of them, thinking I
don't want to get too closebehind this guy in case he slams
on his brakes right because uh,but, but uh, so you know, we
(09:51):
think, oh, I just want thatinsurance minimum, just what I
have to have.
And then then I'm in an accidentwith a, with a pickup truck
that cost a hundred thousanddollars and I find out I don't
have enough coverage to cover it.
What happens then, richard?
Speaker 3 (10:07):
The state.
Minimum coverage is just that,and we have people ask us
constantly I just want the leastexpensive thing I can get, just
to be legal.
We understand that.
However, let us tell you, letus show you what all these
numbers represent.
(10:27):
Let us show you what we wouldnormally recommend so you at
least understand what all thatstuff means and what the
potential impact could be.
If you know we don't worry somuch about fixing the stuff.
You know the stuff's fix, somuch about fixing the stuff.
You know the stuff's fixable.
But what if you're involved ina wreck and the people in the
(10:48):
other car have serious injuries?
Oh yeah, that's a real problem.
And if you've got minimum stateminimum coverage provides
$50,000 worth of medicalcoverage for people in the other
car.
So if you've got people in theother car that have substantial
injuries, $50,000 is going torun out in a week, you know.
So we want to make sure thatour customers even prospective
(11:14):
customers we're talking tounderstand what all those fancy
numbers mean.
It's kind of a different lingothat we speak in the insurance
world.
We want to make sure that it'snot a foreign language to our
customers.
What do those numbers mean andwhat do they mean to you if you
are at fault in a wreck?
Speaker 2 (11:32):
And you know, sometimes people, when you get
in that routine I just want theleast I can get, the least I can
get.
It's because you think goingfrom the minimum to a good
amount of coverage is so muchmore expensive.
But many times it's not thatmuch more.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
It's a little bit more expensive.
In most cases it's moreexpensive, but it would surprise
you the difference the smalldifference there is between
state minimum coverage and whatwe would think to be adequate or
recommended coverage is.
You know we're talking about 10times the amount of coverage.
It's not 10 times the cost.
(12:09):
It might be 50% more in costbut for most people it's worth
it.
You know, if we have asituation recently where we had
a customer whose father-in-lawwas involved in an at-fault
wreck and the other people hadserious injuries and he ran out
(12:30):
of coverage on his policy andthey're putting a lien on his
house, the judgment is apersonal judgment.
It's what's called a summaryjudgment, if I've got the legal
term right.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
The at-fault party is responsible for paying for
those damages, whether they'vegot insurance or not.
We want to make sure they'vegot insurance and they don't
have to worry about who's goingto own their house.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Absolutely yeah, that's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
That sounds crazy, but that happens.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
It happens all the time, all the time because
people don't realize that.
You know, like you said, yes,it is more.
I wasn't trying to give theimpression that it wasn't more,
but for what you get for thatamount of money is so much more.
You know, I remember the firsttime I got a quote, somebody
(13:23):
really sat down and helped meunderstand what umbrella
insurance was.
And I got a quote and I'm likeare you kidding me?
That's all it costs.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
A couple hundred bucks a year?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, it's it sounds like a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
But when you have a situation like I just described,
that extra million or $2million worth of liability
coverage for a couple hundreddollars a year can make the
difference between having ajudgment versus having enough
insurance to pay the claim.
It's a big difference for alittle bit of money, relatively
speaking.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Yeah, I'm glad you said that because that's exactly
what I was going to ask you.
I don't know the gentleman andI really feel bad for him in
this situation, but but becauseI hate to be there myself, but
if he would have had an umbrellapolicy, then he he wouldn't,
probably wouldn't have a lien onhis house today.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That's absolutely correct.
I think this I can't rememberthe exact figure 650 or $700,000
worth of medical Whoa and theother and the other vehicle, and
you know, with with what wethink of as adequate protection
on the auto, that would havepaid up to a half million and
(14:30):
then that umbrella would havekicked in to pay for that extra
expense and that customer foryou know, just a few hundred
dollars a year in additionalpremium would have had insurance
to cover that loss as opposedto having a lien on their house.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, and sometimes people say, well, I can't afford
that.
But sometimes if we reallythink what we're spending our
money on and we could divert afew funds to something else,
it's almost like we and nownowadays we can't afford not to
have it because there's so manyhigh end vehicles on the road
now.
I mean so many.
I I was I've got kind of thisdream pickup truck that I have
in in my mind I like to buy, andI saw a guy the other day had
(15:09):
one.
I pulled up the pump at theservice station and I was over
peeking around the pump lookingat it and he walked out and and
I said, man, could you show methe truck?
He showed it to me and I said,uh, about 80 000 and he said,
yeah, right at that yeah, Inever thought a pickup truck
would be 80 000 that's good.
(15:29):
Yeah, so I mean just thinkingabout that.
That's just a pickup truck.
This is not a sports car.
This is not a high-end sportscar.
You know so, and and so I wantyou to talk to me.
Let's switch the subject alittle bit to homeowners
insurance.
What are some of the myths andmisconceptions that you have
people have regarding homeownersinsurance when you try to talk
to them about getting propercoverage?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Oh boy, we get lots of questions about dogs.
We get lots of questions aboutpools and trampolines.
We get, you know, lots of, lotsof questions.
You know, in questions In dayspast, in days that I can
remember, if you had a pit bullor a rottweiler you couldn't get
(16:13):
homeowner's insurance from alot of insurance companies.
That's just not true anymore.
There's a term in the insurancebusiness that's called
attractive nuisance A big fancyword for if you put a pool in
the insurance business, that'scalled attractive nuisance A big
fancy word for if you put apool in your front yard and you
don't have a fence around youryard or the pool, you're
inviting the neighborhood tocome swim in your pool.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Essentially, yeah, you just built a community pool,
didn't you?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, right, I mean not very much good can happen if
you invite the neighborhood toswim in your yard in your pool.
So that term attractivenuisance is just that.
You know there's a.
If we invite a lot of peoplethat we don't know to come to
our place whenever they want to,whether we're home or not,
(16:59):
we're asking for something badto happen.
Same kind of thing with a poolas a trampoline.
Uh, you know, used to have uh,lots of questions about
trampolines.
Uh, if you've got if you've gotit fenced or protected around
the trampoline, there's prettygood chance nobody's going to be
injured uh, while jumping on it.
But there's also a pretty goodchance that nobody from the
(17:20):
neighborhood's going to comeclimb into it if it's protected.
So those are a couple of things.
Yeah, what it costs to rebuilda house today.
You know you talked about the$80,000 pickup truck.
You know the $80,000 pickuptruck used to be a $40,000
pickup truck.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
A lot of those same sorts of scenarios have happened
with building costs in the lastseveral years.
We blame a lot on COVID andCOVID has something to do with
it, but you know, a $300,000house five years ago is $500,000
or $600,000 now to rebuild thatthing.
So we want to make sure.
Again, that goes back to havingthat conversation consistently
(18:03):
with our customers is do we needto recalculate how much it
would cost to rebuild your house?
Do we have enough coverage torebuild your house if we had a
total loss?
Heaven forbid we have anothertornado here ever but do we have
enough coverage to rebuild yourhouse in the event of a fire or
a tornado loss?
We want to make sure we havethose conversations.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Speaking of that, I remember and I've got enough
gray hair in my head now that Ican remember when you could
build a pretty nice house for$80,000 to $100,000.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Now, that's so basic that people don't even want to
look at it.
Tiny house on wheels.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, tiny home.
Tiny home on wheels, so basicuh, that the people don't even
look at the wheels.
Yeah right, yeah, tiny home.
Yeah, yeah, so it's uh, thetimes have changed, expenses
have changed and this is wherewe just need to make sure we've
got the right coverage.
I remember having some damage inmy house.
This is long, long ago and itwasn't state farm.
I'm not going to mention thecompany I don't think they've
got local agencies, one of those1-800 number companies but I
(19:08):
had insurance with them and Ihad a claim in my house and I
called and they sent an adjusterout and adjuster, first thing,
he says I'm sorry, they won'tcover this and I was sick.
It was like it was going tocost about five grand to repair
it and it was sick.
I didn't you know they, Ididn't know they didn't cover it
.
Uh, it was something it seemedlike it should could happen to
anybody, to me but it was.
(19:28):
It was damaged, it was going onthat I didn't know about.
By the time it got bad enough,I found out about it and they
said we don't cover damage likethat.
Well, that made me, that leftme in a bad place.
So there's a lot of things today.
That it's the reason you needto sit down with an agent and
talk about what you're doing,what you've got.
Is it going to cover you?
Is it, is it going to take careof you when you need it?
(19:50):
Because if there's one thingthat I guess might make people
hate insurance is when they havethose situations and they're
and it's not covered.
But if they would have just satdown with an agent, been
willing to sit down and listenand be taught, be educated, they
could have avoided italtogether.
That's.
That's where the stigma.
We need to get rid of thestigma.
But we don't want to talk to anagent, we just want to pick up
(20:12):
the phone and call a number andget a quote and get coverage and
move on.
We need to talk to somebody tomake sure we've got the right
thing.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I 100 percent agree with that.
Philosophically.
Philosophically, I 100 percentagree with that.
Philosophically, I 100% agreewith that.
You know there are going to besome things that aren't covered.
If you, you know, like I saidbefore, if insurance covered
occurred we can, we're going tofind a way to find coverage if
it's, if it's at all possible.
Stuff that happens inside wallsor inside cabinets or you know,
water, water leak over months,that's the kind of thing that
(20:59):
any insurance company no, no, nocompany is going to cover
something that's been happeningfor months.
As the homeowner I don't wantto be flippant and say, well,
you ought to notice somethinglike that.
But plumbing issues like that,you also kind of have a duty as
(21:19):
the homeowner to make sure thatmaintenance is kept up, and that
kind of thing.
To have a duty as the homeownerto make sure that maintenance
is kept up, and that kind ofthing.
Again, having thoseconversations and we make
customers aware of what is andwhat isn't part of the policy,
it at least increases theunderstanding, doesn't fill in
all the gaps.
It makes sure they understand.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
If I could have one best friend in the world,
richard, it'd be understanding,because when understanding comes
, then, you know what to do.
It eliminates the back end.
If someone had taught me I wasjust very young, then If someone
had taught me what I needed todo about maintenance, I needed
to do about my house, then Icould have avoided that.
Just sitting down with someonethat had some education, some
understanding, I, just sittingdown with someone that had some
(22:02):
education, some understanding Ithink that's one of the things
that this 1-800-AIDS that we'reliving in.
We're missing.
That you know.
We're missing that.
As you said, that customerservice.
And that's what you provide, andthat's wonderful.
If there was one thing, richard, that you wish that people knew
about the heart of Don's SelfState Farm, richard and all the
(22:27):
other crew there at Don's SelfState Farm but they probably
wouldn't know unless you sharedit with them.
And today you'd like to juststate it loud and proud here on
the Good Neighbor podcast toeverybody, so they'll know what
would that be?
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Boy.
It's kind of hard to narrow itdown to just one thing, scott,
but I think if we would rather Isay this to customers a lot I
would rather tell you the truthand not win your business than
to tell you a lie.
(23:01):
To win your business, I, I,there's no, you can't outlive a
lie.
And if you, if you, if youdon't tell the truth, it's hard
to remember what you toldeverybody.
You know you have to tellanother line, another line.
We don't tell the truth.
It's hard to remember what youtold everybody.
You know you have to tellanother line, another line.
We don't.
(23:21):
We just we'd rather tell youexactly the way it is, earn your
business, earn it by having arelationship, having those
conversations, as opposed totrying to trick you or lie to
you or to hide something.
So, as I said earlier, we liketo do business the old-fashioned
way.
We like to.
When someone is consideringchanging their family's or their
(23:42):
business's insurance thatthey've had for the last 15
years, if they're considering achange, for whatever reason, we
want to sit down and go over notonly what we propose but what
they currently have.
Look at them side by side, makesure that they have that
understanding.
Let's make sure that we'vecovered all the bases.
(24:05):
We don't want to leave anystone unturned All those cliches
, you know.
We want to make sure thatthere's no questions Once we,
once we've had that conversation.
We want to make sure that weanswer questions.
There's no misunderstandings.
You said a mouthful when yousaid you could just have have
one gift in life.
It would be understanding.
That's huge Understanding.
(24:27):
It's absolutely essential whenyou're talking about something
as important as your family'sinsurance plan.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Yeah, if you know, understanding came when I was
told when I first got my car at16, make sure you change at all
on a regular basis, because ifyou don't, it's just the life of
the engine.
That was understanding, so Iknew what to do.
But if I'd never been told that, and the next thing I knew my
motor had went down on me and itblew we used to use the term
(24:57):
blew up on me and it was ruined.
And then I found out I neededto change oil, that
understanding didn't help me atthat point.
That's right.
So if I'm willing to sit downand gain understanding now, it
can alleviate me having a lot ofproblems later.
(25:18):
That's the kind of point I'mtrying to get to.
You brought up the customerservice aspect of it.
That's important.
Richard, I appreciate you somuch today.
It's been wonderful talking toyou, hearing the heart of your
company and who you are.
I know it's your dad's company,but you're you're you're
company too, because you'reworking there and helping there,
and and and you tell Mr Donthat we're proud of him and and
(25:41):
keep up the good work and andrelax.
Time to start relaxing a littlebit.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's not one of his great, not one of his great
gifts.
Relaxing, Let me get him afishing pole, just go down.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
And that's not one of his great gifts relaxing, let
him get in the fishing pole,just go down and throw it in the
water, even if it ain't got noworm on it, probably not going
to happen at this point, scott.
I'm sort of resigned to that.
Well, we appreciate you so much, Richard, for coming on the
program today, and I want togive you a little space here and
I want you to tell us how toreach out to you, how to find
you.
If there's online, if there'smore information that people can
(26:15):
just tell us all the differentways that we can find out about
you.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Do this in reverse.
There's there.
There is.
We do have an online presence.
It's Don Self dot net Don Selfdot net.
You can find out just that.
That's our, our onlinestorefront.
You can find out just that.
(26:39):
That's our, our onlinestorefront you can.
You can tell an awful lot aboutnot just State Farm but how we
do business by looking at whatour presence online.
But the most valuable way thatyou can get in touch with us is
probably just by picking up thephone, calling us.
Let's have a conversation.
We can schedule a time to gettogether face-to-face or we can
have a meaningful conversationlike you and I are having today.
We can have it via Zoom orMicrosoft Teams or one of those
(27:00):
interactive methods online.
But if you just want to call ouroffice, our number is
423-396-2126.
You can call us any time of theday.
We're here from eight o'clockto five, monday through Friday,
and any one of our team memberswould be absolutely delighted to
have a conversation with you.
(27:21):
That first conversation mightbe information gathering, might
be having a talk about needsassessment and those kinds of
things, and it might lead to asecond phone conversation or
in-person meeting after we'vehad an opportunity to assess
needs and prepare.
Prepare an answer to some ofthose needs.
(27:44):
But phone call is a great start.
You know there's there.
You know save 15%.
15 minutes or less can save you15.
We can't even get all theinformation we need to have a
conversation in 15 minutes.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Seriously and we're not going to advertise that we
can.
We want to take that first fewminutes to get to know you a
little bit.
Get to know you and your familyvirtually or on phone.
Get to know what your needs are.
Understand that word againphone.
Get to know what your needs are.
Understand that word again.
Understand a little bit aboutwhat your needs are so we can
find out the best solution tofill those needs.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Yeah, anybody that tells you they can do it 15
minutes or less is moreconcerned about their bottom
line than they are yours, I meanthat's just the way it is.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
That's a mouthful right there, yeah.
I agree with that.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Well, don Richard sorry I was about to say Don
Richard thank you again forbeing with us today and we
appreciate you so much and havebeen a pleasure to have you on
the Good Neighbor podcast.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Been a lot of fun.
Scott, I really appreciate yourinvitation.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Absolutely.
And you know, to all the goodneighbors of the greater
Chattanooga region, aftermeeting Richard and you know,
learning a little bit more aboutDon Self State Farm and what
they do, what they offer, howimportant customer service is to
them.
And you know, I know, that hehopes that when you have this
(29:06):
need, that you'll keep them inmind and that you'll reach out
to their website, meet you atdonselfnet or to their phone
number either one and to contactthem.
Give them a chance In this daymicrowave age, I call it where
we want everything at the touchof our fingers instantly when it
comes to ensuring our family'sfinancial future, our financial
(29:29):
needs.
Slow down, slow down and take afew minutes longer and talk to
someone, ask the questions youneed to know.
Let them talk to you about thedifferent coverages to make sure
that you don't find yourself inthe position that Richard was
talking about, this unfortunatesituation that a family has
(29:50):
found themselves in now to leanon their house because they
didn't have enough coverage.
It's important.
If your homeowner realized thatvalues have shot out the roof
and so have building costs, thenyou might need to take another
look at what it would cost torebuild your home if you have a
total loss.
These things are important toour financial future.
It's not an agent A lot oftimes we look at oh, they're
(30:13):
just trying to make more moneyoff of us.
It's not that.
It's about making sure you'retaken care of, because if you're
not taken care of, who's itmatter who the insurance agent
you've got, but if you wantsomebody that will take care of
you, you need to find that oneyou trust and they'll provide
you the education andunderstanding you need.
And Silent Richard's a good one, so I know he hopes you'll keep
(30:36):
him in mind.
And before ending the episode, Iwould also like to say thank
you for all the listeners outthere who have taken time out of
your day to listen to the GoodNeighbor podcast.
As always, please remember tosupport the locally owned and
operated businesses in thegreater Chattanooga region, from
Cleveland to Dalton, jasper toBenton, all the little
(30:57):
communities in between.
They're all important and allof our businesses are important.
So my name is Scott Howell.
Again, I'm with the Friends andNeighbors Group.
Been wonderful having you today.
Everyone, go out and make thisa remarkable day.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpclevelandcom.
That's gnpclevelandcom, or call423-380-1984.
Thank you.
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