Success is a journey, not a destination.
Pros
I have had the great experience of working at AIL Eau Claire and our managers here are positive, upbeat and motivational. If you are having a bad day --- this is where you need to come to change it around. Your attitude is everything, they say! I have worked hard, put in a lot of hours and been rewarded as such. I have worked in many fields and I can say that we have all walks of life here. I think the overview people keeping complaining about is nothing short of stating that it is AMAZING. When you read reviews, most people just complain. It's rare to ever get someone to take time out of their day to praise. I can say it is not a career for everyone but I have seen the transformation first hand as a Hiring Manager/Recruiter. I spend my day looking for the next Rita, Mike, Chad, etc. They all came from various backgrounds and in my opinion, the more seasoned you are with the world, the better your life can and will be. Working at AIL Eau Claire is a daily learning experience. And because I came from the education field and jumped into the insurance field, my love for learning could be one reason why I love it here. Things are constantly changing along with business needs. People don't leave here because they hate our company. They leave because it wasn't a good fit for them. That is out of AIL's hands. We take a chance on them, train them to the best of our ability and SUPPORT one another fully. This is my second family and I can say that I feel blessed to be part of this office. IF you don't want to work hard to earn your living, get on food stamps. Hard work has it's rewards and it may be grueling at first while your feet are wet but the water gets warm and only you are responsible for your success. I am a no excuses type person. If you wanna play the blame game, take a look in the mirror. We make our own success. If you can't find it, brainstorm and change your outlook. There are always new ways and I have seen these agents do it.
Cons
The turnover is what is hardest for me. I grow attached to the agents who join our teams and really enjoy coaching them through licensing and watching them grow, hear about their success stories with our clients and over all the peace of mind they get from helping families while they make their pay check. Unfortunately, we hire people who don't intend to stay but that isn't on us. We have no way of knowing if they will for sure be successful. Some people interview well but our true colors come out in the wash. This career choice isn't for everyone but it certainly deserves respect in all forms. Life Insurance is personal for me. And I think if you can't find a way to make it personal - you are in the wrong place. I haven't seen one person who left our teams leave because we didn't help them. They left because the opportunity wasn't for them and that's ok. They just opened the door to another person to -- maybe the next SGA to have the opportunity of a lifetime. Yes, you have to work many evenings when you first start out but when you "get it", you get more flexibility in your schedule. It's hard work. But if it wasn't, it wouldn't be worth it. That is ONE huge factor I have learned here. I have put in more hours than I have been paid for but it has ALL come right back around and benefit me emotionally, physically, intellectually and professionally. The bottom line for me is, it is hard to find people who want to work...rather than just have things handed to them. So when you are reading all these negative things people say, ask yourself this, "What part of that failure falls on them?" in all those areas I just mentioned. We all get what we deserve in the end whether it be success or failure.
