The Changing Face Of Todays Independent AgentAnd The Next Generation

My r?sum? reads as follows: 32-year-old mother of three, attends school plays and PTA meetings, co-director of community vacation Bible school, enrolled in MBA program on weekends; president of one volunteer trade association, director of another; works two days a week from home, three days on the road guaranteeing accounts receivable for corporations. Ive been a property-casualty insurance broker for 10 years, and I represent just one segment of the young professionals today moving up the ranks in insurance agencies and companies nationwide.

My father, Kenneth Lee, entered the industry around the time I was born. He began as an agent, worked his way up to partner in a Manhattan agency, and now, he and his partner have a sales force of between 15 to 20 agents strong. I am one of many brokers in his office, each having a different background and a unique approach to sales. But were all successful.

I am proud of my father; hes the reason I am in the industry. It is a family business, or at least thats how it used to be.

Many professionals selling insurance today have had some family member involved in the business at one time and can trace back their desire to enter the insurance arena to them. For others, while insurance was the family business, we did not see it as our first choice of career, but soon realized it was one of the most challenging and possibly lucrative career paths we could choose.

Now, with mergers, acquisitions and company closings, things are changingand so is the face of the young insurance professional.

If we want our industry to flourish in its current form, we need to look outside ourselves for prospective superstars. New blood is good for any industry, especially one with a sustained image of an older white gentleman in a starched shirt and brown suit (not that theres anything wrong with that).

I fall somewhere between family member and new blood, representing a small piece of this new blood in the insurance industry. Our backgrounds are in mathematics, sales, marketing, management and finance.

Were mothers and fathers working mainly over the Internet to obtain business and receive and provide quotes. We spend time in our cars, as did the previous generation, but more of our work is done on our cell phones and computers.

Others among us are single professionals, renting city apartments and using public transportation.

We are vice presidents, owners and account executives, customer service representatives, and Certified Insurance Counselors. We dont have as much time as wed like to socially network for business, but we are involved in associations for the intellectual material and expertise we can secure at the click of a mouse or with a quick phone call.

We can no longer be stereotyped into one lump category, because unlike the insurance professionals of years past, we are diverse culturally, physically and economically.

The need to attract more young people to our industry is a major problem in todays insurance industry. The problem was discussed recently by executives at the November 2002 CEO Conference hosted by the New York Association of Professional Insurance Agents, the New York Insurance Association and the New York Young Insurance Professionals held in New York City.

What came out of those discussions was that we, as an industry, have to attract college-aged men and women who want to learn about all that the industry has to offer. We must develop more insurance-based programs for these students to test the waters in order to ensure that their entrance into the industry will be long term–and not serve as a r?sum? builder.

We need to reach out to young people before they make their career choices. We must go to them; they will not come to us.

Most 20-somethings are looking for a stepping-stone as opposed to a career. Yet, they dont know that insurance is one of the few remaining industries where an individual can start as a customer service representative and work his or her way up the corporate ladder.

They dont see that our industry offers training classes on virtually every topic imaginable. They also dont see that it extends the lure of success if you work diligently to get the job done, or that its one of the oldest services of its kind that can still provide a steady income in a volatile economy. And, its available to everyone.

The 20-something prospects are looking for challenges and variety. The industry is service-based, allowing communication with all types of people and companies on a daily basis.

Insurance works closely with political issues, environmental issues and human issues. Be it terrorist exclusions, mold or life insurance, insurance has a place in almost every headline on the evening news. And yet we still have a problem getting young people into the industry.

Our image is probably the most at fault for this problem and in need of improvement. In working with our industrys current pool of young people, we should reach out to college graduates looking to make a place for themselves in the world.

We must stress to others the importance of our products and services. We must shed the stereotypical image of the salesman with the derby hat using the double talk.

Our industrys contributions should be communicated: the dental care; the check the grieving widow receives; the fire insurance the storefront business owner is glad he purchased after his building burns down. Our business is fraught with negativity, and although we protect against disasters, our focus must be on the positives. We are not crooks or thieves, but men and women who, be it a disaster or minor glitch, will show up with a check, not a bill.

What makes todays young insurance professionals different from 20 years ago is that we cannot be clich?d. You cannot recognize us in a crowd, and we do not wear labels (or even suits for that matter).

We are uniquely ourselves, and proud. We know what we can give to the industry and expect nothing less back. We support our co-workers efforts, and will provide constructive criticism when needed.

Were not afraid to speak out; people just have to listen.

Its listening to the young people making waves in our industry today that will help companies and agencies recruit the stars of tomorrow.

Donna Chiapperino is a credit insurance specialist with Lee & Hawthorne Agency in New York City, president of the New York Young Insurance Professionals and serves on the board of directors for Professional Insurance Agents of New York. She can be reached at cnacreditny@worldnet.att.net

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, July 21, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.

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The Changing Face Of Todays Independent AgentAnd The Next Generation

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