10 Worst and 10 Best Jobs for Equal Pay

[rousemark]

Have you noticed all the responders to this thread are men? Are the lady agents all to busy nurturing to respond? Or could it be they are out writing business while we sit here and ponder the more weighty questions of the world of insurance?

 

[insuranceconceptscindy]

I'll put in my two cents, as a lady agent.

I think it comes down to emotion. Sterotypically, women are more emotional, see things in shades of grey rather than black and white. We do very well in emotion based sales. I sell the hell out of kid life insurance policies and health insurance. These are areas where women seem to drive the market and want a similar feel from their agent. People are more comfortable discussing their health problems and dreams of the future with women.

Alternatively, I can't sell an annuity unless it signs itself. These are black and white type sales, typically driven by men. No emotion involved. Lots of facts and figures, not a lot of grey.

Men look at me for health advice, not financial advice. They see me as the health insurance guru, not the financial guru, even though I have plenty of knowledge of both.

Personally, my issue for not being in line with my male peers is my look. I'm in my 30's but look like a teenager. It's hard for people to see my knowledge and expertise when they are looking at someone that looks like they just got their drivers license!
My time will come. I'm still early in my career (seven years down, 40 to go!), and have plenty of time to catch up and then surpass the men in my field.

Someone once advised me that I need to become a ball-buster and dragon-lady my way through to a financial sale. Worst advice ever! No one wants to do business with a bitch.

 

[rousemark]

I'll put in my two cents, as a lady agent.

I think it comes down to emotion. Sterotypically, women are more emotional, see things in shades of grey rather than black and white. We do very well in emotion based sales. I sell the hell out of kid life insurance policies and health insurance. These are areas where women seem to drive the market and want a similar feel from their agent. People are more comfortable discussing their health problems and dreams of the future with women.

Alternatively, I can't sell an annuity unless it signs itself. These are black and white type sales, typically driven by men. No emotion involved. Lots of facts and figures, not a lot of grey.

Men look at me for health advice, not financial advice. They see me as the health insurance guru, not the financial guru, even though I have plenty of knowledge of both.

Personally, my issue for not being in line with my male peers is my look. I'm in my 30's but look like a teenager. It's hard for people to see my knowledge and expertise when they are looking at someone that looks like they just got their drivers license!
My time will come. I'm still early in my career (seven years down, 40 to go!), and have plenty of time to catch up and then surpass the men in my field.

Someone once advised me that I need to become a ball-buster and dragon-lady my way through to a financial sale. Worst advice ever! No one wants to do business with a bitch.

Develop the women's market.. They control 60% of the wealth in this country. They will accept your youthful look more readily than the men. One of the most effective CI/Cancer producers in this area was a young lady that dealt almost exclusively with other women.

 

[Focus LTC]

I'll put in my two cents, as a lady agent.

I think it comes down to emotion. Sterotypically, women are more emotional, see things in shades of grey rather than black and white. We do very well in emotion based sales. I sell the hell out of kid life insurance policies and health insurance. These are areas where women seem to drive the market and want a similar feel from their agent. People are more comfortable discussing their health problems and dreams of the future with women.

Alternatively, I can't sell an annuity unless it signs itself. These are black and white type sales, typically driven by men. No emotion involved. Lots of facts and figures, not a lot of grey.

Men look at me for health advice, not financial advice. They see me as the health insurance guru, not the financial guru, even though I have plenty of knowledge of both.

Personally, my issue for not being in line with my male peers is my look. I'm in my 30's but look like a teenager. It's hard for people to see my knowledge and expertise when they are looking at someone that looks like they just got their drivers license!
My time will come. I'm still early in my career (seven years down, 40 to go!), and have plenty of time to catch up and then surpass the men in my field.

Someone once advised me that I need to become a ball-buster and dragon-lady my way through to a financial sale. Worst advice ever! No one wants to do business with a bitch.

That's great and all but you failed to illustrate why, given the same commission schedules, men earn more than women in this industry (based on the OP's referenced news article).

The reasons are simple and they are all economic (not emotional, or psychological).

On the aggregate women in the workforce:

1) Work less than men both on a daily basis and throughout their career.

2) Women are more likely to choose this industry later in life and therefore have less experience than their male counterparts of the same age. Plenty of men enter this field right out of college, not so many women do...

 

[DHK]

It's my opinion that this is a career for 'hunters' - those that will do what it takes to finally 'hunt and kill every day to eat'.

I think men are more willing to subject themselves to this over women... who are generally nurturers over being hunters.

In short, it's a real difference between men and women, regardless of equal commission structures.

Just my opinion.