How to Increase Your Insurance Agent Salary: Why Working with a Managing General Agency Provides Far More Benefits

If you are currently working for an insurance company but have contemplated switching to work with a managing general agency, you may be thinking about what a managing general agency can offer you, especially where your income is concerned. Those who are new to the insurance business may think that working for an insurance company as an insurance advisor will guarantee them a large insurance agent salary, which is generally not the case. 

As you know managing general agencies and insurance companies alike do not typically offer insurance agents a fixed agent salary and much of an insurance agent’s income is based on commission. The more you sell, the more you make – the sky truly is the limit.

Working for a managing general agency offers one major perk, and that is that your clients are your own. Many insurance companies will provide you with a contract that will mean that you will have to be with them for many years before you will have any interest in your client base, and even after years pass, the insurance company will still retain the first right to purchase your client base if you want to change agencies or pursue other career opportunities for a period of time. The longer you work for an insurance company, the deeper the hold they will have on you, and as years pass it will be more and more difficult to move if they stop offering competitive products, training or remuneration.

With an MGA, you have the ability to provide a far better service that ensures that your clients are happy. Furthermore, by providing you with the tools that allow you to attract and retain customers quickly, your MGA can increase your profitability. Who wants a basic life insurance salary when you can be accumulating renewals with each new policy that you add to your portfolio of clients? In the insurance industry an insurance agent salary system doesn’t work because insurance agents deserve to have a piece of the pie for every policy that they put on the books and expect to be compensated for their good performance.

A good managing general agency will provide you with the tools to achieve your career goals:

·         Structured training program – by providing ongoing, consistent, and proven effective training, your managing general agency can increase your earning potential through professional development.

·         Mentoring program for newer agents - by allowing you to learn strategies from those who have had years of experience in the industry, those who know how to increase income, you can implement their trade secrets.

·         Lead generation – an established lead generation program means easy client building.

The right managing general agency should also provide resources such as a professional website with no upkeep for you but full access for yourself and your clients, access to the newest technology in the industry (and training on it), and referral sources. 

There are also huge incentive perks to working with the right managing general agency, those that accompany a commission compensation system as opposed to an insurance agent salary system. Recognition and rewards are an important part of a managing general agency’s commitment, and perks should include things like reward programs to recognize not only your own commitment to your clients but also to your managing general agency, as well as social activities to keep you abreast of changes within the agency and to help network.  Access to and funding for annual conventions are also things that a good managing general agency may provide in order to help with personal development and fostering smart business strategies. 

Leaving your career system and moving on to greener pastures is easy when you find the right managing general agency. There are so many different benefits that can come from switching to a managing general agency, including increasing your earning potential. 

For more information on how to increase your insurance agent salary and the benefits of choosing the right managing general agency, please contact Gary Mandel at Independent Financial Concepts Group by calling 416-849-1653 or visit www.joinifcg.com

Working with a Managing General Agency Lets You Make the Client the Top Priority – Not the Insurance Company!

When you work as an insurance agent for an insurance company, you know that your hands are often tied as far as being able to offer the best services at the best rates. Getting the best deals offered by other insurance companies is obviously not in your best interest. However, this can often negatively affect the relationship you have with your client. Keeping the customer happy needs to be the top priority for an insurance agent.

If you feel like this is the position which you are currently in but have no choice as far as bettering the situation – switching to a Managing General Agency is a perfect solution to help you get the most from your career and keep your customers happy. Remaining independent while still working within an encouraging and motivating atmosphere, while still having access to the support and assistance you require to be the most effective as an advisor, is not possible while working for an insurance company – but is easily achievable if you are working with a Managing General Agency.

20 years ago, most clients would have been completely reliant on the word of an insurance company with regard to prices and services available. Unless they knew someone in the insurance industry, they would have had very little recourse for alternative sources of information. However, with the internet, the wealth of information available to all has seriously impacted the ability of insurance companies to claim that they are offering the best deals if there are others out there. Now it is necessary to cater to their needs in order to attract and retain your customers – which is ultimately your end goal! This needs to be kept in mind when considering how you can attract and maintain a strong client base.

When a customer comes to you as an agent for an insurance company, you can’t offer any of those deals they know are out there – and they may choose to take their business elsewhere. If you are working with a Managing General Agency, there is far less risk that you will lose that client, as you now have the ability to search for the best deal at the best rates from a much larger portfolio. Working with many different insurance companies takes the power from them and puts it in your hands – where it should be in order to allow you to make the customer the top priority!

When you ask yourself who is more important – the client or the insurance company – the answer should always be the client. In order to get the most out of your career as an insurance agent and reap the most rewards, letting an insurance company dictate the direction your career will take is unwise. Working with a Managing General Agency allows you to remain independent while still working with multiple insurance companies and allowing you to keep the customer at number one.

If you want more information about working with a Managing General Agency and how it benefits your career to switch, please contact Gary Mandel at Independent Financial Concepts Group by calling 416-849-1653 or visit www.joinifcg.com