A career in life insurance sales can be a rewarding profession. While life insurance sales has a reputation for being a difficult field to enter, that’s not always the case. At Global Capital Life Insurance (GCLI), head of sales Simon Rattray is welcoming women back into the workforce as sales agents.
Who transitions well into insurance sales? Mr Rattray asks. “Ex-real estate agents, banking staff, teachers, telesales, hospitality front office and people who care about providing high levels of customer care.
“The ones who have the ability to position themselves and network, the good ones who are finding they need a more challenging career and those with deep-rooted relationships within their communities have the best chances for success,” he says.
Lilian Cutajar, who joined Global Capital Life as a sales agent last September, perfectly fits the description. She left her job to look after her growing family and then decided she would like to rejoin the workforce.
“I had a lot of help from Global Capital with training and workshops; I am a direct communicator and quickly found clients who trusted me and liked me,” she explains.
“I knew I could offer them a better product.”
The hours in the insurance industry can be better than those in other industries, as sales agents work to a flexible schedule, controlling the hours they work and when they work them.
“As women get more involved with their families, they want the flexibility we offer,” Mr Rattray says.
Successful sales agents come from outside the sales arena as well, says Vanessa Edwards, who joined GCLI two months after her colleague Ms Cutajar.
“I am competitive, someone who likes the risk of a business venture where they are thriving on the connection of success and hard work and wanting to help people solve the risks of everyday life,” she says.
“GCLI are experts in insurance and the brand name opens doors,” she adds.
Other professionals who often make the transition to insurance sales include nurses and hospitality staff, as well as those who have put their careers on hold to raise a family.
“People who want an executive position in insurance may begin their insurance career as sales agents and then move up to the management track. The insurance industry generally grows with the economy as a whole. Overall economic growth in Malta will continue to create demand for life insurance policies,” claims Mr Rattray.
Although she had previously worked in the luxury goods industry, Ms Edwards says her new role is deeply rewarding: “GCLI sales agents help the company generate new business by contacting potential clients and helping them identify their financial goals for themselves and their family’s future financial security. An agent presents the solutions that will help achieve the client’s financial objectives and allows the client to choose the plan that suits them best. It’s a big responsibility; we are helping clients take the necessary steps that ensure their financial security; these are important relationships.”
Ms Cutajar says those who are used to creating their own customer leads via personal networking and marketing will find the leap to insurance sales is a shorter, surer career hop.
Global Capital Group CEO Bashar Khatib says: “In the final analysis, the women who succeed in life insurance sales come from many backgrounds but share a few common traits. They’re self-disciplined and entrepreneurial, they can play through rejection and they’re proactive network builders. A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.
“In Malta, we are discovering that women have a very strong skill set in this area. Women are good at building relationships, and that’s what this business is all about.”
For more information, visit Global Capital plc’s office in Ta’ Xbiex or www.globalcapital.com.mt.