Other than prospecting/getting clients, what's your biggest struggle as an agent?

[dbab]

I recently got my license, so I'm curious what I should expect in terms of struggles or the unexpected. For those who have been at this for awhile, what are some your daily/weekly struggles or something you didn't expect when you first got started?

 

[DHK]

You may find this slightly older article helpful.

Profiles of Success - What it Takes to Be a Top Earner

 

[Markthebroker]

I recently got my license, so I'm curious what I should expect in terms of struggles or the unexpected. For those who have been at this for awhile, what are some your daily/weekly struggles or something you didn't expect when you first got started?

What kind of insurance are you/ will you be selling?

 

[somarco]

I recently got my license, so I'm curious what I should expect in terms of struggles or the unexpected. For those who have been at this for awhile, what are some your daily/weekly struggles or something you didn't expect when you first got started?

Are you trying to sabotage your career before you get started?

 

[Alston]

At some point, if you stick with it, prospecting shouldn't be your problem. I'm approaching my capacity. Sometime in 2020 or 2021, I'll virtually stop prospecting. I'll almost have to.

Many agents scale back their prospecting after only a few years. Alack and alas, for me it's been a few decades.

Prospecting is like anything else. You get better at it if get enough quality reps and you pay attention to what works and doesn't.

Right now I'm questioning how much ambition I have left. Should I expand my agency beyond myself, my son and my sister? Should I start something new? Or should I just enjoy my part-time job with a full time income?

But my current struggles probably aren't much use to you at the beginning of your career.

You need to learn your product, sales and other aspects of marketing.

One thing I figured out very late in the game, is the importance of client retention and referral generation. Just sending a thank you card after each sale and making an annual phone call, can make a big difference over the years. (Although it may take a while to actually see the first drops of extra income.)

You need to learn some of the basics of business.

You'll need to learn how to learn. And specifically how you learn.

You need to be self motivated.

That's not a comprehensive list. But I think I hit most of the important stuff.

You may struggle with one or more of the above at different times at different points in your career.

You can get better at any of the above. You'll just need to practice and get guidance from other agents or books.

If you follow the path I did, your first challenge will be prospecting and sales. You'll stay focused on those two and ignore your clients and miss opportunities. Then one day you'll realize that you're losing clients because you neglected them and you'll see the light.

Don't do that. My suggestions are that you focus on prospecting and sales initially. However, simultaneously invest some of your energy on a client retention and referral plan.

The sale is just the start of the relationship. Your client will need insurance for a long time, make sure she gets a lot of it from you. Treat each client like you want them to say great things about you to their parents and children. And many will.

And...

Always be learning.

 

[somarco]

your first challenge will be prospecting and sales. You'll stay focused on those two and ignore your clients and miss opportunities. Then one day you'll realize that you're losing clients because you neglected them and you'll see the light.

THIS^^^

 

[vic120]

At some point, if you stick with it, prospecting shouldn't be your problem. I'm approaching my capacity. Sometime in 2020 or 2021, I'll virtually stop prospecting. I'll almost have to.

Many agents scale back their prospecting after only a few years. Alack and alas, for me it's been a few decades.

Prospecting is like anything else. You get better at it if get enough quality reps and you pay attention to what works and doesn't.

Right now I'm questioning how much ambition I have left. Should I expand my agency beyond myself, my son and my sister? Should I start something new? Or should I just enjoy my part-time job with a full time income?

But my current struggles probably aren't much use to you at the beginning of your career.

You need to learn your product, sales and other aspects of marketing.

One thing I figured out very late in the game, is the importance of client retention and referral generation. Just sending a thank you card after each sale and making an annual phone call, can make a big difference over the years. (Although it may take a while to actually see the first drops of extra income.)

You need to learn some of the basics of business.

You'll need to learn how to learn. And specifically how you learn.

You need to be self motivated.

That's not a comprehensive list. But I think I hit most of the important stuff.

You may struggle with one or more of the above at different times at different points in your career.

You can get better at any of the above. You'll just need to practice and get guidance from other agents or books.

If you follow the path I did, your first challenge will be prospecting and sales. You'll stay focused on those two and ignore your clients and miss opportunities. Then one day you'll realize that you're losing clients because you neglected them and you'll see the light.

Don't do that. My suggestions are that you focus on prospecting and sales initially. However, simultaneously invest some of your energy on a client retention and referral plan.

The sale is just the start of the relationship. Your client will need insurance for a long time, make sure she gets a lot of it from you. Treat each client like you want them to say great things about you to their parents and children. And many will.

And...

Always be learning.

This is great

I am at the stage where I am really starting to learn to call clients every few years, I have always made it a priority to service clients when they call, But I am learning it takes more than that

I built a good buis as is, However, I am learning keeping in touch makes for higher retention dn longer commissions as well as more referrals, With rising lead costs it became a necessity but it been a huge blessing in disguise, As I am amazed at how much free business I am now receiving And I can't wait to see how much higher my residuals will be in 3 more years

 

[Alston]

This is great

I am at the stage where I am really starting to learn to call clients every few years, I have always made it a priority to service clients when they call, But I am learning it takes more than that.

I used to wait for them to call too. Then I heard someone on a podcast say something like "You're the one getting paid, you should be the one reaching out to them." (I think that was Dean Jackson on the I Love Marketing Podcast")

It is hard for a newb to understand the power of this. When you have 10 clients and you get a small percentage to refer you or buy second policies every year, you might not notice a difference.

But when you have 100 or 1,000 and you do the math...

But don't wait. It's like any skill set, the more reps you have the faster you get better, so the percentage of yield increases. Plus you'll have referred clients referring other clients. It's like investing of any sort, the earlier you get started, the better.

That being said, for a newb, prospecting and sales are more important and more energy should be invested in learning those skills. But the sooner you can focus on tomorrow the better.

Referral tip: If a prospective client has a heavy accent treat them like gold (or platinum - all your clients should be treated like gold). It doesn't matter if they're from the Caribbean or the Eastern Block.

If you gain the confidence of the ombudsman for an extended family of first and second generation Americans -- you might get 10 referrals from the group over the next few months. A lot of first generation clusters have that one person who speaks English a little better than the rest and is a little more established. Often he or she vets insurance agents, auto repair shops and everything else for his extended family.

 

[somarco]

Vic, there is no such thing as FREE business. You earn every new client, one way or another.

Thank you is a very powerful phrase that too many folks either never learned or simply neglect to say.

Thank you has paid a lot of bills over the years and will continue to do so.

 

[Alston]

Vic, there is no such thing as FREE business. You earn every new client, one way or another.

Thank you is a very powerful phrase that too many folks either never learned or simply neglect to say.

Thank you has paid a lot of bills over the years and will continue to do so.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us over the years.

Seriously.