Can You Tell Me A Little Bit About Being A Life Insurance Agent?
Posted July 16, 2009 – 10:19 am in: structured settlements FAQI work full-time in admin. I need more money though. I am a single mom with three kids and get very little support so I need ALOT of money. I have heard that sales is the way to go but I cant get a sales job becuase I have no experience. I work for a life insurance company and I think it is fairly easy to get a job as an agent without experience. I was just wondering if I can do it part-time on the side until I start seeing an income. I would also like to know If there are any downsides to it that I may not be aware of. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Tags: About, Agent, Being, Insurance, Life, Little, Tell
8 Comments
Definately not part time! It’s a tough business, one that I am thankful to not be a part of anymore. For those dedicated and willing to do the work, 6 figures annual will await. Your friends will begin to resent you as you need them to deliver dozens of potential leads for you to cold call and attempt to get appointments. Night time meetings with clients almost every night for the first year or two until you get an office established. Not to mention the 5 or 6 levels of testing necessary to get fully liscensed for Life, Health, Investments, etc.
Where do you live?In the USA you must have a license,and depending on what category you are selling ,even more licensing.It is not some profession where you can start “part time”and see what happens”.It is along term commitment to a carreer.It is also a long term commitment to your clients.
You’d probably make more money if you focus your free time and energy on getting child support from the father of your the three children. There are laws that require child support payments in most states.
Selling life insurance requires a lot of time and with a full time job and three children I don’t think it will work for you. Most people want their life insurance, auto and home policies with the same provider because discounts are offered.
My leads come from my auto/home clients. Where will you get your leads? Will the company provide them? How will you contact your leads? Phone at night or mail. Mail is very expensive and you get about a 1% return on the investment. Do you like sales calls when you get home from work? Do you like cold calling? And last but not least, can you take rejection?
Hope this helps.
If it is Part time…you won’t make it. Yes …you will sell to Family and friends…and if you are lucky a couple polices here and there.
My suggestion is to diversify your outlook. Get licensed for all lines including Property casualty. This will let you “account round” your clients. Maybe no more customers but bigger ones. GOOD LUCK!
You have to put a lot of hours into it. You met facinating people. You need the right creditials too.
Before you go to the trouble of being an insurance agent, you need to clarify the type you wish to sell. Since you work there, it should be simple.
Next, study the subject well and know that Insurance Salespeople have to have very thick skin. You WILL get a lot of doors slammed in your face and phones hung up in your ear. Plus a few choice words from some.
If you are the type that “cannot handle rejection” select another profession.
Next is the compensation. Most insurance carriers pay “Commission Only” They “Advance” a partial commission based on the premium collected from your client. If the client drops their coverage before a specific time, usually within one year, (Six months for some) you will get a “Charge-Back”.
That means you have had your advance commission rescended because the client did not fulfil the required time limit. There are several other negatives but you get the picture.
You can make appointments over the phone from cold-call or “leads” but you cannot “SELL” over the phone. You must meet fact to face. If you are meeting a couple, don’t try your pitch to just one. They will ALWAYS say “well I like it but I’ll have to talk it over with my wife first” He’s not a professional seller and by the time he explains it to his wife over some pillow-talk, she’s in the belief you are selling a scam and won’t even give you a second appointment.
Get both parties in the room at the same time or excuse yourself. It’s a waste of time.
I’m not saying don’t do it, just be aware of the uphill battle to sell, and the downhill battle to keep your income that you earned.
If you already work for a life insurance company, you probably have a lot of product knowledge. Maybe you could find a job working as an assistant for an established agent who would be willing to teach you the sales aspect of the job. Many will even pay for the licensing exams. You would earn a salary plus pick up commission for sales that are made. Successful insurance agents usually have more business then they can handle and are lousy at paperwork. Many are willing to train someone to help them keep their clients happy, handle the administration and develop additional sales from the client base. A good place to find these established agents is the local chapter of the NAIFA.
Definately not part time! It’s a tough business