How did you get into the insurance industry?
Growing up, my mother worked nonstop. When I got older and began thinking about what I wanted from my life, I knew I wanted a career that allowed a little more control of my schedule. I also wanted to be able to provide for my family. One day, I was speaking to my mentor, and he recommended looking into the insurance industry. After doing my due diligence, I knew this was the path I wanted to go down.
I have now worked in insurance for over seven years. I got my start at a company in Boston where we did title marketing. It was a good experience, teaching me cold outreach and sales.
I decided that I wanted to learn about the carrier side of the business. I took a position as an agency consultant, where I visited agencies and helped them strategize about their growth and marketing. I enjoyed thinking through these challenges with the agency principals. Opening my own agency was my goal, and I made that leap in late 2019.
How do you see technology’s role changing in insurance?
Technology is the best thing for insurance. Over my seven years in the industry, I have seen tremendous change. When I started, many processes were paper-based. I remember visiting agencies as a consultant—one principal showed me his rating wheel and told me how he used to conduct business. We have come a long way!
Technology increases the speed and ease of doing business. For instance, if I have my phone and I receive a client email about completing registry paperwork, I can have it to them in 20 minutes and not risk mailing hard copies that could take up to a week. These advancements allow me to service more customers in a day and magnify my reach. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years will bring.
How do you use social media specifically?
I leverage social media as an education tool. Many agents do not take advantage of this tool or don’t see the value in it. However, it helps position yourself as an advisor. Many consumers don’t understand insurance; they purchase insurance because of compliance, but do not understand how it works.
For me, it is about getting information out there and providing general information because consumers should understand what their money is going toward. Social media helps me build my base and gain trust within my network. Tone is very important, and as agents, we should work to be empathic with our customers.
What advice do you have to an agent just entering the industry?
My advice is to own the business. There is a reason why you choose to be an agent. For agents to find success, they should be purpose-driven and understand that clients need you. During a claims event, there can truly be lives at stake. I challenge new agents to not see it simply as something they do.
Client relationships are for the long term, and you develop them through amazing service. Take the time to learn the business, know the people you are selling to, and understand the products. Although the industry is changing in terms of the way we do business, customers still value relationships. It’s the relationships you forge in the community you serve that determine the longevity of your business.
Can you speak about your personal experience as an agent?
I read a recent article from a trade publication that estimated 85% of agency owners are male and roughly 5% of agency principals are African American. As a woman and a minority, I look at the statistics, and I am proud of starting in the business at a young age.
The business is historically seen as male-dominated, but things are beginning to shift. The industry is beginning to hire people from different backgrounds. In my position, I have a responsibility to my community—to educate with empathy.
Having someone that looks like them at the top of the profession is important. I often enter a room of agents and I am the only minority, sometimes I am the only woman as well. While we have come a long way, we still have more work to do. I’m looking forward to what the next decade and beyond will bring.
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