Female Agents Need More Role Models

Coming into the business right after college, Michel successfully worked her way through several different management positions, but every time there were executive level management changes made at her company's home office, she felt she took a couple steps back. "I didn't have credibility with these male home office executives, so I'd have to prove myself again," she says.

Michel now feels it's her responsibility to find eligible female candidates for this career and mentor them. "I don't want other women to have to take so long to reach the top of their professional goals–I have a real responsibility," she says.

Her firm has set a goal to recruit 10 women in 2003. So far, 4 are on board, and based on what is currently in the pipeline, Michel feels confident she'll hit 10 by year-end.

In addition to needing more successful role models, women also have more demands when it comes to education, adds Viner.

It's easy for a woman to get an appointment, she says, but when a woman sits in front of a prospect, she has to be better than her male counterparts. This is a perception much of our society still has, she explains. Not only has Viner heard this testimonial from Guardian's successful female producers, she experienced these same feelings first hand when she started out as an agent in 1989.

"They know they have to be sharp when they go in for an appointment," she says.

To help satisfy these women's appetites for information, many carriers now offer online learning tools in the form of a virtual university.

"Giving them [women] different ways to get the education–especially with the types of lives women lead–gives them more flexibility," says Michel.

For example, with the online learning tools available, Michel's female agents are able to log on to an online university from home, after they put the kids to bed, she says. "That's a great educational tool that doesn't require them to be in a conference room at 8 a.m. Monday morning when they may have other family needs they need to attend to," Michel says.

By adding these special tools and addressing specific issues for women, carriers are trying to increase the number of female recruits. For The Guardian, this has been a byproduct of their women's initiative program, says Viner. The program, which started about 3 years ago, was originally intended to raise the financial literacy of women and young girls. At the local agency level, there have been a number of seminars held within the community to do this. As a result, more women have approached Guardian expressing an interest in the career. "It just happens," Viner says. "We've increased the number of women in our field force by 30%. We've got a long way to go, but we can see the impact."

In Michel's agency, she is constantly networking with professional women that "might be considering a career change or may be able to refer a mature businesswoman to me."

Michel has also formed a "Woman's Advisory Board," which consists of community leaders and successful businesswomen. "All of the women on my board know I want to bring more women into this business," she explains. "I'm trying to circulate and network with many of the women in my community so the word can be passed around about how great this industry is."

Reproduced from National Underwriter Life & Health/Financial Services Edition, July 21, 2003. Copyright 2003 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.