While there’s no fast and easy way to grow your business, recruiting qualified agents to your downline doesn’t have to be complicated.
We’ve gathered these tips to help you start off on the right foot.
Characteristics to Look for When Recruiting Insurance Agents
Before you start seeking out downlines, you should form a clear idea of what you’re looking for in an agent. Do you want someone who specializes in life insurance sales? Do you plan to hire an agent with experience, or train to fill that particular niche? There’s no rule that says you must hire a licensed agent. If you take the unlicensed route when recruiting insurance agents, prepare to offer incentives towards licensing fees.
As you’re planning, remember that the best personality for a salesperson isn’t always what you might think. Most people tend to believe that extroverts excel in sales positions, but a 2013 report from the Association for Psychological Science found otherwise. It showed ambiverts, those who fall in the middle of the introvert-extrovert scale, were most successful in sales careers.
Here are some other characteristics of a great insurance salesperson:
- Empathetic
- Charismatic
- Curious
- Motivated
- Adaptable
If you haven’t already, consider the power of hiring Gen Z. New talent brings innovation and freshness that often inspires more seasoned employees. A Homebase study shows that Gen Z is set to make up 27 percent of the workforce by 2025. Think of the recruiting possibilities!
Gen Z brings innovation and freshness that often inspires more seasoned employees.
Perks to Offer
If you want to bring agents into your downline, you must give them a compelling reason to work with you. Will they gain support? Will you help with training? Free access to quoting and enrollment tools like PlanEnroll can be extremely attractive to new recruits!
How will you compensate your agents? A good rule of thumb is to base your downlines’ commissions on how you get paid. Some sales are more challenging than others, so the commissions should reflect that. When you’re fair about letting your agents succeed, they’ll be more likely to stick with you and recommend you to their peers.
Here are some potential perks you can offer:
- Leads
- Office space
- Administrative assistance
- Technology
Remember that as a Managing General Agent (MGA), you oversee the agents you bring underneath you. Be sure you can afford the agents you bring on. Slow, steady, and ready to train is the way to go.
Tools to Use
Whether you’re looking to enlist others online or in person, there’s no shortage of tools at your disposal. Keep in mind where you can reach your potential recruits. Don’t be afraid to mix and match techniques until you find what works for you.
- LinkedIn — Required profile fields allow you to target recruits very specifically
- Indeed — Manage applications, schedule interviews, and connect with candidates
- Networking events — Whether industry-specific events, service clubs, or local events, never underestimate the power of face-to-face interaction
- Local colleges — Consider working with their career placement departments to recruit young agents
- Newspapers — Low rates, ideal for local recruits
- Craigslist — Cost-effective option that lets you post text (and images!) without size restraints
- Monster — Great way to tell if your recruit is actively looking; well-recognized, but more expensive to post a listing
By following just a few of these simple guidelines, you can avoid the cost of a bad sales hire. Be sure to opt for quality rather than quantity, and you’ll be on your way to recruiting success.
If you’d like to grow your downline, working with a field marketing organization like Ritter can make the process even easier. When you partner with Ritter, you and your agents can gain access to a multitude of competitive contracts and exclusive tools, like a no-cost PlanEnroll Personal Agent Webiste. Plus, Ritter has a dedicated agency team ready to help you expand your business, train your agents, generate more leads, and close more sales. Register for a free account with RitterIM.com today to get started or contact their agency team at 800-769-1847 to learn more!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 2017. It has been updated to include information and links more relevant to 2024.
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