By Conor Moran, Assistant Vice President – Commercial Lines
My last 120 days in the insurance industry have been a tremendous learning experience to say the least. In the Fall I traveled to Hanover, Maryland, to attend the Hartford Insurance School for an extensive two-week course. It is there that I learned in-depth information about coverages across all lines of insurance. It was a great networking experience as well, I had the opportunity to meet other producers from across the country. Their years of industry experience varied, some were brand new while others had been in the business for over 20 years. This goes to show you that no matter how long you’ve been in the industry, there is always something new to learn!
I spent two long weeks soaking in as much information as I could, knowing that there would be an exam at the conclusion of the course to earn a designation. After two weeks acting like a sponge, it paid off! I had passed the exam and earned my first designation, a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist (CLCS) designation to further solidify my ever-growing knowledge of the insurance industry. I felt more confident than ever about my ability to help businesses understand their risk and gain control over their insurance programs.
Upon returning back to the office, I was ready to hit the ground running. I performed extensive research on prospective clients, picked up the phone and start making cold calls. It seemed as if every call was met with rejection. It took some time, but I eventually secured my first appointment! I was overcome with excitement. Finally, I had the opportunity to put my insurance knowledge to use. The research and hard work I have done had finally paid off!
I spent hours preparing for my first appointment. When the day came, I was ready! At least I thought I was. It wasn’t until I was greeting the buyer that I started to feel nervous. I began to question everything: what if I can’t articulate the services I can provide to the buyer? Should I be using insurance terminology, or everyday language, or maybe both? As I sat down for my first appointment, my mind was racing. I was thinking faster than I could speak. After the first couple minutes of scrambled thoughts and words, I took a step back and said to myself, Conor, you know what you are talking about! Just slow it down, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes.
Suddenly a switch flipped, and everything came naturally. I finished our meeting feeling confident. After the appointment, the buyer said they were impressed with our services and I received a Broker of Record. Being their Broker of Record means that I would be the official broker designated by the policy holder to represent and manage their insurance program. Nothing in that moment could have made me happier!
It’s normal to feel down in this industry when you face rejection on a daily basis. Sometimes you just want to give up. After all, rejection is a part of life. If everything was easy, there wouldn’t be such a thing as hard work and the amazing feeling of accomplishment. You just have to keep your head up, continue to work hard, and the opportunities will follow!
