Pre-Employment Tests For Sales Representatives (Insurance)
Top Skills and Abilities:
- Selling or Influencing Others
- Oral Expression
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Communicating With Persons Outside Organization
Top 3 Tasks:
- Sell various types of insurance policies to businesses and individuals on behalf of insurance companies, including automobile, fire, life, property, medical and dental insurance or specialized policies such as marine, farm/crop, and medical malpractice.
- Interview prospective clients to obtain data about their financial resources and needs, the physical condition of the person or property to be insured, and to discuss any existing coverage.
- Call on policyholders to deliver and explain policy, to analyze insurance program and suggest additions or changes, or to change beneficiaries.
Overview
Insurance sales agents are the face of insurance companies. These men and women are tasked with selling insurance policies to new and established customers, recommending the best course of action based on their customers' finances and needs. More and more agents are diversifying, offering their clients general purpose financial planning. Some agents are also authorized to sell mutual funds and securities, distinctions which are important to keep in mind when looking to hire insurance sales agents. Some companies may need highly specialized agents, while others will benefit from agents whose capabilities are more broad.
Requirements
Due to the often commission-based nature of an insurance sales agent, turnover can be an issue. Understanding this, as well as hiring skilled agents, can help reduce turnover. Insurance sales agents should have a firm grasp of the industry's language and relevant laws. Nearly half of agents have a bachelor's degree. Agents should have strong, warm personalities and should be able to convince and persuade. In order to inspire customers' trust, they should project an air of confidence and reliability. (Read our whitepaper to learn more about how to hire top salespeople.)
Assessments for Sales Representatives (Insurance)
Employers who use Criteria Corp's pre-employment tests to evaluate prospective insurance agents typically combine a general cognitive aptitude test, the Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT), with a personality assessment, the Employee Personality Profile (EPP). This approach ensures that candidates are not only a good fit for a sales role from a behavioral perspective but also possess the communication skills and critical thinking ability necessary to succeed in the insurance industry. The CCAT measures problem-solving, critical thinking, and the ability to learn and apply new information, while the EPP assesses a range of personality traits that are important for sales roles, such as assertiveness and motivation.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor