Insurance Sales Career

Insurance Sales Career Is Competitive

An insurance sales career no longer depends solely on selling insurance policies. Today's insurance companies have broadened the scope of their financial products and the requirements for insurance sales jobs. Companies have moved into other areas that meet the needs of their customers.

As the population ages, sales of health and long-term care insurance should increase, even as life insurance sales are down. With a mushrooming population, the need for automobile and home insurance will also increase, along with coverage for expensive equipment, from computers to home theaters. The successful agent who eyes a sales career must keep up with these changing expectations from customers and insurance companies.

Qualifications for Employment

As with other jobs in insurance, companies prefer to hire college graduates, especially those who majored in economics, business law, marketing, or any number of related fields. A person without a college degree, but with a proven sales record, would also be considered as an applicant. A college education is not only a fast track to knowledge about a particular subject, but presumably enables the graduate to better understand the whole picture--how social and economic factors affect the insurance industry.

An insurance sales career is based on people skills and mastery of technology. Courses in psychology and public speaking could add to your ability to read people and to communicate with them. Learning how to use laptop computers, cell phones, and other technology gives you an edge in the competitive insurance field. Agents must have a license issued by the state they operate in; licensing requirements vary, so check with the appropriate state agency where you are located.