Ready to Become an Insurance Agent? 3 Tips to Getting Started

One of the reasons the insurance business is attractive to new agents is that it affords employment opportunities even in tough economic climates. Thanks to consumer needs and regulations, insurance products are always in demand, whether life, hazard, automobile or any of the other insurance lines that are continually in development. Here are a few tips gleaned from experience to help anyone trying to launch a career in life insurance.

Prepare a full database of friends, family and business associates.

The first tip to become a life insurance agent is to create a thorough database of all of your friends, family, former co-workers, and neighbors. A basic one can be developed in a spreadsheet program, even a free application such as Google Docs, or you can invest in a customer relationship management software (CRM) which can organize your contacts, conversation notes more effectively like ALISS.

These identities will form your first kernel of business and are the ones you initially send an announcement letter or make a phone call to when you start marketing. While those you contact might not have a need for your services, they might know someone who does and provide a valuable referral. New customers gained this way will hopefully provide their own referrals in turn, expanding the business without a large advertising expense.

Decide on your branding before you start.

The second tip is to develop a branding strategy right away, before you print a single business card or design your first flyer. Independent agents have more leeway in how they can market and differentiate themselves, but even agents hired by large corporations with strict marketing guidelines can get creative with a unique slogan or other way to get attention.
Another way to do this is to develop a niche that you will focus all of your attention on, whether it is a specific product line or serving a specific target market. By focusing on a specialty, you will be able to distinguish yourself from other agents and build a brand around it.

Develop deep product knowledge.

One last tip that will allow you to become an insurance agent that really serves customers while distinguishing yourself from others is to develop in-depth knowledge of your offerings. Knowing the ins and outs of all of your products will help you become an expert advisor rather than a salesperson that continuously pushes one or two “hobby-horse” policies simply because those are the only ones understood.

As can be seen, to become an insurance agent requires a considerable investment of time and effort. By starting out with an intelligent plan that includes building a referral base, branding, and product knowledge new agents can avoid spinning their wheels and become productive right away.