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This is an excellent forum that is very active with a lot of great information on it, but it can't be your trainer. There is no substitute for ridding along with a trainer and spending quality face time with an experienced agent. Most recruiters, no matter how talented they are, completely lack the qualifications to provide this training. A lot of companies get flamed on here for offering low contracts, leads, and a training program, but that can be a GREAT way to get started. I started with AIL (NILICO in NY) and was dumb enough to listen to what they said and follow their system. The result was I made $7k my first *month* as a punk kid out of college and zero experience. The reason why I did so well had more to do with my ability to just do what I was told and follow a system that was probably as old as I was at the time.
Selling insurance is an art. It's not nearly enough to just know products and premiums, although those are important too. One of the main differences between the type of agent that earns a living in this business and one that earns a great living is knowing how to present. Selling insurance is something that's personal. One of the ways it's personal is that as an agent you have the opportunity to present folks with products that can help them and their family, but you'll need to be able to handle their objections, in particular, the ones they won't tell you. If you're presenting a good product at a reasonable price, most of the objections a prospect is going to have won't be ones they'll tell you. They may not even realize what their objecting to specifically, but as an agent who is experienced with your products and presenting to people you can help them better understand what to expect. For example:
I spent several years working in the Medicare market selling Medicare Advantage products. Nearly all of the plans I sold were $0/month and I already knew before I met with the prospects that it would be confusing to them how they could get a plan that offers so much coverage for $0/month. What I made sure to do is to address that before I even got into the plan benefits. I'd address it directly and tell them why there was no additional monthly premium for them above and beyond their part B premium that they were already paying.
A great deal of agents that get started are very analytical and get frustrated and say things like "I could save them $300/year for the same coverage and they still wouldn't switch!" While that's understandable, that's exactly why a good mentor/local trainer can help make the difference between success and failure.
Yes, a good trainer is going to take a chunk of the action and rightfully so, but it's an investment in your future. Paying your dues for a few years "making other people rich" working at "low contract levels" isn't always going to hurt you.
Happy Selling!
.
Selling insurance is an art. It's not nearly enough to just know products and premiums, although those are important too. One of the main differences between the type of agent that earns a living in this business and one that earns a great living is knowing how to present. Selling insurance is something that's personal. One of the ways it's personal is that as an agent you have the opportunity to present folks with products that can help them and their family, but you'll need to be able to handle their objections, in particular, the ones they won't tell you. If you're presenting a good product at a reasonable price, most of the objections a prospect is going to have won't be ones they'll tell you. They may not even realize what their objecting to specifically, but as an agent who is experienced with your products and presenting to people you can help them better understand what to expect. For example:
I spent several years working in the Medicare market selling Medicare Advantage products. Nearly all of the plans I sold were $0/month and I already knew before I met with the prospects that it would be confusing to them how they could get a plan that offers so much coverage for $0/month. What I made sure to do is to address that before I even got into the plan benefits. I'd address it directly and tell them why there was no additional monthly premium for them above and beyond their part B premium that they were already paying.
A great deal of agents that get started are very analytical and get frustrated and say things like "I could save them $300/year for the same coverage and they still wouldn't switch!" While that's understandable, that's exactly why a good mentor/local trainer can help make the difference between success and failure.
Yes, a good trainer is going to take a chunk of the action and rightfully so, but it's an investment in your future. Paying your dues for a few years "making other people rich" working at "low contract levels" isn't always going to hurt you.
Happy Selling!
.