What was the biggest challenge you faced in2011 as a young agent, and how did you handle it?

GarrettDroege: I think the challenge in 2011 was stayingpositive. We are inundated with negative reports from every anglein our lives. The economy is bad. The market is soft. Investmentsare souring. It’s easy to allow yourself to give in to thenegativity and use this information as an excuse. I’ve heard manyproducers say something like, “It’s rough out there. The economyand soft market are just making it impossible to produce newbusiness.” I don’t buy it. You are responsible for your owndestiny. You can find ways to be successful, but you have to avoidthe negative sources at all costs.

Personally, I try to stay positive and help others see thatthings aren’t all bad. If I can share some positive news with acoworker, a prospect or client, it helps promote success ratherthan excuses for failure.

DarrenHasson: One of the biggest challenges I faced in 2011as a young agent came after procuring carrier appointments. Thetime had now come to figure out how to get the phone to ring. As ayoung agent you are most likely on a conservative budget. So itbecame necessary to come up with marketing strategies that wereboth effective and economical. My partner and I quickly realizedthat we had to devise fresh ideas to acquire new clients and createa referral program. We became involved with our local communitywhich included our local chamber of commerce, charity organizationsand school events; this allowed us to introduce ourselves to ourneighbors. Incorporating social media, direct mail and cold callinginto our daily routine was further necessary to establish whichmethod of marketing was best for our firm. In these ways, we wereable to meet one of the biggest challenges we faced in 2011.

Sara Sheppard: The biggest challenge I faced in 2011was learning that I have to be more selective in regard to theaccounts that I target. I think when anyone starts out in a salesrole, you are eager to put anything and everything on the books.Eventually, you have to realize that some accounts just aren’tworth it. In 2011 I had to learn how to distinguish between aprospective client who understands the value of good insurancecoverage and good service and someone who is price shopping anddoes not care about the service or coverage. Even though thisis incredibly challenging, I think this is one of the mostimportant lessons any producer can learn. The more time you spendon people who are only out for the cheapest price, the less timeyou have to build a relationship with a client who will stay withyou for years to come.

What skills do you think young agents need in2012?

Hasson: Young agents need to have moreeducation and a better understanding of the knowledge they sharewith their clients. Continuing education and joining organizationssuch as Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers (IIABA) are twopractical and essential means for broadening one’s knowledge inthis field. Using technology is another crucial factor for buildinga successful business. Having a website that consistentlyimplements current information and facts to support thatinformation is of utmost importance. As insurance brokers andemerging leaders of tomorrow, we need to be able to use ourknowledge of the industry and share it with our clients. Listeningto the client and knowing what the client’s needs are now should beat the heart of any insurance company. Agents and brokers are theexperts of insurance and must accurately and consistently portraytheir understanding of how insurance plays a role in our society.This ensures integrity and intelligence of an insurance company andthose who represent it.

Sheppard: The first thing that comes to mind istechnology. It isn’t just about social media anymore. It is havinga mobile website, a smartphone app, anything that makes you easilyaccessible to your clientele. When I think about how I work andlive on a day-to-day basis, my phone, laptop and iPad are never faraway. On the other hand, the other skill that I think young agentswill need in 2012 is relationship building: getting out intocommunities and learning how to interact and communicate withpeople, creating a reputation that people can relate to and want tobe a part of. From the most modern technology to the oldestmeans of doing business, I truly think these two skills will bemost important. While people need technology to function daily,they also still want personal relationships with those they dobusiness with.

Droege: Clients have so many choices thesedays; you must give them a reason to work with you. You also mustbe a relentless self-promoter. That’s not to say that you have tobe selling policies over the Thanksgiving table, but you do need tolove what you do and ensure people are aware of your abilities. Iwould say that half of my sales calls are purely to tell my story.If I’m enthusiastic about what I do, then that energy transfers toclients and prospects, which turns into new business.

Obviously, at the end of the day, this is a sales business. Somebasic sales techniques and abilities are no-brainers. I’m notoverly reliant on technique, but I do think you should understandwhat motivates people to buy.

Read on for the panel's insights into using social mediaand how young agents struggle.

How do you use socialmedia in your job? How did you create your social medianetworks?

Sheppard: I use social media daily andupdate our Facebook and Twitter accounts frequently throughout theweek. I have learned that our followers and clients want to readmore than just insurance-specific posts. They want to know about usas people, about what is going on in the community, about what isgoing on in the world and so much more. Social media is a way tocommunicate with prospects and clients on a more personal level. Ialso use social media to learn. I will follow insurance industrygroups and businesses on Twitter and Facebook to see what they aresaying and gather useful pieces of information. Social media is atwo-way street for both putting information out there and alsotaking information in and learning.

Droege: I have a love/hate relationship withsocial media. I think LinkedIn is vital because it gives youinsight on individual clients/prospects and the connections betweenyou and them. Twitter is a fun way to connect, but is easily atime-waster. If you are very strict with your time on it, it can bea great way to have personal interaction with a client or prospect.I use it to promote my clients’ or prospects’ news and successes.It’s just another way to connect on a different level. We also useFacebook to interact with people.

The reason I’m not 100 percent on the bandwagon is that I thinksocial media blurs the line between productivity andprocrastination. It’s easy to feel like you have accomplished workafter 2 hours of Tweeting, but have you? Social media can greatlyenhance your interactions, but it’s not going to replace the coldcalling.

Hasson: Contemporary society is brimmingwith numerous innovative social media outlets. Facebook, LinkedIn,Yelp, Google Places and Meetup groups are great ways to start.People love reading reviews and feeling connected. Social media isa major part of getting referrals; for example, Facebook andLinkedIn is an effective way to gain your friends, acquaintances,family as your clients. Face it, most have opened the door topeople by becoming friends with them on a social media page. Byadding you as a friend, trust and rapport have already beenestablished. It is just another small step to expand by sending outa survey concerning insurance agents and waiting for a response.You might find many who are looking for more information concerningthat. Since trust has already been established they will find itnatural to trust you as one of your clients. Personally, I like tostay in touch with my clients by sending them blogs about dailyinformation and tips for saving money.

What do you see young agents struggle with in theirfirst years in this industry? What advice do you have?

Hasson: Many young agents find themselvesstruggling with startup capital, financial burden and the abilityto sustain carrier appointments. It was so important for us to jointhe Big I for help and support on what to do or where to go. Whatnew agents must recognize is that starting a scratch agency is timeconsuming. They have to be willing and dedicated to put in thetime. I have put in hours and hours of time in meeting withmarketing reps, trying to get them to accept a new young agent withno book of business to start selling. So it is important tounderstand that it takes time to get established. Sometimes it justtakes realizing that it is okay to be frustrated at times becauseit is just part of the learning curve. Being patient, putting inthe time and believing in oneself can and will make all thedifference. You are as good as you believe yourself to be.

Sheppard: Insurance is an incredibly complexand ever-changing industry. The first thing I see young agentsstruggle with is being overwhelmed by all that we have to learn.Becoming licensed is challenging in itself, but working in theindustry is a whole other ballgame. My advice to young agents issimple: Calm down, read everything and listen. Try your best to notget overwhelmed. When you receive those industry-specific emailsfrom companies, legislative updates and anything else, read them.Read anything your boss sends to you and familiarize yourself withthe changes. You have to be willing to accept that this is how theindustry works and everyone has to deal with it; you are not alone.When your marketing rep comes to check in, when your agencyprincipal holds a meeting, when a company rep comes into theoffice, listen to what they have to say. Opening yourself up to theinformation will truly help. Remember, the benefit of keeping upwith the industry will only make you a better and more successfulagent.

Droege: The biggest struggle for me wasaccepting the learning curve. This industry demands a high level ofknowledge in several areas to be successful. You have to learncoverages, sales, business and more. There’s a lot to it, and youcan’t expect to master all of it overnight. As you gain knowledgein these areas, you will be more successful. But for me, it didn’tcome fast enough. Young people tend to want everything yesterday,and the insurance industry cannot offer that. Your success comesfrom hard work. My involvement with the CPCU and CIC designationprograms has greatly expedited my learning of coverage forms andrisk management techniques. I’ve also devoted time to salestraining and have used that to develop my own style.

Read on for the panel's take on legislative issues andage-related workplace conflicts.What legislativeissues are you interested in?

Sheppard: Prior to joining my family’sindependent insurance agency, I worked as a research aide for asenator in the North Carolina general assembly. Having a degree inpolitical science, I am passionate about government and legislativeissues. To stay involved in the legislative world, I became amember of the Independent Agents of North Carolina’s legislativecommittee. This allows me to lobby on behalf of other independentagents at the state and national level.

An ongoing legislative issue on the national level that I’malways watching is the National Flood Insurance Program. Right now,our state is dealing with a major issue with our coastal insurancepool. Our agency is in western North Carolina, but this issueaffects agents and homeowners all across the state. This wassomething that was ongoing even in my years at the generalassembly, so I am interested to see how and when it isresolved.

Hasson: InsurPac is the federal politicalaction committee of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers ofAmerica (IIABA). It represents the unified political voice ofIIABA’s 23,000 member agencies, and 300,000 agents and brokers. Itis the interaction with our representatives on Capitol Hill that iscrucial to the interests of independent agents and brokers. This isa great way to get involved and support current issues that go onwith agents. InsurPac is self-funded by personal contributions fromindependent agents.

Droege: I would love to get involved inlegislative issues at some point in my career, but I’m notcurrently very active with it. This industry has so many movingparts, it’s hard to tackle them all. In my state (North Carolina),we have a very active state association (IIANC) that has helped ourlocal legislative issues tremendously.

Have you experienced any age-related workplaceconflicts? How were they resolved?

Hasson: Overall, thankfully, we have notexperienced age related conflicts. We resolve ageism witheducation. We want people to know that we are the experts. Thus, wehave spent hours educating ourselves within our field. We learnfrom our mentors who help us grow and understand how to learn frommistakes. Growth is part of starting an agency. With growth comessuccess and accomplishments. Believe it or not, we have held theattitude that age actually has also been an aid to us. With youthcomes innovation and cutting edge ideas; couple that withcontinuous education and learning from elders and we havesuccessfully developed, and are constantly expanding into abalanced, well-rounded agency. Our agency takes it one stepfurther: We are the emerging leaders of tomorrow. In this way,because of our optimistic attitude, others have given us the samemutual respect that we have shown them.

Droege: The biggest issue for younger people isthe experience gap. Many seasoned industry veterans foreverassociate youth with a lack of knowledge. It’s a hard thing toovercome, actually. I think it’s only natural for them to assumethat people new to insurance don’t know as much as they do.

I’ve made a personal commitment to get my CIC and CPCU in thenext year, which I think will help with this issue. A respecteddesignation shows commitment and knowledge. My generation also istypically viewed as lazy, so a few letters behind your nameindicate otherwise.

Sheppard: I think all young agents willexperience an age-related conflict or obstacle to overcome early onin their career. Quite often, we are entering an agency orcompany with co-workers who have been in this industry for a verylong time. I entered my family’s independent agency where my motherhas been the owner for more than 20 years and has more than 30years of experience in the industry. Conflicts are bound to arise,but the best thing to learn is respect. I have learned thatmutual respect is a sure-fire way to resolve these types ofconflict. As young agents, we have to respect those who have beenworking in this business for many years because there is much to belearned from them, and they have to respect us in return for ourfresh ideas, energy and excitement about starting our careers.