Fairly or unfairly, insurance agents get typecast by the public and by the media, sometimes to hilarious effect. If you’ve ever seen the 1990s hit film “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray, you may remember the moment that Murray’s character (the snooty local news reporter named Phil Connors) bumps into an old high school classmate.
 
That classmate is insurance salesperson Ned Ryerson, who approaches Connors in the street. Ryerson then accosts him with greetings and corny jokes, before pitching the benefits of a single-premium whole-life policy — all in under three minutes. “Needle-nosed Ned”, as he also calls himself, continues to pop up throughout the movie, making for a number of laughs and great scenes in the film. The character also fulfills the stereotypical role of an overly-friendly and funny but slightly annoying insurance salesman.

 
While stereotypes exist, the truth about insurance salespeople and their firms is that they provide an important service to consumers, which strengthens the American economy. Anyone who owns a home, drives a car, or runs a business knows the importance of insurance protection when accidents, theft, property damage, or even deaths occur. Any American with a family (and children especially) can and should provide financial protection with life insurance, in case the worst happens.
 
While insurance and the type of financial protection insurance policies provide aren’t exactly the most exciting conversation topic, agents of all stripes are a valuable resource for consumers. It is really the salespeople who drive the ownership process. Whether charming, assertive, or even pushy like the stereotype depicts, insurance agents can be credited with staying on top of us to do the things we need to do to protect our property, businesses and families properly.
 
The insurance industry and the people within this large sector are more important to your financial picture than you think. And, as businesspeople, insurance agents may also be more interesting, more dynamic and more enterprising than you imagine.
 
Just like realtors, insurance agents largely make a living by being paid on commissions. They make money only on the policies that they sell and later service, but are also responsible for staying up-to-date on products available in the marketplace and must be licensed to do business.
 
In order to stay in the game long-term, insurance agents not only need to keep selling but often bank their career on building relationships. Reputation is everything, and name recognition and marketing help agents reach new customers. The kind of entrepreneurship necessary to making it in the insurance business makes agents and the firms they work for perfect customers for specialty advertising distributors.
 
No matter the lead product sold, insurance agents benefit from both existing customers and perfect strangers recognizing their names. That’s where promotional products and leave-behind gifts come in. Specialty advertising products are much more cost-effective than a billboard or TV ad for agents on a marketing budget.
 
Writing instruments like high-quality pens can be easily crafted with an agency or sales professional’s name and contact information. According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, the average professional who owns a logoed pen uses it three to four times a day. Along with drinkware like mugs, these create an excellent opportunity to have your customers’ identity in the hands of future customers every day.
 
As a distributor of promotional products and specialty advertising, you are in the perfect position to help insurance agents, or the entire agencies they work for, extend their reach. Also, as salespeople themselves these go-getters are among the most easy to approach about a new idea.
 
Reach out to the people you already know in the insurance sector, or connect with the agents already involved in your local chamber of commerce or business group. You will be tapping into a market which is almost endless, as well as profitable and open to the valuable service you provide to businesses.