You have probably heard for years that mentorship can help you both personally and professionally. A mentor can provide you with invaluable guidance, support, perspective, and accountability. He/she/they can help you avoid common pitfalls, so you can make more confident decisions.
Below are some tips to help you get started, define what you need, find a mentor, and then learn and grow.
Insurance Sales Mentorship Tips
1. Defining What You Need
Identify if you are looking for a mentor to help you with your career goals or if you want to develop specific skills or fill in knowledge gaps. Consider the type of experiences and/or people that you admire.
Finding a Mentor
Leverage your existing network. This can include your current employer, professional colleagues, and, possibly, carrier representatives or other insurance industry partners. Don’t overlook those you know through your general agent (whether it’s Word & Brown or another GA).
Consider others you know through professional groups or business associations. Think about your NAHU/NABIP connections, local or regional professionals involved in the California Association of Health Insurance Professionals or any of its state chapters. If you’re a Nevada broker, think about those you know through NABIP – Northern Nevada or NABIP – Southern Nevada.
If you’re active on LinkedIn, which W&B regularly suggests you should be, join and participate in insurance groups, connect with other professionals, and watch for posts by others to whom you are drawn.
Learning from a Mentor
Set clear goals on what you want to learn, whether its sales strategies, market or product knowledge, or leadership skills. Show up prepared with questions and specific topics you want to discuss. Real life scenarios are ideal. Be open to constructive feedback (even if it is tough to hear). In the long run, you will gain from it.
Your mentor can share valuable knowledge, skills, and experiences – helping you learn from their successes and avoid common mistakes. They may also help you open the door to new opportunities, networks, and connections.
Implement changes based on what you learn and the feedback from your mentor. Share the results in real time. This will help you build rapport and show your mentor that you value their input.
Paying It Forward
Offer to help when and where you can. Mentorship is very much a partnership. As you advance in your career, remember to pay it forward by offering to mentor others.
A Final Thought
Just like any partnership, mentorship needs time and space to flourish. Be patient! Growth will not happen overnight. Make the commitment to meet regularly. While it can be a challenge to fit it into your already-busy schedules, consistency is important. In weeks when it seems impossible to find time, consider a briefer session.
Having a mentor who believes in you can boost your confidence and motivation – encouraging you to pursue your goals with greater determination. Mentors can help you develop strategies you may not have previously considered, which will directly support your future career advancement.
About the Author
Rachael Jones is a Field Sales Director in Word & Brown’s Orange County Regional Office. She first joined W&B in 2021 as a Regional Sales Manager. She has more than a dozen years of experience in the health insurance and employee benefits industry, including more than three years at Oscar Health and Cigna + Oscar and three and one-half years at Aetna.
