Thinking of getting into the industry, but I'm cautious about it.

[Samantha Callaway]

Hi! I'm Sam, still, a college student who's slowly making her way through an engineering degree. In the meantime, I've been working part-time at another job, it helps pay the bills, however, I kind of want a side hustle to rake in a bit more cash. So I've been looking at the insurance sales industry, which seems tor promising ... once I can move all of the very MLM feeling prospects out of the way. Yet, that's the very thing that is really turning me off, along with a lot of offices asking for in-person agents despite advertising remote positions.

I guess that's why I'm here, sifting through all of the ancillary stuff is exhausting especially after doing it for over a month now. It also has me very disheartened about the whole idea as well, indeed.com feels like it's full of scams in the industry, so I'm looking for you seasoned professionals to kinda be a guiding light. So here are my questions:

1. Entry-level sales in the industry? Would it be property and casualty, or should I look elsewhere?

2. I expect to make maybe 40-60k my first full year, is this a lofty goal? Should I ground myself a bit more?

3. I dislike the idea of tons of cold-calling, so being an agent for a company that doesn't rely on agents generating their own leads (always feels very MLM-y to me) and also cold-calling just one big list, would be nice. Any idea of companies that generally don't do this?

4. Companies that support remote positions? I live in a small town, basically in the middle of nowhere, due to my schooling I cannot up and leave.

5. Lastly, tips! Any tips for a younger and starry-eyed individual like me would be nice along with some support and advice.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

 

[fed up]

Insurance sales is not a Side Hustle and an attitude such as that will near guarantee failure. nsurance is SALES and in order to achieve SALES you have to work. You have to learn the product line you are selling. You have to learn how to connect with people and have them place their trust in you. And you have to do what is BEST for the customer, not what make you the most money. if you want a Side Hustle, get a bartender job.....OH, that's right, you don't want to work for your money. Draw pictures of pretty bridges then

 

[Samantha Callaway]

Yikes man, after coming from the service industry as a bartender and fine-dining server, studying for an engineering degree, and still working at least 20hrs a week while caring a full-course load with math and physics courses more advanced than most people will deal with you're gonna tell me I don't want to work.

You know there are nicer ways to deal with people and help set them up for success versus being a pretty crass individual, kinda surprised you even have clients with that attitude.

Regardless, I'm gonna keep poking around, nothing saying I can't be part-time and have good relationships with clients and help them in that environment. Especially since I don't plan for this to be a long-term career.

 

[Cornelius]

Get licensed and give it a try. Your young and God willing have time. Yet as mentioned it is sales. Go Life/Health first.

The real closer for the industry is delivering a death claim. It's proof of the importance of what you do.

Then again it may not be for you and you tried it out.

 

[Real_AMG]

I feel obliged to answer as I started in the industry years ago in the same situation. I was a broke college kid working on my computer engineering degree and trying to figure out how to make ends meet. Today I am graduated and make far more than I would’ve if I’d pursued the career associated with my degree.

Your intuition that most of what you’re reading on indeed and other job sites is a scam is correct. You need to be very careful who you trust in this industry because many do not have your best interests in mind.

1. If I could start over, I would’ve gone straight into a captive Medicare agent position. I personally think it’s the best place for an agent with little money to start.

2. It is certainly reasonable as long as it’s relative to the number of hours you plan to put into the business.

3. This is why I prefer Medicare. There is a lack of MLM culture, an increased focused on quality and compliance, and its much easier to find an agency to provide you with quality leads.

4. I can connect you with an incredible group out of Utah that runs a virtual call center. The set up and offering is probably most appropriate for your situation. Alternatively, there are a number of different Medicare call centers around the country, such as E-Health and GoHealth. Individual carriers like Humana also have call centers and are constantly recruiting for them. Usually there is a trade off between vesting and base pay. You either get one or the other.

5. Be smart with your money, be serious about improving your skills, and be very very careful with who you trust.

 

[billyb]

I lost interest when he mentioned "side hustle" too.

 

[Aya Mando]

Tips on what you should consider when choosing an Insurance.

http://rite.link/Xtnn

 

[Markthebroker]

I lost interest when he mentioned "side hustle" too.

Funny, I thought it was just me.

 

[theinsuranceman]

Hi! I'm Sam, still, a college student who's slowly making her way through an engineering degree. In the meantime, I've been working part-time at another job, it helps pay the bills, however, I kind of want a side hustle to rake in a bit more cash. So I've been looking at the insurance sales industry, which seems tor promising ... once I can move all of the very MLM feeling prospects out of the way. Yet, that's the very thing that is really turning me off, along with a lot of offices asking for in-person agents despite advertising remote positions.

I guess that's why I'm here, sifting through all of the ancillary stuff is exhausting especially after doing it for over a month now. It also has me very disheartened about the whole idea as well, indeed.com feels like it's full of scams in the industry, so I'm looking for you seasoned professionals to kinda be a guiding light. So here are my questions:

1. Entry-level sales in the industry? Would it be property and casualty, or should I look elsewhere?

2. I expect to make maybe 40-60k my first full year, is this a lofty goal? Should I ground myself a bit more? You will not make 40k-60k as a side hustle in this industry. A good side hustle for someone with your background might to tutor math/physics/engineering.

3. I dislike the idea of tons of cold-calling, so being an agent for a company that doesn't rely on agents generating their own leads (always feels very MLM-y to me) and also cold-calling just one big list, would be nice. Any idea of companies that generally don't do this? You seem to be saying you dislike cold calling yet turn around and say just the opposite.

4. Companies that support remote positions? I live in a small town, basically in the middle of nowhere, due to my schooling I cannot up and leave.

5. Lastly, tips! Any tips for a younger and starry-eyed individual like me would be nice along with some support and advice.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

 

[InsuranceGuy29]

Hi! I'm Sam, still, a college student who's slowly making her way through an engineering degree. In the meantime, I've been working part-time at another job, it helps pay the bills, however, I kind of want a side hustle to rake in a bit more cash. So I've been looking at the insurance sales industry, which seems tor promising ... once I can move all of the very MLM feeling prospects out of the way. Yet, that's the very thing that is really turning me off, along with a lot of offices asking for in-person agents despite advertising remote positions.

I guess that's why I'm here, sifting through all of the ancillary stuff is exhausting especially after doing it for over a month now. It also has me very disheartened about the whole idea as well, indeed.com feels like it's full of scams in the industry, so I'm looking for you seasoned professionals to kinda be a guiding light. So here are my questions:

1. Entry-level sales in the industry? Would it be property and casualty, or should I look elsewhere?

2. I expect to make maybe 40-60k my first full year, is this a lofty goal? Should I ground myself a bit more?

3. I dislike the idea of tons of cold-calling, so being an agent for a company that doesn't rely on agents generating their own leads (always feels very MLM-y to me) and also cold-calling just one big list, would be nice. Any idea of companies that generally don't do this?

4. Companies that support remote positions? I live in a small town, basically in the middle of nowhere, due to my schooling I cannot up and leave.

5. Lastly, tips! Any tips for a younger and starry-eyed individual like me would be nice along with some support and advice.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

I'm just being honest, 40-60k your first year is very unrealistic for the setup you're describing that you want. Insurance is not a "side hustle" kinda business. If you're looking for something like that, I would suggest UberEats or DoorDash.

Insurance is an extremely complicated field with a zillion rules and laws that are always changing, which is why the fail rate for new agents is approximately 99%. Most don't get past year number two. I'm not saying that to be discouraging, but reality is reality.

Another thing that should be noted is connections play a huge role (like most fields, but especially insurance). You're basically describing going independent right from the get-go, and that's a recipe for absolute disaster for someone who has zero knowledge of the field and zero experience.

Even hypothetically....if that's the case, you'll need a mentor who actually has the time and knowledge to guide you step-by-step with literally everything, AND supply you leads. All I can say is, good luck finding that unicorn, kid. Most established agents are too busy servicing their own books and trying to keep their own heads above water, as this field is EXTREMELY busy.

Otherwise, if not independent, you will land at a company, and they will undoubtedly have you cold-calling for the vast majority of your day, as is standard in this industry for newer agents that work at insurance companies, which is why the fail rate is so high.

The sad fact is, the vast majority of companies know the vast majority of agents won't be sticking around for very long. So they will use you for as long as you can take it, and then go onto the next. They're basically throwing agents at the wall and just seeing what sticks. That's how this industry is, unless you have some connections.