Insurance Agent Forum

[mikemadly]

Hi everyone,

Have taken the required class at prelicensetraining.com including the study hull which has bunch of study questions and answers to get my P&C license (for California), however I failed the test, the test was nothing like what I had studied...

What do I do?
Are there any other decent / better classes I can take to help me pass the test?

I have just found out that some companies sponsor you to get your license, can I still do that? or since I have started on my own I have to finish it on my own? what are some companies who offer this?

What company should I start out with; I like to start with Auto insurance.

My background is in mortgages sales and secondary marking of mortgages so I do not have any experience in insurance and I am very excited to learn about it and start my new career...

Sorry for the long questions, any help would be greatly appreciated...

mikemadly@yahoo.com

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Auto insurance. Tough start. Gee, I don't know. maybe one of the left coast brokers can help.

[GreenSky]

My son failed the test 2 years ago because he did not put the time in to study. Not saying that the same for you, but when he reviewed questions for 4 weeks prior to the test, he passed the 2nd time.

He did the 52 hours of (then required) classroom training, took the test and failed. He then signed up for 30 days of testing via the internet, took the test, and passed.

He went to Lytespeed Learning. You might look at their internet stuff and give yourself another change.

I understand that a high percentage do not pass the 1st time so don't be discouraged.

Rick

[insuremojo]

Don't beat yourself up because a lot of people fail the exam on their 1st try. Hey, even myself! I took the fire & casualty in CA the 1st time and failed. Had to really sit my butt down and study and passed on the 2nd try. Yeah, went from studying like 15 hours on the 1st try to about 40 hours of studying on the 2nd, all the week of.

Anyways, I passed my life on the 1st try no problem but the fire & casualty really just covered so much freakin material.

By the way, it'll be worth it because it's so easy to make quick money on auto insurance. Everybody needs it by law, everybody is looking to save some money, and it's so easy to prospect for.

I used www.adbanker.com

[mikemadly]

thank you both for your reply, I will try Lytespeed Learning since its so close to me and heard about them before....this should teach me a lesson to research more about takeing online classes...prelicensetraining.com realy blows and outdated...I wasted my money and time

Thanks

[mikemadly]

thank you both for responding, I will just try again

[Agent Jeff]

Originally Posted by insuremojo

By the way, it'll be worth it because it's so easy to make quick money on auto insurance. Everybody needs it by law, everybody is looking to save some money, and it's so easy to prospect for.

I used www.adbanker.com

insuremojo, you could be a source of some exciting info! What is the easy, quick money way to prospect for auto insurance sales?

[Agent5913]

I failed P&C twice before I passed it.

Study more, ull get it.

[HomeService]

1. take an actual class in a classroom setting.
2. go to actual training sessions at your agency, like you are licensed, learn on the job. { don't actually sell while unlicensed, but go through role playing scenarios and sales training and product knowledge classes with other agents/managers.}
3. read your own policy and your relative's policies.
4. go to the library and read old books { some as old as the 1930's and 1940's} on "the principles of insurance"

[insuremojo]

Originally Posted by Agent Jeff

insuremojo, you could be a source of some exciting info! What is the easy, quick money way to prospect for auto insurance sales?

Maybe you won't think it's so exciting once you do it! LOL, door to door. What I meant by quick money is that commissions are advanced and you don't have to wait a month for commissions (health, life..) To me it's quick and easy.....I guess when you compare to health and life anyways.
I do my fair share of auto/homeowners/renters/health/life and whatever else I can get people to listen to me about!

Auto & homeowners pays the bills and health and life is just icing on the cake.

[Agent Jeff]

Originally Posted by insuremojo

Maybe you won't think it's so exciting once you do it! LOL, door to door. What I meant by quick money is that commissions are advanced and you don't have to wait a month for commissions (health, life..) To me it's quick and easy.....I guess when you compare to health and life anyways.
I do my fair share of auto/homeowners/renters/health/life and whatever else I can get people to listen to me about!

Auto & homeowners pays the bills and health and life is just icing on the cake.

You have had good success going door-to-door selling auto insurance? Is this residential or small business? Is your pitch basically an offer of a free quote?

[Frank Stastny]

I believe the most common reason people fail is because they do not read each word in each question very carefully. The questions are worded so if the person skims the question instead of reading it several times the wrong answer will immediately pop into you mind. Read the questions a second time slowly and then see what answer comes to mind.

[healthagent]

Double-negatives get a lot of people:

"Which is the answer does not does describe the correct definition of universal life insurance."

Like Frank said, people skim it, read the question above and chose the wrong answer.

[insuremojo]

Originally Posted by Agent Jeff

You have had good success going door-to-door selling auto insurance? Is this residential or small business? Is your pitch basically an offer of a free quote?

It varies, I've prospected and written business on auto from that same day of prospecting and some hit later on. Just got a request for an auto quote today from someone who picked up my card from some door to door I did about a month ago. Probably gonna close him and make an easy $100 commission for about 30 minutes work. Not huge, but they add up.

When I go door to door residential I average 2-4 ok's to quote per hour. And, if I'm quoting the autos I'm also quoting the home for the multipolicy discount. Sometimes when I'm doing business to business asking for health/life quotes people will just ask for an auto quote instead.

Nothing to my pitch really, "I'm a local insurance agent out meeting my neighbors and offering my services" "Is there anything I can help you with?" "At so&so office we have great rates and typically save people people about 20-30 percent on their auto & homeowners insurance." "Can I get you a quote?"

Give good service and people start referring their friends and family to you and you have a steady stream of quotes coming in. Steady stream of quotes equals steady stream of business.

[HomeService]

mojo, I think you are definately on the right track. I've been selling small burial life for 20 years door to door, and always wondered why the P&C agents are stuck in an office. A few years ago, { a decade ago} one of our big debit companies that is here in TX got bought out by Unitrin and started selling Fire insurance. They are one of the few writers of lower priced homes and mobile homes. They were already used to selling life door to door, so they started selling the P&C stuff that way -as well. No car insurance that I know of, though, for those guys.

This leads me to a question: Sounds like you have an ins office somewhere, but choose to prospect door to door at times. Can a broker work from his house on P&C stuff, or does he have to have a "set" office somewhere???

[Agent Jeff]

Originally Posted by insuremojo

Sometimes when I'm doing business to business asking for health/life quotes people will just ask for an auto quote instead.

Now there's an idea. It could be like how the boy scouts sold Robert Cialdini the two chocolate bars which he didn't want. They first asked him to buy a $5 raffle ticket, when he declined they said "well at least take a couple chocolate bars for a buck each."

Open with a health insurance pitch, they decline, then scale it back to an auto quote which they may grant as a favor for you reducing your request to an even less disgressionary insurance.

[insuremojo]

Originally Posted by HomeService

This leads me to a question: Sounds like you have an ins office somewhere, but choose to prospect door to door at times. Can a broker work from his house on P&C stuff, or does he have to have a "set" office somewhere???

I think you can do it either way (from home & office). I have an office that I do work from but occassionally I'll just work from home. You can sell p&c over the phone and do it with phone/fax/email, so b