The challenge to become a successful insurance agent is real.
And most “normal” 9-5ers out there probably wouldn’t ever understand.
We have to find our own leads. Build our own referral network. Get on the phone and close our own deals.
But even though it can be a lot of work, there’s no doubt that the rewards and lifestyle we get to live are well worth it. I mean, the freedom to work on our own schedules plus the obvious potential for financial success is the reason why most of us got into this business in the first place, right?
Having started from scratch myself (and having struggled for a long time…)
Here are 3 of the biggest things I changed about my life and my agency — all of which played a role in me becoming a successful insurance agent AND quadrupling my book of business in a matter of a few months.
The Difference Between Struggling and Successful Insurance Agents
To become a successful insurance agent, plan out your days and have a solid daily routine to stick to
Do you wake up and dive straight into work without a plan for the day?
Before going to bed tonight — do you know exactly what you want to (or need to) accomplish tomorrow?
Some solid planning and goal setting can double how productive you are practically overnight.
In fact, if you ask any high-performer out there in any field — they’ll most likely tell you that this is the “secret” on how to become a successful insurance agent.
Going into your days blind is a recipe for burnout — trust me. Been there, done that.
Instead, map your days out. And get specific with it. Block off pre-determined sections of your calendar to work on one single task before moving onto the next one. And don’t forget to schedule in some time for yourself too!
If you’re not doing this kind of thing already, you’ll be amazed at how much more focused you can be on your work once you know exactly what it is you need to be doing.
Plus, it always feels good to set a goal for the day then cross it off the list!
Successful agents question the old-school methods for finding new business
Cold calling. Door knocking. Networking events. Shared leads. Doughnut delivery.
And the list goes on… (sadly)
A lot of us insurance agents learn these methods from the generation before us and then just roll with it. For one reason or another, we assume that this is all there is and we don’t even attempt to think outside the box.
No disrespect to the guys who came before us — I have no doubts many of them crushed it with these methods back in the day…
But times change and especially with the internet and social media, there are practically endless ways to get creative with running your insurance business.
Are you leveraging the modern-day tools that are available to us?
The answer to this question could reveal a big reason why you are struggling as an insurance agent.
If you’re like me who hates networking, I’ve written about how I grew my insurance network in this article.
Successful insurance agents stand out from all the other “Pavement Pete” insurance agents
What did I hate most when I was a hustling (yet struggling) insurance agent?
Driving around to potential referral partners with doughnuts and coffee, trying to be the nice guy and hoping they’d toss me a lead or two.
Hell, I hated this so much that I used to drive around the block 3 or 4 times just psyching myself up… before finally parking the car, putting on that fake smile, and giving my little spiel for the millionth time.
(No doubt the coffee was getting cold while I drove around in circles like a dummy…)
I call people that do this (myself included) “Pavement Petes” — because to potential referral partners they all look exactly the same…
Another guy strolling in with doughnuts, looking desperate for even the tiniest scrap of a lead that’s not colder than a winter night in Russia.
This is where I found a way to provide so much value to referral partners that now they come to me. No more doughnuts, coffee, or fake smiles.
If you want to build up your network without any of that junk, here’s the trick: Provide them with the one thing they actually care about… new business!
Hopefully this gives you some food for thought when it comes to growing your own agency! Obviously you can go way deeper with any of these things…
In fact, you can learn more from the insurance agents themselves whom I have interviewed on how they started and grew their insurance agency.
So if you’re interested in learning how I built my network of referral partners without any broken-record “Pavement Pete” tactics… I put together a free training that shows you everything.
Click the button below to get started!
Nato owns Guajardo Insurance Agency. He learned the lessons he needed to learn so that his agency avoided the traditional ups and downs of lead flow and sales. He created Fully Covered to do just that. A methodology and system that provides predictable and automated online leads to insurance agents that have a passion for helping people.
Today, Nato runs his business together with his wife, Angelica, without the stress of finding the next client or worrying about if there is enough money in the bank. Plus, he gets to protect clients with our Agency and protect his peers through education and systems that took years to figure out on his own.
