RALFFERS 0 #1 March 28, 2007 Hey Guys, Here's the last 2 months of my life in a nutshell: I am in the midst of a career change and just got licensed to be an insurance agent in the state of Illinois; I'm licensed to sell all lines of insurance....that's the good news. But here's the thing, I just got hired on in a full-time position at a broker's office. (for those that don't know, a broker is a company that sells the products of many insurance companies. Anyway, in most cases (but not all) when you work in this industry you are compensated 3 ways; base salary, % off of every policy sold and % off the policy when the client renews his/her policy (I'm told this is where most of your money is made.) To make a long story short, I just got a call from my boss and he told me that he would hire and train me, but only pay commission (and I think a renewal %.) Thing is, I don't know whether I should accept his offer or wait for something where I'm paid a base salary + commission. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, RalphDialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #2 March 28, 2007 QuoteHey Guys, Here's the last 2 months of my life in a nutshell: I am in the midst of a career change and just got licensed to be an insurance agent in the state of Illinois; I'm licensed to sell all lines of insurance....that's the good news. But here's the thing, I just got hired on in a full-time position at a broker's office. (for those that don't know, a broker is a company that sells the products of many insurance companies. Anyway, in most cases (but not all) when you work in this industry you are compensated 3 ways; base salary, % off of every policy sold and % off the policy when the client renews his/her policy (I'm told this is where most of your money is made.) To make a long story short, I just got a call from my boss and he told me that he would hire and train me, but only pay commission (and I think a renewal %.) Thing is, I don't know whether I should accept his offer or wait for something where I'm paid a base salary + commission. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ralph Hold out for your expectations.I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #3 March 28, 2007 Fuck it all and move into a trailer at the dropzone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #4 March 28, 2007 QuoteFuck it all and move into a trailer at the dropzone. Haha, that would all good....accept you still need money to pay for the trailer Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #5 March 29, 2007 You need to think a little harder than JUST salary. I'm not saying take the job but evaluate this opportunity based on the earning AND LEARNING potential. If this guy is really good at what he does there is A LOT of "added value." Not saying you should take it...........just think "bigger" than just today. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #6 March 29, 2007 QuoteYou need to think a little harder than JUST salary. I'm not saying take the job but evaluate this opportunity based on the earning AND LEARNING potential. If this guy is really good at what he does there is A LOT of "added value." Not saying you should take it...........just think "bigger" than just today. VBery good point. I have thought about this opportunity (or at least tried to think about it objectively.) He has been doing this for 30 years and therefore is very good at what he does. Because what I learn will be bvaluible and used throughout my career I'm leaning towards taking the job...I mean the office is 5 minutes from my house, he's wiling to personally train me, and the commissions are high. To be honest, the only thng I'm worried about is if my sales don't go well during a given month and I hit hard times I still have to pay the bills and eat. Choices choices.........crapDialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #7 March 29, 2007 QuoteHe has been doing this for 30 years and therefore is very good at what he does. That would be all the answer I needed. Quotethe only thng I'm worried about is if my sales don't go well during a given month and I hit hard times I still have to pay the bills and eat. Welcome to the world of sales. Seriously, if he has been doing this for 30 years he probably has quite a business reputation and a HUGE client base. I'm sure he can keep earning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #8 March 29, 2007 QuoteWelcome to the world of sales I take it you work in sales as well> (just a hunch) More and more I'm starting to see that I may not have as much to worry about as I thought. I'm sure that I'll be trained well, and if I could grasp equally well what it is I'm being taught the income potential is unlimited. The other cool thing is I don't always have to be in the office to be working, all I need is a phone and a laptop,,,,,are there wireless connections at drop zones? lol Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #9 March 29, 2007 QuoteI take it you work in sales as well Actually no. However, I DID fail miserably at it in my late teens. Not that I didn't understand the business aspects. I just sucked at talking to people back then. Now the only thing I sell is the fact that it's a bad idea to bother the people I protect. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #10 March 29, 2007 That's the one good thing about working in insurance sales, you don't have to bother anyone; someone's always looking for one type of insurance or another. There's always business to be gained. I know that there are many people out there who can tell us horror stories about what they went through with an insurance company; I'm sorry any of them had to deal with whatefver BS. However, that is not the fault of the insurance company, it 's the agent's. There are winners and losers in this industry; the losers sell a policy just to sell it, without a care in the world for the customer, the winners are the ones that are successful in this game and stick around because whatever policy they sell has the clients best intensions at heart; you don't lose when something happens because that policy is tailored to your needs.Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #11 March 29, 2007 I have actually had some right good experiences with insurance salesmen in the past few years. Of course, many lost my business because they just seemed too busy to return my calls. I'm not going to beg to buy something. So.......sales tip #1........return people's calls in a timely manner. Good luck to you in whatever you do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TylerDurden 0 #12 March 29, 2007 You are not your job. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #13 March 29, 2007 QuoteYou are not your job. Eh? I'm lost (don't worry, this happens often lol) Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nochute 0 #14 March 29, 2007 I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular television series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel. Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of a robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration. You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RALFFERS 0 #15 March 29, 2007 QuoteI'm Sam Waterston, of the popular television series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel. Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of a robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration. You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time. LOL!Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself - "from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites