What is an insurance sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

John Cicala Ph.D.

An insurance sales representative is a person who works for an insurance company or is self-employed and sells insurance policies to clients. The main responsibility of an insurance sales representative is to sell insurance policies, such as life, health, auto, and home insurance. They meet with potential clients, explain the different policies, and recommend the best options based on the client's needs. Good communication skills, and knowledge of different insurance policies are essential for success in this role.

What general advice would you give to an insurance sales representative?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreInsurance Sales RepresentativeUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,386

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 4.91%

Black or African American 9.42%

Hispanic or Latino 16.15%

Unknown 3.56%

White 65.81%

Gender

female 46.05%

male 53.95%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an insurance sales representative?

Pros

Potential for high income
Job security
Ability to help people protect their assets
Training and support provided by the company
Access to a wide range of products and services

Cons

Requires self-motivation and discipline
Can be challenging to build a client base
Must stay up-to-date on changing policies and regulations
Commission-based pay can lead to inconsistent income
Can be difficult to balance work and personal life

Key steps to become an insurance sales representative

Explore insurance sales representative education requirements

Most common insurance sales representative degrees

Bachelor's

58.7 %

Associate

18.4 %

High School Diploma

11.2 %

Start to develop specific insurance sales representative skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	17.25%
Excellent Time Management	16.23%
Work Ethic	11.86%
Strong Customer Service	11.33%
Strong Work Ethic	11.15%

Complete relevant insurance sales representative training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New insurance sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an insurance sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real insurance sales representative resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed insurance sales representative usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed insurance sales representative in most of states. 38 states require insurance sales representatives to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Insurance Producer
Arkansas	Degree required	State exam required	Insurance Sales Producer (Agent)
Colorado	Specific course required	State exam required	Insurance Agent
Connecticut	Specific course required	State exam required	Producer License, Individual
Delaware	-	State exam required	Insurance Agent

Gain additional insurance sales representative certifications

Insurance sales representative certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific insurance sales representative certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for insurance sales representatives include Certified Professional, Life and Health Insurance Program (CPLHI) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research insurance sales representative duties and responsibilities

Used consultative upselling techniques to provide leads
Translate and assign diagnosis and medical procedures into CPT, ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes.
Lead rep for major payer.
Monitor the performance of each account rep.

Prepare your insurance sales representative resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your insurance sales representative resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an insurance sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable insurance sales representative resume templates

Build a professional insurance sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your insurance sales representative resume.

Apply for insurance sales representative jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an insurance sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average insurance sales representative salary

The average insurance sales representative salary in the United States is $61,386 per year or $30 per hour. Insurance sales representative salaries range between $38,000 and $97,000 per year.

Average insurance sales representative salary

$61,386 Yearly

$29.51 hourly

How do insurance sales representatives rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Insurance sales representative reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros

Marketing products from a traceable companies to consumers and providing a good service to the clients .

Cons

I don't like to work for a company without good management which results in disappointing consumers

What is an insurance sales representative and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an insurance sales representative?

What are the pros and cons of being an insurance sales representative?

Insurance sales representative career paths

Key steps to become an insurance sales representative

Explore insurance sales representative education requirements

Most common insurance sales representative degrees

Start to develop specific insurance sales representative skills

Complete relevant insurance sales representative training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Gain additional insurance sales representative certifications

Research insurance sales representative duties and responsibilities

Prepare your insurance sales representative resume

Choose from 10+ customizable insurance sales representative resume templates

Apply for insurance sales representative jobs

How did you land your first insurance sales representative job

Average insurance sales representative salary

How do insurance sales representatives rate their job?

Insurance sales representative reviews

Insurance sales representative jobs by state