Declaration of Independents: Clay Snellings

Clay Snellings

Principal
Snellings Walters Insurance Agency
Atlanta

It was a silver-lining moment in 2011: Clay Snellings phoned Scott Dalton, Chubb senior vice president, to apologize for withdrawing from an agency council meeting; Snellings’ daughter, who has cystic fibrosis, was unexpectedly in the hospital. Thanks to that call, Chubb found the Atlanta agency partner it needed to support its efforts on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

Within 30 days, the partnership had generated more than $30,000 at the CFF Great Strides walk. Today, Snellings spends 20% of his time managing the agency’s CF cause. In March, he received the CFF Corporate Champion Volunteer Leadership award, and in April the agency received the Trusted Choice® Dan Fulwider Award for Community Involvement.

At Snellings Walters, partners embraced Simon Sinek’s 2011 book “Start with Why.” Among the five core values the partners identified, being “purposeful to serve others because of a higher calling” would affect Snellings most deeply.

FUNDRAISING JOURNEY?

In 2012, we became Georgia’s presenting sponsor, included other insurance companies and raised $80,000. This May, we blew through $1 million, had 45 insurance firm teams and expanded to Nashville, Tennessee. Our goal: In 10 years, Insure the Cure will be a national industry effort, will be present in 50% of U.S. CFF Great Strides walks and will raise $2 million.

YOUR FUTURE?

My business partners said, “Clay, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the thing that Snellings Walters as a company is going to do.” I am motivated to find a cure so the 70,000 people affected by cystic fibrosis can live long, healthy lives.

WHAT DID ‘WHY’ CHANGE?

My dad, who is 92 and retired for 23 years, started this company in 1952. When I joined at 22 in 1986, his mantra to me was, “if a customer wants what we have to sell and has the resources to pay for it, then they are a good customer.”

Sinek’s book inspired my business partners and me. We believe that others don’t engage with your company because of what you do or how you do it, but because of why you do it. Today, we have evolved our company to make our decisions and to align the values of our customers and our employees based on the “why.” Our “why” is our mission statement: Inspiring others to achieve that which they thought not possible. Another great book, “Traction” by Gino Wickman, gave us a platform on which to achieve our vision.

My personal core values are incorporated in the company’s values, as are those of my business partners. We created them during a quarantined survey and discussion.

RESULTS?

When we, our employees and our clients believe in the same ideals, we all win. Snellings Walters has doubled in size and is a little above average in the growth category. Our results, though—in addition to the financial statement side—are higher employee engagement, higher employee productivity and higher employee retention. The alignment of our clients’ values with ours will allow us to protect and grow our book of business.