If you’re considering becoming an insurance agent, you may know it means running your own business. For a lot of people, that’s a huge change. Gaining experience in the industry is crucial so you’ll be best positioned for success when you make the switch.
How to Get Into Insurance Work
One of the best ways to learn about the insurance industry is to start as an insurance sales associate and work alongside an agent. At Farm Bureau, many of our top agents started in the industry as sales associates.
Insurance associates have many duties that help agents make sure their clients are well cared for. They may:
· Serve as a resource for clients
· Write business
· Schedule meetings and reviews
· Return phone calls
· Give clients information
· Provide policy details, as long as they read from a script
· Help with paperwork
Working as an insurance associate shows you how an agency operates and how insurance professionals spend their days. You’ll work closely with an agent as they support clients, solve problems and build their business. When you decide to do it alone, you’ll have experience and knowledge that will help you support clients.
Build Transferable Skills in Your Current Job
If you’re looking into how to become an insurance agent, keep in mind that you may need a wide range of skills. You can gain and build those skills in lots of different fields and positions.
Sales
Selling insurance products is the cornerstone of working as an insurance agent. Working in sales in any industry will help you learn how to position your products and connect with your clients.
Marketing
When you run your own business as an insurance agent, it’s up to you to get your name out there. A background in marketing can give you the experience to build your brand and connect with potential clients.
Customer Service
Insurance agents deal with people from every age, life stage and personal background. They’re called on when people face several different problems ranging from fender benders to the death of a loved one. A background in working with diverse people and solving problems can be a solid asset to anticipating clients’ needs as an insurance agent.
Coaching and Teaching
A large part of the job of an insurance agent is helping people understand what insurance products they might need, the ways to protect their assets and how to tap into them when needed. Experience as a teacher or coach can help you educate people in ways they understand.
Management
As your business grows, you may want to add support staff. Experience managing people in other fields can transfer to your work as an insurance agent. With your leadership skills, you’ll know how to challenge and motivate people in a supportive workplace, and in turn, they will help your business thrive.
Farming
You might not think of agriculture as a career that prepares you for being an insurance agent, but farmers are used to running their own businesses. People with experience in agriculture have unique insight into the lives and challenges of people in rural communities, positioning them to be successful insurance agents in those areas.
You may think you only qualify for “no experience” insurance jobs. However, when you look at your current position or the jobs you’ve had in the past, you may realize that you have a lot of skills that would be used in your role as an insurance agent.
Make the Transition to Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau’s Developing Agent Program gives you the opportunity to learn what it’s like to run and grow an insurance business without leaving your current job. You can succeed as an insurance agent even if you don’t have any experience. If you’re considering making a move, reach out and learn how Farm Bureau might be the place for you.