Help Me

[KenzieJ]

Hey everyone,

I am new to this forum just as I am new to the insurance industry. I just graduated from a four-year university with a Bachelor's in General Studies. I had an emphasis in Business and International Studies and a minor in Management. Now that I have returned home, I am looking everywhere to start my career. I have been thinking about the insurance industry because it seems like a stable job where you can eventually determine the amount of money you make yourself.

However, I have no idea what the best route is in which to start. I have read all about how life insurance is for the aggressive sellers and P & C is for the less aggressive ones. I do not have experience selling, but I am a great communicator and people like to listen to me, so I think I can excel in this area.

So I guess my question is, what is the best way to start a long insurance career. I have a meeting with an agent that I know personally to ask these same types of questions. She also said she could give me the names of some agents who might be looking for employment. I want to hear some opinions on what you all think is the best way to start out before I go in there.

Thanks

 

[pcbinsurance]

I believe your best option is to hook up with an experienced mentor and soak up all the knowledge you can.

Folks on this Forum also provide valuable wisdom and I would spend several hours reading various threads to get a feel for things in this industry.

If you tell us where in America you are located, there just might be someone here who will choose to mentor you.

Most of all, good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions....LOTS of them!!

 

[shawnmwalker]

Well you have a decision tree here. I'll lead you down one path, but it is biased.

"Begin with the end in mind"- 7 habits of Highly effective people.

Decision #1:

What end of the Ins Spectrum do you want? if you answered P&C keep reading. If ''Other" wait for the others to respond

D #2: Captive or Independent.

Captive:
Pro: They will teach you a lot but inevitably you will go Indy at some point in your career. Another Pro, they will subsidize your life for a time.
Con: The District Manager will push too hard or force life on you or cut your commissions or change your contract, or, ext, ext. Your Captive will take rate increases and kill your production and you will have one price point while others dissect your book one policy at a time.

Independent: :
Pro: Control expenses. Get higher commission. Higher conversion. Higher retention. All of those factors equal more money.
Con: Starting out. Getting knowledge. Your personality type could sink yourself.

Decision #3:

Once you decide Indy is for you, in the next week or 22 yrs from now. The question will be how to do it. Your options include:

Buy an agency.
Join a group.
Become a producer for an agency.
Get direct appointments.
Get an agency that provides the back end service so you can hunt full time.

You decide which one is best for you.


Decision #4: What group should I join?

There are a lot. Consider the following. NOT ALL GROUPS ARE CREATED EQUAL! They range from good, better and best.

Any group claiming to be best of class should provide the following:

1. Transparency
2. Training and support
3. Carrier Alignment
4. and a great Contract

Give me a call, shoot me am IM. Good luck and have fun with your choices.

I have been in Insurance for 10+ years and the great thing in this industry is you can choose to never stop learning. Your learning curve is never ending. Meaning you will never get board.

 

[Gooner]

Most of all, good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions....LOTS of them!!

Really? Really?? Before you ask questions...Hit the search function on the site....then after you've found questions no one has asked...ask it. JK..kinda

Is this too negative?

In all seriousness. You will need to be aggressive in either side of the business to find success.

 

[pcbinsurance]

Well, I did say this first: Folks on this Forum also provide valuable wisdom and I would spend several hours reading various threads to get a feel for things in this industry..

Then, I said to ask questions....but didn't say to ask them here per se. I believe she should hook up with a mentor who she can ask.

 

[Gooner]

Well, I did say this first: Folks on this Forum also provide valuable wisdom and I would spend several hours reading various threads to get a feel for things in this industry..

Then, I said to ask questions....but didn't say to ask them here per se. I believe she should hook up with a mentor who she can ask.

I know. Just busting balls. But damn, some people couldn't find a search button if it hit them in the face.

 

[xrac]

Well, I did say this first: Folks on this Forum also provide valuable wisdom and I would spend several hours reading various threads to get a feel for things in this industry..

Then, I said to ask questions....but didn't say to ask them here per se. I believe she should hook up with a mentor who she can ask.

That is a good answer. Why is every newby too lazy to search the forum and read enough that they can ask informed questions that we can answer. Not the same old, how do I start over and over.

 

[VolAgent]

That is a good answer. Why is every newby to lazy to search the forum and read enough that they can ask informed questions that we can answer. No the same old, how do I start over and over.

Newbies get it either way here. They get slammed for asking a question that has already been asked. Or they get slammed for reviving an old thread that was pertinent to their question.

 

[shawnmwalker]

The Gent has a point. As quickly as these threads get off topic if I were a newbie I would not go digging too long before I starting my own thread and asking for help.


So Far we have told this newbie to:
Go read.
Get a mentor.
and laid out some decisions she needs to make.

 

[xrac]

Newbies get it either way here. They get slammed for asking a question that has already been asked. Or they get slammed for reviving an old thread that was pertinent to their question.

Maybe, but I think there are too many people who do not want to work for anything. When I began to get interested in financial services I began to read everything that I could get my hands on about it (before I had internet access). When I began to actually look for a job and interview I had a good idea about what I was looking for and what "they were looking for."