How do you become an insurance agent? How do you get clients? Do you need to be educated in order to sell insurance? Do you need to know about Instagram Ads? These are all questions that many potential insurance agents have, but they shouldn't stop them from getting into the industry. With the right attitude and some helpful advice, you can succeed as an insurance agent regardless of your experience or lack thereof.
Here are six tips that will get you started on the path toward success as an insurance agent.
1) Invite your friends and family
As with many new professions, it helps to have a few people who are familiar with your work know what you're doing and who you're doing it for. It's especially helpful when they have a vested interest in your success (like family members). Make sure they know that you can do a good job representing them—and make sure they know how. Invite everyone you know to a grand opening party or event; give them free tickets to something big; ask their opinions about making key decisions. Let them feel like part of your team and part of your project. And don't be afraid to advertise—word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways people hear about new business ventures.
2) Have a good digital footprint
Before you can even think about finding clients, you need to have a website. Your insurance website should include information about your background and history, describe your professional accomplishments, display your educational and certification credentials, provide a list of other satisfied customers, and direct potential clients to contact you with any questions they may have. Make sure it's mobile-responsive so people can find you on their phones. You also need a LinkedIn profile that includes links to your website and Twitter account. Update your digital footprint regularly—don't let it sit stagnant. If you don't keep things up-to-date people will forget who you are or what services you offer.
3) Know your product inside out
You've probably heard a million times that the devil is in the details, but that's actually a good thing when it comes to insurance sales. That's because you don't want to be so concerned with selling policies, especially at first, that you forget to focus on all of those little details. This can seem frustrating at first if you feel like your money is tied up in details, but once you become more established and start earning bigger commissions, paying attention to detail can mean huge dollars in your pocket. Focus on things like complying with your state and company's specific processes and procedures; following up on leads within 48 hours; writing clear lead reports; and building solid relationships with both internal and external customers.
4) Use social media wisely
Social media has become an integral part of today's business world. It's a great place to find clients and boost visibility. However, it's also a place where some insurance agents post unprofessional or too-promotional content—and turn off potential customers in their droves. To avoid these social-media slip ups, try to only post relevant content to your company's social channels and hire someone (or teach yourself) how to use photo editing software to make sure you always look sharp and in control.
5) Add value to other people's lives
People buy products and services, not companies. You can increase your sales substantially by creating relationships with prospects and customers that focus on solving their problems. If you're looking to succeed in any business—not just insurance—this should be one of your top priorities. After all, what's better than selling something people want? Selling something people need. If your product or service is sold on its own merits, it becomes that much easier to sell. When you're helping someone solve a problem—that's when people tend to spend money.
6) Focus on the little things
There's a popular saying that goes, A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A chain with five or ten weak links will break quickly. The same holds true in business—every task you perform contributes to your overall goal of succeeding as an insurance agent. It may not seem like each individual task makes much of a difference, but they do; so focus on every little thing and see your progress snowball over time.
The goal of the CompleteMarkets editor is to bring valuable content to the CompleteMarkets members. Providing content to insurance professionals to enhance their sales process, increase revenue streams, understand their clients and provide value to their agency.