Celebrating Insurance Careers
Month 2022

February is national Insurance Careers Month, a global initiative to raise awareness about career opportunities in insurance throughout the talent pipeline. For more than 16 years, Nate Apple has found great success in his insurance sales career. He shares his Top Five “best parts of being an insurance sales agent” with Supplementally Speaking, in an effort to help support and promote this special observance month:

1.       Earning potential. Aside from the satisfaction of providing a quality product and the personal satisfaction of helping his customers, Apple says the best part of being a Combined account executive is the opportunity for income. “My job is very rewarding,” he explains, “but none of those other things are attractive unless the compensation is there.”

His role with Combined provides him with the right mix of compensation on new sales, continuing compensation with long-time customers, and other incentives such as trips. He has been on more than a dozen trips during his time with Combined – to places as varied as Mexican beach resorts to the Emerald Isle of Ireland.

If you’re willing to work hard, the job of an insurance agent can go the distance. That’s because insurance sales is considered by many to be a stable career. In good economic times and bad, there are always people buying insurance products—and there’s always a need for someone to sell them, even during a global pandemic.

In fact, according to Deloitte’s 2022 Insurance Industry Outlook, most insurance companies expect economic growth as the world continues to adjust to the pandemic and its effects. About one-third of respondents say they expect revenue to be “significantly better” in 2022, with the need for insurance growing across the globe.

2.       Prioritizing on his own terms. As a husband and father of three kids under the age of 10, Apple knows unpredictability is par for the course. As a Combined account executive, he can prioritize what and how he wants to work. “I make my own schedule,” he explains. “It makes it so much easier - I can make it to my kids’ games and activities.”

Insurance agents like Apple usually have control over their own schedules. “Having a flexible schedule means I can get involved in my community, and make new contacts,” he says, “all while achieving my goals and objectives.”

Plus, thanks to the Internet and 24/7 connectivity, it’s easy to stay productive – agents are not necessarily tied to a desk or a timeclock and can get work done when it makes the most sense for the individual.

3.       Ability to create a thriving career. Even Apple admits that, while overall compensation and schedule flexibility are key, the opportunity for professional development is important, too.  “With success, you’ll continue to grow,” Apple says.  

All in all, an insurance sales career can be deeply satisfying. “Money is great and what everyone wants,” Apple says. “But is also lets me enjoy the other important things in life.”

4.       Continuous learning opportunities. The insurance industry changes rapidly – from laws and regulations to new products and consumer trends. Successful agents continually learn in order to harness new information. That helps them cross-sell to existing clients, and to reach new clients with products that fit their needs.

“There are always new opportunities knocking for advancement or growth and always learning or seeing something new,” Apple says. “I’m never stagnant, professionally or personally.”

Like Apple, you can also pursue a variety of industry designations to deepen and demonstrate your expertise. (Just check out this list!) You can become highly specialized in a particular area of coverage or broaden your education to be a “one-stop shop” with a broad portfolio of insurance products.

5.       Being of service to others. Insurance agents play an important role in ensuring clients’ needs are met, both now and for the future.

With Combined’s wide range of products that assist customers when they need it most, Apple says being part of his clients’ lives and helping them through those trying times is very rewarding. “Our product is only as good as the person who represents our company,” he says.

He builds strong relationships with his customers and community by providing outstanding customer service, building trust through honesty, listening and helping customers assess their needs in order to select the right products for them and their families. “I really enjoy preparing clients for the unexpected, based on their needs,” he says. “Personal service never goes out of style, and my clients know I am there for them whenever they need me.”

From the upfront details and technicalities of product selection to the application process, many people outside of the industry must rely on agents like Apple to lead them through the insurance policy purchase process.

Apple remains committed to his clients with exceptional service. “You have to be there for them,” he says. “You have to help them understand their coverage, and review it with them.”

If you’re a “people person” who enjoys listening to, building relationships with and helping others, insurance sales may be the career for you. Get inspired by a story of community connections in Chico Dennis Credits PMA and Hard Work for his 60 Years of Success at Combined Insurance.