Emergencies are part of everyday living. When they hit individuals and commercial entities, they don’t come knowing. Talk of road accidents, workplace injuries, lawsuits, illness, and even death, most emergencies can put a huge financial toll on the bearer. Luckily, insurance companies are available to bridge the gap and cater to your needs when some of these emergencies strike. With an active insurance policy, you will have less to worry about when it comes to the financial aspect of it.
This is why insurance agents are among the most important professionals these days. Both for independent brokers and representatives at insurance companies, working as an insurance agent is a rewarding career. It is full of growth opportunities, and the amount of money you can earn is virtually limitless. However, you should possess several qualities to be successful as an insurance agent. These are qualities and personalities that help you navigate the various challenges in this line of business and avoid plummeting down the career ladder.
If you envision yourself as anything close to this, here are some qualities that make a good insurance agent you should learn about.
1. Market Aggressiveness
For starters, insurance agents are marketers as well as salesmen. For this reason, they need to be aggressive and persistent in looking for new opportunities, conducting research, gathering feedback, and asking for referrals. Of course, all this should be done in a friendly way without making the existing clients or contacts feel pressured, pestered, or offended.
As a matter of fact, this trait should exist even before one secures a job or starts an agency business. If you are looking for a job, this page at StateRequirement.com lists thousands of insurance jobs as they become available. They are regularly updated with comprehensive details. Potential employers can also utilize the internet to find the most competent candidates. Insurance is a competitive market, and aggressiveness will help put your best foot forward.
2. People Skills
To become a great insurance agent, you just have to be good at relating to people. Your people skills will go a long way in helping you better connect with your prospects and work with them to find the best solutions for their problems. Rather than just focusing on closing a sale, having people skills also involves being a good listener and always putting your client’s interests first. It allows you to establish long-term relationships and even attract referrals from your existing clients. Instead of focusing on deals that offer you the highest commission, it is important to sell to clients what best suits their needs.
It also involves offering great customer service, especially after making a sale or when a prospect requests for information about your products and services. With persistence and consistency, this increases their likelihood of renewing business with you or bringing in new leads and referrals.
3. Honesty
While you can score a few sales through deceptive tactics, dishonesty will not keep you long in the business. Insurance clients need covers that will benefit them and suit their needs at the end of the day. It is important to be honest as an insurance agent when explaining the terms and conditions of a policy to a prospective buyer. This is even more important to insurance brokerage agencies who deal with different insurance firms and want to remain in business for long.
4. Product Knowledge
Most insurance companies deal with a wide range of products. As an insurance agent, you may or may not be given the responsibility to sell more than one product. Whatever you are selling, you will need to master everything you can about the specific products. Having extra knowledge even about products you do not deal with can be a plus to your career because you will be able to cross-sell. Most importantly, a deep understanding of various products allows you to sell insurance to a prospect or client based on their needs.
5. Good Communication Skills
As earlier mentioned, insurance sales demand great communication skills. It makes you a good listener and allows you to cultivate lasting relationships. It makes prospects consider you friendly, supportive, and professional. With good communication skills, you can easily grow your network, attract new leads, and keep existing clients coming back to renew their policies.
6. Energetic
Needless to reiterate, the insurance industry is a highly competitive one. It comes with a bunch of challenges, including rejection and periods when you register NIL sales. If you maintain positive energy as an insurance agent, you are able to take rejection and declined offers positively with a smile. With enthusiasm and an energetic spirit to assist, it is also easier to convince prospective clients to make a purchase. Your confidence could help attract referrals, even from a client who rejected your offer.
Finally, a great insurance agent should also have the urge to learn new things. This way, it is easier to expand your talents and grow your career. After all, you should expect to undertake training programs every now and then once you get employed by an established insurance firm. This may include classes, mentoring, and online training programs, most of which are continuous throughout the career. The above qualities make a big part of what it takes to become a great insurance agent.
