5 Skills Top Life Insurance Agents Use

Being a successful life insurance agent calls for a personality that can thrive in a fast-paced work environment with unstructured hours and a strong ability to meet the needs of a variety of clients. As you enter the industry, it’s important to take note of the traits that make the most successful agents, well, successful. There are five characteristics that push top-selling agents to the top while the others battle it out for second best.

Problem Solver

Technically, yes, you’re a salesperson, but your sales pitch will not be what carries you up the ladder of success. A strong life insurance sales agent has the ability to solve the problems of a potential client with products tailored to the customer. Your satisfaction should come from offering solutions, not making a sale – the sale is nothing more than a byproduct of being able to solve problems.

Resilience

Inevitably you will be rejected by a prospect. While it’s important to learn from missteps, it’s even more vital to keep moving forward and not be fazed by rejection. Be prepared to hear “no” from potential clients, but listen to what they’re really saying. Did you fail to solve the prospect’s problem? Did you come on too strongly with a sales pitch? Determine what led to the rejection and make adjustments within your approach.

Good Listener

Nothing turns a prospect off faster than being talked over or ignored. Hone in to what your potential clients are saying. Don’t be thinking of your next question or a rehearsed rebuttal to their rejection. Actively listen to the challenges and needs they face so you can provide a legitimate solution.

Policy Holder

Do not recommend a product to anyone when you would not use it yourself. Study the products and decide which work best for your life. To inform prospects on your products you must be an informed agent. Standing behind your product is one of the best testimonies you can offer to a potential customer. You can bet that the majority of your prospects will explicitly ask if you are a policy holder.

Flexible

If you’re in the market for a traditional 9-to-5, life insurance is not your industry. Your prospects will have questions and available meeting times outside of the regular work day, so your schedule must allow you to be flexible and meet on the potential client’s time. This is especially true if your clients are in a life event which calls for them to understand the policy holder’s coverage and how to process the paperwork when needed.

Energetic

The ability to excite someone over creating a financial legacy through planning appropriately is a true talent. The idea, however, is not to be overwhelming with information and eagerness. Strong agents listen carefully so they can address questions or concerns with credible solutions. The idea of sharing your energy can be used differently depending on the prospect – connect over a child’s future, a partner’s peace of mind, or simply the confidence that finances are in order should the unexpected occur.

For those willing to learn the necessary skills to build their business, the life insurance industry can be very challenging and greatly rewarding.