Navigating the World of Sales with Comparion Insurance

?As I was job seeking for a summer internship during my junior year of college, I came across Comparion Insurance Agency that was described as in-person sales opportunity that allows me to immerse myself in a fast-paced and supportive environment where I would be encouraged to sharpen my selling skills. I expected during this time that I would build my sales skills through cold calling, observing, assisting with sales events, developing and sourcing strategies, and utilizing CRM tools to support with marketing campaigns. During this internship I anticipated to learn more about the corporate culture, network with employees at the company, and figure out my career goals.

???????? As my first day approached, I knew what the internship entailed on paper, but was ambiguous of how it would actually transpire. On my very first day, I started at a different Comparion office to get set up with my laptop and security badge, and some Comparion merch as well. My second day occurred on the company's annual “RECO Day”, where the entire state would come together to celebrate and recognize their employees. This year, it was located at the Hopkinton Country Club, and it was where I first met the people I would be working with for the rest of the summer as well as all the other interns in Massachusetts. A significant conflict I experienced during the tenure of my internship would be that one of my team members was unfortunately terminated. This was something I hadn’t anticipated, and I was shocked to see happen in real life. This incident taught me that your performance and effort in problem-solving, work ethic, time management, and teamwork can cost you your job. These skills aren’t formally taught in school, but they can be the make or break of your employment. On the other hand, I would consider one of my greatest successes to be cold-calling clients and successfully setting up appointments with their designated sales representatives. On multiple occasions, the clients ended up buying new policies/products which generated sales for the reps. It was extremely satisfying to see my efforts made worthwhile.

??Throughout the summer I kept a bi-weekly journal reporting to Stefanie Boyer, PhD?? which would help me gather my thoughts into a concise format where I could look back on to see how I have grown throughout the summer.? In one of my very first journals, I wrote about my first annual intern meeting where we were each given the task to call a separate insurance company and ask for a quote. During the quoting process, our assignment was to observe which questions they asked, what they did well in the quoting process, and how they could improve.

???????? My assignment was to call Amica Insurance and obtain an insurance quote, and the agent asked me general questions about my personal and vehicle information. I felt this task was very helpful to me as I did not have much experience with insurance, and it was interesting to see which questions and information was necessary to the sales process. Working directly with the sales team has given me the opportunity to observe the sales styles of different agents running quotes.?

????????? At the beginning of the summer, we were assigned in groups of 3-4 interns to help Comparion improve its digital footprint. Comparion is relatively new company, so we brainstormed ways in which we could increase the presence of its digital footprint. We focused heavily on search engine optimization which is about maximizing the number of potential consumers that come across your website. My group primarily focused on Facebook and Google reviews. We strategically put together SMART goals to make sizeable improvements as well as hold ourselves accountable to what we wanted to achieve. This presentation was to the 11 interns, our designated managers, and their managers as well. It was quite a nerve-racking day, but my group was prepared, well-spoken, and confident. Looking back at this experience, I realized just how important it is to manage your time wisely. My group met weekly leading up to the presentation to ensure it went smoothly and coherently. I believe that the time and effort that went into the presentation paid off as it was very successful.

???????? Kolb’s learning cycle mentions 4 stages: Concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The hands-on experience of going into the office, calling customers, building relationships with co-workers, developing my professional brand, and presenting are the primary components of my concrete experience. My principal modes of reflection consisted of completing my journal entries and summarizing my experiences throughout this article. As I conclude the summer, I will utilize the lessons I have learned throughout the course of my internship and apply them to my future endeavors. This abstract conceptualization will allow me to see the upcoming experiences I will have through a different lens based on the variety of situations I encountered. I believe that through active experimentation, I learned to dress business casual, manage a calendar through attending meetings, ask questions, and ensure my voice is heard. When I spoke with my manager Amanda Corndell about my takeaways from the summer, she said that I am professional, strong at building relationships, following-up with agents, and holding myself accountable. I plan on bringing all these skills with me to the next role I take on and I am very grateful for her feedback.

After spending the past 11 weeks at Comparion as a full-time intern, I most certainly can see myself continuing a sales career path in my future. To make this happen I plan on obtaining my insurance license to be a Sales associate.? I will be reaching out to my manager in January to see where the team is at, and interview for a full-time role upon graduation.

Overall, this summer was an amazing opportunity to see what the corporate world entails, and I am certain that I will use my professionalism, accountability, leadership, and relationship building skills throughout my career.