Project 200 Question

[Glad2bHere]

Honestly, Norway.....the reason I'm still here is that I think there is a fundamental dishonesty afoot here.

Unemployment in the US is about 24%, counting the underemployed, the unemployed and the people who have given-up. These are folks who have little in the way of hope left, bills to pay and have generally done everything asked of them by way of "doing the right thing" with their lives.

With approximately 1 in 4 of the working population in dire straits I take exception to companies like so many of these Insurtance companies trading on that desperation with visions of economic recovery.

IDK about you but I have been to unemployment lines and job fairs and you can cut the desperation and hopelessness with a knife. These are not people with a lot of resources, a lot of social networking or many employment options. These are people who are drowning and will grab at any rope that comes into view and care little about asking if the other end of that rope is tied to an anvil.

In my own case, I'm a pretty sharp cookie. I have a Masters, licenses for Life, Health, C&P....had a Series 6 and 7 at one time...I could go on for quite a ways. You'd think I could have my choices of jobs, right? Not hardly. And if I am having this much troubl;e think about all of those people who don't have HALF of the abilities that I do! I believe that people deserve better than what they are getting.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[pcbinsurance]

I suggest you become a Social Worker.

 

[Glad2bHere]

good idea...but that does nothing for the people who are going to get lured-in, misused and discarded. Perhaps its time for some light to be shed on what clearly seems to be little more than an employment scam. FWIW.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[rousemark]

I suggest you become a Social Worker.

Who would cry on whose shoulder?

 

[pcbinsurance]

This is something that has been going on for decades. Today though, all one has to do is go online and they can find answers to these questions.

You won't be able to save the world or the future (probably failed) agents.

Due to the grass roots activist efforts you are displaying on these threads, you could possibly dissuade someone from entering a field that might be prosperous and rewarding. That, my friend, would be unfortunate.

 

[Glad2bHere]

True. And I would not want to do that. What I have seen over four or five separate threads is

a.) a reluctance to have the Insurance company shoulder ANY responsibility

b.) a propensity from dumping as disproportionate amount of risk and responsibility on the agent

c.) an avoidance of identifying the role that luck and connections play in success

d.) a mercenary sensibility in addressing others, both co-workers and consumers.

I hold that all of this ought be presented up-front.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[Josh]

So glad2bhere, what responsibility do you think the prospective agents have in this? I don't necessarily disagree with some of your sentiment, but why blame the industry for the individuals' bad decisions? I've seen first hand folks I thought would fail miserably at this knock it out of the park. I've seen folks that should have been a slam dunk fall flat on their face.

Speaking from personal experience, I was a punk kid out of college when I went to AIL (no doubt one of the companies you take issue with) and was fantastically successful my first month ($7k). That success only went so far, but it was a great learning experience and I made a lot of money, especially compared with the teaching career I thought I wanted.

So my friend, what of personal responsibility?

 

[Glad2bHere]

Good point, Josh; lets talk about that.

a.) The agent agrees to bring a willingness to work hard, right. Do we all agree that this is a tough job? I think, maybe, yes.

b.) The agent agree to conduct themselves in an Ethical manner, right?

c.) Apparently---I don't necessarily agree with this---the agent agrees to get his own training and exams for licensure.

d,) I'll even go one step farther and agree that the agent takes responsibility for his own infastructure, right?

Now....since we did that..... how about what the company owes.

a.) Education as to product.

b.) Education as to process.

c.) Transitional guidance from Trainee to established agent.

d.) Fair compensation.

Having laid that out I can say, honestly, that I held up MY side of the bargain. How come the company is not accountable for failing to hold up its side?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

 

[Norwayguy]

Fair compensation this is full commission compensation is totally in you hands where else can you spend and hour with someone and do up the paperwork and transfer forms that in 30-60 days when everything is all done I'll collect 20K in compensation and I'm a small producer I've seen much larger cases.

This is not a job you want fair compensation go back to teaching. I've built my practice working with teachers and let's be honest you build your lesson plan year 1 and repeat it for the next 20 years, if your looking for the perks you got as a teacher in this industry its not going to happen.

 

[Glad2bHere]

Boy....did YOU ever give me an idea of how you think!!

IDK what kind of teachers you have been around, but making a one-size-fits-all syllabus and then repeating it for 20 years is NOT teaching. Its called baby-sitting.

If your idea of teaching is policing a class of 40 kids, one hour at a time, you really are out of touch with the field of Education. FWIW.

Best Wishes,
Bruce