Is it possible to make a career without selling to your family and friends?

[Travis Price]

So, salary isn't all doom and gloom. The question you have to ask yourself is if you want to be an employee or business owner.

If you want to be an employee, nothing wrong with that. Liberty Mutual pays 50k with bonus, looking at 70k and benefitis.

No need to worry about leads.

On the other hand, if you don't own the book.

Want to be a business owner? You need money or long hours.

I always thing of the average Joe going to P&C for a job, and you go to health to own a business.. but that's my opinion.

 

[rousemark]

I just got my P and C license. I've interviewed with companies like Farmers and Allstate and State Farm. They were all small agencies, and the owners kept telling me that they expected me to refer my family and friends.

I've worked in call centers before, and 99% of calls are either answering machines or you get hung up on in the middle of your intro.

So when I asked what the job was like during my interviews, the owners also told me that they expected me to do a lot of cold calling.

If the success rate from cold calling is just as low as my call center rate, then where do my clients come from? Do I have to sell to all the people I know?

I've read extensively and many people say they regret selling to family and friends. Especially while being an inexperienced agent like me...they said they made a lot of mistakes and that their family and friends were really unhappy and it led to a lot of issues with claims and other things.

I know I'll have to hit quotas. Is it really possible to do that only with the leads the agencies provide?

Why would you not want to sell to those that are close to you? If you have a product they don't have it, how are you going to feel when they have a loss and then ask, "you knew we needed it, why didn't you mention it yo us" Even if they don't say, you will believe they are thinking it when you see them suffering.

 

[rousemark]

Because everyone I know does it online themselves. And since I'm new to the field, I don't have any kind of expertise to offer anyway.

I will guarantee you there are some coverages they will not shop the internet for. And, as far as no expertise, you have far more than they if you passed their lie censing exam. And, if you do get stuck on something you would have access to someone who can answer whatever questions you have.

 

[somarco]

everyone I know does it online themselves.

There are probably YouTube videos on how to perform brain surgery. That doesn't mean you should try it yourself.

GEICO was one of the first carriers to market direct to consumers. Some agents said that was the end of the independent agent.

It wasn't.

Allstate (once owned by Sears) had a booth in the middle of every Sears store. "Let us compare HO and auto rates while your wife shops".

Sexist? Yes, but nobody thought of it that way at the time.

The concept worked well but not well enough.

If everyone you know shops online that is good enough reason to figure out a way to sell to someone you DON'T know.

I don't have any kind of expertise to offer anyway.

Not yet . . .

But you will.

Everyone on here started somewhere. We knew little or nothing. Had no idea what we were doing. Made mistakes that cost us a sale or two.

Brain surgeons have YEARS of study, practice on cadavers, assisting surgeons before someone hands them a scalpel and says "here, you do it".

The more you study, the more questions you ask, the more mistakes you make (that don't cost a life) the closer you are getting to finding your niche.

It. Just. Takes. Time.

Don't be like the person that prayed, "God give me patience and give it to me right now".

 

[somarco]

And, as far as no expertise, you have far more than they if you passed their licensing exam. And, if you do get stuck on something you would have access to someone who can answer whatever questions you have.

THIS^^^^^^

 

[rousemark]

Because everyone I know does it online themselves. And since I'm new to the field, I don't have any kind of expertise to offer anyway.

If everyone you know shops online then would that not mean that every one you don't know also shops on line. I doubt the people you know are that unique from everyone else. Therefore, you, I and all the other agents need to find an new career as there is no longer a need for us or anyone for us to which we can sell our products.

 

[Tahoe Ray]

And since I'm new to the field, I don't have any kind of expertise to offer anyway.

This business can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing since you can legitimately hurt people's finances.

That being said, everyone starts somewhere so just make sure wherever you end up working there is someone who is going to be available to help coach/mentor and educate you on best practices/policies.

What you shouldn't let shake your confidence is your lack of expertise (easier said than done). If you have a good sounding board and someone who can help guide you when writing coverage, you don't need to know everything. You just need to find people who have problems that you can solve.

If we both encounter a bear walking through the forest, I don't need to outrun the bear, I just need to outrun you. So, even with minimal knowledge, you're going to know what your clients need more than they do (once you do a fact-find) AND hopefully, you have the support to design the right plan for that client.

Most financial services work this way.

 

[marindependent]

the owners kept telling me that they expected me to refer my family and friends.

Bad Plan. I was once pressured to do this too and didn't.

A much better plan is to go work for an agency where you learn the insurance process. Learn the industry and learn the ins and outs. Do not use up your friends and family.

Ask yourself one question, what happens when you run out of friends and family? Then what are you going to do at this "job"? If you are going to be an insurance agent you need to learn how to sell to people that you do not already know. At first you will chase down horrible, horrible leads, just to get some deals done. At the end you will live on referals.

You will likley learn more in one day working with an agency that is dialed in then three months off alone selling insurance to your mom.

Best of Luck