You have heard about horror stories of people going into debt after developing an illness, getting into an accident, and so on. This is how insurance protects you. In the event of a potential financial loss, your insurance provider steps in and minimize the damages you incur.
Becoming an insurance agent can be a lucrative career. Whether you are selling medicare insurance or property insurance, you can earn a lot of money from it. However, it is not easy. You cannot just sit inside your office and expect money to start pouring in. There are certain traits necessary to be successful in the industry.
Good People Skills
This job will require you to talk to all kinds of people and convince them to choose your company as their insurance provider. You have to talk about their needs and how you can help them.
But your job does not end after they have signed up. You are required to give them your phone number and respond to their inquiries and address their concerns promptly.
If you do not enjoy communicating with people or you do not have the patience to deal with complaints, this is not the job for you. To be a good insurance agent, you need to be able to listen to your clients and communicate your point across efficiently. Your clients will be happy and continue to choose you as their provider if they feel that they are valued, not dismissed.
Persistence
In this industry, persistence is one of the most important traits that a person should have. Although right now, a client is not ready to invest their hard-earned money into acquiring insurance, they still might change their mind in the future. You have to persist; figure out ways you can keep your name in their memories so that, when they are finally in the position where they can get insurance, you will be the first person to call.
However, be careful not to badger customers. That will only annoy them and push them away. As an insurance agent, you also need to be prepared to hear the word “no” a lot. After all, every “no” is one step closer to finding the client who will say “yes.”
Honesty
Even if your goal is to sell, you should never use deception to convince your customer to get insurance. Agents who deceive customers rarely stay in the company for a long time. In fact, some even end up behind bars for tricking their clients.
A good insurance agent is honest. They tell their clients what and what will not be covered by their insurance. This clarifies the agreement and prevents the company from encountering any problem in the future. Most importantly, honesty makes people trust you. When people trust you, they are more likely to get their insurance from you.
Intelligence
You have to know what exactly you are selling to convince anyone to get insurance from you. You do not have to be an expert in economics, law, or medicine but you have to know enough to explain it to regular folks using terms that they will understand. In some cases, you may even have to figure out how your products will fit into a client’s overall financial situation, prompting some agents to earn financial planning designations on top of an insurance agent license.
Like any other job, becoming an insurance agent requires hard work. You will not be able to last in the industry if you cannot invest time and effort into it.