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sms151t 
SMU Fan
Polos, Porsches, Ponies..PROBATION
Member since Aug 2009
15904 posts
| Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 1:58 pm)
I got a call today from a local established agent that saw resume and wanted to speak to me about joining them. Just general opinions on that career move.
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Vols&Shaft83 
Tennessee Fan
Member since Dec 2012
3951 posts
 Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 2:01 pm to sms151t)
Can make a lot of money, but you'll likely be 1099 self employed, so it can be tough for the first couple years until you build you residuals.
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Chad504boy 
New Orleans Saints Fan
Five Oh Four
Member since Feb 2005
66298 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 2:28 pm to sms151t)
quote:
from a local established agent
Name?
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GoCrazyAuburn 
Auburn Fan
Member since Feb 2010
9249 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 2:34 pm to sms151t)
Could be the most lucrative career you ever do, or you could be broke in 5 years.
Seriously though, it is a very very tough, but very rewarding line of work.
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donRANDOMnumbers
Lafayette Rouge
Member since Nov 2006
9867 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 3:05 pm to sms151t)
Insurance production has a lot of upside, but also a completely bottom downside. It's for some and not others.
Also very important is the deal/contract they are offering and who the agency is.
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sms151t
SMU Fan
Polos, Porsches, Ponies..PROBATION
Member since Aug 2009
15904 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 3:28 pm to donRANDOMnumbers)
Should I call agents I know from other cities out of state to get their opinion? I know these people are very stable and pillars of the community.
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Tiger n Miami AU83
Auburn Fan
Miami
Member since Oct 2007
25601 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 3:33 pm to sms151t)
Questions for you to answer:
Do you know a lot of people who you think you could sell insurance products to? Individuals or business owners. Do you think they like you and trust you - all the people you know - so that they would want to buy from you. Do you ant to sell to them?
Do you like selling? Do you like prospecting, going out trying to sell a product, probably cold calling some.
Do you believe in insurance? Do you own some yourself? Do you think it is something everyone should have?
I have a buddy that pretty much answers no to all of those and has been doing it for 5 years off and on (along with other things) and doesn't make but about $5k a year and is broke.
I would say 95% of people that sell insurance do not make a good living.
If you are one of the few that can do it though, it is an easy life as most of your money is made from residuals eventually that you earned years ago.
This post was edited on 2/20 at 3:34 pm
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Chad504boy
New Orleans Saints Fan
Five Oh Four
Member since Feb 2005
66298 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 3:36 pm to sms151t)
quote:
and pillars of the community.
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GoCrazyAuburn
Auburn Fan
Member since Feb 2010
9249 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/20/13 at 3:37 pm to sms151t)
Sure. It never hurts to talks to more people in the business, but they will probably tell you the same thing.
It really is a Rewarding career. You reay help the people in your community, and help get them through some of the toughest times in their lives. You get a lot of flexibility as far as your schedule is concerned and each day is different.
The downside is you are working commissions more than likely, and that can be really hard. It is easy to get burned out in as well, and you will lose all your friends (not really, they will just stop answering your calls because they figure you are calling about work  )
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slinger1317
Louisiana
Member since Sep 2005
1332 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 9:21 am to sms151t)
I would advise against it because you become the guy all your friends talk about behind your back. My first few years out of college I was getting calls from people I vaguely remember from school wanting to "go to lunch."
Basically the Insurance company hires you to try to sell all of your friends, then in a few years when you give up the career, your friends are still buying insurance from their company.
My advice is don't be the guy that bugs the crap out of your friends.
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WhalingVessel
Member since Dec 2008
100 posts
Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 10:27 am to slinger1317)
A lot of clueless responses in this thread.
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RickAstley 
LSU Fan
Reno, Nevada
Member since May 2011
1306 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 10:34 am to sms151t)
It really depends on how you feel about what you will be doing. One of my fraternity brothers and my step brother both started out selling life insurance. Within 8 months my step brother quit and found work elsewhere because he hated it so much. My fraternity brother is still working there and climbing up within his team. He has seen a large amount of success, and his personality is perfect for going home to home doing presentations. He travels across the U.S. a fair amount going to meetings and discussing ideas
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Vols&Shaft83
Tennessee Fan
Member since Dec 2012
3951 posts
Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 11:48 am to slinger1317)
quote:
I would advise against it because you become the guy all your friends talk about behind your back. My first few years out of college I was getting calls from people I vaguely remember from school wanting to "go to lunch." Basically the Insurance company hires you to try to sell all of your friends, then in a few years when you give up the career, your friends are still buying insurance from their company. My advice is don't be the guy that bugs the crap out of your friends.
100% Pure horseshite, I've sold insurance and other financial products for over a decade, and I have never once approached a friend or relative for the purpose of solicitation. They've approached me, and I've enrolled them, but they had to approach me.
And, there's this awesome thing in the insurance world called "Residuals". Look it up. So even if I do decide to get out of this career, I'm still getting paid.
I receive checks once a month for work I did over 10 years ago, suck on that.
Just because you had a bad experience selling insurance or with one of your buddies who sold insurance, doesn't mean every agent/broker/company acts that way. You have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
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RickAstley
LSU Fan
Reno, Nevada
Member since May 2011
1306 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 11:54 am to Vols&Shaft83)
quote:
You have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
That seems to be the standard response in all of your replies I have seen lately. 
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Vols&Shaft83
Tennessee Fan
Member since Dec 2012
3951 posts
Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 11:56 am to RickAstley)
quote:
That seems to be the standard response in all of your replies I have seen lately.
I'm bumping into a lot of idiots lately
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RickAstley
LSU Fan
Reno, Nevada
Member since May 2011
1306 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 12:03 pm to Vols&Shaft83)
I'm not going to advise the OP to not do insurance sales, but at least the company that hired my step brother, and buddy to sell life insurance, did similar to what slinger1317 was saying. In order for them to build their market and confidence, they were advised to seek out friends and family to present to and work on building a working clientele base. That rubbed some of us the wrong way when they would call and have a normal conversation then turn it into a "Are you or your parents interested in buying life insurance?" or "Do you have any relatives or friends that need life insurance?"
This post was edited on 2/21 at 12:04 pm
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Vols&Shaft83
Tennessee Fan
Member since Dec 2012
3951 posts
Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 12:12 pm to RickAstley)
quote:
I'm not going to advise the OP to not do insurance sales, but at least the company that hired my step brother, and buddy to sell life insurance, did similar to what slinger1317 was saying. In order for them to build their market and confidence, they were advised to seek out friends and family to present to and work on building a working clientele base. That rubbed some of us the wrong way when they would call and have a normal conversation then turn it into a "Are you or your parents interested in buying life insurance?" or "Do you have any relatives or friends that need life insurance?"
If I had been encouraged to pitch friends and relatives early on, it would have rubbed me the wrong way too. I guess I was fortunate to be trained by a company that values personal relationships, and actually taught me how to sell, not how to be a scavenger or get "low hanging fruit".
You don't happen to know the name of the company do you?
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RickAstley
LSU Fan
Reno, Nevada
Member since May 2011
1306 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 12:14 pm to Vols&Shaft83)
Well I guess it can't hurt to spill it unless they read this board
New York Life
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Vols&Shaft83
Tennessee Fan
Member since Dec 2012
3951 posts
Online
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 12:18 pm to RickAstley)
quote:
New York Life
I love making their agents look like idiots when I run into them at vendor events. They hate me and the Aflac guys in downtown Richmond with a passion.
Wouldn't work for them either.
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toots-N-scoots
LSU Fan
The Pizzle
Member since Aug 2012
68 posts
| re: Insurance sales? Good bad or okay career? (Posted on 2/21/13 at 1:20 pm to Vols&Shaft83)
OP-
I own a firm so send me a message and I will answer any question you have and give you information to take to any prospective employer. This career is great and comes with a lot of freedom. At the end of the day you are either improving the lives of others or doing them a detriment by putting them into a product that isn't suited for them. Bad sales techniques and loading friends up with products to earn a living will be short lived.
Again send PM and will be happy to help you.
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