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Insurance Sales Agents

Sell life, property, casualty, health, automotive, or other types of insurance. May refer clients to independent brokers, work as an independent broker, or be employed by an insurance company.

What you’d do

  • Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
  • Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance, or specialized policies, such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice.
  • Explain features, advantages, and disadvantages of various policies to promote sale of insurance plans.
  • Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
  • Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
  • Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
  • Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
  • Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.

Skills that matter

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Persuasion
  • Writing

How to get there

Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

Also called

  • Insurance Agent
  • Insurance Broker
  • Sales Agent
  • Sales Representative
  • Insurance Sales Agent
  • Sales Associate

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