Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another interesting article about insurance agent duties.
If you are already dreaming of a career as an insurance agent, it is only natural that you understand what is expected of you.
The good news is that you don’t need to be scared, because even though these duties are essential, they are not complicated.
To be more specific, here is a summary of what we will cover in this insightful and well-researched article on Insurance Agent Duties:
Without wasting much time, let’s get started!
Responsibilities of an insurance agent
Now to the main question of the day: what are the duties of an insurance agent?
Generally, insurance agents market and sell policies from insurance companies to clients.
They do not just sell these policies; they also explain what each policy involves, taking each client’s needs into consideration.
Finally, they help these clients choose the policy that best meets their needs
There are several smaller tasks in between these duties. They are summarised below:
- Reach out to potential customers using whatever means possible with the aim of increasing their customers.
- Speak with each potential client to ascertain what their needs are, what type of insurance plan is available, and which plan will best suit their needs.
- Intimate them about the features and prospects of each available insurance policy
- Find out current insurance policies that clients have subscribed to and propose modifications or additions where necessary.
- Help each client access customizable insurance plans based on each client’s peculiar needs.
- Assist clients with the renewal of insurance policies and plans
- Help clients with records management (either electronic or paper copies)
- Maintain electronic and paper records
To grow faster as an insurance agent, and of course, to maximize your income, it is wise not to limit yourself to just one or two types of insurance sales.
Here are various types of insurance jobs you can find as an agent:
Property and casualty insurance: They obtain rights to sell insurance policies that protect individuals and organizations from losses due to property damaging occurrences.
These property damaging occurrences include fire, accidents, natural disasters, and robbery.
This insurance guarantees that even if these clients experience any of these events, they can claim certain benefits like compensation, liability claims, and medical support.
Life insurance: This type of insurance focuses on selling insurance policies that will compensate families or beneficiaries of each client when they die.
Life insurance also deals with annuities and other retirement packages.
Medicare or health insurance: When clients need to cover their medical expenses or the medical bills of their immediate families, medicare insurance companies come to the rescue.
Health insurance agents market these policies from health care insurance companies to clients by explaining the details of each policy and the cost.
Your responsibilities include helping clients sift through several policies and helping them choose the best.
Health insurance agents also sell disability and dental insurance plans.
Qualities required of an insurance agent
To succeed as an insurance agent, you need to cultivate certain skills.
You must be ready and willing to assist people, persuade them, and oversee multiple ideas at the same time.
Why do you need to have an interest in assisting people?
Because it is not all about you in the world of insurance policy sales.
It is all about the clients and what will benefit them.
Your ultimate goal is not just to make money but to provide helpful advice, counsel, and motivation.
In effect, it is like spoon-feeding them what they need to know for their own benefit.
If a baby is crying for food, you need to be gentle while feeding the child nutritious food.
In the same vein, their greater good comes first, not your need to earn commissions.
You must also be skilled at persuading people.
For example, even if an insurance policy is good, if you can’t convince your client that they need it, they may opt for similar policies from a contemporary insurance company.
You need to learn the basics of the insurance policies that you are marketing.
This makes it easier for you to explain why your client needs it.
The truth is that if the policy you are selling does not meet the insurance needs of your clients, the chances are high that you may lose these clients or may never get new clients.
Good organization skills are needed to manage many clients at the same time.
Different clients have different needs, and you as an insurance broker must be abreast of these minor differences from one client to the order.
You must endeavor to keep accurate records (either electronically or on paper).
Know your customers well and keep their peculiar customer needs in mind every time you interact with them.
Key Qualities of an insurance sales agent
Communication: A good insurance agent must be very good at communication.
Learn to communicate regularly with existing clients as well as old clients.
You must also be willing to reach out to new clients.
Learn to communicate with them when they have questions about the insurance policies you have already sold to them or the new one you are currently trying to convince them to buy.
Logical reasoning: You must be real when analyzing various insurance policies with respect to your client’s needs (s).
Remember the fundamental principle: it is not all about you but about them. Be factual and truthful. Don’t hesitate to let them know what is beneficial or harmful.
Full of creative ideas: Retaining your clients is your responsibility. To do this, you must be creative.
For instance, you can add specific incentives to their packages.
Discounts and other insurance perks make it easier to obtain policy renewals.
You can also add a reward for each successful referral or you may speak to the insurance company to give discounts on payments.
You may also help them fulfill the role of an underwriter.
An underwriter is someone who can help you assess the level of risk associated with an insurance policy.
Since risk management is an essential part of any business deal, be creative by fulfilling this role selling insurance policies.
Educational Requirements
Checking through a typical insurance agent job description, it is clear that the minimum requirement for becoming an insurance agent is a high school diploma.
To increase your chances of being chosen by bigger insurance companies, it is not out of place to obtain a bachelor’s degree in relevant courses.
The final step is to apply for a certification or license to become an agent.
Licensing rules and protocols differ from state to state.
In some states, you will be required to put in a specified number of hours in insurance education.
Other states require that each person applying for an insurance agent license have some years of work experience.
Some prospective insurance agents have found public speaking classes to be very helpful in developing their communication skills.
Courses in economics, business, and finance can also help you sharpen your financial management technique.
These will come in handy when you start practicing.
Typical work environments and salary range
As with other regular 9-5 jobs, insurance agents meet with their clients during regular working hours.
They can thus focus on handling paperwork and other administrative tasks later in the day or during weekends.
Because of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of work from home insurance agents.
If you are searching online, you can refine your job search to “remote insurance agent jobs” so you can apply for jobs with a more flexible work schedule.
To benefit from this flexible work arrangement, you must have the following:
- A computer
- A stable internet connection
- Contact information of clients
How much do insurance agents make?
The approximate annual salary of insurance agents is $60,000 in the United States.
However, this figure can change depending on what company you work for or how many companies you are working for simultaneously.
Remember that you can either work as an independent insurance agent or as a captive insurance agent.
Conclusion
You can succeed in the insurance industry by working as an insurance agent selling several beneficial insurance products and policies.
However, you need to understand what you are going into if you must succeed in this role.
Don’t worry; anyone can be a great insurance agent as long as you meet the requirement.
If you still feel a little unsure, take the time to read through this article again to understand what you need to do.
We hope this article has given you the information you need to kickstart your career as an insurance agent.
We hope it has given you the confidence boost needed to take up this new challenge.
