The whole concept of insurance is that of continuing education. Unless an insurance advisor is seriously in touch with the subject and the changing regulations, he cannot suggest the right kind of a policy to his customers. And customers’ expectations also change with time!
That is the exact reason why the government has put in a law that all insurance advisors should attend a mandatory training session for a stipulated number of hours each year. Since the laws change from state to state, we can’t be specific about it – but it generally is around 20-25 hours a year. In that, there is one session which is compulsory – Insurance Ethics; and when you think about it, that is a seriously good condition to have been put into the regulation code. Insurance is such a sector in which there is so much of competition that it is quite tempting for people to skip the little ethics which are mostly in unwritten form. So each year, when there is a brush up on the ethics front, there is a conscience which pricks us from inside when we cross the line.
Insurance continuing education classes have become easy with the online version that has come into existence in the recent years. No longer do people need to head down to an insurance training centre and look for a slot in which they prioritize and attend classes to complete the fixed number of hours as per the code. They can just log on to some website which is certified by the board, and update their insurance education online itself. If you are a busy person (as most insurance people are) you would normally not like to spend time at an institute, that too during working hours. Online, you can finish the required number of training hours at your convenience – whether it is at night or during the day. Even weekends are fine, if you have a computer based session!
Then comes the biggest advantage – unlike at your local training institutes, there is no compulsion that the same sets of training modules need to be taken each year. There are so many new modules which are added year on year, and the amount of knowledge which can be gained in insurance continuing education online is immense! There is absolutely no limit to what can be learned at these sessions. If you have not seen the modules online yet, head down to a recognized training portal and you will sure be amazed!
Insurance continuing education classes have come a long way. Some states used to not even require such training and some still do not. It is very important to stay ahead of the competition whether that means knowing the news insurance laws and regulations, learning new sales practices, or even learning about new product offerings to your current and future clients. If a client trusts you on being the expert, you better not disappoint them, or your friendly insurance agent down the road will make sure to fill your shoes in an instant. It is also important to gain their trust and receive referrals. You would be surprised on how many successful agents work strictly on referrals.
