It became apparent to both companies during the meeting last May, however, that each could profit from a partnership that paired the marketing and real estate background of the Converge partners with the insurance company's underwriting strength.

"We did a little bit of due diligence on them as I'm sure they did on us," Paul DiFrancesco, Bankers Insurance senior vice president in charge of product management, tells GlobeSt.com. "They're a bunch of bright people who came to us with a marketing plan and a premise with an answer to our marketing problem. While we had success selling at the individual level through our insurance agents, we ultimately needed someone who knew the real estate industry."

The success of the partnership is proven in the contracts they've signed. Customers now include organizations such as Property Counselors Management Group, the Chicago-based multifamily property manager company, which has expanded operations into Southwest Florida; and Associated Estates Realty Corp., the Cleveland-based owner-manager of 32,000 apartment units in 14 states.

"We are seeing a very strong level of interest from property owners across the board," Davies said. "We now had a dedicated marketing staff working nationwide. We've been out using our contacts, and we've done some marketing at the trade shows to make our presence known."