Moving Right Along

I took a call from a lady looking to open a day care facility. I'm working on the account with a colleague and the supplemental applications are insane. It makes sense when you consider everything involved with a day care. You literally have kid's well beings in your hands and there are all sorts of exposure to risk whether it's a swimming pool, playground equipment, field trips, or an allergic reaction. The premiums will likely be pretty high and I can't imagine someone actually wanting to take on the responsibility of opening a business like that. More power to her though.

I'm also working on a couple of Water Districts in some local parishes. Again, the accounts are somewhat complex becuase the insurance companies always seem to want the Districts' financials which can prove to be a hassle to get. We'll make it work though.

Long Time

I have not made a new post in 3/4 of a year. I spent the first six weeks or so of my new employment with my nose in a book studying for my Property/Casualty Insurance License and just was not real excited about posting my different study habits. As I prepared to take my test, I was reminded that nobody at Moreman, Moore, & Company ever failed their first attempt. I do not deal well with pressure.

I'd taken several practice tests and was fairly confident with the material and I was pleasantly surprised when the format of the actual test was identical to the practice tests. Unfortunately for me the actual test questions were exponentially harder and I found myself getting close to a minor panic attack. I truly thought there was a chance I might fail. After an hour, I finally managed to squeak out a passing score (forgive the lack of building suspense) and qualified for my license so I could actually legally sell insurance.

Before stepping into this business, I was advised to persevere and not get down on myself because it's tough to break into but very satisfying once it happens. By tough I mean slow and I definitely found/am finding that to be the case. I wrote my first piece of business in April. I write the Worker's Compensation for a small marina/dirt pit operation in Bossier. They also have a mini-storage facility that I picked up the liability insurance for. That was such a weight off my shoulders and since have written several other pieces of business including a plumber and arborist.

I'm finding my biggest challenge is the cold calling. There are several challenges in calling on a potential customer not the least of which is figuring out the person in charge of the commercial insurance. Now that I've committed to updating this blog again, I'll do my best to share techniques that are working for me and vice versa as I don't know anybody that is completely comfortable with cold calling. All of that to say that I really enjoy where I work and what I'm doing and I'm very thankful to be in the position that I am right now. The company that I was with previously is having more drama than I ever anticipated and I'm very happy to be on the outside looking in. I'll do my best to update this on a regular basis and if you are reading and feel the desire, please comment.

Keep On Keepin On

I finished up my first week and I'm a little exhausted. I spend the majority of my day reading and studying in preperation for my licensing exam. If I don't pass that then I can't really play a part in the business. I know it sounds miserable but truthfully it isn't that bad. Insurance is a bit dry but the subject matter is not difficult. There are so many details to memorize though and that is the tricky part. The president of the company stopped by my desk this afternoon and told me that the exam isn't really difficult at all. He said I should just memorize for the licensing exam and once I pass that, then I get to learn how the business actually works. That made a lot of sense to me so I'm just doing my best to memorize. I really do like the people I work with and that is such a good feeling. While there is a certain expectation to do well which is certainly innate, there isn't a sense of "you better, or else." Everyone is laid back and happy and things just roll along. This is my kind of business.

Kristen told me about a news story today where a man had a friend shoot him in the arm so that he wouldn't have to go into work. Been there. Not literally though and I'll tell you why. The first recruiting firm I worked for was so intent on you being at work that they would send you on guilt trips if you had to go to the dentist. They would call you out publicly in company wide meetings if you scheduled a doctors appointment. They were so incredibly paranoid of people missing work that the president would leave in the middle of the day and drive by people's homes to make sure they're there. Of course, they go in and check and pray with them in the name of God but the rest of us at the office know what's really going on because we see the freakouts over the person missing work. I'm not going to shoot myself in the arm just so the boss can come check on me and pray with me. I'll just call in and say you guys have been sucking so I'm not going to be in today. Then they can come by and we'll pray about what they can do to stop sucking.