- 7,066
I am one of those who jumped into this business knowing nothing about insurance and with totally no kind of plan except to do what was necessary to make it happen. I blindly bought into the "we will train you and provide you with leads". What more could I ask for?
My training consisted of being handed a Medicare Guide Book and my leads were a voter registration list for the county. It had dates of birth on it. I spent one day riding with an "experienced agent". I saw him make two sales using what I felt were less than ethical techniques. That was enough of riding with him.
I in essence did everything they told me wouldn't work and the things they told me not to do. I was not impressed with their training nor the agents that worked there.
I used common sense and followed the path that was the most logical. I made several sales the first month and earned about $2,000 in commission. This was in 1993. I decided I was not a "salesman" and did much better educating people and guiding them to the plan that was the best one for them, not the one I was told to sell. The manager was not happy with me.
Would I do it again? Knowing what I know now, not sure. It was one hell of a ride. However, at the time I had supreme confidence in myself and had never really failed at anything I had tried in the past.
My first year was tough. It did do several things for me though. I learned how to prospect using the voter's registration list and phone books in small towns around Missouri and cold calling. (Cold calling worked then and is still working for me.) I learned to identify seniors in the phone book by their first name. That could be done at that time.
There weren't any "leads" back then. The only leads were one's I was able to generate on the phone. It did do one thing for me, it forced me to literally become an expert on the product I was offering and how to present it without coming across like the public's perception of who they thought an insurance agent was.
I worked my ass off six and seven days a week. As a result I started breaking production records in the office I worked in.
My "business plan" was to not fail regardless of what I had to do. I guess I was lucky or just plain determined because it worked.
[FONT="]I'm willing to bet that many of the successful agents on here who have been doing this for a long time have a similar story to tell.[/FONT]
My training consisted of being handed a Medicare Guide Book and my leads were a voter registration list for the county. It had dates of birth on it. I spent one day riding with an "experienced agent". I saw him make two sales using what I felt were less than ethical techniques. That was enough of riding with him.
I in essence did everything they told me wouldn't work and the things they told me not to do. I was not impressed with their training nor the agents that worked there.
I used common sense and followed the path that was the most logical. I made several sales the first month and earned about $2,000 in commission. This was in 1993. I decided I was not a "salesman" and did much better educating people and guiding them to the plan that was the best one for them, not the one I was told to sell. The manager was not happy with me.
Would I do it again? Knowing what I know now, not sure. It was one hell of a ride. However, at the time I had supreme confidence in myself and had never really failed at anything I had tried in the past.
My first year was tough. It did do several things for me though. I learned how to prospect using the voter's registration list and phone books in small towns around Missouri and cold calling. (Cold calling worked then and is still working for me.) I learned to identify seniors in the phone book by their first name. That could be done at that time.
There weren't any "leads" back then. The only leads were one's I was able to generate on the phone. It did do one thing for me, it forced me to literally become an expert on the product I was offering and how to present it without coming across like the public's perception of who they thought an insurance agent was.
I worked my ass off six and seven days a week. As a result I started breaking production records in the office I worked in.
My "business plan" was to not fail regardless of what I had to do. I guess I was lucky or just plain determined because it worked.
[FONT="]I'm willing to bet that many of the successful agents on here who have been doing this for a long time have a similar story to tell.[/FONT]
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