The Ol Life Insurance Agent: Growing-up As An Insurance Guy

I am just old enough that I recall when insurance agents still ran debits/agencies and collected most of their life insurance premiums and health premiums on their book in-person. In fact, from early 1985-1986 I was just such an insurance agent or "policy man" or 'ol life insurance agent, like my grandfather had been decades before me.

Looking back, and even during my insurance tenure, I understood that every unmarried man should have spent at least a year doing what I did when the positions were available. It is sort of a shame that this insurance job rarely exists today in the capacity that it did then. How so? I was more than an insurance collector and seller!

I was a handsome 23-year old that lifted weights and loved women and wine (though Christian), and performing the job really taught me a lot about human nature and life. You see, generally we made our collection rounds between 11;00am and 5:00pm. During this time, the ladies of the house were home alone much of the time. 

This was often problematic, especially if this or that particular woman was lonely, in a bad relationship, or was simply adventurous. Sometimes a woman might even be married, and I would not know it, as we met later for drinks or for that matter had a beer or two while I was at her home!

Then, often I encountered the women that made a point of being at their backyard pools when I came by at my normal time. Tease, tease, tease... Once a busty woman asked me to come back later (I knew darn well her husband worked at night) and go-over a new policy with her. I brought my manager with me, and she would not let us in - her initial plan did not invole him!

Of course, the best thing about the insurance business then was that we could set our own hours. I tried never to miss "happy hour," and my Friday workday ended at 11:30am.... I will say this, I sold some quality insurance and IRAs at bars; that is no joke. (Years later a former client thanked me, saying that he cashed-in a life insurance policy I sold him and it paid for his daughter's college education!)

Apart from learning to balance work and a social life, the insurance business also taught me skills that everyone needs in life. It was there that I learned how to speak, act, keep books, run a hand-held computer, and make presentations.

In addition, I also learned organzational skills, and how to fill-out and handle massive amounts of paperwork and corporate "red tape." Then there were the "people skills." 

Only once did I tell a client, "Look, you are not happy with me; I am not happy with you; why don't you simply acquire insurance elsewehere." (Management did not like that, and sent my boss and I out to fix things.)

Of course the various client situations, living quarters, and everyday life in the neighborhoods always made for great gossip. I helped when I could, and sometimes repeated what I shoudn't. Such is life.

I won't even bother to mention the politics of dealing with the stuck-up white collar folks in the insurance company's home office, or the frequent insurance contests we ran promoting products that we were supposed to sell whether they were good for the client or not. (I often refused to change people's insurance if it was not in their best interests.)

At any rate, my insurance agent years were fond ones, and the period when I really learned about life and became a man. You see, I considered myself a boy, despite my size; however, the ladies of my insurance debit naturally thought of me as a male adult - and often a desireable one....     

~ Jimmy Hall is now the owner of JIMMY HALL WRITING SERVICES (404-580-1501) and prepares resumes, business plans, and web content, among other things...