Auto
Partner Integration
Case Study
How Trailstone Insurance Group Drove Strong Retention and Expansion with New Benefit Offerings
Trailstone Insurance Group, an independent agency focused on simplifying insurance for families and businesses, was looking for a way to drive greater client value while supporting stronger retention and growth. Their solution was to offer FIMC’s Auto Hero and
Home Hero plans as a natural extension of their consultative, education-first approach.
The Right Fit for Trailstone’s Business
Trailstone positions itself as “the insurance agency of the future,” combining the flexibility of an independent agency with a modern, technology-enabled customer experience. The agency compares coverage across 40+ top-rated carriers, emphasizes service on the customer’s terms, and uses its proprietary TRAC process to keep protection aligned with client needs. Just as important, Trailstone leads with what it calls the “heart of a teacher,” helping clients understand their options rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all sale. Auto Hero and Home Hero fit naturally into that model, giving the agency another way to extend practical, value-added protection to its clients.
A Tailored Approach to Build Awareness
Trailstone’s success selling the Hero plans was driven not by the value of the offerings alone, but by a coordinated marketing approach between FIMC and the agency. Together, they paired Trailstone’s trusted client relationships with FIMC’s digital support, debuting a shopper landing page, educational videos, and social content to build awareness and reinforce value.
That approach reinforced Trailstone’s brand promise of honest guidance, smarter tools, and coverage that fits real customer needs, positioning Auto Hero and Home Hero as a natural extension of its client relationships—not just standalone add-ons.
Results That Reinforce the Strategy
Trailstone’s relationship-driven model, paired with direct client engagement that feels more like a Main Street independent agency than a transactional call center, translated into strong early performance. The agency achieved an outstanding 78% six-month retention rate for Auto Hero and Home Hero, showing the staying power these products have with customers.
Agent training was completed within one week, enabling Trailstone to launch quickly, build agent confidence, and incorporate Auto Hero and Home Hero into client conversations without disrupting its consultative sales process. The program’s early success also supported expansion into multiple additional states within the first year. Combined with strong retention and market expansion, that speed to readiness helped show the program was easy to adopt and aligned with Trailstone’s client-first approach.
“Auto Hero and Home Hero have been a strong fit for our agency because they complement the way we already serve clients—through education, personalization, and long-term relationship building. The products give us another way to deliver real value, and the retention results have reinforced that this is resonating with the customers we serve.”
– Mark Rodgers
President/Founder, Trailstone Insurance Group
For Trailstone, Auto Hero and Home Hero represent more than successful product sales. They showed how the right offerings, introduced through the right partner model, can strengthen customer relationships, unlock new revenue opportunities and deliver strong retention, with nearly 4 out of 5 members still enrolled after six months.
By staying true to its consultative approach and pairing human guidance with awareness-building marketing, Trailstone has shown how independent agencies can turn value-added protection into business growth.
