Hello everyone! Welcome to an interesting and stimulating blog on how to succeed as an insurance agent. 

By the end of this article, you will understand the knowledge and strategies that you need to build a lucrative career in the Insurance industry. 

You’ll understand the following in this article:

Characteristics of a successful insurance agent
Sales and marketing tactics for insurance agents
Why do insurance agents fail? 
How to be a successful insurance agent 
Compensation of Insurance agents
Finding a top insurance agency to work for

So, if you are new in the insurance industry or have been struggling to achieve targets then this article is for you. 

Characteristics of a Successful Insurance Agent

While you may think that you have all the required skills to become a good insurance agent, your definitive success shall be achieved when you put these into practice. 

Successful insurance agents have specific skills and qualities that match together like pieces of the puzzle to create the whole picture.

Now the question arises, what skills should one develop to succeed as an insurance agent?

Following are some key characteristics that an insurance agent must possess to be successful.

People Skills

People skills are considered the most important characteristic of becoming the best insurance agent. 

Insurance agents should be comfortable communicating with people without any hesitation. 

Further, they should possess the ability to hold conversations about insurance policies without using complicated insurance jargon or technical terms that may mislead potential clients. 

Most importantly, an agent should always understand the client’s insurance needs first. This enables the agent to formulate a successful insurance program that the client might be interested in.

Good Salesmanship

It is known that an insurance agent should be a salesperson by nature. Therefore, the agents need to acquire strong sales skills to retain their clients and nurture their careers. 

Salesmanship can improve their skills by participating in special training programs and attending seminars.

Customer Service Skills

Along with salesmanship and people skills, a great agent requires strong customer service skills to succeed. 

Prompt response to queries through phone calls or email is a must. 

Clients expect their insurance agents to always resolve issues and clear their concerns. 

Good customer service skills go hand-in-hand and complement strong work ethics. 

High Energy Level

It is essential to be enthusiastic and passionate about what you do to succeed in the insurance industry. 

This leads to feeling motivated and upbeat, reflecting on your clients’ relationships.

Persistence and Honesty

Call it a dilemma, but the fact is that salespeople are not considered very reputed. 

So often, people suspect sales agents that they are not true to their commitments and merely try to sell the product at hand. 

Let’s clarify that deceptive insurance agents cannot stay for long in the insurance industry. 

However, a great agent will gain more trust and earn the client’s respect if he stays honest and tells the truth. 

This also helps in getting referrals and building a successful career. 

How to Make a Life Insurance Sales Call

During a sales call, insurance agents try to know their potential client’s background, income, and insurance needs; this process is termed “rapport-building.” 

After getting familiar with the background, the agent moves to underwriting-related information for further analysis. 

So, suppose you want to become a life insurance agent; after greetings, you will have to inquire about the above information of the prospect and then accordingly present the suitable life insurance plan.

New agents need to learn much more than just to sell life insurance policies. For example, the new agents should diversify their skillset by learning value-added services like budgeting and financial services.

Generate Leads with Insurance Marketing

An insurance salesman needs to learn the art of marketing himself to have a successful insurance career. 

To get new clients, cold calling may appear an obsolete method, but the fact is that it is a popular insurance marketing tactic that doesn’t cost anything and also produce results. 

For example, you can call the small and medium-size business owners in the local area and find out if any of them has any insurance needs. 

You can offer a variety of insurance products, such as life insurance, health insurance, annuities, auto insurance, etc. 

Also, it is very important to call back quickly and follow up if any prospect needs further information. 

However, if cold calling doesn’t seem effective, you may opt for non-verbal methods like email or text message. 

This is yet another insurance marketing tactic that can help you generate insurance leads. 

Many social media platforms are gaining popularity in recent times, which can be effectively used for insurance marketing, such as Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, etc. 

Why do Insurance Agents Fail?

Despite possessing all the required skills, many insurance salesmen fail. However, there are some known challenges that you need to overcome.

Lack of Knowledge and Experience

There are many factors involved when it comes to selling insurance. Foremost, you need to have a valid insurance license, develop insurance marketing strategies, examine insurance rates while having cutthroat competition with rival insurance agents. 

New agents might successfully acquire the insurance license, but without proper knowledge and support, they are likely to burn out and fail.

However, this can be overcome by participating in training programs and getting mentored by senior insurance salesmen. 

In addition, newbies can highly benefit from the golden advice of experienced agents. 

Set Unattainable Goals

Many new agents set unrealistic expectations in their first year when they see successful insurance agents with a lucrative client list and earning big numbers. 

They expect to achieve the same success immediately without realizing that those independent insurance agents have established their insurance careers with years of hard work and struggle. 

As a result, new agents easily get discouraged when they don’t get insurance leads and sometimes even quit.

So if you are a new agent and wonder how insurance agents get rich, you should take time to build your name and insurance career. 

Use the SMART goal framework to attain your goals gradually and successfully sell insurance.    

Focus on Commission Over Services

Agents are always on the lookout for new insurance leads, but it is essential to give your undivided attention to your existing insureds and provide great customer service. 

Don’t forget that word-of-mouth and referrals can bring many potential clients compared to cold calling. 

Losing an existing client base means that you will lose many potential prospects. 

How to Succeed as an Insurance Agent

You know what the characteristics of a successful insurance agent are. Now, let’s discuss how to strategize the course of action to become the best agent in town. 

First, you need to track down the entire quotes and bind rates of the insurance business every month. 

Give your special attention to these figures daily, as in the insurance industry, you get more quotes due to more activities, and consequently, it will bring more insurance policies. 

Hence, increase your productivity stats; make calls, and post multiple insurance products on social media platforms.

Secondly, plan all your face-to-face conversations about how you can help the insurance business, not just with insurance policies but with promotions, referrals, marketing ideas, etc. 

Keep in mind that the conversation should not be sales-oriented; rather, it should sound like you are assisting your local community in prospering.     

Lastly, Always remember that the premium amount that your client makes reflects on your income every six months or annually. 

This is because you receive a commission on every sale of the insurance policy and whenever the client makes a premium payment; this depicts that an insurance salesman’s income raises every six months due to renewals.

Truth About Being an Insurance Agent 

It is a known fact that Insurance agents enjoy many benefits; potentially, they can have unlimited earnings – which depends on their position in the insurance business or their level in the agency. 

In addition, their compensation package usually includes salary plus commission, which means the more insurance policies they sell, the more income they generate. 

Best Insurance Agency to Work For

If you are a new agent and wondering which is a better insurance agency or insurance company you should apply for, then make Google your best friend. 

You can search the keywords “best insurance companies” on Google, and you will be prompted with the best ones in your area. 

An important tip is to check the reviews and ratings of the top insurance companies. 

You can also apply for a job in insurance marketing firms, which is a great way to learn how to pitch insurance sales.

Another great social media tool is Youtube, which can be very effective in searching for the right insurance business. 

Partnering with the right insurance agency is important because struggling to sell insurance for the badly reputed insurance company can also hamper your image.

How Much Do Successful Insurance Agents Make

With strong salesmanship and required skills in the insurance industry, you can have a lucrative insurance career. 

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that as of 2020, an average salary of an insurance agent is $25 per hour or $52,180 annually, while the top 10% of most successful agents make over $125,000 per year. 

With the given numbers, the Bureau also forecasted that the insurance industry is growing at a fast pace. 

People are now vigilant of risks and financially conscious, so they intend to control the potential risks by having multiple insurance products.

When the agents gain enough knowledge and experience, they start up their own small insurance business, increasing their income. 

It is reported by Ziprecuiter that, on average, an insurance business owner earns $35 per hour or $72,499 annually.

There are plenty of strategies and ideas that you can adopt to become a successful insurance agent but never forget that it takes time for any business to flourish and build a strong insured base.

How Do Insurance Agents Get Clients?

Here are a few tips following which you insurance agents can get new clients. 

  1. Firstly, you need to dress appropriately to look professional and reflect that you mean serious business. You must have heard that the first impression is the last.
  2. Make partnerships with more carriers. This will boost your chance to get leads that can be turned into clients. However, this might challenge new agents as they may not have connections.
  3. Request your existing clients for referrals.
  4. Lastly, do not focus on one insurance, instead sell multiple insurance products, such as health insurance, annuities, auto insurance, life insurance, etc. 

Conclusion

Building a career in the insurance industry can be extremely lucrative if the right strategies are adopted. 

However, no one can flourish without putting in all the required effort. 

So, if you have been wondering how you can become successful in this field, then hopefully, you got all your answers.  

FAQ

References

David Duford

KKGuide

Hourly


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