What's a New Guy to Do?

[xrac]

Homeservice, I haven't totally committed to anything yet. I'm weighing my options, plus I still have to get my life license before I can do anything. But rest assured, I will report on what I finally decide to do.

I'm looking at two factors here in making my decision. Knowing full-well that I'm new to the business, there's going to be a learning curve and it's going to take time to learn the in's and out's. As long as I can pay my bills right now, I'm going to be fine. I know I'm not going to start out making top dollar, that comes with time and how well I learn product and honing my people skills.

Andy is a salesman. I can gleen from watching him and picking up on key things he says. Face-to-face, he seemed like he's straight-forward and to the point. But what to say about those under him? I can't answer that other than to say, you're going to have idiots hired that give the company a bad name as well as disgruntled former employees that are going to run you down. How many indies here have hired people that they wish they had never met? I dare say plenty of you here have. Life, in general, is about learning, whether it be from those we don't like as well as from those we do.

My goal right now is to pass the Life exam Friday.

I'm seriously thinking FE as my true line of work. I spoke with one of our fellow board members yesterday and he's willing to give me a chance to do my thing and I feel inside that I will do just fine selling this product.

I honestly don't think I've ever felt any stronger about what I want to do with my life than I do about insurance. I've sold flooring, metal roofs, even vacuum's at one time and to an extent I sold Christianity. It sucks that I've went and got my Personal Lines and Health before I decided on my Life, but I think keeping up my CE's they can be something I can add to my arsenal as I grow in the business.

If you are success with Life (FE) you won't need the personal lines.

 

[csstanley1973]

Let me ask ya this xrac, do you think it would be good to hold on to the license as a back up or just let it go? I'm thinking I can make a living and learn through the FE but hold on to any license I already have, not necessarily for a back-up but if/when I go indy I can cross-sell as an all-around agency.

The appealing thing to me is the ability to offer different products to my customers. Not just the ability to be broker on one specific product but the ability to offer one customer the one-stop shop type agency.

I know this is a while away for me but just thinking ahead a little. Thanks for putting up with the noob questions.

 

[bobson]

Let me ask ya this xrac, do you think it would be good to hold on to the license as a back up or just let it go? I'm thinking I can make a living and learn through the FE but hold on to any license I already have, not necessarily for a back-up but if/when I go indy I can cross-sell as an all-around agency.

The appealing thing to me is the ability to offer different products to my customers. Not just the ability to be broker on one specific product but the ability to offer one customer the one-stop shop type agency.

I know this is a while away for me but just thinking ahead a little. Thanks for putting up with the noob questions.

In my state (and probably NC as well) you need 24 hours of continuing ed every 24 months. It doesn't matter if you have, life, health, personal lines, life and health, life and personal lines, health and personal lines whatever. So dropping a license makes no sense at all. You would still need the same amount of continuing education.

 

[csstanley1973]

In my state (and probably NC as well) you need 24 hours of continuing ed every 24 months. It doesn't matter if you have, life, health, personal lines, life and health, life and personal lines, health and personal lines whatever. So dropping a license makes no sense at all. You would still need the same amount of continuing education.

It's the same here. 24 CE's every 2 years. We have 6 licenses here. Life, Health, Property, Casualty, Med Supp, and Personal Lines. After Friday I'll have 3 of them. Life, Health and Personal Lines.

 

[xrac]

Let me ask ya this xrac, do you think it would be good to hold on to the license as a back up or just let it go? I'm thinking I can make a living and learn through the FE but hold on to any license I already have, not necessarily for a back-up but if/when I go indy I can cross-sell as an all-around agency.

The appealing thing to me is the ability to offer different products to my customers. Not just the ability to be broker on one specific product but the ability to offer one customer the one-stop shop type agency.

I know this is a while away for me but just thinking ahead a little. Thanks for putting up with the noob questions.

I would definitely hang onto the license. However, my point is that the people who do really well in this business concentrate on a specific business area.

 

[HomeService]

I would lean towards FE myself. That's a good choice. I am thinking NAA has an FE department now, maybe unique underwriters or some such thing, that's better than mortgage protection in my humble opinion.

I never liked the mortgage protection thing. For me, I just personally never liked it. To each his own. I like FE better for me.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

"Mortgage protection" to me is like a health insurance agent sitting down with a client but only selling accident plans. It's like sitting down with a P&C agent who only want to sell towing.

It's a wasted opportunity to do a needs analysis and take care of their true insurance needs.

 

[HomeService]

"Mortgage protection" to me is like a health insurance agent sitting down with a client but only selling accident plans. It's like sitting down with a P&C agent who only want to sell towing.

It's a wasted opportunity to do a needs analysis and take care of their true insurance needs.

Exactly. I used to try and sell it. There would be a businessman sitting there, with a multi million dollar business concern of some kind, the guy needs 5 million in life insurance, and we would be sitting there trying to sell him a $150K term on a mortgage he had or has. Totally not looking at his entire need.

 

[cds251]

I don't think mortgage protection is designed to be used for HNW customers anyway.

I take a different view on it. If someone has a mortgage then don't they have a need? And what's wrong with filling that need?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

I disagree. If I die, my wife is in deep financial trouble. The mortgage is only one of many issues she'll have to deal with.

If we're sitting at the table with a life insurance agent, I'd hope they'd provide a solution to my wife's entire need - not just to address a portion of it.

To me it's ethically dangerous because the reason the entire need isn't being addressed is for the sake of the "quick and easy sale."