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Insurance sales agents sell insurance policies. They pitch their product to potential clients, increasing their customer base and keeping in contact with people they have already sold to. They collect information about people who are interested in buying insurance and offer the policies best matching their needs.

Humankind is fragile, and insurance may cover any area of life. Marriage and divorce, having a baby or buying a house, accidents, new businesses, or children going to college all give a reason to be concerned. History has seen people buying insurance in case they died of too much laughter at the movies. Your job will not likely go out of demand if this is the path you choose.

Selling insurance can be a rewarding career, if you have the right mindset for it. You will have continuous learning opportunities; in fact, keeping up to date with the ever-evolving insurance policies will be a part of your job, with regular training events to attend, so you can put your knowledge to work for your clients.

What Does an Insurance Sales Agent Do

Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance. Insurance sales agents explain various insurance policies and help clients choose plans that suit them.

Learn more about what an Insurance Sales Agent does

How To Become an Insurance Sales Agent

Although most employers require agents to have a high school diploma, many agents have a bachelor’s degree. Agents must be licensed in the states where they work.

Education

A high school diploma is the typical requirement for insurance sales agents, although a bachelor’s degree can improve one’s job prospects. Public-speaking classes can be useful in improving sales techniques, and often agents will have taken courses in business, finance, or economics. Business knowledge is also helpful for sales agents hoping to advance to a managerial position.

Training

Insurance sales agents learn many of their job duties on the job from other agents. Many employers have new agents shadow an experienced agent. This practice allows the new agent to learn how to conduct the company’s business and to understand how the agency interacts with clients.

Employers also are increasingly placing greater emphasis on continuing professional education as the variety of financial products sold by insurance sales agents grows. Changes in tax laws, government benefits programs, and other state and federal regulations can affect the insurance needs of clients and the way in which agents conduct business. Agents can enhance their selling skills and broaden their knowledge of insurance and other financial services by taking courses at colleges and universities or by attending conferences and seminars sponsored by insurance organizations.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Insurance sales agents must have a license in the states where they work. Separate licenses are required for agents to sell life and health insurance and property and casualty insurance. In most states, licenses are issued only to applicants who complete specified courses and who pass state exams covering insurance fundamentals and state insurance laws. Most state licensing authorities also require agents to take continuing education courses focusing on insurance laws, consumer protection, ethics, and the technical details of various insurance policies.

As the demand for financial-planning services increases, many agents also choose to get licensed and certified to sell securities and other financial products. Licensing and certification requires substantial study time to pass an additional exam—either the Series 6 or Series 7 licensing exam, both of which are administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The Series 6 exam is for agents who want to sell only mutual funds and variable annuities. The Series 7 exam is the main FINRA series license, which qualifies agents as general securities sales representatives.

A number of organizations offer certifications that show an agent’s expertise in insurance specialties. These certifications are not required for employment, but they can give job candidates an advantage over other applicants. Certifications also can be a source of continuing education credit. For details on specific designations, contact The Institutes and The American College of Financial Services.

Important Qualities

Analytical skills. Insurance sales agents must evaluate the characteristics of each client to determine the appropriate insurance policy.

Communication skills. Insurance sales agents must be able to communicate effectively with customers by listening to their requests and suggesting suitable policies.

Initiative. Insurance sales agents need to actively seek out new customers to maintain a flow of commissions.

Self-confidence. Insurance sales agents should be confident when making “cold” calls (calls to prospective customers who have not been contacted before). They must speak clearly and persuasively and maintain their composure if rejected.

Insurance Sales Agent Career Paths

Average Salary for an Insurance Sales Agent

Insurance Sales Agents in America make an average salary of $52,019 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $82,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $32,000 per year.
Average Insurance Sales Agent Salary
$52,019 Yearly
$25.01 hourly
$32,000
10 %
$52,000
Median
$82,000
90 %

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Insurance Sales Agent Education

Insurance Sales Agent Majors

35.4 %

Insurance Sales Agent Degrees

Bachelors

50.8 %

Associate

20.8 %

High School Diploma

14.7 %

Top Colleges for Insurance Sales Agents

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166

5. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-State Tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-State Tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159

8. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA • Private

In-State Tuition
$9,912
Enrollment
14,245

9. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529

10. Butler University

Indianapolis, IN • Private

In-State Tuition
$41,120
Enrollment
4,553

Top Skills For an Insurance Sales Agent

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.4% of insurance sales agents listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and self-confidence are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Insurance Sales Agent Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Insurance Sales Agent templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Insurance Sales Agent resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Insurance Sales Agent Demographics

Insurance Sales Agent Gender Distribution

Male
Male
52%
Female
Female
49%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among insurance sales agents, 48.5% of them are women, while 51.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among insurance sales agents is White, which makes up 69.0% of all insurance sales agents.

  • The most common foreign language among insurance sales agents is Spanish at 71.3%.

Online Courses For Insurance Sales Agent That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
Fundamentals of Insurance - 1
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Fundamentals of Insurance - 1...

Excel Skills for Insurance Professionals
udemy
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From Vlookups to Pivot Tables: Learn the Excel basics anyone working in the insurance industry needs to know!...

Financial Analysis of Insurance Companies – Industry Overview and Analysis of Financial and Regulatory Reporting
edX (Global)

Want to gain a solid understanding of the unique analysis methods needed to assess the financial strength and operating performance of insurance companies in the US and Europe? We’ll begin this course with a look at the main lines of business and the current operating environment of the Life and Health sector of the industry. We will also discuss the impact of changes in interest rates on investment earnings and sales of annuity products. Next, we’ll turn our attention to the property and...

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Best States For an Insurance Sales Agent

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an insurance sales agent. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Alaska, New York, and New Hampshire. Insurance sales agents make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $80,606. Whereas in Alaska and New York, they would average $75,238 and $70,356, respectively. While insurance sales agents would only make an average of $70,320 in New Hampshire, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Rhode Island

Total Insurance Sales Agent Jobs:
168
Highest 10% Earn:
$98,000
Location Quotient:
1.24 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

2. New Hampshire

Total Insurance Sales Agent Jobs:
209
Highest 10% Earn:
$103,000
Location Quotient:
1.07 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

3. Vermont

Total Insurance Sales Agent Jobs:
143
Highest 10% Earn:
$89,000
Location Quotient:
1.67 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
Full List Of Best States For Insurance Sales Agents

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Top Insurance Sales Agent Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ insurance sales agents and discovered their number of insurance sales agent opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Allstate was the best, especially with an average salary of $40,472. American Income Life Insurance follows up with an average salary of $52,019, and then comes GEICO with an average of $41,215. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an insurance sales agent. The employers include Polly's Pies, Allstate, and Davis & Company

Most Common Employers For Insurance Sales Agent

Rank  Company  Average Salary  Hourly Rate  Job Openings  
1Primerica$73,700$35.43149
2AAA Systems$55,747$26.80107
3AAA Northeast$55,447$26.66109
4Answer Financial$54,846$26.3774
5Alight Solutions$54,350$26.13213
6Combined Insurance$54,074$26.00151
7American Income Life Insurance$52,019$25.01372
8State Farm Insurance Agency$52,019$25.01213
9American General Media$52,019$25.0171
10State Farm$49,951$24.01258

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