Where Are All the Insurance Agents?

By: Alexis Kimball and Don Allan, Agent Relations Managers

There are not many career reports showing insurance professionals as one of the top most desirable jobs.  We wondered -- why not?  

Unfortunately, there seems to be a negative perception that insurance agents are only interested in sales and commissions. People don't like to be sold something that they are told to buy and it's even more difficult when the product is not tangible.  

But working in insurance is not like that! Being an insurance professional can be challenging, but rewarding! Our industry requires analytical thinking, creativity, education and a willingness to learn. There are many characteristics that make a workplace desirable -- integrity, security, strong customer relationships, results and growth opportunities would all appease a job hunter.

Insurance takes more expertise than many other sales jobs. It takes more than being an extroverted sales person to gain a client and keep them for a long-term relationship. Successful insurance professionals are trustworthy, have strong interpersonal and communication skills and a positive attitude.  

Discussion: Why do you love being an insurance professional?

Brownstone Event at the Aquarium was a Blast

Don Allan and Alexis Kimball, the Agent Relations Managers here at Brownstone Insurance, held their first networking event yesterday at the New England Aquarium in Boston. And we think it was pretty successful!

Don and Alexis kept the invite list small, this being their first event, but plan on networking and meeting new brokers and professionals related to the insurance industry and will plan more events in the future.

The afternoon consisted of some fabulous food prepared and served by the Aquarium's catering service, an open bar, and a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium!

Guests got to see the inner workings of the aquarium and even some of the aquarists (yes, that's a job title) and scientists hard at work. I personally learned all kinds of information I never knew before. For instance, did you know:

• Sea cucumber are capable of spitting all of its internal organs out when threatened by a predator and can re-grow them? Talk about a great defense mechanism!
• All of the water in the aquarium comes from the Boston Harbor? It goes through 9 different types of filtration systems before being used in the aquarium, though.
• Octopuses are incredibly intelligent creatures and need constant mental stimulation, or else they get bored and get intro trouble! One particular octopus at the aquarium turned into an escape artist, and used to climb out of her tank, slither across the floor to a neighboring tank filled with fish, eat some fish, and slither back into her tank at night!
• Turtles are able to slow their metabolism and heart rate down significantly so that they are able to dive deep into the water. One species of turtle is able to slow its heart rate down to just 1 beat per 9-minutes so that it can remain submerged for up to 5-hours!

Those are just some of the great facts that guests of our event learned. We also got to touch several sea creatures and gain a new appreciation for the efforts of the New England Aquarium and its staff.

Alexis and Don are thankful to all those who attended and look forward to our next event!

The group!Behind-the-scenes at the aquariumOur tour guide explaining how lobsters shed their shells when they no longer fit.From left: Peter Westhaver, Jessica Riehl, Alexis KimballAlexis was passionately explaining something to Jess and Peter.

 No trip to the Aquarium would be complete without the penguins!