Licensing + Job Sampling = A Fast Start by Burr Anderson

Today, most agencies require that their prospective agents go through their state’s life and disability license; many also require either a Series 6 or a Series 7 license. This process of securing all of the licenses takes anywhere from one to four months. There is a great opportunity available during this time to position future agents in a way that will maximize their fast start, should we decide to contract with them.
Engaging the applicant in job sampling during this testing period can significantly increase the productivity and retention of what our New Organization¾advisors who are in their first three years.
The art of job sampling is not used as much today but job sampling is more important now than ever. Companies in the property and casualty business sometimes require agents to spend four to six months gathering x-dates (expiration dates) so that they have at least 1,000 names when they start full-time.
We have the same opportunity during the time when our future agents are trying to secure all of the necessary licenses. Agency managers need to meet regularly with the prospective agents while they’re securing their licenses and monitor their job-sampling activities. With the three or four months necessary for licensing, there’s no reason why a new agent can’t start full-time with hundreds of prospects. Job sampling is not just filling out a Project 200¾it involves contacting hundreds of people to capture their future interest in financial service products and also to secure referrals.
The key to a successful job-sampling assignment isn’t about the hours required as much as it is about committing to a program and having the agency manager monitor it regularly. Future agents can easily do license study while prospecting for their future inventory.
Have your prospective agents meet with your contracts people so that they understand the paperwork. Meanwhile, work with them on assignments to give them an opportunity to experience what it’s really about without being fully licensed. This allows them to start doing actual rep work and provides them with lots of new names so that once they are licensed, they can hit the ground running.
We have our applicants fill out cards or develop a database of all the people they know from their different worlds¾friends, neighbors, business colleagues, people they knew in prior employment, acquaintances from community and other activities, hobbies, etc. Then we teach them how to expand on that¾to meet new people and capture their names using a form called a market survey that allows them to ask their prospective clients some preliminary, nonspecific questions about financial services planning. Once they become licensed, they’ll already have a group of prospects to contact.
We’ve conducted surveys on fast starts for new agents. We found that the number of applications written in the first six months correlates to a retention factor. The magic number seems to be over 40¾if an agent can write more than 40 cases in his or her first six months, that person will have substantially higher retention potential than the average.
Therefore, our goal is to have as many new agents as possible write 40 cases during their first six months. Not only will they be off to a fast, successful start; they’ll also be more likely to stay with us.
Burritt B. Anderson Jr., CLU ChFC
GAMA International President 1995-96
Yorba Linda, CA