I was hired to train and become an agent, to sell health insurance. So far everything I have found seems to be on the up-and-up, so to speak. I've found employee statements *both former and current employees* and it seems to be a job that people absolutely LOVE or HATE...there doesn't seem to be much middle ground. The only bad reviews from employees that I have found have been from one area of AR, so I'm thinking that may just be a very badly run branch of the company. There were other bad reviews, but like I said, the majority of them came from one area. The branch here in North Gainesville seems to have a lot of good reviews, from employees and clients both, and the office seems to be very well run and organized. The employees all seem to get along well, and the boss-man, Perry Clark, is very down-to-Earth and easy to talk to, as far as answering questions and being willing to talk to his employees.
They ask that I pay for, and obtain, my state licensing to sell health insurance, before I can actually start working at the office. It costs about $275 or so, but that pays for 3 things: 1-the online coursework, 2-fingerprinting through the state, and 3-the state exam I am required to take to become "official." After 90 days (or quicker), once I have met certain company requirements, they reimburse me for the costs of my licensing. During those first 90 days there, I am always to be paired with a Senior Agent, for training, to make sure I learn as much as I can before I head out on my own. I will even be supervised for the days when I am in the office, just making phone calls. And this doesn't even include the 7-inch-thick training manual I get on my first day in the office.
Speaking of phone calls, there are no "cold-calls" through this office. Perry Clark showed me how the lead system works through this branch. All of the calls I will be making are to people that have already shown an interest in the company - either through calling the phone number seen on the Colonial Penn commercials, or answering a lead-packet sent out through the mail. Leads are sent randomly to the agents, there is no cherry-picking of the leads...like I said, he made sure I spent plenty of time in the office with him during my individual interview, so he could show me how all of this works.
It is a solely commission-based job, so I know I will have to work hard - but I also know I can do it. I am tired of working little jobs, where I only make a little more than minimum wage, and where advancement is incredibly hard to come by (and here I talk about the bookstore). I have much better opportunities with Bankers, so I think this will be a good job for me to get into. And, if all else fails, I will have my state licensing, and can go to another health insurance company if things don't work out here. A lot of the reviews I have found stated that even if the job didn't work out for them, it was a great learning/training experience for them, and opened doors for them elsewhere.
They have also said that they will back me for getting my American Sign Language Interpreter's Certification, so that is another plus. i think that Perry was quicker to hire me because of that, even though I was the youngest of people that showed up for the first group interview. He was impressed that I was already started on it, and he said that he would like to see me finish it, and get my Certification, so that we can beef up my resume with it.
So....discuss?? Have any of you heard of these companies (Bankers Life and Casualty Company, and Colonial Penn), and if so, what have you heard? Good and bad, I'd like some input.
They ask that I pay for, and obtain, my state licensing to sell health insurance, before I can actually start working at the office. It costs about $275 or so, but that pays for 3 things: 1-the online coursework, 2-fingerprinting through the state, and 3-the state exam I am required to take to become "official." After 90 days (or quicker), once I have met certain company requirements, they reimburse me for the costs of my licensing. During those first 90 days there, I am always to be paired with a Senior Agent, for training, to make sure I learn as much as I can before I head out on my own. I will even be supervised for the days when I am in the office, just making phone calls. And this doesn't even include the 7-inch-thick training manual I get on my first day in the office.
Speaking of phone calls, there are no "cold-calls" through this office. Perry Clark showed me how the lead system works through this branch. All of the calls I will be making are to people that have already shown an interest in the company - either through calling the phone number seen on the Colonial Penn commercials, or answering a lead-packet sent out through the mail. Leads are sent randomly to the agents, there is no cherry-picking of the leads...like I said, he made sure I spent plenty of time in the office with him during my individual interview, so he could show me how all of this works.
It is a solely commission-based job, so I know I will have to work hard - but I also know I can do it. I am tired of working little jobs, where I only make a little more than minimum wage, and where advancement is incredibly hard to come by (and here I talk about the bookstore). I have much better opportunities with Bankers, so I think this will be a good job for me to get into. And, if all else fails, I will have my state licensing, and can go to another health insurance company if things don't work out here. A lot of the reviews I have found stated that even if the job didn't work out for them, it was a great learning/training experience for them, and opened doors for them elsewhere.
They have also said that they will back me for getting my American Sign Language Interpreter's Certification, so that is another plus.
i think that Perry was quicker to hire me because of that, even though I was the youngest of people that showed up for the first group interview. He was impressed that I was already started on it, and he said that he would like to see me finish it, and get my Certification, so that we can beef up my resume with it.So....discuss?? Have any of you heard of these companies (Bankers Life and Casualty Company, and Colonial Penn), and if so, what have you heard? Good and bad, I'd like some input.