Pros
Great benefits (medical, dental, vision, 401k, HSP) Understanding managers - if I need time off and I have PTO, they don't question it Friendly employees - I love the people who I work with, management included Rewards for exceeding sales goals - weekly contests, monthly leaders clubs recognizing top sellers, potlucks, gift cards, holiday parties Overtime (mostly unlimited) - work more hours, make more money (if a supervisor approves it) Absolute meritocracy - if you kick butt, you're recognized by management and encouraged for leadership, if they have room (more on this later) There's so much more they can improve on, but I've been treated very well here. Excellent entry level position. You learn a lot in the first six months, but after that, you can and will become a sales zombie.
Cons
Cut-throat work culture - however, this is normal in sales. You must sell 19 policies per week to receive commission. Cross-selling is mandatory at all times - even if the customer makes clear, sometimes angrily, that they only want one, solitary product. Fail to do so, you are reprimanded. One strike and you cannot be promoted to leadership for one year. Two strikes and you're canned. I have once received a verbal warning for not selling renter's insurance to a college student living with her parents. We get it. Cross-selling makes us more money, but pick your battles. You're unsettling the folks who keep the lights on. Endless pressure - sales: a choice of sink or swim. Frankly, most of us are slowly sinking. Higher expectations, larger product line, increased cross-selling pressure, commission charge backs (more on this later), consistent training on fringe products, etc. are slowly breaking our backs. It's like adding more cargo to the donkey's back when he's already brought you over a mountain. Unfulfilled promise of upward growth - supposedly, more leads were to be generated to meet these higher expectations, right? A major account has yet to be released, yet NGIC buys small accounts - most of which we can't serve for various underwriting reasons. Some days, I spend half my day qualifying leads that we cannot write. Other times, I spend half my day negotiating prices with broke customers. Most of the time, I have to explain which company I represent because we started a pay-for-click SEO campaign that management told no one about! "No, this is not GEICO." is something I shouldn't say 4x a day. In addition, there's constant promises of leadership opportunities - but only if you work in Cleveland. There's a lot of favoritism within the ranks, as satellite offices are not considered as sites from which to groom for future leadership. Commission charge backs - in first quarter 2017, sales implemented charge backs on policies that do not reach 90 days in effect. When implemented, half of the salesforce I know started looking for new jobs. Management said it's for the "survival" of the company. Makes sense, because our stock price is below $18/share for the first time in 2 1/2 years. And we've acquired companies in the past two years valued in the tens to hundreds of millions in crap markets like Louisiana? It's pretty clear those acquisitions didn't add value, nor create the illusion. How do I expect to continue to believe this is a $100k/year career if you make me cross-sell to broke clients with little financial responsibility while building value in a company with little of it? Dying sales strategy - people quote online instead of over the phone. Make your money now before you get cut or promoted. If you are promoted, it's likely you are now a husk of what you once were, because the endlessly high expectations ran your personality into the ground.