Why is It So Hard to Find Agents Who Want to Work?

[germanwine1]

The problem is everyone is trying to make the most money with the less amount of work.

Selling insurance is not an easy job. It is a Career!

I agree wholeheartedly with Mark. New agents don't realize this is not just a job. You are really a small busniess owner and running a small business takes much more work, dedication, perseverance, blood, sweat and tears than the average person realizes. They should just find a regular job.

 

[leonard2009]

A big reason has to do with what recruiters have done to destroy the reputation of the overall industry. I had my own consulting business for 5 years that went well until big banks went wild with M&A and my clients were forced to fire me one by one. I worked for technology companies and then back to finance in 1995. Was successful in 403B and 401K space as well as brokerage. After 2008 and Bernie Madoff, my personal opinion is that WE as fiduciaries and counselors are no longer trusted. (bad apple syndrome strikes yet again)


I was ready to bring $100K to the insurance game and alot of blood, sweat and tears. Instead, I am utterly dismayed and quite frankly shocked at the way the bigs are marketing, positioning and hard-selling their own companies. I've talked to 20 different agents and 15 of them have told me I would be better off going back to my core competency of educational seminars or buying a book of business in the brokerage space again.

Definitely true generation X wants it handed to them on a silver platter - but don't discount the lies and utter misinformation candidates have been given by recruiters in the field. There are alot of bankrupt people out there who were never suited to try this industry and instead some guy got a bonus trip to Hawaii because he chalked up some other sucker for a "great book of business" if he "worked hard".

 

[PT202]

First of all, there are obviously agents who DO want to work, but apparently you are not finding them. My experience is that like attracts like - people are attracted to work where the boss is like them. Perhaps something subtle in your leadership attracts the unmotivated?

... As a business owner i dont want to be that lead dog...

 

[amgeater]

Everyone wants to start at the top. No one today wants to start at the bottom and scratch and claw to the top.
I starved and went heavily into debt the first 6 or seven years of my career. Now after 32 years, I've got it made. 100% of my new business is referral. I spend zero dollars on advertising.
Most people looking for work have a heavy debt load. Consequentially, they need a job that guarantees a set salary. With a salary, there is no need to be hungry.
No one today is willing to go through what I went through. The sacrifice is too great.
I quit a $24k/yr job in 1978 to enter the insurance industry. My first year, I made $9k. My friends all thought I was crazy.

32 years thats a long time and 7 years of hell I dont get it???

 

[mrarmarcus]

I have been selling Life and Health for 7 years now and have been the top producer in my office. As a business owner i dont want to be that lead dog. I have a great training program and a proven system but having a hard time to get people to follow it or to even get out there and work. You would think with all the people looking for work you would be able to find hard workers that would like to create something for themselves rather than have it handed to them. Anyone else experiencing this?

Yea people do not want to do the work the is required I have more people who quite then are working and those who are working do not do what it takes to get things done. Out of 100 people you are going to get one so hire some more people and do not worry about those who quite

 

[arnguy]

You're just not looking in the right places!

 

[jamesflou]

What do you really offer? You offer them no health insurance, no salary, no benefits of any kind. Yet you say you hired them. There is nothing there unless they are unique enough to sell the product of insurance and then they earn a commission in which they are really paying themselves but are kind enough to allow someone else to make that claim for them. ??????

 

[Jake07712]

I believe that most people enter this business because they want to earn a living. They get 'hired' expecting to see compensation from their work the same as their neighbor who was hired as a salesman for a supply company. The insurance agent comes home with bupkis. They get advise. Not only that, but besides selling they are expected to do a lot of other things that are normally done for outside salesmen by office staff. It's no wonder that most get discouraged after a short time. It's the nature of the industry.

 

[PotentialFarmer]

Hey, I'm just throwing this out there cause its a thought of mine. Instead of trying to hire producers, try to hire CSR's instead. Grab some guy or gal who wants and needs to work, give her a salary/hourly wage and try to hire one who wants to genuinely learn the insurance business, it'll free up more of your time to prospect/meet with clients and in the end that person you can eventually get licensed and they'll know some of the basics and in the meantime you'll have had a valuable resource. Offer a raise after they pass their licensing exams and a very small commission split/bonus. Then if they're showing a liking to the prospecting/selling part of the business if they'd like to become a full time producer put them into it and go back to the Rinse/Repeat part, where you hire another CSR to take over and let the producer run a bit, by that time you'll have sat in on enough of their sales to know if they can make it and have the drive and if they feel they don't like it you've got a licensed CSR who can handle most of the headaches that come your way to free you up to do what you "should" do best.

Hiring a guy out of college who lives with mom and dad and asking them to make 60% on new and 30% on renewal with no salary is not going to attract these kids, they'll probably make more money working as a waiter/waitress, figure average policy is 1k premium and the average commission is 15% at 60% of that your talking 90 or so bucks...how many new agents are really selling a policy a day? Then your making 40 bucks a policy for each of theirs?!? I think I'd rather have the licensed CSR selling a few policies now and then for a little bonus cash. Big companies like Brown & Brown insurance give their CSR's 10% of the production for what they close as a bonus for cross sales. And if you'd believe it they're pretty happy about it! 150 dollar commission policy and they get an extra 15 bucks and you get 135 to the agency coffers. They cross sell anywhere from 15 - 25 per month and they're seeing a decent bonus around 200 - 350 bucks that they weren't expecting over their 15 (licensed) per hour. AND they'll answer phones and do call backs all day long for you.

 

[rudy323]

I agree alot of agents want to "hire" people to have the pleasure of working commission only while taking a huge percentage cut ... sounds like the agents wanting the "free ride"

Of course not every prospect(employees) are going to work out but you do have to invest money into them