How and when did you decide that an insurance career was for you?
After watching the automotive industry shrink, I was looking for a career that would have a strong future and similar challenges. This lead me to working for a technology company that specialized in agency management and marketing platforms for insurance agents. During my time working in the insurance technology field, I gained a deep appreciation for the effort that goes into developing and administering a rounded commercial property and casualty program. Later, stepping into a property-casualty role, I immediately set upon developing programs that could bring broad coverage and a great offering to commercial customers while utilizing the insurance educational technologies that I sold previously.

What do you love most about being an insurance agent?
I began my career in the automotive industry working with engineers to design parts that solved specific problems that they were having in manufacturing. The insurance industry interested me because I could use that problem solving background and knowledge to help business owners evaluate issues with their business environments. Most business owners don't understand the every day business exposures that insurance policies can't or inadequately cover. Working with business owners in all different industries to look past the building blocks of insurance to risk management and safety creates a lot of problem solving opportunities. I enjoy having the tough discussions with customers on what the correct business decisions should be.

What's your favorite client success story?
I had a customer with a large building exposure. His business was having difficulty staying afloat but the building he owned was an important asset. He was adamant about saving money on the insurance at the expense of coverage. While we reviewed the current insurance policies from another agent I explained the importance of the different coverages, including how the different building valuations worked. The insured wanted to remain with an ACV policy as the premium doubled if he were to move forward with replacement cost. Having removed myself from the bidding process due to our disagreement on coverage, he came back to me about how I would place his insurance. I told him that he needed to pay the extra money and properly insure his building. I won. Two years later the insured has a pipe break in his building pumping 50,000 gallons of water into the structure. The insured was reimbursed 100% for his losses (Claim totaling over $1 million) and his company was made whole.

What career advice would you give to new agents? Do you have a mantra for success?
Always do right by the customer, because everything you do has an impact on future opportunities. Every customer you have is a referral builder or a lost opportunity should you not service them properly. The old saying is that you spend more making new customers than you do keeping existing customers. I would add that for every existing customer you lose, you are also losing a whole network of new customers that you won't have access to again.

What career would you want if you weren't an insurance agent?
My dream career would be as a professional golfer. You travel the world spending your days playing some of the most beautiful landscapes in the nicest possible weather.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire? Why?
I would have liked to meet Steve Jobs. It would be great to discuss his passion for his products and how he created a world-renowned customer experience. It would also be interesting to hear the process in developing entirely new industries with ipods, itunes and phone applications.

What are your hobbies? What do you most enjoy doing outside the office?
First and foremost, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife and I have an 8-month-old son that just learned to crawl, so most of our time is spent keeping him busy. Other hobbies include sports such as golf, kickball and bowling. I am also an avid college football fan.

David Keller, partner
Keller National
Cleveland Heights, Ohio

How and when did you decide that an insurance career was for you?
I was the kid in high school that wanted to become an insurance agent. I played hockey with a guy who's dad owned an agency and I was impressed with the big house and the nice cars. During college, I began my career with his agency.

What do you love most about being an insurance agent?
I like that every day presents new challenges and opportunities. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their unique businesses and presenting them with solutions to minimize their exposure to risk.

What's your favorite client success story?
I wrote a start up restaurant last year. Within his first week of doing business, he had a pipe burst in his location. We were able to get the disaster recovery specialists out there within a few hours and ultimately save the hard wood floors. The claim was paid within the week. More importantly, he did not have to close his doors.

What career advice would you give to new agents? Do you have a mantra for success?
It is imperative that you develop a process for prospecting and post sales follow up. You have to be 100 percent committed to this process and consistently implement it every day.

What career would you want if you weren't an insurance agent?
I would probably be a commercial real estate broker.

What are your hobbies? What do you most enjoy doing outside the office?
I coach a travel hockey team. I enjoy teaching them systems and watching them develop not only as players, but as a team.

Want to share your own insurance story? Click here to tell us about your life as a successful agent. For more producer profiles, see Vol. III.

Barry Paul Rose, president
Barry Paul Rose Insurance Agency Inc.
Chatham Township, N.J.

How and when did you decide that an insurance career was for you?
I entered the insurance business begrudgingly, shortly after graduating from Seton Hall University with a degree in Music and Art History. My dad owned a small agency and was very successful. He sacrificed and worked long and hard to build it from scratch and both he and my mom encouraged me to join with him when I became of age. As an uninformed and immature young man, I knew very little about being an agent. I was very reluctant to pursue a career in insurance, as I always felt it was an industry that offered few opportunities to exercise creativity and appealed most to white men who liked to wear Brooks Brothers suits and wing tips. Now, as a seasoned pro, with more than 30 years of experience behind me, and as a parent, I look at things very differently. I've come to appreciate how little I understood about the industry back then, and I'm sincerely grateful for the extraordinary opportunity my parents provided me. Contrary to my original thinking, my career has proved to be meaningful, lucrative and very enjoyable.

What do you love most about being an insurance agent?
I love the opportunities it affords people to earn a good living, be creative, and grow professionally.

What's your favorite client success story?
Every commission I earn is a success story. Helping folks is wonderful, but we're not social workers. We're producers and agents, and as such, we really shouldn't forget that our raison d'etre is to make a profit selling insurance. At the end of the day how well we do that is the true measure of our success. Though I feel strongly that helping people and making money are not mutually exclusive, for those more concerned with helping people than making a profit, I'd reccommend that it'd probably be best for them (and the agencies they work for) to pursue someother vocation.

What career advice would you give to new agents? Do you have a mantra for success?
Our mantra: “WE LOWER INSURANCE COSTS, PERIOD!” It's bold and it cuts to the quick. Our clients and prospects respond to it and our competitors criticize us for it. You can't ask for more from a mantra!

What career would you want if you weren't an insurance agent?
If I weren't an insurance agent, I'd most enjoy owning a windsurfing concession on a beach in the Carribean. I have no affinity for windsufing, but it's pretty hard to beat laying on the beach all day.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire? Why?
I most admire all the men and women who serve in our country's military, as well as their families. For me, they are most inspiring. We simply can't honor enough their sacrafice, bravery and courage.

What are your hobbies? What do you most enjoy doing outside the office?
I enjoy shooting handguns and rifles, trap & skeet, love catch-and-release game fishing, and really enjoy playing “the blues” on my vintage Selmer sax.

Want to share your own insurance story? Click here to tell us about your life as a successful agent. For more producer profiles, see Vol. III.

George Tomlinson, producer
Concklin Insurance
Lombard, Ill.

How and when did you decide that an insurance career was for you?
Found a friend about 2002 that thought I might be an asset to his agency sales force.

What do you love most about being an insurance agent?
Freedom and self-employment aspect of the business. Book “ownership” is an asset, as well.

What's your favorite client success story?
One of my clients experienced a “limit” loss, and we provided the coverage that saved him from company and personal bankrupcy from the incident. He is still operating today.

What career advice would you give to new agents? Do you have a mantra for success?
Partner with an owner/business that values your efforts.

What career would you want if you weren't an insurance agent?
Commodity trader or college coach.

What public figure (past or present) do you most admire? Why?
U.S. servicemen and women. They risk their lives to maintain our freedom.

What are your hobbies? What do you most enjoy doing outside the office?
Golf.

Want to share your own insurance story? Click here to tell us about your life as a successful agent. For more producer profiles, see Vol. III.

Amy LaVenture, commercial marketing manager
Wallace, Welch & Willingham
St. Petersburg, Fla.

How and when did you decide that an insurance career was for you?
I got my start in the insurance industry through the InVEST program. My high school, St. Petersburg Catholic, offered the program and it opened my eyes to the wide variety of careers within the insurance industry.

I actually began my career in insurance while still in high school. Through InVEST, I was hired to work in an agency in an administrative support role. I continued to work at that agency in high school and some time in college. Once I graduated college, I had no idea what I wanted to do for a career and decided to reconnect with the agency I worked for. They hired me on full time, I got my license and jumped into the world of commercial marketing.

I am so grateful to InVEST for giving me exposure to the industry. I feel like after I graduated from college, I had an advantage over my peers because of the training that InVEST provided.

What do you love most about being an insurance agent?
I really enjoy that every day brings a new challenge. As a result of that, I am constantly learning and developing in my career.

What career advice would you give to new agents? Do you have a mantra for success?
I would tell a new agent to be open to learn and take the advice of mentors. Our jobs as insurance agents is to be advisors to our clients. The more we learn, the better we can serve our clients.

Want to share your own insurance story? Click here to tell us about your life as a successful agent. For more producer profiles, see Vol. III.