Employee onboarding process for Life insurance agencies: the first ninety days of a new advisor
An advisor's first three months decide whether there is a second year. A plan with practice, joint visits and small goals helps a nervous recruit reach a first sale before enthusiasm runs out.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee onboarding process matters in life insurance agencies
A new advisor usually gets a bag of brochures, a product day and a target. The first calls go to family. After a few weeks the list runs out and the advisor is unsure what to say to a stranger. Nobody has seen the advisor sell, so nobody can help. Silence follows, and the agency learns months later that the advisor has stopped.
A ninety day plan breaks the start into weeks. Early weeks cover products and the way to open a conversation. Next come joint visits where the advisor watches a senior and then leads while the senior listens. Goals begin with activity, such as meetings held, before they move to policies sold. A mentor checks in each week.
How to set it up
1. Give a clear first week
Welcome, an explanation of how commission is paid, a short product session and a pairing with a mentor. End the week with the advisor writing a list of twenty people to contact.
2. Practise the opening conversation
Role play with the mentor: how to start, what to ask, how to handle "I already have a policy". Repeat until the advisor sounds natural.
3. Do joint visits
The advisor watches two visits, leads a third while the mentor listens and then discusses what went well. Joint work continues until the advisor is comfortable alone.
4. Set activity goals first
Weeks two to six use goals such as meetings held and follow-ups made. Sales targets begin in the second month and stay modest until the advisor has a first policy.
5. Check in weekly and review at day 90
A short call each week from the mentor. At ninety days the owner and advisor review activity, earnings and support needed, and decide how to proceed.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Ask an advisor who joined recently what happened in their first week.
- Check whether every new advisor has a named mentor.
- Find how many new advisors have gone without any contact for a fortnight.
- See whether the commission payment dates are explained before joining.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee onboarding process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Yes. Pair a new advisor with a successful one for a few weeks and pay a small recognition for the work. The cost is low next to the cost of a lost recruit.
Welcome, commission explanation, a product overview, a mentor introduction and a contact list. Keep it practical, so the advisor leaves the first week with something to do on Monday.
After the advisor has practised the conversation and done joint visits, usually in the second month. Early activity goals protect confidence while skills develop.