Selling of any type involves a personal relationship with prospects; even large consumer companies such as Proctor and Gamble seek to establish images in the minds of consumers which make the consumers feel good about purchasing the products. For service providers, selling becomes a much more personal experience with face-to-face selling an integral part of the process. Insurance representatives develop relationships with prospects and clients which can last many years and which form the basis for a successful agency. Understanding the unique needs of each customer, their financial situation, their expertise in financial matters and their own level of risk taking is key to success in this business, and these skills are developed over the course of a career.
Successful insurance representatives do more than just sell insurance policies; they help develop financial strategies for clients which help their clients meet unexpected financial and personal setbacks in their lives. Because of the nature of the product, insurance representatives must be good listeners, and able to overcome objections which the clients may not even recognize. Resistance to products offered by the agent may arise not from a financial or logical reason, but because the prospect does not want to confront the issue of personal tragedy (in the case of home or auto insurance) or his own mortality (life insurance). Because of this, and because of the financial nature of the insurance market, this selling career presents more challenges (and more opportunity for personal reward) than many other selling opportunities.
I started a multi-line insurance agency in 1970 selling automobile, life, health and fire (homeowners') insurance. Since that time, when I had no staff and worked from my home, I have built an agency with a staff of nine and a full-service office. We are licensed to sell throughout the state, but we find that focusing on clients within a 30 or ...