To become an insurance sales consultant, you have to meet some educational requirements and gain some experience in the insurance agency. After this, you have to obtain an insurance license for each of the types of insurance you want to sell and where you want to sell it. You may also want to consider earning a certification to set yourself apart from the other consultants when you become an insurance sales consultant.
Insurance sales consultants are similar to insurance agents. The difference between the two is that when you become an insurance sales consultant, you can choose to run your own business or you can work as an agent at an insurance provider.
The first step to become an insurance sales consultant is to earn an undergraduate college degree, typically in finance, business or economics. Each of these areas of study include some classes that cover insurance topics, but will also provide the knowledge you need to understand the insurance person and what advice to provide to your clients.
While you are working on your college degree, you should also gain some hands-on work experience. You can choose to obtain a job at an insurance office. You may even choose to intern or get a job in a sales company so that you gain sales experience. This will balance the amount of classroom knowledge and hands-on experience you have as you graduate and become an insurance sales consultant.
Insurance sales consultants must then apply to receive a license for each type of insurance they wish to sell. Typically, you have to take and pass a state exam for that particular type of insurance. Some insurance exams cover several different types of insurance. You also have to hold a license for each state in which you will be selling insurance, so keep this in mind as well.
While it is not a necessity, after you become an insurance sales consultant, you may want to become certified. A certification can help you to specialize in a particular type of insurance. They also add credibility to your professionalism, which can help to win over clients when they are comparing which consultant to buy their insurance policies.
An insurance sales consultant helps clients determine which types of insurance policies they need. Then the consultant helps them set up the policies so that it fits into their overall financial plan.