I started my insurance career as a captive insurance agent at a “career carrier”. This means I was selling products to my clients that were available through a single insurance company. This is a very old model that does not work in today's society. With information being so readily available online, consumers are more educated than ever and much more likely to go online to “shop around” or get a second opinion. In today's connected culture, you need to have many options at your disposal if you want to survive in the insurance industry. American Senior Benefits allows me to offer over 150 of the top insurance carriers to my clients. This means I can be a “one stop shop” for my clients and always provide them the best products available.
The second issue was that my compensation per sale was very low at the career carrier. This was because they provided office space, training, admin staff, and all the things you need to be successful in insurance sales. The amazing thing about American Senior Benefits is that I get all of that support, but I still have much higher compensation per sale than at the career carrier!
The third issue that I faced at the career carrier was a total lack of any marketing support or lead generation. Their philosophy was that they were a Fortune 100 company and the brand name should speak for itself. In reality, I found that people weren't exactly knocking my door down because of the company name on my business card. I needed to go out and network, cold call, talk to friends and family, and do a whole bunch of things to spread the word and generate business. Spending so much time marketing took away from the time I could spend selling. I could have spent a whole bunch of my own money on marketing, but as a new agent I didn't really have the money to spend. At American Senior Benefits, you can rest assured that there will be world class lead generation and plenty of interested consumers to speak to. They have prospecting figured out.
LIMRA studies show that 9 out of 10 new insurance agents won't be in the business 3 years from now. The number one reason cited by agents who have left the business is that they didn't have enough new prospects coming in each week. If this is the single biggest problem you will face, then why not partner with a company who can solve that problem for you right up front? Not only do they solve the prospecting problem with leads, they also provide: training, support, high compensation for each sale made, and life time renewal vesting? Seems like an easy decision to me.
I joined American Senior Benefits with just 2 years of experience in the industry. I just made it to my 5-year mark and I can honestly say that I don't know that I would have made it this far if I stayed where I was. I have an agent working in my agency who was terminated by a career carrier for lack of production, who is on track to qualify for convention with American Senior Benefits.
There is another agent who was at a career carrier for over 10 years and never qualified for convention. She's gone to convention with American Senior Benefits all three years that she's been with us. Every agent that has joined us from a career carrier has told me that they made more money here than any year since they've been in the insurance industry. I have a 12-year veteran of a career carrier who has consistently been a six-figure earner at career carriers, who made the most money he's ever made in his life with us in 2017. It's not like he was struggling where he was. He was making well over $100,000 a year. The opportunity here is just so much better, that he was able to improve on an already amazing career. 2017 was only his second year with us!
To sum it up: it doesn't matter if you are struggling and new in the industry, a veteran agent who is a top producer, or a mid-level agent who makes a decent living. American Senior Benefits is a place where you will get to the next level. Even if you didn't think there was a next level! We have a culture of success and an environment that fosters teamwork. Everyone is rowing in the same direction and people who are winning are more than willing to help pull everyone around them up to their level. I've never been part of an organization so large but with such an amazing “small company” feel. Everyone knows everyone else and they all respect and get along well with each other. That's something that you can't put a price on.
Coming here has change my life in ways I can't even describe. In 2017 I earned almost 10 times what I earned in 2014 at the career carrier I was with! That's not a typo. Ten times as much income in 3 short years. When they say the possibilities are unlimited here, they are not exaggerating.
