Does Selling Insurance Mean You Need to be a Salesperson?

Are you interested in being an insurance agent but aren’t too fond of the whole “selling” aspect?

Unfortunately, many career paths do involve some sort of sales, whether you venture into the financial field, the business field or even the medical field. Businesses are all about growth and in order to grow to maximum capacity, all employees need to pitch in.

If an insurance agent is what you aspire to be, don’t let the selling aspect stand in your way.

All in the Training

The article “How to sell insurance (if you’re not a salesperson)” states that you can train yourself to be a better salesperson in order to help you succeed in the insurance industry.

You should learn about the sales process and understand how it works, continue to pursue leads via social media, family and friends, face your fears and learn to master phone calls, dress for success and find a mentor. Just because you may not be a natural born salesperson, doesn’t mean you can’t learn the part.

Tips for succeeding in the insurance industry

Among the tips to look at to succeed in insurance:

• Learn to sell yourself – Don’t just limit your job to only selling insurance, but instead think of it as selling yourself. Make friends, learn to relate to all different types of people, keep in touch with old friends and go out of your way to be social. The larger your social network, the more successful you will be as an insurance agent.

• Always follow up – When you meet new people and introduce your product, be sure to follow-up. People get busy and life gets in the way. You are there to remind them of what they need and to be the point of contact for all their insurance needs. Whether you choose to send an email, a handwritten note or make a phone call, just make sure you always follow up with your leads.

• Learn from others – Like the article states, find a mentor (or a few). Ask questions and learn from those that are more successful than you. You can use their mistakes to avoid some of your own and learn what makes them so successful. Normally, people who have “made it” are happy to help others out, so don’t be afraid to reach out.

• Never stop growing – Insurance is an ever-changing and evolving industry. Keep up with new products, learn as much as you can about the industry, continue meeting new prospects and stay up-to-date with advances in technology. If you fall behind on knowledge, it’s going to affect your business negatively.

• Have fun with it – Finally, don’t take yourself too seriously or focus solely on the numbers. Instead, focus on meeting people, networking and making friends. If you do that, naturally you will sell more without really having to “sell.”

Insurance sales is a tough industry to succeed at, but if you put your mind to it and focus on gaining as much knowledge of the industry as you can and building relationships, you will greatly increase your chances of success.

About the Author: Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Charlotte, NC. She writes on a variety of topics including small businesses, insurance and personal finance.