How to Get Insurance Sales Jobs in 2021: 7 Top Tips
In this blog
- Consistent Effort
- Educate Yourself Before Applying For Insurance Sales Jobs
- Choose Your Employer Wisely
- Choose Your Line of Insurance For Sales Jobs
- Make and Maintain Connections For Insurance Sales Jobs
- Convince Your Potential Employers Why They Need You
- Ask the Right Questions
- Bonus Tip: Be Social Media and Tech Savvy
Consistent Effort
In your career, you are likely to see a lot of rejection and failed sales before you start seeing new clients as well as returning customers. The key to turning the tables is consistently putting forth effort despite your failures. Here are a few things you can focus on:
- Enrolling in degrees and certificates that are customized to help you in your career.
- Developing your marketing strategies.
- Adding lines of insurance to your repertoire that the general public may need.
- Working on your customer service skills.
- Keeping your CV updated.
Educate Yourself Before Applying For Insurance Sales Jobs
Even though you only need a high school diploma to get insurance sales jobs, you can stand out if you have a bachelor’s degree in marketing or finance. You can also get different designations catered to agents who want to flourish:
- Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
- Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC)
- Certified Risk Manager (CRM)
- Associate in Risk Management (ARM)
- Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI)
Take your pick and make your CV worth a double-take.
Choose Your Employer Wisely
Sure, insurance agencies can be picky, but so can you. A high salary, generous commissions, and company benefits may have you interested in an agency that either does not motivate you, care about your career growth, or have the same goals as you. It may be detrimental to your career in the long run if you work with incompatible employers.
Decide whether you would like to work as captive or independent agents. Each route has different pros and cons. Additionally, there are different insurance careers to choose from in the insurance industry.
Choose Your Line of Insurance For Sales Jobs
Before you look for insurance sales jobs, you can choose what line of insurance you want to specialize in as well as how many niche policies you wish to include. The major lines of insurance are:
- Life
- Property
- Casualty
- Health and Disability
Furthermore, you can decide if you want to sell personal or commercial lines of insurance; of course, you may choose both. Remember, you need to keep up with the new niches in these lines if you want to sell effectively. Thus, we advise you to take a comprehensive course in risk management and customer service like the AAI designation.
Make and Maintain Connections For Insurance Sales Jobs
Since your career survives on building relationships with clients and agencies, you must make new connections while maintaining old ones. Rewarding clients who refer you to new leads is a tried-and-true way to drum up new business while keeping your current clients happy.
If you’re finding it difficult or too time-intensive to generate new leads, then it’s possible to work with an insurance agency that helps you focus on generating and chasing leads. Usually, they can take care of after-sales services for you as well.
Become a part of an ever-growing insurance directory.
Get your profile listed and increase your book of business.
Convince Your Potential Employers Why They Need You
People and agencies don’t usually hire insurance agents that are unprepared and unorganized. Make sure that you have the right information as well as the confidence to boot. Let your appearance mirror your enthusiasm, as most entities and clients will look to work with put-together agents. It also shows that you respect your job and employers enough to make an effort to look professional.
Develop your portfolio continuously, and show your employers that you have made successful sales. All they want to see in you are that you are reliable and have the right skill set to be an asset to them.
Ask the Right Questions
To make it in this field, you need to have the right mindset. Ask your future employers the right questions before you start work. Some insurance and sales-related questions to ask on your next job interview are:
- Who is my target customer?
- Do I get to start selling on my first day?
- Which states will I work in?
- What are my prospects in a year?
In short, you need to ask career-minded questions. You need to be thinking about the next move all the time as well as stay two steps ahead of your competition.
Bonus Tip: Be Social Media and Tech Savvy
In the US alone, Statista found that global social media usage stood at 49 percent as of January 2020. Insurance agents and businesses have gone online and are increasingly relying on technology to advance their insurance marketing strategies. An insurance agent who can work their way around insurance software is an asset to the agency. You can market yourself on social media platforms and use them to bring traffic to your agency website. Always keep yourself updated on the newest software and tools to help you out in your career.
Now that you know these tips, it’s time to brush up on your skills and look sharp for your next insurance sales job interview. A career as a captive or independent insurance agent can indeed be challenging, but you are sure to make definite progress if you persevere. Good luck with your next job application.
How did you find our article? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.
Become a part of an ever-growing insurance directory.
Get your profile listed and increase your book of business.
Related Articles
Smart Choice Insurance vs. Covered by SAGE
Helping Agents Make the Better Choice
Brightway vs. Covered by SAGE
Choose Wisely
Goosehead vs. Covered by SAGE
Which is Better for Agents?