Becoming an insurance agent can be a life-changing event forsome, especially when the opportunity turns into a calling. Thefollowing six producers may have come into the business fordifferent reasons, but they're each staying in the industry for thesame: to improve the lives of others.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successful agent.

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Eric Croker, agent
Stuber InsuranceAgency
Hackettstown, NJ

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

In my original career was I was a chef. I have a culinary degreefrom the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, NY. I wasgetting more into the restaurant management side of it and tookclasses to get my bachelor's degree. But the timing was rough. Itwas right around 9/11 and my dad, who was helping me throughcollege, lost his job. I came home after the first year to work andto make some money. My mother, Linda Croker, has been sellinginsurance for 28 years and has been at Stuber for about 16 years,almost since it opened. There was an opening. Mom said: “Buy mybook of business and get clients and join us.”

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

I do like working with people. I've always been that kind ofperson. I've been able to humor my customers and I'm pretty good atexplaining to them exactly what they're buying. I like to break itdown and make them understand how and what to get, why they'rebuying, and how it's important to their health.

What's your favorite client success story?

I had an older gentleman in his 80s who came in one day. Thepolice had just impounded his car because he didn't have aninsurance card with him. He was a nice older gentleman with a heavyGerman accent, and he said he thought he'd bought insurance at hisauto dealer from a guy named Tony. I'm thinking, who is this crazyold man here? I called Tony and he faxed me a copy of his insurancecard, which was with AIG. I called and they confirmed his insurancewas valid.

Then I looked over his pricing and told him, “Go get your carout of impound and, if you want, I can save half of what thispolicy price is—we could save you a good chunk of change, about$5,000.”

This gentleman needed help. He didn't understand what was goingon. Sure enough, he came back like a week later. I told him, “Nowyou know who your insurance guy is, and now you know right where Iam.”

He lived near a farm, and one time he brought me corn. Heunfortunately passed away about a year ago.

What career advice would you give new agents? Do youhave a 'mantra' for success?

If you take care of the customer it'll take care of you in thelong run. Take care of the customer, give them what they need,don't shortchange them on coverage. Explain to them why somethingis necessary. If you try to scam a customer it's going to come backlater on.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

I always loved cooking, but cooking is more of a love. I don'tknow if insurance can be a love. Unfortunately though, therestaurant industry as a whole is changing. There's been a realheavy move toward chain restaurants, and private restaurants aredying. There's not a lot of creativity, really, being a chef in achain.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

I like science, so Stephen Hawking is someone I admire. I'veseen a lot of his specials. He's a competent thinker.

What are your hobbies? What do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

I'm very interested in the Mars Rover. They're pretty surethere's water on Mars; they know it was once wet. There may also bewater on Mercury, frozen water–they're looking into it. I likethat, I follow that a lot. Computers too–I'm very interested inscience and technology.

Angelyn S. Treutel,President
Southgroup Insurance – GulfCoast
Bay St. Louis, Miss.

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

After working for several years as an accounting manager in theoil industry, I took the opportunity to begin working in a familyinsurance agency so that I could work closer to home and mychildren. And I fell in love with the insurance industry.

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

I believe that agents don't sell insurance; they help people. Ilove the challenge of working with different clients every day tohelp them obtain the best protection at the best price. I love thechallenge of implementing new technologies and more efficientworkflows, so that agents can spend more time buildingrelationships with their clients. I love the ability to be anentrepreneur and run my own business from accounting and marketing,to strategic planning and personnel development.

I also love working with and learning from other agents acrossthe nation, as we all strive to become more profitable businesspeople and embrace our challenges to harness new technology andproduct opportunities, so that we can help more consumers.

What's your favorite client success story?

Actually, it's my own. When I opened my own agency in 2011, itwas scary and an incredible amount of work, but it was also veryrewarding to get tremendous support from my community, family, andfriends. I hired a very talented staff to assist me in my endeavor,and together we are growing and helping more and more people everyday. Over the past year, we have acquired two additional agenciesand opened a third office. We strive to wow our clients withexcellent customer service and offer many choices for theircoverages. I love going to work every day.

What career advice would you give new agents? Do youhave a 'mantra' for success?

I really enjoy meeting with young agents and getting theirperspective on how insurance agents should interact with consumersin the upcoming years. Young agents have a wonderful knack forattracting young clients and they have an innate ability to usecurrent technology, so they will be very successful in theindustry. I have learned that an agent gets back what they devoteto the industry–in other words, the more involved you are inassociations and community activities and the more innovative youare and the harder you work, the more you will succeed.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

I enjoy technology and learning new programs and building websites and using social media. I also enjoy accounting, finance, andtaxes, and working with people and developing staff. I enjoyworking in the community and helping people. And I can do all ofthese things as an insurance agent.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

My parents, who taught me that to whom much is given, much isasked. They taught me the virtues of hard work and perseverance. Iam very thankful for my many blessings.

What are your hobbies: What do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with family andfriends, as well as traveling and reading. I am not too good atsitting still.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successful agent.

Lorraine Emerick
Marshall &Sterling Upstate, Inc.
Leeds, NewYork

Years of Experience as an Agent: 30

Primary Lines of Business You Sell: CommercialInsurance

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

I started in the insurance industry at the age of 16 with theworld's largest insurance brokerage firm (at the time), Alexander& Alexander. I began as a file clerk and had a multitude ofpositions from personal lines, claims, commercial csr to acorporate position in business development. Unfortunately,Alexander & Alexander merged with AON and our branch wasclosed. At that time I went back to college part time, but stillworked full time in the insurance industry. Since my early days ininsurance, I have earned various degrees in education and amcurently a PhD student in the Educational Theory & Practiceprogram at the State University of New York. My area of study isinstructional technology–using computer mediated communication tofacilitate learning. I am also interested in the businessapplication of virtual worlds.

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

Interacting with people. It's not about “selling” a product buteducating people on their exposure to risk and how to minimize thatrisk through insurance products.

What's your favorite client success story?

We recently were the consultants for an RFP (Request forProposal) for a large municipality's insurance program. Not onlywas the municipality thrilled with our services and provided uswith a written testimonial but the participating insurance agencies(also our competitors!) praised the RFP as the best one they hadever seen.

What career advice would you give new agents and/orwhat's your mantra for success?

Set goals, embrace failure and learn from your mistakes.Encourage collaboration and creativity as we are all smart indifferent ways. Capitalize on our differences. If there is aproblem that will negatively affect a client, don't prograstinatewith the “hope” it will get better. People do not like surprisesthat adversely impacts them and will respect you more when youstrive to work together towards a solution.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

I would absolutely have a career in education.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

I truly admire the financial guru, Suze Orman, and her abilityto logically explain how to take control of personal finances. Itis no secret that the normalization of extreme debt has wreakedhavoc on the stability of American families. Her famous quote stillrings true…”People first, then money, then things.”

What are your hobbies/what do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

I recently launched a website, www.playgametolearn.com, totest consumers' knowledge about basic insurance products.Unfortunately, research suggests that many consumers are noteffective when shopping for insurance products.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successful agent.

Parker Beauchamp Agent,Beauchamp-McSpadden Inc. Wabash, Ind.

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

Second grade; it was my life's dream to join the familybusiness. My great-grandfather Ward Beauchamp purchased the agencyin 1927 (it had been founded around 1872). I can remember being asecond-grader and making plans: I wanted to be an insuranceguy.

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

It must be helping people. If you are lucky, you make a friendin the process.

What's your favorite client success story?

They are endless; every client exists for some mutual success.The art is making them successful into perpetuation and gettingrewarded for it.

What career advice would you give new agents? Do youhave a 'mantra' for success?

Work your [tail] off and deal fairly, and try to remember thatyou are not that big of a deal.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

I would simply be a dad.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

Thomas Jefferson, if only for four words: “All are createdequal.” Not to mention, “Life, liberty and the pursuit ofhappiness.”

What are your hobbies: What do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

Mostly, I enjoy being with my wife and son. A far-off distantsecond is exercising. I'm also interested in preserving localhistory and get to do so as president of the board of directors forWabash Marketplace, an organization formed to preserve and promotecommunity and economic development in the City of Wabash.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successfulagent.

Megan Bell Byars
A&B InsuranceSolutions, LLC
Nashville,TN
Years of Experience as an Agent:12
Primary Lines of Business You Sell P&C

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

In art school when I was 20 and working at my mom's brokeragehouse part-time.

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

Being approached with unique risks and finding the program andcarrier relationship that best suits the clients needs.

What career advice would you give new agents and/orwhat's your mantra for success?

Learn from mentors. Soak up all the “on the job training” youcan. Always put your clients whether it be retailers or insuredsbefore commissions. Treating your client relationships with carewill maintain longevity in the industry.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

Writer.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

I most admire my mom. Years ago my mom entered a world dominatedby men and kept climbing. She has taught me everything about thisbusiness and been an exemplary mentor, friend, and mom all at thesame time.

What are your hobbies/what do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

Spending time with family, reading, yoga.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successful agent.

Jim Fain
Beckham FainInsurance
Milledgeville,Georgia
Years of Experience as anAgent: 5
Primary Lines of Business You Sell: P&C

How and when did you decide that an insurance career wasfor you?

The first class I took. I spent 25 years in television radiosales and management. I had no idea I would enjoy the learning andall the complexities of the insurance business.

What do you love most about being an insuranceagent?

I learn something EVERYDAY. About a business or my business thathelps me get better and better.

What's your favorite client success story?

Probably my having a hard to place repo company. I went out andfound a market when no one else would my first year in thebusiness. Been my customer ever since.

What career advice would you give new agents and/orwhat's your mantra for success?

Work everyday harder than the guy or gal down the street. Learnlearn learn. Invest what you can afford in classes CE andotherwise.

What career would you want if you weren't an insuranceagent?

First base coach for The Atlanta Braves.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire,and why?

Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller. Even though they wereindustrialists, their stories constantly keep me looking atobstacles as opportunities. Truly great entrepreneurs see all downmarkets, or what others perceive as problems, to be ripe withpossibilities.

What are your hobbies/what do you most enjoy doingoutside the office?

Spending time with my wife and children, 9 and 4.

Want to share your own insurance story? Clickhereto tell us about your life as a successful agent.