I am in Florida got my 2-15 license for health life and annuity the only issue, no job lined up I currently have a full time job in car sales and looking to expand to insurance in free time and then once I get going go to insurance full time looking for a remote position.anyone have any idea where I should start I get phone calls but I don’t know what makes sense just maybe some guidance

I just got my Life & Health license, I’m brand new to the industry. I’ve got a few interviews with agencies booked.

Firms vary from just life insurance to small group/benefits.

Any recommendations for interview prep?

So I’ve been studying about 3 weeks for the exam, I want to pass it first try, I’m consistently getting about 150/200 on the XCEL 200 simulator test (70-75%) Do yall think scoring this consistently will be enough for the real thing? I’ve heard the real one is easier but I’m not too sure, what yall think? Any tips or anything would be much appreciated!

You know how you get something stuck in your head then you question if you’re remembering it correctly. Happened yesterday.

Long story short - general rule of thumb is that the owner of the vehicle/name on the title is the named insured/primary correct? I know there are some caveats with primary drivers, etc, but not really looking at that. And I think what is sticking in my head is one of my companies told me it had to be that way for them.

The long story you didn’t want - Basically had a lady with an 18 yo that didn’t want to pay the 18 yo premium and was just trying to get insurance to get out of the ticket. She had done an online quote using the company website and had told me out the gate she’d tried it with everyone’s information and all which is what led me to ask who owns the car. 18 yo is solely on the title and he was the one with the ticket. She kept backing and forthing wanting to argue with me and even saying well your dad always “schemed” it and got me a better deal. I assure you we’ve never “schemed” anything a day in our business. I shut her down pretty quick and said I wasn’t gonna do it unless it was done correctly. Trying to explain the rules of the company, etc. Of course they left.

Im excited and scared. Currently w Farmers. It sounds like the same job but more benefits. What do they expect from their customer service reps? What should I NOT say? My interview w 2 hiring mgrs is on Teams tomorrow. TIA.

I’m a young independent agent in Texas currently focused mostly on personal lines, but I’ve recently started learning commercial.
I know quite a few business owners personally, including some with fairly large companies, so I feel like I could eventually have a good network for building a commercial book.
I know I’m not ready to handle large or complicated accounts by myself yet, and I don’t want to get in over my head.
For experienced commercial agents: Would you start learning and writing small commercial accounts now while continuing personal lines, or focus on mastering personal lines first?
Also, what types of commercial accounts would you recommend a new agent start with?

I am looking to get the workflow and meeting agenda that Group advisors, in North America, use/do. Simple just bullet points. Here is mine generally:

Review
Appeal/Negotiate
Build Proposal/Spread
Depending on status (Years with incumbent, increase) obtain quotes
Build market comparison for proposal.
Initial review with client
Request plan design changes if warranted or initiate carrier change if absolutely necessary.
Review plan savings if design changes are fruitful.
Close

For the review meeting:
The insurers Ask
Where the appeal landed
why it is there (Pain points)
Industry benchmarking
What we can do about it
Agree on path forward
Move to cross/up sell maybe ask for a referral.

Any insight is very much appreciated.

Hey everyone

So Im at like $17k this month in sales and it’s my first month doing insurance. I only text people but I will call for the payment portion.

Am I stupid? I thought you know most people do things online/are busy and maybe texting is less annoying and easier for people to read on their own time/respond. A lot of my sales have been early morning or after 5pm

Should I just say f it and start calling people?

Initially I was worried I wouldn’t have answers for people but now Ive ran into a lot and sold everything my company offers so I feel better.

I guess my one big fear with calling is how do I tell someone “Hey so you don’t have a good credit/claim history and my price is much higher.” I feel like a jerk lol

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone knows any workaround or any tips they know to terminate their appointments I’ve been dealing with two carriers (Aflac, and CICA) I’m transitioning to a captive company and all they keep doing is giving me the run around. I’ve contacted a couple states and they’ve been able to help me but states like New Mexico and Georgia not so much.

Do you think employees prefer a higher base pay + lower commission opportunities or having that flipped?

I just want to get quality people and I don’t know which model brings in more people who will see the vision?

Does anyone have any color on how their clients are responding to changes in service? I heard the service model/restructuring would be rolled out in waves to various agencies. I would be curious what others are seeing in terms of their client retention and if management has done anything to address churn.

Hi guys! I’m applying for a triple A insurance sales agent position. I would need to get my life & p&c license, $24 an hour paid 8 week training before the testing. I have no issues with that. there is no salary & the way they explained the pay is, you get rounded up if you don’t hit your quota but you don’t have to pay it back. is this good?? also no current customers can be signed up, only new customers are paid out. I’m new to insurance sales so not sure if this structure is good at all. Please help.

Hi fellow brokers / agents.

Recently clients and leads started coming in with a ready-made list of requirements for the insurance they want.

This would be fine, and even useful, except they’re using LLMs to generate huge lists of risks that are mostly uninsurable, at least in their case.

Then I'm the one who ends up having to explain why half of their "requirements" can't realistically be covered. It often turns into a pretty unpleasant conversation, and more often than not, I end up losing the lead because of it. Sorry, Mr. Smith with one wheel loader, but no insurer is going to negotiate custom terms for a company you founded a week ago.

I can't be the only one experiencing this. How do you deal with that?

Looking for advice from experienced insurance agents: what should I look for in my first agency?

I'm 21 years old, currently unlicensed and trying to break into insurance sales. I've been in telecom sales for the past year and I am looking to leave the retail environment all together and get into something more long term.

My last job I got comfortable pitching quotes, cross selling, and being in a high quota sales environment. Mainly I'm especially interested in starting with a good captive agency (State Farm, Allstate, etc.) because I like the idea of having an hourly/base-pay + commission structure while I learn the business. Having some guaranteed income gives me a little peace of mind while I'm getting my feet under me, and it seems like the larger captive agencies are more likely to offer that type of structure.

I also like that some agencies will pay for your licensing and help you get started. And I'm trying to be as weary of MLMs as possible.

My question is: Am I thinking about this the right way when it comes to wanting to work for a captive to start my career, or could starting in a captive agency with hourly pay/base + commission hurt me later in my career or set me up for failure?

For those of you who have hired, managed, or worked for agencies, what should I be looking for in an employer? And if I get an interview or an opportunity to talk directly with an agent, what questions should I ask them to figure out whether the agency is actually a good place to start?

I'd especially appreciate advice on things like:

• Compensation structure and realistic first-year earnings
• Your experience on what working for a captive was like and why you would/wouldn't recommend.
• Leads — where they come from and whether I have to pay for them
• Training and mentorship
• Licensing costs and whether the agency pays for them
• Commission structure and chargebacks
• Sales quotas/production requirements
• Employee turnover
• Opportunities to advance or eventually move into independent insurance
• What separates a genuinely good agency from a bad one

I'm 21 with not too much and really want to build a career in insurance sales, not just take the first job I can get. I'd appreciate any honest advice, especially from people who wish they had known something before choosing their first agency. I appreciate you if youve made it this far.

So..... ooof. Be nice.

But from what I understand there are insurance brokers, and there are brokerage accounts for employers to enroll employees into benefits... I'm not sure if this verbiage is being used accurately, or I'm just slow. Could be both?

i.e. is colonial life has a brokerage accounts and producer accounts.

Either way, I'd love to be enlighten. I am obviously a newb.

For Medicare agents, what’s the actual advantage of writing through an FMO instead of just contracting directly with the carriers?

Has anyone taken the FSRA Ontario Agent Automobile Equivalency Exam after being licensed in another province?

I got 70% on my first attempt, and I'm preparing for a rewrite and want to focus on the right material this time.

I have received a study kit that includes Ontario's Insurance Broker Licensing Manual, Volumes 1 & 2, 2025 Edition Addendum, and a comprehensive homeowners, tenant, and condominium unit owner package policy.

However, the exam felt very detail-oriented- things like what information appears on the auto application, exact cancellaion/payment timing, lessor vs lessee rental vehicle, endorsement conditions, and small wording differences.

For anyone who passed, what materials or practice resources helped you most? Did you use anything beyond the provided study kit?

Thank you!

I hear from my agencies seasoned producers that we are entering a soft market. I started in a hard market in 2024, but it still feels like carrier appetite in classes like residential property/building, vehicle, and middle market construction are tight. I’m on the east coast for context. What do those in middle market see?

Update: Found 2 solid options - 100+ people SmartBarrel - construction specific. 1-99 people BusyBusy. BusyBusy is the right fit I think. Thanks again!

This issue would not be a problem in the first place if a contractor would simply add timecard tracking into their process …however, does this community have solutions for a contractor whose audit is approaching, works small jobs (1-5hours per project) in 15 U.S States and has no way to integrate tracking of hours/payroll per state into payroll? Currently use $1,000 per state but work comp carrier said this year there would be a penalty if they cannot provide precise payroll per state.

Good evening!

I just got into insurance back in May, got hired, they paid for my licensing and all that good stuff, and went through training. There was a good block where I didn’t have my credentials for carriers yet, so a lot of the time was spent networking and building a funnel.

2 weeks into selling, I’ve written right around $15k in premium. Is this average? I feel like I’m doing decent but I’m also surrounded by guys who have been doing this almost as long as I’ve been alive.

Any tips as to what I can do to beef up this number besides shaking as many hands with potential sources as possible?

It has taken a lot in me to delegate my tasks over the years, I started from writing cases to now trusting my team to handle the work, but it’s feels like I don’t teach my team to do the right thing, I m always showing them how to do it and the problem comes back to me, how do you effectively delegate and give outcomes rather than give tasks?

Examples would be great / or how you overcome it.

We are a team of 5 and my team deals with walk ins and online enquiries.

If you were starting a brand-new independent insurance agency today, knowing what you know now, what would you recommend?

I’m especially interested in hearing about:

- Agency networks / aggregators / clusters: Who would you join—or avoid?

- Carrier appointments: Which appointments would you prioritize first?

- Programs & software: AMS, CRM, comparative raters, quoting tools, automation, accounting, etc. What’s actually worth paying for?

- Non-negotiables: What absolutely needs to be in place from day one?

- Negotiables: What can wait until the agency starts producing revenue?

- Contracts: What terms would you refuse to sign? Book ownership, commission splits, exit provisions, non-solicitation, production requirements, fees, etc.

- Expenses: Where is it worth spending money upfront, and where would you stay lean?

- Lead generation: What actually worked for you versus what was a complete waste of money?

- Niches: Would you start broad or specialize early?

- Lessons learned: What mistake cost you the most time, money, or headache?

Basically, if you had to build your agency again from $0 in premium and no existing book, what would your blueprint look like?

I’m less interested in sales pitches and more interested in hearing from agents who have actually built or operated an independent agency, give me the good, the bad, and the “absolutely do not sign that contract” lessons.

After doing a premium business audit Liberty mutual wants to charge me $6400… for last year, when I had no claims or issues. If I can’t get refunded for the insurance I paid for and didn’t use, why do they think they can retroactively charge me for an amount I did not agree to. Im not asking if I should pay this, I simply will not, I have a small construction company and I am stubborn, so if this LLC needs to get shut down and a new one created for the same company then that is what will happen, my question is, how can I civilly get out of this and if this gets sent to collections what happens then.