Four Pillars of Success for the Modern Insurance Agent

Earlier this month I was working on my 2015 business plan. I recruit, train and coach insurance agents, so as part of my plan I included the Four Pillars of Today's Successful Insurance Agent. Regardless of what industry you work in, there are some guiding principles here that apply:

• Multiple Line Needs Based Selling: Today’s consumers are best served when they have a well-trained, competent, caring insurance and financial services representative who can takes a comprehensive, long term needs based approach to uncovering and addressing their risk management, protection and accumulation needs. To fulfill their clients’ needs, today's successful agents need to be experts in two things: Their clients’ needs and the available products and plans for meeting those needs. And they must have the needs based fact finding competencies and relationship selling skills to recommend and put in place the solutions their clients need.

• High Tech - High Touch: We live in a world of powerful simplicity. Consumers demand connection and open lines of communication with their service providers; and they demand a fast and fair response to their needs. To meet these needs today’s agents must fully engaged in technology and social media for the purpose of not only being available to react to their clients’ needs, but to anticipate them. Therefore today's successful agents must use all the technology and support offered by the market place. In every regard agents should put forth an image of quality and concern.

• High Achievement – High Activity: Clients are best served by agents who are successful and have experience in our industry. High Activity and High Achievement leads to success and agent survival. Therefore it is important to strive for the highest career clubs each year, to be engaged in winning seasonal sales contests, to procure designations and to be passionate about building large thriving agencies. Also, to follow the “Conk Buckley ‘did you work today?’” model.

• A Personal pursuit of Wealth, Success and Respectability: Today's successful agents represent the very best of insurance companies. Therefore they should be themselves the very best of business people and individuals. More than just income, they should seek to build quality agencies that have real, sustainable equity and value. As to success, they should see themselves as lifelong learners who are constantly striving to grow their ability to succeed in the ever changing market place so that their clients’ needs are well met. And as to respectability today's successful agents should always employee the highest legal, moral and ethical standards in all they do both in their personal and public life. Over time a successful agent should be a leader and pillar in his or her community who is called upon to serve and lead because of his or her superior reputation for high ethical standards and professional competency.