Insurance Sales Agents

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Select company that offers type of coverage requested by client to underwrite policy.
• Ensure that policy requirements are fulfilled, including any necessary medical examinations and the completion of appropriate forms.
• Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
• Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
• Perform administrative tasks, such as maintaining records and handling policy renewals.
• Inspect property, examining its general condition, type of construction, age, and other characteristics, to decide if it is a good insurance risk.
• Contact underwriter and submit forms to obtain binder coverage.
• Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
• Install bookkeeping systems and resolve system problems.
• Attend meetings, seminars, and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
• Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
• Monitor insurance claims to ensure they are settled equitably for both the client and the insurer.
• Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
• Install bookkeeping systems and resolve system problems.
• 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.
• Confer with clients to obtain and provide information when claims are made on a policy.
• Develop marketing strategies to compete with other individuals or companies who sell insurance.
• Calculate premiums and establish payment method.
• Calculate premiums and establish payment method.
• Attend meetings, seminars, and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new skills, and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts.
• Customize insurance programs to suit individual customers, often covering a variety of risks.
• 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.
• Plan and oversee incorporation of insurance program into bookkeeping system of company.
• Seek out new clients and develop clientele by networking to find new customers and generate lists of prospective clients.
• Explain necessary bookkeeping requirements for customer to implement and provide group insurance program.

Skills

• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

Abilities

• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.

Knowledge

• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Central Washington University
  400 East University Way, Ellensburg WA 98926
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-963-1111
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.cwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Insurance
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

58660/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

28.2/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

15,060

Yearly Projected Openings

1390

Personality

Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:

• Integrity
• Independence
• Attention to Detail
• Achievement/Effort
• Dependability
• Initiative

Tools

• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Franking or postage machines
• Laser fax machine
• Laser printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Wearable computing devices

Technology

• Calendar and scheduling software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Financial analysis software
• Instant messaging software
• Internet browser software
• Medical software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Video conferencing software
• Video creation and editing software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Word processing software