In 2020, $1.2 trillion in net premiums was underwritten. This is only going to grow as more people embrace the importance of insurance.
Central to this process are insurance agents. These professionals work to find insurance clients, educate them about various insurance products, and ultimately sign them up.
If you’ve got great sales skills and would like to work in the insurance industry, this job could be a good fit for you. However, it’s a competitive field. Only the best insurance agents thrive. This begs the question: how do you become the best insurance agent?
Read on to learn how!
Get the Best Professional Training
It’s possible to get a job as an insurance agent with just a high school diploma, depending on the laws in your state. Employers who hire high school graduates will take them through on-the-job training, after which they work under experienced agents for several years.
However, this doesn’t mean you should get comfortable with a high school education. To become the best agent, it’s crucial to get professional training. Increasingly, aspiring insurance agents are going to college and pursuing associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in business, sales, and other closely-related fields.
There are also short courses in insurance that will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to be a competent insurance agent. And if your state requires – as most do – agents to get licensed before they can sell insurance, this training will put you in a better position to pass the licensure examination.
Learn from the Best
Most beginner insurance agents will work under experienced agents for some time. However, there are those who go straight into solo practice and start their own agencies.
The latter isn’t a bad move, but it means you’re getting started in the industry when you don’t have much experience. Your chances of being successful won’t be good.
It’s advisable to gain vast experience by learning from senior agents in the place you’ll be employed. Some of the skills you’ll develop include customer service, selling, and problem-solving.
Sell a Range of Insurance Products
Most insurance agents sell multiple insurance products as long as they’re properly licensed to sell them. There are some who specialize in specific products, though. For example, you can find insurance agents who only sell health insurance. Others only sell life insurance.
Specializing in one or two insurance products is a smart move, but it can narrow down your market. The best way to avoid this is to sell multiple products that complement each other.
For example, if you’re selling health and life insurance, you can add in final expense insurance. Trkingim.com has a helpful guide where you can learn more about final expense insurance.
Be the Best Insurance Agent
Pursuing a career as an insurance agent is challenging given the competition and the impossible task selling can sometimes be, but can also be richly rewarding. You just need to know how to become the best insurance agent. Put the tips fleshed out above to use and you’ll be well on your way to being the best.
Keep reading our blog for more career tips.