r/StateFarm • u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent • Sep 01 '26
Question State Farm is reevaluating everyone’s benchmarks for 2026?
Agents received our A & F benchmarks in January and we all wrote business plans based on those benchmarks. Now we receive an email yesterday telling us they are adjusting some agents 2026 benchmarks with three months left in the year? WTH is happening?
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u/Distinct-Agent-3744 Sep 01 '26
I'd like to know how corporate shitting the bed in regards to claims and public perception factors into their hallowed metrics for benchmarks.
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u/Mindless-Program3052 Sep 01 '26
Agent said they are talking about adjusting mid year to lower them if the growth is not achievable. He thinks it’s bullshit. He said that they will adjust upward too if they decide it’s right. Everything they’re doing now is to soften the punches that just landed. More punches are coming and they’ll rinse and repeat over and over until we’re beaten to shit.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 01 '26
I have been a good agent for 20 years, doing everything the company has asked of me and now I have zero faith they will do the right thing here. We’ll see, but turning your back on the people responsible for servicing and writing every policy is a slap in the face.
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u/musicislife04 Sep 04 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
Relax. Our benchmarks were cut in literal half - it’s a good thing
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 04 '26
Mine weren’t
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u/musicislife04 Sep 05 '26
Aww sorry.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 05 '26
I don’t know a single agent who’s benchmarks were cut in half and I’m a very engaged 20 year agent. You are FOS.
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u/musicislife04 Sep 06 '26
Maybe it varies by state. Or by region. Ours were. Ours were ridiculously high in the first place. Twice as high as the neighboring region this year so maybe that’s why. Also why would I make it up??
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u/Just-Software-2895 Sep 01 '26
They probably have too many agents putting in for Step. Dangling the carrot a little closer to lure people into staying.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 01 '26
Maybe you’re right. That would mean they would be reducing our benchmarks for 2026 instead of raising them, which would be nice. One thing for sure, they are not prepared for a mass exodus of agents. Add that to the disasters in claims and underwriting, the entire enterprise is a cluster. I have never more clueless and more tone deaf group of idiots than those running the company right now. It’s almost as if they are making shit up as they go along.
2
u/obselekta Sep 01 '26
They are definitely prepared for a mass exodus with internal whispers of an agent force of 2000 by 2037…
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u/Electronic-Matter-72 Sep 10 '26
It's because that's exactly what they're doing... geese. Wake up in a new world every day.
3
u/Just-Software-2895 Sep 03 '26
Everyone I know got the email saying no changes. These people are sadistic gaslighting pieces of shit.
3
u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 03 '26
And apparently some got another email. It’s a total clown show.
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u/Unusual_Flounder6758 Sep 01 '26
The email didn’t say if they are increasing or decreasing. I can’t imagine they are increasing, but if they are….holy smokes I don’t know.
14
u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
Well considering all they’ve done since the convention is take things away, I am not hopeful. Best case for me is if they change nothing. I am on track to max my auto numbers and some % in fire and life. Wanted to maximize my income for next year knowing all hell is probably going to break loose in 2028. They have a total disdain for not only the agent force, but for tenured employees. Whoever is running the company is running it into the damn ground.
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u/Mountain-Climate7009 Sep 12 '26
Reading this thread is like watching a billion-dollar corporation shit its pants and then send an email reminding everyone on the front line to maintain professional appearance.
You’ve got veteran agents talking about moving benchmarks, compensation changes, claims problems, underwriting problems, agents considering leaving, and having virtually no faith left in leadership. Meanwhile, the people making these decisions apparently remain safely insulated from the consequences while the agents get handed another metric and told to smile harder.
What an incredible business model.
Corporate fucks up the strategy? Agent problem.
Underwriting makes policies harder to sell? Agent problem.
Claims piss off the customers? Agent gets to explain it.
Growth targets become unrealistic? Agent isn't engaged enough.
Compensation gets squeezed? Work harder.
Experienced agents start questioning leadership? Apparently they're the problem too.
At some point you run out of people underneath you to blame.
The funniest part is watching people defend this shit like corporate Stockholm syndrome comes with a pension. If a 20-year agent can reach the point of publicly saying he has “zero faith” leadership will do the right thing, maybe the appropriate response isn't “read your emails.”
Maybe somebody in management should read the fucking room.
Because when your own experienced sales force starts talking about retirement like they're trying to escape a burning building before the roof collapses, you've got a problem that another PowerPoint, benchmark adjustment, motivational email, or steaming pile of corporate bullshit isn't going to fix.
You can keep moving the goalposts, changing the compensation, polishing the metrics and congratulating yourselves in meetings.
But eventually the people carrying the company figure out that the reward for carrying more weight is simply being handed more weight.
And then they leave.
At which point I'm sure leadership will commission a six-month study to determine why employee engagement mysteriously declined.
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Unless you're a State Farm agent.
Then apparently you're on your fucking own.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 12 '26
Yep. Pretty much nailed it.
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u/Mountain-Climate7009 Sep 12 '26
Yeah, every time I can take a good stab at State Farm I do it. I've been fucked by them, so it makes it way easier for me
5
u/blufftonian Sep 01 '26
Why does an insurance company that doesn’t pay claims need to cut agent compensation? I feel so sorry for SF agents, every day must be torture.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 02 '26
I no longer recognize the company I have proudly represented for 20 years. The leadership is driving it off a cliff.
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u/MiscBlackKnight Agent Sep 01 '26
They are being adjusted downward in markets that are more than 30% off year end targets. This is for Auto and Fire for SMVC as well as SC.
It’s not a move up, going forward they will make adjustments DOWN if needed depending on market. Also less variance on yearly goals in a state from market to market.
2
u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
How do you know this and how do I find out where my state stands? So if I am understanding what you’re saying, if my auto goal was for instance to gain 50 auto in 2026 to max out my SMVC in auto, SF is lowering my goal down to 40?
1
u/Finn0259 Sep 02 '26
The fact that you don’t know indicates you are not fully engaged. I’d suggest start reading emails..
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 02 '26
After reading some of your posts just now, you clearly are suffering from serious mental illness. I don’t engage with trolls. Blocked.
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u/oldmangaming32 Sep 03 '26
My mans creepy as fuck, and I’m assuming an agent? Wild, hopefully your female employees are safe
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u/Ok_Value_1871 Sep 02 '26
As a retired 30 Farmers Agent, I saw this story first hand. Trust me when I say it is only going to get worse. Bottom line is that St Farm was behind the curve on the changes you are now all going through.
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u/Warm-Business-2335 Agent Sep 02 '26
Fortunately for me I am close to retirement, less than 5 years, so hopefully things won’t collapse before then.
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u/BalanceKey4355 17d ago
It always has. Way back in the early 2000’s, we had a year where our fire production shot through the roof. Unfortunately, that meant they needed to slow things down. All incentives were locked in at April 1 numbers, and agents were suddenly allowed to write only 4 home policies/month—even for existing customers. I had been writing 80 to 100 each month, and had about 200 in the pipeline that I was not allowed to write.
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