How to obtain a license as an insurance agent in the State of Florida?
How to become a medical insurance agent or life insurance agent (Health and Life Insurance Agent)
The four steps needed for an Insurance agent license and becoming a salesperson
Why did we write this article?
It is rather exhausting searching for information pertaining to your newfound profession and not finding suitable answers to your questions or finding very little information on the subject. Unfortunately, not every source can point you towards the right direction. We are here to help make this process an easy transition for you. On a daily, we work on this process to continue updating our users with information they need to help them become future certified insurance agents.
For this reason, we compiled all the knowledge from our minds pertaining to the study of insurances and becoming an insurance agent. We share our information and expertise in the State of Florida on the matter because we have gone through this process already.
At SegurosMedicosMiami.com we entirely dedicate written information to teach you everything you need to know. We hope that this writing just like others is also known.
Discovering your main qualities for achieving a Job as an Agent or Insurance Salesperson
The first thing you need to ask yourself is if you have the burning desire to pursue a profession in the insurance agency business. If you do not share these feelings, we recommend you discard the idea. Becoming a health or life insurance agent is a job in sales like others but it has specific features that should not be ignored.
If you prefer to work for 8 hours and get paid salary hourly, this type of work is not for you. If you do not trust your capacity and prefer to receive a fixed check for the month, you are not looking at the best profession for yourself.
All abrupt changes require a certain level of determination and understanding. It happens to all of us. It happened to me 12 years ago. I use to work in a famous restaurant in Miami. I figured to never leave this place because i was comfortable making $9 a hour until i realized i wanted out. I decided to leave and pursue a new career. I have never looked back plus i make 5xs what i use to make in less than two years.
Becoming an insurance agent is a job that requires dedication, effort, and perseverance. You need to possess certain qualities. You can be your own boss, you can determine the hours you work when you wish to work, what days you wish to work, earn the amount of money you desire, and take vacations when you wish, but it can turn into something dangerous if you do not possess firm discipline and organization.
On the other hand, you must have a high sense of duty. The ethics and professionalism that you must maintain will result in better economic performances that will satisfy the client. Internalize this word extremely well: The customer…It is the most sought out pearl for your future business. Treat people like you wish to be treated. Each client should feel unique and special.
Never lie. Always explain the advantages and disadvantage of each health insurance or life insurance policy. Explain to the client the benefits and exclusions of the product that the client may find important to know.
You will gain a substantial profession and magnificent commission but for this you must maintain the previous recommendations. Use all the possible techniques necessary to obtain leads or prospects necessary to sell. Show others through your work how to do so by using your intelligence, doing it in a respectful manner, and doing it in a consistent fashion.
If you have dedicated yourself to other types of sales, then you know what i am referring to. In this case it is easier to continue with this profession. If you wish to sell and do not follow our recommendations, you will not obtain the desired results you have been waiting for.
We are under the assumption that you wish to obtain your license to sell insurance. If you wish to sell insurance, you can but can not do so without the proper license. In this case without a license, you can sell discounted medical plans or know information on different insurances. For this, you do not need any type of license. You just present yourself to each of these companies and apply to work for them.
It is good to be clear since there are people who are named: Insurance consultants or insurance salesperson and precisely they do not wish to say if they have a license through the state. Therefore, if you sell Health Insurance or Life insurance, without accreditation, you are violating the law. It is recommended to become certified and offer the client a wide variety of products.
Summarizing the essential qualities needed to become an Insurance Agent, listed above:
Discipline, organization, perseverance, strong determination of work ethics and professionalism with respect and sincerity for the customer…
If you have all the above qualities, it will not be difficult for you to be successful in this line of work as a health insurance agent and/or life insurance agent, applicable to all branches of sales.
Four Steps for License as Insurance Agent and Become a Salesperson
You only need to have knowledge of this industry: The different Insurances of Health and Life, and the different routes on how to obtain a license as an insurance agent, I will list below:
1. Sign up for the School for Insurance Agents: The first thing you need to do to get your insurance license is to enroll in a state of Florida certified school in order to get your pre-licensing. All the contents are in the English language. If you have not mastered it, it will require a lot of effort on your part.
There are infinite numbers of accredited schools in Florida and in the United States that you can get your insurance license through. You can find some schools in your area as well. For residence of Miami, I can recommend this establishment:
Dolphin Insurance School
6955 NW 77 TH AVE, Ste. 309
Miami, Fl, 33166
Phone: 305.883.8823
It is necessary that you determine which license you need. Available are:
- License 215:Life-Health and Variable Annuity Agents
- License 214: Life and Variable Annuity Agents
- License 240: Health Agents
We recommend that you target Life, Health, and Annuity since it is the most complete. The important thing to do is learn and study for these 3 licenses only once. The book is the same and the cost of the school and examine are similar. For example, if you were to study for the license in Health insurance and later on wished to sell Life insurance, you would not be able to because you are certified only in the field of health insurance not life insurance.
The school is not optional but is of obligatory character. The state requires that you take the exam once you have passed the school.
There are about 40 other licenses available in which we only mentioned those relating to health and life insurance. If you are interested in others that are not part of the 3 we recommended above, contact the school or go to the official website of the state of Florida.
The cost of school can range between $250-$300 or maybe more depending on the license you wish to get. The important thing is for this price, in many cases, many things are included like study materials: guides, questions and answers, guidelines for taking the state exam and the essential: The book edition that corresponds to that year. For example, I studied Edition 19 and now Edition 26 is the Florida Study Manual.
The School of Insurance does not take overwhelming time. It only takes a few hours a week. Complete 40 hours and you finish. You can get it done during the days of the week or end of the week as quickly as possible depending on your schedule.
Attending the school itself is not the only available option for you. You can also do it using the internet using authorized pages intended for insurance schooling. I prefer to learn hands on with an experienced professor to explain things in detail to me. If you use the internet method, it may be more difficult. Regardless, if you wish to choose this method, i recommend you look on Google so that you receive knowledge on the pre-license in order to get your insurance license.
The knowledge provided by the school of insurance is just the beginning introduction to what you will need to prepare for the state exam. A great effort on your part is required in order to understand your material and finish the school itself by yourself through books, manuals, and other documents associated to your studies.
2. State Exam Preparation:
This is a crucial stage to successful pass the exam. If you already have the certificate from the school of insurance (Certificate of Completion), then you have successfully completed the courses. This document is valuable since you must present it to the state as part of the documents needed in order to sit for the agent exam.
In the school, you will receive precise instructions that will allow you access to the official website of the State of Florida to start processing your documents to then give you an examination date. The approximate cost is $111.00.
By the state of Florida, a fingerprinting request must be completed. The cost of this is $60.00. Remember i speak to you directly on information pertaining to my state, Florida. To find out specifications for the other states of the USA, you must verify that yourself. I can imagine the procedure is quite similar. Regardless, it is important to find specific corresponding information based on the state you live.
It is important to master state websites in order to obtain your Agent License for Health and Life Insurances. The information contained on these sites are official and can serve you very much.
3. State Exam:
When you have all the listed documentation requested by the state and the financial means, you should schedule a date to take the exam. It is important to pick the proper date and time. Aim for what is best for you. Find the best day and time according to your schedule.
Generally the exam can last up to or over 2 hours. There are at least 160 questions distributed on a computer at the premises you chose according to your area of residence to take the examination.
It is important to use the given time appropriately. If you do not finish within the time given, the computer will be turned off and you will not be able to continue any further. Enough time was created in order for the students to complete the exam by answering all of the questions.
The questions are not explanatory. They are multiple choice questions. That is to say, that a question has 3 or 4 supposed answers. The important thing to do is to read the question well and indicate your answer. Do not think you can just blindly answer the questions. You can not be unprepared looking to guess on questions. The only person this will harm is you. If you do not pass the exam, you will have to prolong your time and retake the exam so be prepared. The worst part is, it is costly to you to keep taking the exam spending over one hundred dollars every attempt.
The exam is not easy but not impossible either. It depends on your study preparations that you chose when learning on the subject in order to pass. Some supposed answers from the multiple choice questions are meant to confuse you. What you have studied may not be sufficient. It is difficult to know everything. There are over 600 pages in the Study Manual (the most important document needed in order to study), the book approved by the State, the National Insurance Association, Financial Advisors, and the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Organizing your studies to obtain the state license
Utilize your own personal methods for studying, but i recommend you do so on a daily basis. There are a lot of content. It is advised to learn chapter by chapter finishing one by one and dominating the next. In the school, they will help you find the best possible manner so that you may know and understand which are the most important chapters. We help prepare you for what you must focus on in great depth and which answers weigh more than others.
There are examination simulations found on the internet that the school will recommend to you as well. When you feel secure with the content, the test simulator will help you see how you have advance pertaining to your knowledge of study.
There are those who like to use flashcards to write content questions and answers down. There are others who prefer to write and make notes pertaining to the material. Other like I, like to make summarizations on the content placing it on cardboard and this way i have all the information integrated right infront of me.
The methods and routes that you use are up to you. The most important thing is to take advantage of each day you have to learn before the exam takes place. Even those who know the English language well will still have trouble if they do not know the material. Do not be overly confident and assume you do not need to prepare. Infact, you must study even harder if you speak little English since you have two things to overcome: the content and the language.
Recommendations for taking the Insurance Agent Examination
-The night before the exam, do not study. You had a month or two depending on the exam date to study ahead of time. Do not study that same morning of the exam either. Use the night before the exam to do something you enjoy doing. For example, watching television, a movie, etc. Whatever you did not learn for the past 30 to 60 days you will not learn in the next few hours and your nerves can be treacherous. I have always used this method in my years of study and University. Take advantage of the night before the test to rest, get to bed early. Your brain is overloaded with so much information that trying to quickly cram will lead to confusion.
-The morning of the exam, wake up early. Fix yourself a well balanced breakfast. Calculate the traffic giving yourself ample time to travel to the exam site without rush. The most important thing is to be relaxed on the day of the exam.
-Infront of the exam, take some time to concentrate. Review in your mind the last few days notes and study material you prepared with. Imagine success, visualizing the money you will gain in the future for taking this exam to get your license. Give all your desire into this exam that is infront of you.
-Read each question entirely. Do not be in a hurry to answer. The examination questions in many cases are meant to ask tricky questions to confuse you. A misinterpretation of the question asked can lead to errors in answering correctly.
-When you are unsure answering some questions trying ruling out the incorrect ones from the possible ones. Pick the best answer pertaining to the question.
-Becareful with definitive phrases/answers like No, All, Except, All of the Above… Generally the questions are presented with 3 or 4 answers which you much choose the correct one.
-Pay attention to questions that have supposedly one or more answers. There can only be one answer but they may try and be tricky by putting similar answers in the mix. Pick this one last.
-When you have invested some time into taking this exam, take a moment to pause and breathe looking away from the screen infront of you.
-When you finish the exam, try to review your answers but be very careful if you do change an answer. One assumes it took you time to review and answer the previous question. Therefore, if you are not certain, do not change answers that may actually be correct.
CONGRATULATIONS! … because you have obtained your license and have become a professional in the insurance field. Now come the hard obstacle: The preparation for sales…
4. Preparing you for selling with different companies
You finally have your license and can now sell. You are ready! Good, remember what was explained to you previously over the most valuable asset to any business: The client.
There are people who think we do a favor for the client. If this is your intention, we suggest you change immediately. If you are respectful, sincere, and have the will to help others, you will prevail successfully. If you only think about the money associated with this job, you are making an error. Do not think about the money aspect. Work hard with a strong effort to do things right and the money will come on its own…
Remember always to not focus on the money or in a product you are going to sell. Find your “focus” by assisting the needs of the client and I ensure great results of success…
Those that read this article and are experienced in sales, know what i am referring to. In this job you will need a large amount of perseverance and will. For that reason, we try to deepen your understanding which qualities to have and examples to follow.
If you are accustomed to selling what you sell or those who sell plans that are not health insurances, you do not need a license. Intact, this is a form of preparation for future sales. All that is needed is to know the different medical insurance policies or life insurances.
You can achieve your registration in each of the companies in two way: One way is by working with a insurance agency and the other register with each insurer. The advantage for seeking an agency is that they work with almost ever insurer and make the process of enrollment easier for you.
Do not worry about this. The agency receives commission based on your sales but the important thing is for them not to take anything out from your commissions in order to pay the agencies, the majority of the cases I’m familiar with.
The process of finding prospects and leads, the majority of the time it is up to you to find it yourself. The agencies generally do not offer leads that you need to sell. This means you are a captive agent who must sell for them.
This has its advantages and disadvantages now since the circle of possibilities of offering products has become smaller.
If you are interested in knowing how to promote your business and obtain leads, we can help you. We are insurance agents and work in the market with great results in the internet and in direct sales.
Therefore, the process for selling medical and life insurance and becoming a certified insurance agent and license as well is not too complicated. In order to become an insurance agent, you need to transfer all your intelligence and sacrifice a great bit on your end to succeed.
It is certain this job can be toilsome but have you realized how much time you have dedicated and wasted to working in jobs making $7, $10, $15 dollars?
Work as an agent will allow you to have your own time to have a life and simultaneously gain great compensation for your work. We get nothing out of telling you to become health and life insurance agents. It is ultimately your future and decision if it is right for you. We are here to help you take advantage of that moment if it is for you.
Intact, we can offer all the necessary aid to assist you by being the first place to go to in order to be licensed as a Health and Life Insurance Agent. This article is meant to help the community especially those without employment or wish to change their current one, the opportunity to advance forward and change your life.
Insurance Agent-Blogger-Official School
& Cofounder Dolphin Insurance School
